Joao Pedro’s “aggressive” claims compare Chelsea manager with Ligue 1 coach | OneFootball

Joao Pedro’s interview with Sky Sports yesterday was really fascinating on a number of fronts.

He noted how he was working hard to be able to play twice a week as he adapted to the intense rhythm of Champions League football. He also spoke about two Italian managers he had – Roberto De Zerbi who brought him to Brighton, and now Enzo Maresca who has brought him to Chelsea.

De Zerbi compared to Maresca by Joao Pedro

Enzo Maresca speaking on Sky Sports.

“I think both have a passion, they love football, they are very smart, but De Zerbi is more aggressive. Not in a bad way,” the striker said.

“The way both think, it is very easy to understand what they want, but I think Enzo knows how to manage sometimes between the players.

“The way he talks is more understandable. Enzo is more composed but both managers are really offensive. They like to play with the ball and want to have the ball in the whole game so it’s very good for me. I think they are similar but also they are different.”

How “aggressive” De Zerbi pushed JP to the next level

While Joao Pedro picked Maresca’s man management as superior, he did give major credit to De Zerbi for having pushed him on the the next level as a player:

“When I was at Watford I was a little bit comfortable with my position. When I moved to Brighton he pushed me every day,” the striker said.

“He said things like I could be a top striker in the world. From that I started to believe in that. I started to believe if I work every day hard I could be a top striker.”

Chelsea are now reaping the rewards of De Zerbi’s work on the South Coast.