Enzo Maresca and Levi Colwill are a match made in heaven and are a perfect match for each other.
Colwill is the perfect type of defender that Maresca wants in his back line. And Maresca is the perfect manager for Colwill to guide him.
“My role has changed a lot,” Colwill said ahead of today’s Manchester United game.
‘I’m playing in my natural position again and the way Enzo has set us up allows me to play my best football and make more passes into midfield to show off my abilities and start attacks.
‘The way we want to play as a team is completely different. We’re not trying to attack as quickly as possible. We make sure our attacks are calculated and we attack the target when we have created the appropriate space to put ourselves in the best position to score. Things like that can take us to the next level.’
‘He’s a perfectionist,’ Colwill adds of Maresca.
‘He doesn’t treat us like that even though we have young players in our dressing room. The standards he sets are so high and they are standards we must achieve every day.
‘It doesn’t matter whether it’s training or a match. You have to be on your A game and give him everything you can, and he gives it back. That’s why he’s an amazing manager and he’ll do amazing things in football.’
Colwill admits he wasn’t able to play his best football during a difficult first season in Chelsea’s first-team squad, but he learned a lot from the experience that will help him in the future.
‘‘It put me in a good position to keep going with a fire in my stomach to prove people wrong,’ he emphasizes. ‘This is what I want to show this season. ‘There is a reason why I am a good player, I believe in myself and the manager believes in me.’
Colwill continues: ‘I personally am putting in extra effort for the team. Because we know how important it is for us to win games and get points.
‘The difference between blocking a shot and not taking it can be a big difference. Results may change. As a team we bond and compete together.’
These words are all completely true and natural, and he means every single one of them. You can see it too.
Colwill is a ball-playing centre-back and Maresca likes to keep possession and play out from the back, so it’s a perfect match.
Colwill is also a player who needs to feel able to express himself when playing and make more difficult passes into midfield and attack, and he does that brilliantly.
I honestly think he should be our captain right now. He has a lot of leadership and influence over himself and leads by example.
Maresca clearly loves him, and he clearly loves Maresca! This is great stuff.
