Enzo Maresca reveals what has surprised him at Chelsea

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted his surprise towards the Blues' progress since his arrival at the club this summer.

Maresca was hired to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who departed by mutual consent in the summer, but an unconvincing pre-season had many fearing it could take months for the players to get to grips with his methods.

While things have not been perfect this season, Chelsea have enjoyed a solid start to proceedings, picking up seven points from their first four games, and Maresca admitted he did not expect to be this far along at this stage of the season.

"We are ahead of where I expected, to be honest," Maresca told club media. "Since I have started, the players have been open-minded and they are taking in all of the information.

"Off the ball, we have already pressed in four or five different ways. On the ball, it depends on how the opposition defend because we try to find a different solution. Against Crystal Palace and in the friendly game against Inter Milan, we played in one way and then in the others we played in another way.

"We try to adapt to how the opposition defend and how they attack and prepare for the game."

Despite his positivity, Maresca urged fans to remain realistic in their expectations for the season when asked whether his side could finish in the top four this year.

"This is a good squad," he said during his pre-match press conference ahead of the West Ham United game. "But in the last two years we have finished 12th and sixth. You need progress. The only way to reach some important targets is to be focused on game after game."