MAKING OF ENZO FERRARI

Once the engine driving the Juventus midfield, Maresca wants to be the best...former Ascoli star lifts the lid on what makes this Italian tick

- RYAN TAYLOR

IT was a "three-year project" that barely lasted five months.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca's managerial baptism of fire with Serie B outfit Ascoli abruptly ended in dismay.

The former Juventus and Sevilla midfielder explained following his shock resignation in November 2017: "Things outside football have become uncontrollable, consequently there are no longer any conditions to continue."

A 4-0 defeat at Parma, which left the team rooted to the foot of the table, proved to be the final straw for obsessive No.2 Maresca.

Ascoli had initially planned to instil the Italian as their manager but he did not hold the required coaching licence to fulfil the role and therefore worked in tandem with Fulvio Fiorin in the dugout.

Yet although he was technically second in command, the club's players were under no illusions who was in charge.