Enzo Maresca relishing battle with former West Brom ‘taxi’ Graham Potter

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will aim to wipe the smile off “funny guy” Graham Potter’s face when he faces his former West Brom chauffeur at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Potter takes his West Ham side to play the club that sacked him almost two years ago and will come up against ex-Albion teammate Maresca, whom he used to taxi to training when the pair were together at the Hawthorns in the late 90s.

More than 25 years later, Maresca has followed in Potter’s footsteps in the Chelsea dugout though with rather more success, helping mould the team into top-four contenders after a torrid two years.

It has been in stark contrast to the former Brighton boss who, having been brought in to helm a radical overhaul of the club by owners Clearlake Capital, was dismissed seven months into the job with the team drifting towards a mid-table finish.

He was appointed by West Ham in January, his first job since departing Stamford Bridge 21 months earlier.

“A good guy, a funny guy,” said Maresca of the former defender, who was five years his senior at West Brom. “He was very funny, I guess he is still now. We were both very young when we played together, I was 17.

“We were living very close to each other. He was my taxi, he was bringing me from my house to the training ground. Now he’s doing fantastic so I’m happy for him.”

Asked whether Potter had a nice car, he said: “No, to be honest. I don’t remember what. Now for sure he has a better car.”

Chelsea are aiming to rediscover the form that had carried them to within two points of league leaders Liverpool in late December.

They are currently nine points and five places better off than at the same point last season but a promising campaign risks being irretrievably derailed if a run of one win in seven games is not curtailed soon.

“In this moment we are better than two months ago and the reason is because the players all need to live these kind of moments, this kind of difficulty, to be better in the future,” said Maresca.

“We are better than two months ago, even if we are struggling to win games.”

Maresca said that captain Reece James, who in October he publicly challenged to show greater personality and leadership in the role, has responded well to the call.

The 25-year-old, for whom injury has yet again severely limited his availability this campaign, rescued the team with a stoppage-time equaliser in last month’s 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, his first league appearance since November.

“He is trying to make an effort in terms of this kind of things, in terms of leadership,” said Maresca. “I’ve said many times, the captain and all the captains need to be a good example, they have to try with all the team-mates. Especially since we have many young players.

“He’s doing it in sessions, in the changing rooms. All the time.”