Reece James has been hugely impressed with Enzo Maresca, describing the new Chelsea manager as “incredible”.
Maresca joined Chelsea earlier this summer after an outstanding season at Leicester in which he guided the side to automatic promotion back to the Premier League with 31 wins in 46 games.
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The Italian, who gained fame working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before joining the Foxes, spoke about how Premier League club make late coup for him before he moved to Stamford Bridge.
But one person who is delighted that Maresca has taken the job in west London is James, who says there are exciting times ahead for the Blues under their new boss.
In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, James said: “He’s been brilliant since he joined us.
“His ideas and what he wants to do are very clear. Now is the time and we have to execute so we can be the best, and that’s what he wants.”
Since the start of pre-season under Maresca, Chelsea’s results have been mixed, to say the least.
A 2-2 draw with Wrexham was followed by a 4-1 defeat at Celtic, while a 3-0 win over Club America was a marked improvement, but James insists that performances are now more important than results.
“Pre-season has been great so far,” James said.
“We are building minutes in every game. Yesterday we had a good result [against Club America] and we hope that we will be able to continue working on it.
“Pre-season results are not a true reflection of anything.
“We’re taking a big step in the right direction in terms of the process we want to put in place at the start of the season. I think that’s the main goal, not the results.”
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He added: “I feel really strong. The strongest I’ve felt in a while, so hopefully I can keep it up.”
James has begun playing in a slightly different position under Maresca, adopting the position of an inverted right-back – a role that sees him move towards the centre of the pitch rather than coming in on the wing.
Discussing the change, James said: “It’s good. I try to help the team as much as I can wherever I play.
“Even if I play in goal, I will try to help the team. I am happy to be playing again.
“When I was playing just behind, I would just get up and go. Now it’s a bit different. Sometimes I’m a bit in the middle and not so much up front. It’s a different role, but a good role.
“I feel like the role could change quite a bit. I don’t think it’s going to be one set role, which I think is good too. It’s going to change depending on opponents and stuff.”
Chelsea begin their season with a difficult home clash against Premier League champions Man City on Sunday 18th August.