Enzo Maresca shuts down reporter with five-word response as he laughs off awkward question

Yesterday at 10:06 AM

Enzo Maresca gave the perfect response to an awkward question in his latest Chelsea press conference.

The Blues boss was previewing the upcoming Premier League clash with Bournemouth when he was asked a question about his striker Nicolas Jackson.

Jackson is without a goal in four games and has scored just once since December 1.

That lead to a line of questioning about how the Blues are helping him to find his form once again.

The reporter asked: “As a player who was a defender like yourself, what kind of advice an technical guidance can you give to an attacking player who has stopped scoring?”

Maresca then asked the reporter to repeat the question, this time with a big smile on his face.

Maresca then responded: “I was an attacking midfielder.”

Clearly baffled the reporter replied: “Were you?” to which the Chelsea boss replied with a raucous laugh.

He then responded: “No, but with Nicolas needs to continue to work and to score goals.”

While Maresca is now one of the top managers in the Premier League, the 44-year-old was in fact an attacking midfielder who notably played for clubs including West Brom, Juventus and Sevilla.

He was even described as a ‘complete player’ by his former Fiorentina boss Emiliano Mondonico.

This was due to his physical, technical and mental intelligence on the football pitch.

Perhaps it was the latter that prepared him for a career as an elite-level head coach, something that he has become thanks to his time with Man City, Parma, Leicester and now, Chelsea.

Since moving into management, Maresca has enjoyed real success after leading Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as a head coach.

While he had doubters upon joining Chelsea, the Italian boss has silenced his critics since moving to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues sit fourth in the Premier League table and are still vying for glory in both the FA Cup and Europa Conference League.