During Leicester’s push for Premier League promotion, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall disclosed that it took the players a while to adapt to Enzo Maresca’s strategies.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has confessed that Leicester City players felt somewhat bewildered by Enzo Maresca’s tactics during the initial weeks of the season.
Maresca swiftly introduced an unconventional playing style reminiscent of Pep Guardiola’s approach at Manchester City, which wasn’t entirely unexpected given Maresca’s prior role as Guardiola’s assistant. The Foxes often shifted from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 3-2-5 setup with a full-back transitioning into midfield, proving effective for most of the season.
However, adjusting to this unique strategy posed challenges for many squad members, as Dewsbury-Hall disclosed. In an interview with FourFourTwo, the midfielder admitted, “To be frank, in the beginning, players openly admitted feeling somewhat perplexed.”
He further explained, “A lot of the concepts Maresca introduced were entirely new to us. His explanations made them seem straightforward, leaving us questioning, ‘How did we not grasp this before?’ We felt somewhat out of our depth. But with repetition, it gradually became second nature. This is what sets top teams apart—they operate seamlessly on the same wavelength.”
Reflecting on Maresca’s background, Dewsbury-Hall remarked, “All I knew was that he had been Pep Guardiola’s assistant, which immediately signaled his caliber, as Guardiola doesn’t appoint just anyone as his right-hand man. I wondered if he would adopt Guardiola’s style or introduce his own—turns out, it’s a bit of both. He’s exceptional. Sometimes, he makes our playing style look effortless when it’s anything but.”
Despite a promising start to the Championship campaign, recent results have been challenging for Leicester, with five losses in their last nine games. This has allowed teams like Leeds United and Ipswich Town to close in on a top-two finish. Dewsbury-Hall remains confident in Leicester’s promotion prospects, stating, “We know our fate is in our hands, but naturally, we keep an eye on our rivals. Credit to them, they’re keeping the pressure on by winning consistently.”
He added, “I can’t speak for previous seasons, but even after winning 26 out of 36 matches, we still find ourselves in a tight race. It speaks volumes about the competitiveness of the league.”