Following on from last night's diabolical performance and my late night ramble on the match thread, I feel like we have hit something of a wall with this manager and this style of play.
At the start of the season, it felt like we were at the start of a process, a journey if you like, that would take some time to get all the moving pieces into place. I was a strong supporter of Maresca and his philosophy. After years of regress under Rodgers culminating in our untimely relegation, he felt like a breath of fresh in terms of his ideas, his coaching prowess, his general sense of aura. Performances at the start of the season weren't great but we were getting results playing in second or third gear. It felt like it was only a matter of time before we excelled playing this style of football and that we would only get better as the season went on. My article after the Watford game, bemoaning the animosity by some of our vocal fans, was a counter to what felt like a yearning to return the 'good old days' of up-and-at-em styles of play under O'Neill and Pearson. I felt - and still feel - that a successful possession-based style of play is the best way to be successful in the modern game.
Unfortunately, this promise of better performances tomorrow has not materialised. Since the Coventry game, performances - and, in turn, results - have gotten considerably worse. The bursts of energy and individual brilliance which was getting us through games in the first half of the season have gone. And not, I fear, because of a lack of confidence or ability, but because that has literally been coached out of them. The Birmingham game before Christmas was a good example of how we can absolutely destroy teams by playing lighting quick on the counter. But Maresca made clear that this was not the style of play he wanted. When JJ blasted a 30 yarder against Cardiff, after the match he said something along the lines of "the manager will probably drop me for that". This is my biggest fear now - we have gone from being a possession-based team that showed moments of quality, to being one that so rigidly sticks to the mantra of 'patience' that we have forgotten, or simply been brainwashed, into forgetting how good we can be the 10% of the time we do move away from Marsecaball.
Simply put - the players have been overcoached. This manager clearly has a defined philosophy and style of play that supersedes absolutely everything else. Having a manager with ideals is a good thing - most successful managers have them! But when ideals become an ideological mantra, it becomes a problem whether it's sport or politics. I fear that is what has happened here - rather than improve on where we were for the first half of the season, we have gone balls deep into this ideology with someone who is all in on the idealist dogma of it, and forgotten that it's OK to play with speed and game plans as well. The best teams can change it up and play at different speeds. We were doing this at the start of the season, but increasingly feels like these bursts were in spite of Maresca and because they were still in the early stages of his 'idea', not because that was his idea all along.
And that's before we even get to his absolutely awful in-game management and lack of substitutions. Again, at the start of the season, he would come up with little tactical changes that would win us the game. Now, he either doesn't change anything, or changes it too late (like last night and against Bristol City). This is something again that I would have hoped he would improve on during his career. But now I am not so sure. I feel like this is a manager who puts his ideology before anything, including results, and that really worries me. This is such an important season for the future of the club that we cannot accept anyone putting themselves before the club, but it feels like that is what Maresca is doing. That is also when I first started to feel my support for Rodgers fading, and the same things feels like it's happening now.
The fact that I am writing an article like this, and that Leeds fans share many of the same concerns about Farke, is utterly bonkers. I doubt teams who are on course for promotion have ever been so distant from their managers as we are. To most neutrals, we must sound insane. Yet, here we are.
Again, I am very conflated with writing this article. There's little doubt that Maresca is a very talented coach and the players respect him and enjoy playing this style of play. But a good coach doesn't necessary make a good manager - just ask Craig Shakespeare and Steve McClaren. But the simple point is that, right now, Maresca is just not a very good manager. All the good work he did in the first half of the season is at risk of being completely undone.
Regrettably, regardless of where we end up, I think the best thing would be for a mutual parting of the ways. I suspect it would be better for both us and Maresca in the long run.
The Maresca Conundrum
posted on 10/4/24
Couldn’t agree more Foxello. Well said.
posted on 10/4/24
Couldn't have put it better. The football is as tedious as it gets. I could (just about) live with it when we were getting results, but not any more. I am all for a possession-based game and am no advocate of the hoof it days of Dave Bassett, but playing possession football does NOT have to mean 90% of that possession is amongst our CBs.
posted on 10/4/24
Great article Foxello.
I think I’m in agreement that if we get promoted or not, it would help us next season to begin under a new manager.
Maresca has done some really good things at our club, but I think you’ve identified the problem. He’s over coached the team and stifled any creativity we had. All of it. And now we’re conceding so basically we’re goosed.
All the great work he’s done building a motivates team of players working hard for the cause seems to being undone by his insistence that his instructions are carried out to the letter and any attempt at being creative in the moment is punished.
It’s not working, we can see it’s not working. It not going to start working by now and the end of the season so we’ve just got to pray we’ve got enough individual a bailout to crawl over the line.
I’m willing to give Maresca a chance if we get promoted, but I expect to fail badly, like it’s failing right now!
posted on 10/4/24
It does feel like a Peter Taylor season in that we’ve been top or there about but no one can really explain how. But I can’t help but think the situation is similar to Arteta’s early years at Arsenal. If,and it’s a big if, Enzo is willing to learn from experience then there is an argument to stick with him.
However, there are other factors at play now. Seven players are effectively redundant at the end of the season because we can’t negotiate new contracts because of the transfer embargo. Others perhaps know they will be sold. Where is the motivation to give above and beyond when the self interest must be to stay injury free.
