Enzo Maresca is happy for Leicester City supporters to get excited about their team’s promotion hopes even as he continues to play down talk of a romp to the Championship title.
City head to Swansea on Saturday to take on another manager in Michael Duff who has tipped them to win the division, even as early as 11 games in. Duff said he believed City were better than Burnley, who clinched the title last term with 101 points, becoming the first team since Nigel Pearson’s City in 2014 to hit triple figures.
Maresca respects what Burnley and their manager Vincent Kompany achieved in turning around a relegated club and firing them straight back to the Premier League. But he won’t yet talk about his team in the same breath.
“For sure, they are a good example,” Maresca said. “But we are 71 points behind Burnley. So it’s up to you to see. Seventy-one. Seven. One.
“To be honest, I would like to say to you, yes, we will get promoted. It’s my dream now. My dream is to get promoted for sure. But I cannot say bad words. If they say we are the best team, then I’m going to say we still need 71 points to be the best team.
“I respect a lot what Burnley did last year, what Vinny did last year. I spoke with him many times. The reality for me is that it’s not May. I would like to tell you different things. But we are in October. We still need 71 points.”
But it’s not just opposition managers that believe City will win the league. Many fans are also excited at the prospect after watching their side rack up 10 victories from 11. Maresca is not about to tell them to keep their feelings in check.
“I’m absolutely happy (for fans to get excited),” he added. “They need to enjoy that. I’m happy for them, especially after a relegation.
“You as a fan, you spend all of your life supporting one team, so when you see your team relegated, it’s always sad. So they can enjoy it and we want them to enjoy it. But as a professional we cannot think about these things.
