All the criticism I read here was about you getting a bench warmer at Inter. Makes me wonder if you actually saw him play or analyzed the situation or you guys just read other forums and the news paper.
There was no room for Maxwell to play, and when there was he was not ignored, nor did he play bad what so ever. In fact Mourinho and Mancini more on one occasion changed his position just to play him such as on LM.
Just because he is Brasilian, and does not play often people think he is bad defensively, but he is not. In fact he has a mean tackle but his game often depend on luring the player in before knocking the ball off. In Spain that is exactly how defenders defend, it is the style. In Italy, teams go for defenders who slide tackle (a la Santon and Chivu).
He is also level headed, he move forward when he sees fit, and usually reads the game well. But Maxwell is one of those players that take specific instructions from a coach, and for a micro tactician like Pep, Maxwell is perfect.
Something tells me he is not going to be a bench warmer, he will replace Abidal.
