Maresca Braced For 'Very Good' Boro Test
The Foxes travel to the North East hoping to get back to winning ways after a run of nine consecutive league victories was ended by last Friday's 1-0 reverse to Leeds United at King Power Stadium.
Maresca's men still hold top spot, but are eager to make it 14 wins from their opening 16 league matches ahead of the final international break of the calendar year. On Friday, on the eve of their latest outing, the Manager spoke to the media...
Assessing Boro's qualities
Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough stand in the way of Leicester and another Championship success - and the North East outfit head into the clash in promising form. Boro have climbed into the top half after repairing a disappointing start to the campaign.
"It's a very good team," Maresca told reporters in Seagrave. "In the last 10 games in the Championship, I think they won six, drawn two and just lost two, so they are in a very good moment, a very good mood.
"They are an interesting team with very good players, a very good manager too. Last year, he did a fantastic job. This year, they struggled a little bit, but they lost important players. It’s an important game.
"We have to work hard on the ball and off the ball. On the ball especially, we have to continue in the way we want to work, trying to find the solution. We have prepared for this game. Off the ball, they do different, very interesting things.
"We need to deal with that in the right way."
Winning before the break
The importance of signing off on a positive note before the international break is not lost on Maresca. He hopes Leicester's fans can enjoy the pause in league action knowing their side have tasted victory yet again in the Championship.
He also discussed the need to ensure players are rested where possible due to the league's demanding schedule.
"For sure, it’s not good to get back to back defeats, even if it wasn’t a international break," he added. "We’re going to try to avoid that.
"[Recovery] is always important. We gave them two days off, Saturday and Sunday. We worked Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was off, and then we prepared the game yesterday and today. In this moment, the recovery time is as important as the training."
Manager of the Month again
For the second time this season, Maresca was named as the Championship's Manager of the Month, for October, which saw City win all six of their matches. The Italian, though, was eager to divert the praise onto his players.
"It’s a good thing," the ex-Manchester City coach explained. "It’s fantastic, because of the team. I won this in August because we won four of four and I won this in October because we won six of six. I don’t play, they play. If I won this, it’s because of them. They are doing a fantastic job and also the backroom staff help me every day."