“I was with Ange” – Enzo Maresca reveals conversation with Postecoglou threw him off

Enzo Maresca has revealed that a conversation with former Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou threw him off recently.

Maresca was quite revealing in his latest pre-match press conference for our game against Wolves tonight in the League Cup fourth round, and some of the embargoed quotes have now come out as well.

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Chelsea recently played and beat Nottingham Forest, a game that actually ended up seeing Ange get sacked from his new role already, with the former Tottenham boss giving his marching orders after a terrible run as Forest boss.

And yesterday, Maresca was speaking about how they set up in a back 5 to play against Chelsea, something that he was not expecting at all.

Maresca on Ange

Enzo Maresca said: “Four weeks ago, I was in London for the LMA award. I was with Ange [Postecoglou], before he took the job with Forest. We were speaking, and I said, ‘Ange, I’ve never seen your team play back five, apart from the last 10 minutes of the Europa League final against United.’

“He started to laugh, and he said, ‘I hate to play back five, but because it was the last 10 minutes, and we need to win the title. I said, OK, I don’t care, we play back five.’

“We played Forest, it was a back five. And I prepared the game against a back four. So in the warm-up [they are setting up with a back five], guys, all the plan, rubbish, back five.

“This is difficult for the players. It’s not when you know that you play against a team, that they always play a back five. OK, we prepare all week, or two, three days, for how we can win the game. And we know how to win the game.

“The problem is when you face a team, that they are back four, arrive here, back five, sit back. It’s more complicated. This is the only difference.”

Quotes via Football London.