Enzo Maresca's Confident Victory: Ayyoub Bouaddi Shines

Enzo Maresca walked away from a gruelling European night convinced his side had shown exactly what he wants them to be: deep, driven, and unflinching.

The Italian head coach cut a satisfied figure as he reflected on a controlled away win, insisting his team could easily have made the scoreline even more comfortable.

"I think we could've scored more goals, especially in the first half, but overall I think we deserved to win the game," he told Amazon Prime, his verdict as sharp as his team’s display. "We created enough chances to win the game. We didn't concede a lot. It's normal to come here and concede some chances because it's normal, so overall happy with the performance."

The story for Maresca was not just the result. It was the depth. The rotation. The sense that whoever he turns to, the standard barely drops.

"I think I am lucky because all the squad is good players," he said. "For a manager it is easy because you can give minutes to all of them, and tonight I think the guys that were inside were very good."

Bouaddi steals the spotlight

On a night stacked with established names, it was Ayyoub Bouaddi who stole much of the attention.

Thrown into a high-stakes European tie, the teenager played with the calm of a seasoned professional. Maresca, who has seen enough big games to know when a youngster is out of his depth, watched Bouaddi glide through it.

"The good thing is that from Erling [Haaland], Ruben [Dias], Mateo [Kovacic] you expect how to manage this game," he said. "But he was never in panic, Ayyoub Bouaddi. He was very good and I think the performance was unbelievable."

Lining up alongside Enzo Fernandez, Bouaddi looked as if he had been part of this stage for years. The impression he has already made in training has not gone unnoticed among the senior players either.

Erling Haaland, who lives off service and senses talent quickly, has been talking him up behind the scenes.

"I think he played a very good game," the striker said. "Last couple of weeks in training, I told the chairman that he has been amazing, so I think we have a gem here."

Then came the sting, delivered with a smile. Haaland had one complaint.

"But to be honest, I think he should of played me through in the second half when I was all alone. I was a bit angry, so I will tell him right now, he played a good game, except that pass."

One missed ball, one glowing endorsement, and one teenager who suddenly looks like a serious option in a squad already stacked with quality.