Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on the fitness issues at the club and the absence of Nicolas Jackson, their recent poor form and defeat to Brighton who they face again on Friday
Cobham, London, UK
Cobham, London, UK
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00:00How are you? Good. Right, good morning. We will follow the usual format today and begin
00:22with Gael Davis and Sky Sports News, please, Gael.
00:26Good morning. Could we just have a little bit of overall team news to get us going,
00:32please?
00:33Yeah, Nico, as you already know, Nico will be out until international break, probably
00:41available after the international break. Margu also will be out for a while. Romeo Lavia
00:50is in the process to be back, to come back with us. Then Benoit Bayaschili, exactly the
00:59same. And Wes Fofana started to work with us two days ago. That means that he still
01:07needs two, three weeks at least to be 100% fit with us, but at least start to work with
01:13us.
01:14And in terms of Jackson, how come it is so much longer than you originally thought?
01:20Yeah, because we knew that was a muscle problem, but we didn't know how important it was because
01:28his feeling, his reaction was quite good. So we all thought that was not a big injury,
01:38but unfortunately he had the scan a few days ago and this is an important one and will
01:43be around six, eight weeks.
01:46And Mark Newman's injury, what's the problem, what's the clarification?
01:51Exactly the same, muscle problem. Mark, I think, is hamstring too.
01:59And so with both of them out, I guess we're looking at somebody like Christopher Nkunku
02:06to play a big role on you in the coming few weeks. How is he with that in terms of not
02:14playing very much and now understanding that he's got to play, I imagine, a very key role
02:19for you?
02:21Christo could be one of the solutions, but it's not the only solution. We're going to
02:26find, we're going to try to find a different solution. I said many times that I consider
02:32Christo a very important player since we started. The problem that they think that they are
02:38important just if they play. If they don't play, they don't think that they are important.
02:43But now also, you know, with the window transferred closed, so everyone is here and he can try
02:49to help us until the end.
02:51And what are some of your other solutions?
02:54No, yeah, we are working, because of Nick and Mark's situation, we are trying to find
03:00a different solution. That can be Christo, as he played the last game. Also, a different
03:06kind of player. For sure, when you don't have a proper nine, he can be a threat. Always
03:13you have to change not only the nine, probably also a little bit the way you want to play.
03:20Sorry, Rhys James was on my list as well. Is he OK?
03:24Yeah, Rhys is OK. He was against Brighton in the FA Cup. It was planned to give him
03:31rest. He had some more rest also in the last days, but he's available, yeah.
03:37And just finally for me, you also made a very good start to the season. You now find yourself
03:44out of both domestic cups, and the form maybe wasn't three wins in ten in your competition
03:50isn't where you want to be. How important now that you make sure that all that good
03:57work doesn't get undone in the next few weeks, that you bring your side together and go again
04:02and find a way to have something tangible for this season?
04:09No, I don't think what we have done can be cancelled or can be no good, because what
04:19we have done is there. I think, as you said, unfortunately in the domestic cup in both
04:28we are out, but our journey in the Premier League has been fantastic until today, in
04:34the conference has been fantastic until today, and we're going to try to finish in the best
04:40way we can. I said already many times, don't forget that in the last two years, Chelsea
04:48has never been top four, and this year we spent almost our season in top four. This
04:54shows you and everyone that we are in the right direction. Now we're going to try our
05:01best to finish and to bring this club where this club belongs to be in the Champions League.
05:06We're going to try our best, and then we'll see at the end. But our journey in the Premier
05:11League and conference has been fantastic until today.
05:15Soraya
05:16You just spoke about finding some solutions to the striker situation. We've seen some
05:22managers like Slob use a winger like Diaz as a line, and it has helped. Do you think
05:27some of your winners in this squad can do that, and if so, who?
05:31Yeah, it could be a solution. For sure, I don't know, Pedro or Noni, or even Tariq.
05:39They can try and they can be a solution for us. Jadon with the different kind of skills,
05:48but it's not just about the nine. When you don't have, as I said before, when you don't
05:53have a proper nine, probably you need to, yes, use a different kind of nine, but also
05:59you have to change a little bit the way you want to play. You cannot be direct, probably
06:04you need more linking because you don't have a fretting behind, you don't have a nine,
06:09but we're going to find a solution.
06:11Jurgensen started the league match against West Ham, Sanchez started the cup match. Of
06:16course training matters and we know you pick game to game, but with your goalkeeper you
06:21said you like to have a solid one and a number one, but at this moment in time are you going
06:25to be picking it game by game?
06:27No, no, no. I said that the Philippe solution was also to give Robert some time to recover
06:38mentally, physically, in general, but the idea is not game by game change the keeper.
06:45In this moment, the last Premier League game against West Ham that we won was Philippe.
06:51Unfortunately, the FA Cup game was Robert, but our keeper in this moment is Philippe.
06:59And Brighton's centre-backs were really aggressive against Nkunku, they almost swallowed him
07:04right off the pitch and it looked like they had no centre-backs at some point.
07:07But we know Brighton's highline can be exploited, especially tomorrow.
07:11Do you think you need to tweak anything massively to beat them away or do you expect a very
07:16similar battle that you just had against them in the FA Cup?
07:19No, I expect a similar one, also because it's not just against us, I think in all the games
07:25they try to be quite aggressive, central defender, midfielder, all of them.
07:29So I expect a very similar game.
07:37You just played Brighton, you're playing them again.
07:39How difficult is that or is it easier to play the same opposition twice in the space of a week?
