What Leicester City need from new boss as Enzo Maresca exit cuts them loose from concerning path

Leicester City did not want to lose Enzo Maresca. They understand the task they face to survive in the Premier League next season and believed Maresca could have accomplished it.

However, take the most optimistic view of the Italian’s imminent departure to Chelsea and it’s a chance for a clean break. It’s an opportunity to pick the best manager possible for the predicament City are in.

Because under Maresca, there was the possibility of City continuing to follow the path taken by Burnley. The comparisons were made as soon as Maresca was appointed, with a relegated club appointing an inexperienced coach schooled in Pep Guardiola’s ways.

It had worked for Burnley in that they had risen into the Premier League with 101 points and just three defeats. It felt like a sensible plan for City to follow.

But while Championship managers throughout the season said City were a level above the Clarets a year earlier, that didn’t ease the concerns among supporters over how their club might get on under Maresca in the top flight. What was good enough for top spot in the Championship did not look like being good enough for 17th in the Premier League.

Vincent Kompany had stuck to his gameplan and his philosophy throughout the campaign, and while it was good enough to earn him a move to Bayern Munich, it was not enough to keep Burnley up. In fact, they picked up just 24 points. With City expected to be hit with a deduction, they may need to win double that to survive in the new campaign.

Maresca was not oblivious to the difficulties City faced in trying to stay in the Premier League for more than a year, nor is there any certainty that they definitely would have continued to follow in Burnley’s footsteps. But the Italian is wedded to his idea, one that seems to work best with higher-quality players. In the event of poor performances, it was hard to imagine him trying something radically new in a bid to keep City up.

But now City can definitively cut loose from that path. The club back themselves to pick the right manager. The appointments of Brendan Rodgers, despite how his tenure ended, and Maresca, have paid off.

So what will they look for in a new boss? There is a balance to strike. First, they have to think about the players they have, knowing that, without a great deal of money to spend on adding new faces this summer, the current squad will form the basis of what the new manager will work with.

And those players won’t want to ditch all of the ideas brought in by Maresca. The Italian was popular and highly thought of among the players for his tactical nous. Many of them enjoyed his style of play, and for a large part of the season, they made it work.

Speaking on the final day of the season, Conor Coady argued for City to stick to their guns. He said: “It’s important to stick to your philosophy and what you’re good at. I think we’ve shown what we’re good at this year and what’s got us out of the Championship and back into the Premier League. It’s important you keep those values.”

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