What Kieran McKenna has said about Enzo Maresca before Chelsea’s game vs Ipswich, Mauricio Pochettino comparison made

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has been speaking about Enzo Maresca ahead of his side’s game against Chelsea later.

Ipswich Town welcome Chelsea to Portman Road, hoping to close the gap with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who sit just outside of the relegation zone.

Enzo Maresca‘s side, meanwhile, have dropped down to fourth following Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 win against Everton on Sunday. However, they can go second with victory this evening.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	18	14	3	1	45	17	28	45
2	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	19	11	4	4	26	19	7	37
3	ArsenalArsenal	18	10	6	2	35	16	19	36
4	ChelseaChelsea	18	10	5	3	38	21	17	35
5	Man CityManchester City	19	9	4	6	32	26	6	31
6	B’mouthBournemouth	19	8	6	5	29	23	6	30

Chelsea’s last Premier League clash against Ipswich came in 2002, with that game ending 0-0.

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Kieran McKenna praises Enzo Maresca

Chelsea lost 2-1 against Fulham last time out, which saw them drop out of second place.

Nevertheless, McKenna has still been impressed with the job that Maresca has done at Stamford Bridge, though the Ipswich manager felt that Mauricio Pochettino also performed well in the dugout during the second half of last season.

“Enzo’s done a really good job coaching them and getting them into the structure that he likes and turning them into a good team,” McKenna was quoted as saying by TWTD.

“I have to say, to be fair, the second half of last season, Mauricio had really good results there as well and you could see the talent that was there, you could see the talent was coming through, and they had really good results in the second half of last season.

“But I think Enzo’s taken that on to another level this year and he seems to have settled in very well.”

Ipswich’s tie against Chelsea could see Omari Hutchinson take on his former side. The attacking midfielder left Stamford Bridge for Portman Road in the summer.

Chelsea were delighted when they initially signed Hutchinson from Arsenal, but the 21-year-old only went on to make two first-team appearances for the club.

Chelsea could have appointed Kieran McKenna as manager

When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Pochettino, they considered McKenna.

In fact, it was claimed that Chelsea held talks with McKenna over their vacancy. In the end, though, the Blues opted for Maresca, and it is a decision that they will not regret.

As McKenna himself has said, the 44-year-old has done well in west London this season. Chelsea are where they want to be, in the Champions League places, and have played some good football under him.

In total, the Blues have scored 38 goals in the Premier League. Only Tottenham Hotspur (41) and Liverpool (45) have netted more, showing the attacking brand of football that Maresca has brought to Chelsea.