We don’t know where Enzo stands: was he hoodwinked at the start of the season? If so, may be he has given up as well.
posted on 11/4/24
If,and it’s a big if, Enzo is willing to learn from experience
________________________________________
Bowstring - I think he has made it very clear he has no intention of ever learnign anything new. His way or the highway.
posted on 11/4/24
Fair enough. For what it’s worth I think he’ll walk before next season and it wouldn’t bother me.
posted on 11/4/24
I haven’t commented recently on our trials & tribulations as Mrs A’s dad has been diagnosed with the big C, so have been slightly disassociated from JA and our games (apart from the prediction league which is helping Mrs A get through the current situation)….
As most of you will know I was an early and firm supporter of Enzo and I called for him to be appointed before he was interviewed etc.
I saw him as a breath of fresh air, somebody who could change the atmosphere around the squad, somebody who could use his contacts to attract players and at the beginning of the season we all saw that results came our way even when only playing at 50% and the challenge for us all of getting used to the possession game (if we have the ball then you can’t score)
99 will remember the numerous back and forth on here defending our own viewpoints…. Well 99 you win!
I have now completely changed my view due to the way that Enzo has been found wanting, belief in his tactics has now turned into stubbornness and that has cost us points in the run in, we are still top ( not down to how we are playing but down to all 3 teams having wobbles)…..
I have slowly lost faith in him and his methods and the long term future of him here, if we get promoted I wouldn’t be averse to a change of manager/coach in fact I think we would need one just to stop the KP turning toxic very quickly.
There are other deep rooted issues that need changing at the club, such as Rudkin being driven out and dumped in a field ( to be fair we have all been calling for that for years)…..
Life is never dull as a Leicester City supporter but it feels odd to be calling for a change at the top as we sit atop the Championship potentially getting promoted back to the PL, but I will admit I was massively wrong and things need to change!!
UTF
posted on 11/4/24
Very good article. It is really weird that so many feel a change of manager would be appropriate when we sit top of the division with a game in hand on those below.
Unfortunately, if we get promoted there is little chance of either Enzo or Rudders departing this summer. We'll just have to see what happens in that regard.
I don't see anything from 99p, have you filtered him Foxello?
posted on 11/4/24
comment by Don'tUpsetTheAppletonCart (U13248)
posted 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
I haven’t commented recently on our trials & tribulations as Mrs A’s dad has been diagnosed with the big C, so have been slightly disassociated from JA and our games (apart from the prediction league which is helping Mrs A get through the current situation)….
As most of you will know I was an early and firm supporter of Enzo and I called for him to be appointed before he was interviewed etc.
I saw him as a breath of fresh air, somebody who could change the atmosphere around the squad, somebody who could use his contacts to attract players and at the beginning of the season we all saw that results came our way even when only playing at 50% and the challenge for us all of getting used to the possession game (if we have the ball then you can’t score)
99 will remember the numerous back and forth on here defending our own viewpoints…. Well 99 you win!
I have now completely changed my view due to the way that Enzo has been found wanting, belief in his tactics has now turned into stubbornness and that has cost us points in the run in, we are still top ( not down to how we are playing but down to all 3 teams having wobbles)…..
I have slowly lost faith in him and his methods and the long term future of him here, if we get promoted I wouldn’t be averse to a change of manager/coach in fact I think we would need one just to stop the KP turning toxic very quickly.
There are other deep rooted issues that need changing at the club, such as Rudkin being driven out and dumped in a field ( to be fair we have all been calling for that for years)…..
Life is never dull as a Leicester City supporter but it feels odd to be calling for a change at the top as we sit atop the Championship potentially getting promoted back to the PL, but I will admit I was massively wrong and things need to change!!
UTF
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Sorry to hear about Mrs A’s father; I’m very heartened to hear that the prediction league is providing some light relief for her. My best wishes to you all.
posted on 11/4/24
Some good comments on here.
I do find it a real shame that things have started to go pear-shaped under Maresca. I had real enthusiasm about him at the start and it felt like he was someone who could become a top manager. He still might as he's very early into his career but his stubbornness and inflexibility is a real red flag. Having an idea and philosophy is great but you have to be willing to breakaway from your ideals from time to time, something he seems totally incapable of even contemplating.
I don't think the blip is entirely his doing. Losing Ndidi for an extended period of time was clearly a big blow. As was losing Casadei just as he was starting to show some form. The mess over the Sensi non-signing and not bringing in anyone at a time when our rivals were strengthening put us at a crucial disadvantage. I also think this frustration has boiled over with Maresca's recent outbursts. He must also know that this isn't the same job he signed up to 10 months ago. He knows that come what may, he's going to have to see some players sold next summer with a substantial points deduction due to the owner and board's incompetence. He won't be able to sign the calibre of player he would have probably wanted to and will know that if we are promoted, we will be fighting a losing battle from day one. It must be hard to stay motivated under those circumstances. That's on Top, Ruskin etc, not him, so I have some sympathies there. It's why I also think the chances of him not being here next season are > 50% regardless of whether we go up or not.
Hopefully we can get over the line now. This week's results are a sign that it's not just us wobbling. My worry is that we have a squad with a track record of losing their bottle at crucial times and I am not sure whether that has changed. We still have a lot of very soft, weak-minded players here who speak well but don't bring it on to the pitch.
Nuneaton; unfortunately I filtered 99 a few weeks ago. Whilst I did enjoy our debates and always found him a good contributor, it was getting impossible to have a debate without it becoming heated and insults being traded. I think it's best for both of us to keep apart.