Enzo Maresca previews Chelsea - Nottingham Forest
03/10/2024
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
03/10/2024
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00I'd like to get us started in the section. Just a reminder, it's embargoed until 1pm tomorrow.
00:04Simon?
00:06Hello guys.
00:08Just a simple one for me. Any sort of team news for Sunday and why wasn't Karnie?
00:16Karnie was in the squad but he didn't feel well last night, during the night. He was ill and this was the reason why he was not in the squad.
00:26And the rest, not any update. The only one is Rhys James, still out. The rest, they are all available.
00:32Tom?
00:34So when you move from Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge over the weekend, your local team went to Anfield a few weeks ago and won. How wary of their threat do you have?
00:44No, no. We need to be aware of that. We need to be careful of that.
00:50We know that every Premier League game, but today in football, I think every game, no matter the competition, can be a difficult game.
00:58Nottingham, they have a very good manager, very good squad. They are doing well. Beating Liverpool is not easy, never, especially away.
01:08So they are doing very good and we're going to try to prepare our best.
01:13How important is it for you to find out the defensive mistakes that Brighton have made over the weekend?
01:21We don't concede goals, but at the same time, we know that in football, you are going to concede goals. You have to decide in which way.
01:32I think the two goals that we conceded against Brighton, there were two. The first one, probably, yes, it's more a mistake.
01:41The second one, I think, was a mix of things. The action started with Malo. From there, we conceded a yellow card and we conceded a chance.
01:48Then from the goal kick, we conceded a goal. So it's not a Robert mistake. I think it's a mix.
01:54Tonight, the first goal is set pieces. It can happen. The second one is the one that I really don't like.
02:00The reason why is because we saw that the game was finished, so we switched off.
02:05But we need to improve and we need to understand that until the final whistle, we need to switch on.
02:13Do you find these high-scoring games at the moment, and what do you make of Chelsea being the top scorers in the Premier League?
02:23Is it fine at this stage in the progression to be winning 4-2, 3-0 and so on?
02:28Or would you almost want a clean sheet 1-0 just to have a slightly different perspective?
02:35I think we played six Premier League games and I think we had two clean sheets, probably.
02:44West Ham and Bournemouth. So at the end, we had almost 50% of a clean sheet.
02:54But for sure, if you ask me if I prefer to win 4-2 or 2-0, I prefer not to concede a goal.
03:01But at the same time, I know that today, any team in the world can create chances.
03:05So it can happen that you concede a goal.
03:07The most important thing is that you get better defensively and also offensively.
03:14I think we always create chances. Sometimes we score one, sometimes two, sometimes we are not going to score.
03:19But the important thing is that every game, we arrive there many, many times.
03:23Just to follow up on that, when mistakes are made at the back at Leicester,
03:27at Birmingham City at home, I think half-time or full-time,
03:30you said to Mads, keep doing it this way or be substituted.
03:35Has a similar conversation been had with, say, Robert Sanchez or the defenders?
03:40That they've got to stick to it even if they make these mistakes?
03:42Yeah, that one probably was even more.
03:46We were winning 1-0, 45 minutes, goal kick for us and we conceded a goal.
03:52It's important that in the second half, we continue in the same way.
03:55I said the other day, we are going to concede more goals building from behind.
04:02But if you see most of our chances in all the games we've played since we started,
04:07even Wolves away, all the games, most of the time, our action, our football,
04:12starts with the keeper when they press higher.
04:15When they don't press higher, like tonight, how many times we play with Philippe tonight.
04:20In goal kick, I don't think we play many times with Philippe because we don't need that.
04:24And the other day, again, we played against a team that were defending
04:28the defensive line very high, so we were more direct in behind.
04:32We have a plan for every game, sometimes it's working, sometimes not,
04:35but we are not playing every game the same.
04:38So we adapt a little bit.
04:42Sometimes, compared with Chelsea, there's a lot of chaos around the club,
04:46but right now it actually feels very calm.
04:48I imagine you like it now, what's your secret?
04:51I think always results help,
04:54so probably it's the reason why in this moment it is what it is.
05:01For the first two months, we had many noises around the club.
