That work continues this afternoon, when his Chelsea team make the short trip across the capital to north London for a Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Ahead of that game, our head coach discussed his approach to man-management, continuing on the theme he has spoken about repeatedly since joining the club in the summer, of developing individuals to improve the team.

That is why he and his squad are in agreement that hard work in training and out on the pitch on matchdays is non-negotiable.

‘The only thing that I don’t allow them, no-one in the squad no matter who it is, is to drop in terms of intensity and in terms of hard work, because the only way to reach something is to work very hard day-by-day,' he said.

‘I’ve said before that this squad is full, full, full of talent. If you put the 25 players in a room and you close your eyes and pick one, you’re going to pick one who is full of talent.

‘But it’s not enough if you don’t put together more things. Without the rest you are not going to win games and have a good moment. This is what they have to understand and, fortunately, at the moment they are all aware of that.’

Maresca also hasn’t been afraid to single players out who he believes need an extra push to keep them on their toes and continue their development, with Reece James and Noni Madueke among those to benefit from the Italian’s tough love this season.

Our head coach isn’t worried that approach could upset any of his players, though, as they also understand it is a sign of the high regard he holds them in.

‘I think when you have a good intentions you don’t have to be careful. You have to be careful when you have bad intentions,’ Enzo explained.

‘My intentions with Reece or my intentions with Noni or my intentions with the next one – I don’t know who it will be, it depends on what I see day-by-day in our sessions – is not because there is any bad intention. It is because I really care for them and I really want the best for them.’