New Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca spent last season working as one of Pep Guardiola's assistants at Manchester City
New Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has urged his players to "adapt" as they prepare for Championship football.
Italian Maresca left his role as one of Pep Guardiola's assistant managers at Manchester City to take over the Foxes.
His task is to try to achieve promotion following their relegation from the Premier League after nine seasons.
He said: "Leicester is a Premier League club, but the reality is we are a Championship club, and we have to adapt as soon as we can."
The Foxes endured a turbulent season in which they finished 18th in the top flight and were relegated on the final day, having been as high as eighth the previous campaign.
Brendan Rodgers was eventually sacked in April and interim manager Dean Smith could not save the club from the drop.
Now Maresca has been appointed at the King Power Stadium as the Foxes are forced to rebuild in the division below, with just over a month before they start at home to Coventry City on 6 August.
Leicester City were relegated in May after nine seasons in the Premier League
'All players enjoy having the ball'
Having worked under Guardiola during Manchester City's Treble-winning season, Leicester fans hope that the Italian can introduce a possession-based game.
Maresca, whose only first-team managerial experience was a 14-game spell with Italian side Parma in Serie B in 2021, believes that players will want to buy into that philosophy.
"We have to create the right squad and then we can go day-by-day," he said.
"All the players when they were born, were looking for a ball to play with, not to play without one.
"So our idea is to have the ball as much as we can. I think the players enjoy having the ball, not running behind the opponent. For us, this is the first target."
Leicester's relegation marked the end of a golden period in the club's history, having won the Premier League title in 2016 and lifted the FA Cup at Wembley two years ago.
Maresca thinks those successes will make the Foxes a scalp for every opponent in the second tier. But he says his experience with Manchester City will be very useful in creating the right mindset.
"It's a bit different, Leicester in the Premier League to the Championship," he said.
"Every team who comes here wants to take points because we are Leicester. They are going to come to our stadium and try to take points because for them we are the most important club in the Championship.
"I lived this last year with City. Exactly the same will happen with us, so we have to be ready.
"If we don't adapt, it could be a bad thing."
Conor Coady, who has 10 England caps, spent last season on loan at Everton
'An example for young players'
It has been a busy summer of comings and goings at the East Midlands club, with seven players out of contract following relegation and midfielder James Maddison joining Tottenham Hotspur.
Harvey Barnes has also been linked with a move away, but England internationals Conor Coady and Harry Winks have dropped down from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs respectively to be part of Maresca's squad.
For the 43-year-old, those additions represent a "very good signal" as he tries to create the right culture around the club.
He said: "We need to create the right squad with the right players, and or at least players that we think can fit with our ideas. First, we have to create something important and then build.
"Bringing in Winks and Coady is a very good signal from the club.
"They are not only very good players in terms of quality inside the pitch but we are looking for players that can be an example for the young players and for the rest of their team-mates. Conor is one of those guys, even Harry.
"The idea is to bring in more players like that. They can help us to build something important."
