Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on their injury issues and previews their Premier League clash with Arsenal
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
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00:00He was here for his dinner before the game tonight. He looked very well, looked pretty fit, not limping. Can I assume he'll be fit for the Arsenal game?
00:09He's better, he's getting better. If he can walk and have dinner, that means that he's completely fit.
00:19He came back for his pudding too!
00:22No, he's getting better and hopefully we still have two days, tomorrow and Saturday, to prepare the game.
00:29Hopefully we can have him for the session, at least Saturday, and then we'll take the decision.
00:39When you face a team like Arsenal, who are supposed to be a Premier League game, do you look for something different?
00:50We're always looking for something different, no matter if it's Arsenal or another team, to see how we can attack and defend in the right way.
00:59We did this season against any team. For sure, Arsenal, I said in this moment, is the closest one to the best team in England, that is City.
01:11But we're going to try to do our game, prepare in the best way we can and try to win.
01:20You've obviously got off to a pretty good start as Chelsea head coach, but do you think you're missing that statement win?
01:27Is that the only thing that you've missed so far? You've lost to City, you've lost to Liverpool, you drew against Man Utd.
01:35Do you think you need that against Arsenal?
01:39For sure I would like to win this kind of game, but since we started, I always said the same.
01:47For sure I analysed the result, but first of all I analysed the performance.
01:51Do you think we deserve to lose against Liverpool?
01:56Me too, but it's football. Now, hopefully we can win Sunday, we can win that kind of game.
02:04But also I think at the end, in this competition, in the Premier League, it's important and it's difficult to win against any team.
02:13For sure if I can decide, I would like to win against Arsenal on Sunday, no doubt.
02:18But also I think Liverpool away, the performance was very good, we didn't deserve to lose.
02:25Even City, the good thing is that we are there. We are there and you cannot see a big difference when we play this kind of game.
02:35And this is the most important thing.
02:37For sure I don't have a doubt if it's Sunday or it's the next game, but for sure we're going to be there and win this kind of game, no doubt.
02:46Andy.
02:47Hi Enzo. Just looking across at yourself and Mikel Arteta, both, fair to say you've learnt a lot from Pep Guardiola, both worked with him.
02:57It's almost like two of his disciples are now coming together.
03:01Do you see in Arsenal, do you see stuff in Arteta's style of management that he may have learnt and that you've taken stuff from Pep Guardiola as well?
03:10The only thing I can say is that for sure I learnt many things from Pep.
03:17If I'm here today, it's probably because of the amount of things that I've been lucky to learn next to him.
03:26Then I think Mikel also has his own idea, the same as me, what I try.
03:35Then probably both we have to be thankful because we work aside, beside, next to the one that I consider the best manager in the world.
03:50So probably both we have been quite lucky to work with Pep.
03:57Is he better friends with you than he is with Pep?
04:00Ah, this is a question. Your question is exactly tonight's game. It's a tricky question, it's very dangerous if you don't take it seriously.
04:10I don't take football very seriously.
04:12Yeah, yeah, I can see that. I can see that. I can see that.
04:15No, no, no. I'm friends with Pep and that's it.
04:23Chelsea lost 5-0 to Arsenal last time they played. Have you watched that game in the last few days?
04:32Has that game featured much in conversations with the players?
04:37No, I didn't watch the game in the last days. I watched the game in the summer when I watched all the last season games.
04:45So I watched that game in the summer. I'm now more focused on what they are doing this season than next season.
04:53But for sure that game was a big, huge defeat for us, for the club and hopefully we can do something different on Sunday.
05:07There's a lot of focus this season on the tactics that Arsenal use at set-pieces.
05:14They don't seem very afraid to make a game and kind of frustrating for the other team.
05:19You've got a developing side. Are you going to warn your players about the way it might be with Arsenal, how mentally tough they might make it?
05:27For sure mentally it will be very tough. Set-pieces, they are very good, but not only against us.
05:34I think they are very good against any team. I watched two days ago, last night, the Champions League game against Inter.
05:42Every corner was a smelling goal. So they are top on that and we're going to try to deal with that in the best way.
05:52Given the expectation on them this season to challenge Manchester City, you were saying they are the best team behind City.
06:00The results that they've had recently, do you think the pressure might be more on them going into this game?
06:06I don't know. I also like to get the pressure from this kind of game. So the pressure is also for us.
06:14But for sure, as I said, for me they are the closest one with City. I consider them better than the rest.
06:22The reason why I said many times is because one club is working with the same manager nine years and the other one is working with the same manager five years.
06:30This is a big, big, big, huge advantage compared to the rest. So for me that's why they are in this moment better than the rest.
06:37But we're going to try on Sunday to make life difficult for them. We're going to try our best.
06:56No. And the reason why is because I tried to take... You don't know how I was worried tonight against this team.
07:06And I tried to take all the game in the same way, serious, preparing the best way, how we can attack good, how we can defend good.
07:14And I tried to take all the game in the same way. And tonight's game I was very worried because tonight's game is the one that it's easy to drop
07:23because mentally you are not ready and you have to be ready. But again, if you ask me in the next two games which one you want to win, for sure I want to win both.
07:33But if I have to take one, I take the next one. Also because in two games we play Leicester away that I feel very close to them.
07:44And last question, over here.
07:56No, all the time, no. In this moment also we are quite lucky that we don't have injury. So we have 24, 25 players and we can choose.
08:04I think the way we are trying to do the things since we start, also we protect players. Because one thing is to play three games a week and the other thing is to play just one.
08:16I think we protect the player in this moment. But that means that it's going to happen all season because also be a moment where there are injury or we need to change things.
08:28But in this moment, we are in November and every game we change players and probably fortunately also we don't have injury in this moment.
08:40What one thing you mentioned there, Enzo, was the pressure. And you like the pressure in these games. The pressure seems even greater at the moment.
08:50Is that because Chelsea are, if you like, back? In the last couple of years, Chelsea against Arsenal has not been seen as such an even contest.
08:57But with what you've done so far this season, it's almost like this is a big chance for them and the pressure is increased because of that. Is that why you're thriving on it?
09:10I don't know the last two years. I was the feeling. In this moment, the feeling from us is that we can compete and we can win against any team.
09:23And if you don't take serious and if you don't do the right things, also you can lose against any team. But for sure, we have the right feeling that we're going in the right direction.
09:33And hopefully Sunday we can give our fans a good day.
09:38Okay. Thank you.