07:45No, probably.
07:47Because it's fresh in your mind, the way the game, the way they attack, the way they defend
07:53can be easy.
07:55But at the end of the day it's a game, so it's never easy.
07:58But because you know what they do or what they try to do, probably it's better to face them immediately.
08:04What have you made of Fabian Herseler this season?
08:07Because when he came in, everything was just about his age, being a young coach,
08:11rather than actually what he could do coaching-wise.
08:14Do you think he's changed the narrative on him?
08:21I prefer not to say anything about their manager.
08:26You mentioned before that finishing top four for Chelsea is the goal this season.
08:30Because of how well Nottingham Forest are doing this season,
08:34that means that either Chelsea or Manchester City will miss out on the Champions League.
08:40I didn't say that our target is top four.
08:47The club never said to me that the target is top four.
08:51When I signed here and I joined this club, the target was in two years
08:55players playing in the Champions League, not in one year.
08:59So this is the reason why I said many times that we are ahead of our expectations.
09:04Nottingham Forest are doing fantastic, brilliant, very good.
09:09So congratulations to them. Then we'll see how we finish.
09:12If you don't finish in the top four, has the season domestically been a success or a failure?
09:21We'll see how we finish and then we'll see.
09:24Just one word.
09:26We'll see how we finish.
09:28It's not the good thing about me.
09:31I'm not saying to you something today is different than one month ago.
09:35Since day one, I've always said the same.
09:38I'm not looking at May or June.
09:39I'm looking at game by game how we can improve.
09:41Only that.
09:42So we'll see at the end of the season.
09:44John.
09:45How are you finding it at the moment?
09:47Is this the toughest period you've been through since you've been at the club?
09:51No.
09:52No, because I expect a time where we struggle a little bit in terms of results.
10:00But don't forget that the last Premier League game we won.
10:03It looks like we lost games in a row.
10:06But the last game we won.
10:08So it's not...
10:10Yeah, for sure we lost.
10:11More injuries as well?
10:12Yeah, the injury one is...
10:15The good thing about the injury one is that we are all in the same situation.
10:18You see different clubs.
10:19The last game, City was a gunshot, really shot.
10:23Arsenal, I don't know how important is the injury from the striker.
10:26But we are all on the same page.
10:28So it's just a matter now to see if we can find different solutions.
10:32Do you think Christophe Nkunku is the obvious solution?
10:35Is he a natural number 9?
10:37Or do you see him more as an out wide or a number 10 as his best position?
10:41No, I said since day one that Christophe is not a 9.
10:44Christophe is an attacking midfielder.
10:46But we use him as a 9 to find a solution with all of them.
10:49But we know very good that Christophe is not a proper 9.
10:54Wesley Kofana, that must be a bonus, isn't it?
10:57Is he making better progress than you thought he would be back sooner?
11:00Yes, he started with us a few days ago.
11:03As I said, that means that he will be with us very soon.
11:06At least probably he needs still 2-3 weeks.
11:09But the thing that we can see him with the players, with us in the squad,
11:16it's already a good feeling.
11:17And on Latvia, when do you think he will be back ready to play?
11:21Could be again, more or less like Nico.
11:24Probably after the international break.
11:26Is there a concern, would you say, about him?
11:29Obviously his injury record is not good and he does seem to break down quite regularly.
11:35Yes, but it's happening.
11:40It's football, they can get injury.
11:42Unfortunately, our injury, more or less,
11:46they are the same that in the previous year they had some problem.
11:49I said many times, when you have a big problem,
11:52the year after, you're going to struggle.
11:55Because it's normal.
11:56Romeo, in terms of number, has already improved compared to last year
12:00in terms of how many games he played.
12:02And hopefully he can finish well the last part of the season
12:05and be more fit next season.
12:08Simon?
12:10I'm just taking you back to what you said about the goalkeeper situation.
12:14So, is Filip now the Premier League goalkeeper for the foreseeable future
12:19and have you spoken to explain what the scenario is?
12:24No, I spoke with Robert a few days before West Ham
12:29when I took the decision to play with Filip.
12:32And I never spoke again with Robert.
12:35And with Filip, exactly the same.
12:38So, they know in this moment the situation.
12:41So, for the time being, you've not set a goal in your mind
12:45to the end of the season?
12:47No, this is the situation now.
12:48Then we see.
12:50We see the situation in this moment is like this.
12:53And we will finish this section with Rob.
12:56You've talked a lot this season about the distractions.
13:00All the work he does off the ball is the way he brings people in.
13:05Can the club do that work off the ball?
13:10Or are they two fundamentally different as strikers?
13:14They are. They are different.
13:16They are different on the ball and they are different off the ball.
13:19But, you know, sometimes we complain about players.
13:25But then when they don't play,
13:27we realise how important they are for the team.
13:30So, every press conference you ask me about Nico,
13:33every press conference I said that he's an important player,
13:35he's doing fantastic on the ball and off the ball.
13:38And then he didn't play against Brighton
13:40and everyone was thinking it's difficult to play without a nine,
13:44you know, Nego.
13:46But we know exactly how good is Nico on the ball and off the ball.
13:51Cristo is a completely different player on the ball and off the ball.
13:55And this is the reason why I said that probably we need to change something
13:59because we don't have a proper nine in this moment.
14:03So, you mean changing a lot, everything about the way he's...
14:07No, no, no, not everything.
14:09But probably you need to adjust something
14:11because the skills of the players are different.
14:17OK, thank you. Cameras off, please.