“It's funny because I was reading what they actually want at Chelsea. And when they said they wanted this, this and this, a manager doing this, who plays like that, in my mind, straight away, I said to myself, that's Maresca.”
These are the words of Emile Heskey, who Tribalfootball was able to sit down for a talk in between his ambassadorial duties for Leicester City.
Having seen the meticulous Spaniard in action on the training ground, to Heskey he simply ticked off all the boxes that Chelsea were talking about. And the former England international doesn’t blame the now former Leicester manager for jumping at the chance.
“When will you get that chance again? If Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City come in for you, it would be very tough to turn that down,” says Heskey who has faith in Maresca also being Chelsea-manager this time next year.
“I think he's a strong enough character. I've seen how he works on the training pitch. He is such a tough worker. He pushes his players and pushes his team and pushes his staff to the limit. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he's actually a success.”
Dewsbury-Hall on par with Maddison
Maresca arrives at Stamford Bridge alongside Leicester City’s player of the season Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but is he also a player who improves this Chelsea side?
“Yes,” Heskey states emphatically, adding he thinks Dewsbury-Hall is a bargain.
“Comparing him for instance to James Maddison, I think Dewsbury-Hall is on par with him. That's just my personal opinion, having watched them both and having seen the way Dewsbury-Hall plays and the impact he can have. You can't have a 10 million difference between them.
“He's very good at understanding the tactical analysis of how the manager wants to play and being disciplined within that. Maresca is very, very astute and very, very meticulous in how he wants his midfielders to play. If they're in certain areas, you stay in that area. You don't run all over it. You have to be very, very disciplined and you saw it with Kieran Dewsbury-Hall.”
Taking over from Maresca at Filbert Street is Steve Cooper which raised a couple of eyebrows when the announcement came. Emile Heskey believes the former Swansea and Forest-manager arrives with pressure on his back.
“The pressure is on because of his Forest past. It is not a huge rivalry but it’s a rivalry and the pressure is on even more because players are going to be sold. They had a really, really good squad in the Championship. When you move up into the Premier League, it's difficult, especially if you're losing your best players.
“How are you replacing them because obviously, FFP is going to be challenging. So, it's a really tough job for him and I think he's taken the job understanding this because it's there in plain sight. It's going to be an interesting season for Leicester to see how they actually get through this,” says Heskey who sees a few weaknesses in the current squad.
“Going forward they might have arguably one of the best to do it in the Premier League in Jamie Vardy but it really doesn't sit well as a club, that your best forward is nearly 38. I don't think the midfield is too bad, even when losing Dewsbury-Hall. Defensively, I think they could do with a little bit more pace.
“I think they got exposed a few too many times in the Championship, but those players weren't able to finish it off. Now, when you go into the Premier League, they're going to really test you and expose you and really score a lot of goals. It's going to be a tough one for them.”
Darwin needs to slow down
While Dewsbury-Hall is enjoying a bit of holiday, Darwin Nunez is off with his Uruguay colleagues playing in the Copa America. The Liverpool forward is enjoying life under Marcelo Bielsa in the dug-out, while cutting a frustrating figure towards the end of the season at Liverpool. If only he would take those chances, as former Liverpool-ace Emile Heskey points out.
“If he would score one for every, say, 10 chances that he creates that's another five to six goals right there. That’ll give you 20 plus goals a season and that's what the fans, that's what everyone wants. When he gets into these positions, he just needs to work on possibly really slowing himself down before executing the finish.
“I'm not bothered about his all-round play which to me is quite good. I think his hold-up play is okay, he makes runs, he chases down lost causes. I think he gives Liverpool everything that you need it's just that last little bit to really go and be a be an icon at Liverpool, you know?”
- Emile Heskey was talking to Tribalfootball of behalf of 888sport