In a candid reflection on his team’s performance, Enzo Maresca opened up about the persistent defensive issues that have plagued his squad since the beginning of pre-season. The head coach acknowledged that defence has been a focal point in his strategy sessions with the players, emphasizing the necessity of addressing this problem to achieve better results.
“Defense is a problem we’ve been trying to solve since day one of pre-season,” Maresca said. “One of my first meetings with the players was about the number of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line being very high.”
Maresca pointed out that while the offensive aspects of the game have shown significant improvement, the defensive shortcomings continue to hinder the team’s overall performance. “I think offensively the team is there, because the patterns are there, we create chances…the problem has to be defense. When I say defense it’s not just the defensive line but generally all the players.”
The coach highlighted that the high defensive line, a remnant from previous seasons, remains a challenging habit to break. “We are not working on defensive lines being so high but it’s a habit from last year or maybe years ago. But we are trying to drop the line normally to 4-5 meters just to have some advantage to not concede goals in behind. But as I said we already conceded many with this problem last year and hope we can solve it very soon.”
Maresca’s remarks underscore a broader strategic shift aimed at fortifying the defense by lowering the line of defense, thus reducing vulnerabilities to counter-attacks. The team continues to work diligently on this aspect, hoping that these adjustments will yield better defensive solidity in the upcoming matches.
Stay tuned for more updates on Enzo Maresca’s efforts to transform his team’s defensive strategies and improve their overall performance on the pitch.
By: Francis Nutsugah (Abrantie Kofi Qross) – Ahotor Sports Desk
