Enzo Maresca makes ‘fantastic’ Leicester City statement ahead of King Power Stadium return

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Enzo Maresca will be back on the touchline at the King Power Stadium for the first time since leaving Leicester City in the summer.

Chelsea are the visitors to the East Midlands for Saturday’s game and will bring a host of former Foxes with them.

Maresca was in charge of Leicester for their Championship title-winning campaign before leaving in the summer to take the job at Stamford Bridge.

He took star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall down to west London with him and also has Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell among his ranks to select from.

It will be the first time since the former Foxes boss has returned to the club.

• READ MORE: Patson Daka latest as Steve Cooper could have triple Leicester City injury boost for Chelsea clash

Enzo Maresca excited to return to Leicester City

Although he was only in charge for one season, Enzo Maresca did leave a lasting impact on Leicester City supporters.

The Italian won promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt and received plenty of praise for his style of play as they racked up 99 points across 46 games.

He eventually left in the summer and was replaced by Steve Cooper and ahead of this weekend’s fixture, Maresca admitted he was looking forward to returning.

“First of all, excited and also thankful because it was a fantastic season, he said.”

“I met people that are very difficult to find in football; the owner, his family, they are fantastic human beings. They care for the players, the staff, all of the people who work inside the club. You can see that.

“It was a fantastic season because I met good people and then in terms of players, it was top, it was fantastic. It was a fantastic connection between the players and the staff.

“This is something you need to create and I will be thankful for all of my life to that squad.”

How does Steve Cooper’s start at Leicester compare to Enzo Maresca?

It’s now been well over four months in the job for Cooper and whilst he is on course to keep the Foxes in the top flight, it hasn’t been without difficulty.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
12	B’mouthBournemouth	11	4	3	4	15	15	0	15
13	Man UtdManchester United	11	4	3	4	12	12	0	15
14	West HamWest Ham	11	3	3	5	13	19	-6	12
15	LeicesterLeicester	11	2	4	5	14	21	-7	10
16	EvertonEverton	11	2	4	5	10	17	-7	10
17	IpswichIpswich	11	1	5	5	12	22	-10	8
18	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	11	1	4	6	8	15	-7	7

In comparison to Maresca, who in fairness had an easier run-in, Cooper’s stats are sub-par at best and drastic improvement will be needed.

This will be the first time the two have met as managers and if Cooper can claim an unlikely victory, it will be a huge step in the right direction.