05:05I said many times that inside it was very quiet,
05:08but hopefully we can continue in the way we are now.
05:18Kallum Hudson-Doty is coming through the youth ranks at Chelsea,
05:23obviously playing for Nottingham Forest,
05:25and we'll come up against him.
05:27Do you believe your defence will need to be wary of his threat down on the wing?
05:34I think they have him and they have more players,
05:36and we need to be aware of all of them,
05:39about all of them, not only about him,
05:41but for sure he's one of the good players that they have.
05:46We're going to try to do our best,
05:49don't concede them chances,
05:52even if, as I said, we are going to concede chances,
05:55because it's normal.
06:01We're talking about results bringing calm,
06:04but at the end of last season Chelsea had a terrific run of results,
06:07but it still felt like it was ready to explode at any moment.
06:12Is bringing a sense of calm something you've worked on,
06:16and is that your hallmark?
06:18Are you that sort of person that you will bring an air of calm to a club?
06:23I said many times, I don't know, last year, because I was not here,
06:26the only thing I can say, and I said that since we started,
06:31that I like to be focused on the things that I can do something,
06:36I can control, and the only part that I can control
06:40is the football side, all the noises around the club,
06:43it's something that I cannot control,
06:45I don't know if they are real noise, no real noise,
06:49I don't care about, to be honest,
06:51because the focus for me has to be,
06:54I'm already thinking tomorrow's session, how we can prepare the game,
06:59I'm not thinking about different things.
07:03How do you not let the noise from outside affect you?
07:07The Italian managers aren't renowned for their calm,
07:10quiet personalities, there's been a few here...
07:13Maurizio Sarri was not like Carlo,
07:16they are a bit different in terms of calm.
07:27Do you like the quiet life, which do you prefer?
07:30The way I am, I'm not saying that it's a good way or not a good way,
07:36I think we are all different.
07:39I played as a teammate with Antonio for three years,
07:42with Juventus, and I know how calm is Antonio.
07:51Do you think it helps as well,
07:54the fact that you're scoring a lot of goals at the moment,
07:57you're putting together some momentum,
08:00and even the league table, Chelsea fans haven't been used to seeing Chelsea up there
08:05with Man City and Arsenal, even though it's early in the season.
08:08Do you think all of these things together just enhance the belief
08:11of the players that this is all coming together?
08:14I think when you win a game, it's always energy,
08:19trust, confidence, so for sure it's helping the process.
08:28But also the players, I think they are the first
08:32that they recognise when the team play well or not,
08:36so even them, the results are helping us,
08:39but at the same time I think they are especially convinced
08:42because they can see clearly the identity, the purpose we have every game,
08:47and I think for them it's the most important thing.
08:51The noise maybe will change a little bit,
08:54maybe it will become more about being near the top of the table,
08:57can Chelsea win things, do you think that will be good for the players,
09:00and good for you, or do you have to sort things out as well?
09:03I said already,
09:07I really don't think that we can compete with Man City and Arsenal,
09:12I really think that because we are not ready,
09:15and the reason why is because I said many times,
09:18Man City has been working with the same manager for nine years,
09:21Arsenal has been working with the same manager for five years,
09:24and it's something that if you want to compete for an important thing,
09:28you need that time, you need it.
09:31I think after Arsenal vs PSG,
09:34they asked the same to Luis Enrique,
09:37and Luis Enrique said the difference between us and them is that Arsenal
09:40with the same manager for five years, and we are one year and a half,
09:43imagine us three months, so it's a huge difference,
09:46so for me I'm really convinced that we cannot compete with that club.
09:51The target is to improve,
09:54and slowly, slowly to go close to that club,
09:58but we are not in this moment ready for that.
10:03How long do you think you can take to...
10:07I said the other day, there is no time,
10:11because you can continue to improve,
10:14and to continue to add solutions and things, always, always.
10:18But at the end, the more time you are together,
10:22the better it is because you can know each other,
10:25they can improve, so it's just about this.
10:28OK, we'll end it there. Thank you, everyone.
10:30Thank you. Wow, it's very warm in here.
10:33See you on Sunday, thank you.