Enzo Maresca’s Full Post-Real Madrid Press Conference:
🔹Enzo Maresca: “I think offensively we played a good game but defensively we had some problems that we need to solve and adjust. Once again today we created 6, 7 clear chances. I think the problem is more in the moment, defensively where need to improve things, the defensive line in general.”
🔹Enzo Maresca says Armando Broja wasn’t left out the Chelsea squad to play Real Madrid due to injury: “It was just a decision. Luckily for us he’s not injured. Will he leave this window? In this moment, we’ll see what happens…”
🔹Enzo Maresca on squad being too big: “We try to do our best. Here, we had around 30 players but I think we work quite well in terms of managing the situation. We will try to do the same when we’re back there [in England]. At this moment, the players that are here, it’s okay. We are going to have Cole [Palmer] and Marc [Cucurella] there [at Cobham]. It’s just two more players. The rest, I think are doing something apart.”
🔹Enzo Maresca: “It [the high line] is a problem we are trying to solve from pre-season, since day one. One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high. It’s something we are trying to work on. Today, offensively, we are there – the patterns are there. We created chances. The problem is defensively; when I say defensively I don’t just mean the defensive line, but in general, all the players. Overall now it’s finished. We head back to London. We have Inter and then an official game.”
🔹Enzo Maresca on if Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella will be ready for the Inter Milan game, or the Man City game: “We will see. I’m not sure for Inter. Hopefully the City game. They are all important players. Between Cole and Nicolas last year they scored almost 40 goals so they are both very important. And Marc, too. The important thing is they start with us and soon we can use them.”
🔹Enzo Maresca: “Any team wants to do something, they want to win games and compete. They have to work in the right way defensively. It’s difficult when you concede one goal or two, always starting behind. Today, again, for the first five minutes, we had two clear chances. When you concede and you are 1-0 behind, 2-0 behind, it becomes difficult. But overall, in terms of the things we are doing, we are improving and I’m quite happy.”
🔹Enzo Maresca on Christopher Nkunku: “For me, he played a very good game. We are trying to use him as an attacking midfielder and a striker, depends on the moment. Also, we are using him as a striker today because Marc [Guiu] was tired at the end. It’s normal but overall, the important thing for Christo, we are able to contact with him between the lines. Today we contact with Christo and Enzo [Fernandez] many, many times between the lines. This is the most important thing, to arrive there, and with time we will take chances and score more goals.”
🔹Enzo Maresca on the high line: “It’s a habit. We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago; I don’t know. We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage. Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully we can solve it very soon.”
🔹Enzo Maresca on Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea vice-captain: “He’s one of the important players. To be honest, I think when we changed Reece he gave the ‘bracelet’ to Enzo and this shows how Enzo is respected inside the squad. I think it’s quite clear.”
