Two of the main talking points from Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace were the performances of teenagers Josh Acheampong and Estevao Willian.
With Levi Colwill ruled out for a while following knee surgery, Maresca needed someone to step into the heart of defence for our Premier League 2025/26 season opener.
Tosin and Benoit Badiashile, two of the potential options, were not fit enough to feature at Stamford Bridge, while Wesley Fofana's return following long-term absence meant he was only able to occupy a place on the bench.
But while Acheampong may only be 19 years old and was coming up against one of the most physical centre-forwards in the Premier League in Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maresca had no reservations about naming the Chelsea Academy graduate in his starting XI.
Acheampong held his own physically against Mateta and also made some timely tackles during an excellent first half.
The teenager also showed his composure on the ball as he regularly skipped past Mateta while the striker pressed to start Blues' attacks.
Maresca said: ‘Josh was very good. We showed our confidence in Josh last year as he played some games for us. Today he did very well, he dealt with Mateta very well, so overall he had a good game.’
Another teenager who impressed was summer arrival Estevao.
The Brazilian signed for us in the summer of 2024 but only arrived following this summer's Club World Cup after turning 18 in April.
His Premier League debut came in the 54th minute when he replaced Jamie Gittens, as Pedro Neto switched to the left and Estevao attacked down our right flank.
The Brazil international made an immediate impact as he beat Tyrick Mitchell and crossed for Neto to head over.
Estevao kept trying to take on the Palace defenders and added energy into the Blues attack.
He was unable to mark his full Chelsea debut with a goal, firing wide following a slightly heavy touch, but his first competitive half an hour or so in blue was a snapshot into what fans can expect over the coming years.
Maresca said: ‘Estevao was very good. He showed personality and he is already showing that in our training sessions and for no doubt – slowly, slowly – he will become a very important player for this club.’