Talking Tactics: Guardiola disciple Enzo can put Pep in Foxes' step

Enzo Maresca is the latest Pep Guardiola disciple to be handed the reins at a top club in England and the 43-year-old will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Vincent Kompany and Mikel Arteta.

Both were tutored by the Manchester City chief and Maresca now has the chance to prove he can also be a success story with Championship Leicester.

The Foxes were unable to escape relegation from the Premier League last term and are relying on the Italian tactician to restore their place in the top flight.

As Maresca prepares for life in one of Europe's most competitive leagues, we take a look at the man in the dugout.

The perfect Pep talk

Maresca has learned from the best and will take a wealth of experience to the East Midlands as he looks to fulfil his dream of becoming a successful manager.

After being unveiled as the new Foxes boss, the Sevilla legend admitted that he would be seeking out Claudio Ranieri, who led the club to the Premier League title in 2016.

On his appointment, he said: "There were several things on the table, the Leicester project seemed the most interesting and fascinating to me.

"And now one of the first things I’m going to do is to call Claudio.

"He is an institution at the club and the idea that I can somehow continue or pick up where he left off fills me with pride."

Problems in Parma

Leicester is not the first managerial role Maresca has taken on in his short time as a head coach.

The ex-midfielder was in charge of Serie B side Parma for just 14 matches before being dismissed in 2021.

His sacking was down to a poor start to the 2021-22 campaign, failing to lead the Crociati into the promotion places following their relegation from Serie A.

Having won just four games and seeing Parma score only 18 goals, Maresca was having trouble implementing his attacking philosophy with a rotting squad.

But with Leicester, the former City youth coach will have access to some top talents who are capable of implementing a high-intensity style of play that brought success to the club under Brendan Rodgers.

Good Kompany

Both Arteta and Kompany have adopted attacking styles of play in their managerial tenures and it would not be surprising to see Maresca use a similar approach to the latter in 2023-24.

Burnley blitzed through the competition in the second division and cruised to top spot thanks to their positive mindset and high fitness levels.

And Robert Snodgrass, who worked with Maresca at West Ham, is confident his former coach has the tools to succeed.

He said: "Enzo is a massive advocate of positional play. He was the first coach who, tactically, made me think about different positions on the pitch.

"Remember, at West Ham, it was right at the start of his coaching journey — but he was a mastermind.

"When I first listened to him, I knew straight away he would be a success.

"His attention to detail when it comes to football is second to none. He's a student of the game."

Maresca will face pressure to deliver with Leicester, but the Italian is used to working to high standards and will face the challenge head-on.