Maresca previews Chelsea's trip to Tottenham as they look to strengthen Champions League claims
02/04/2025
Cobham training centre, Surrey, UK
02/04/2025
Cobham training centre, Surrey, UK
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00:00Good morning everyone, thanks for coming to our matchday minus one press conference ahead
00:25of tomorrow's Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur.
00:28We will take the usual format today, beginning with a broadcast section and Jeremy Langdon,
00:34Sky Sports News.
00:35Hi Antonio, nice to see you.
00:36Can you just bring us up to date on the injury situation, Cole Palmer, is he OK to play against
00:42Tottenham?
00:43Yeah, Cole is back, he's OK, he's better, Noni is better, Nico is better, and yeah,
00:53they are all good.
00:54How good is it to have that trio of excellent attacking players back in this game?
00:59Absolutely, very good.
01:01We said many times that at the end it's a game for players and when they are not there
01:06for different reasons, you struggle.
01:09This is exactly what happened with us this season where we had five, six unbelievable
01:15months and then six, seven injuries in a row and we lost something but now it's good to
01:21finish with all of them.
01:23Obviously Cole didn't play for England, do you think that was good for him too, did you
01:26have a little break as well from that?
01:28No, the reason why he was not with the international team is because unfortunately for us the day
01:33before Arsenal he had a muscle problem that was not a big issue but it doesn't allow him
01:41to play an Arsenal game and to join the international team.
01:45We always said that going with the international team is the best thing for a player but overall
01:50I think some day off for Cole but also for the rest I think was a good one.
01:57How was the international break for you Enzo, we were reading reports last week that you
02:01were so unhappy with some of the training here on Wednesday that you cancelled the players
02:05day off on Thursday, is that right?
02:08Yeah but it's nothing, since I joined the club I always demand for high standards.
02:15International break, no official game, not many players here, the day after off sometimes
02:21it's normal to be a little bit relaxed but because I don't allow this so we decide the
02:27day after to train but it's not nothing, nothing strange or nothing new.
02:34As I said international break, not official game, not many players here, they are training
02:39here every day, every day, every day without any official game and then we play just a
02:45game between us and second team and we decide that, we take that decision.
02:50Even so with nine games left how important is it that the players now give absolutely
02:55everything over the remaining months of the season?
02:58No yeah but since day one they are giving everything, fantastic, the attitude, the behaviour
03:03has always been top, every game, every game, every day and even in the last three, four
03:10days, in the last week because they know how important it is from now on even if I think
03:16this already starts from four, five games, in the last 12, 13, 14 games every game becomes
03:23important and now as you said we have nine games to go and hopefully we can finish where
03:27we are in this moment.
03:29Chelsea Tottenham is a massive London derby, there have been some excellent games over
03:33the years, in the context of Chelsea's situation at the moment how big is this game?
03:38It's a huge game, it's big, we know how important it is for the fans, for the club but in this
03:44moment it's also important for us to finish as I said to try to finish where we are now
03:50that is a huge achievement in this moment for us.
03:53Enzo Fernandez was away with Argentina, he did really well in that game against Brazil,
03:58he scored and assisted as well, how important is Enzo going to be in the final weeks of
04:03the season?
04:04Enzo I said already last week since we start he's improving a lot, he's understanding
04:10the game much much better, at the beginning he struggled a little bit, now he's always
04:15doing the right things, he's always in the right position and the reason why he's scoring
04:20goals and assists is because most of the time he's in the right position, even with the
04:25international team he was in the right position, he was inside the box, so happy for Enzo.
04:31There's been speculation about Jadon Sancho's future and his contract here and his loan,
04:36do you want to sign him permanently or is he going to be going back to United?
04:42All the players that are with us, I love all of them, but in this moment it's the moment
04:48to finish well and then it's not the moment to think about next season, I'm completely
04:52focused about nine games, two months to go, I'm completely focused about that, then what's
04:58happened in summer we'll see, but all the ones that are here, I want them all happy
05:03to be here.
05:04Thanks Jeremy.
05:05Hi Enzo, speaking about Spurs, they've had such a knocking down season this season, we
05:11saw that before the international break with the way that they lost to Cologne, what do
05:15you feel their biggest strengths are, what do you feel their biggest weaknesses are?
05:19I think for part of the season they had many injuries also, so it's not easy to deal with
05:24that, as I said important players out, so it's not easy to deal with that, then for
05:29more things I think it's, I don't know, you have to be inside, you have to live the moment,
05:34you have to leave the changing room, the games, so I'm not able to give you more reasons,
05:39for sure the injury one that they had has been an important part.
05:42Can you say that they've got a near-46 squad now, that's because they didn't play against
05:47Chelsea last time out, what can you expect from them tomorrow night?
05:51Spurs squad, they have many, many important players, many, many good players, but no matter
05:59who is going to play, first of all it's the derby, so it's complicated stuff, and also
06:06because it's a Premier League game and you can see that against any team you can struggle
06:10because it's difficult.
06:12In terms of that last game, the 1-8-4-3 to Chelsea, what do you feel Chelsea can do this
06:18time around to have more control of the game?
06:21I think apart from the two goals that we conceded, unfortunately the first two, that is unfortunately
06:28a mistake, I think overall we played a good game, since minute one until the end, and
06:36then as I said, for sure if you avoid to concede those two goals it can be even better, but
06:41overall I think we did a good game there.
06:44Chelsea's record against Spurs is incredible, I think they've got more wins against Tottenham
06:49than any other opponent.
06:51In terms of what you want to achieve for the finale of the season, getting that Champions
06:56League spot, how much would getting a win over a London arrival in a derby, how much
07:02would that win help you to conquer the Champions League?
07:05From that win probably you can build momentum until the end, but from now on they are all
07:12important games and they are all with three points, so we need to win as much as we can
07:17in terms of numbers of games and then we'll see where we finish.
07:23What's your message to Jadon, because before it felt like he was definitely staying next
07:27season and now it feels like there's maybe uncertainty, so what's your message and does
07:32he need to prove himself more to you and Chelsea?
07:35To be honest, probably you have more news than me in terms of Jadon.
07:41For me, Jadon's situation doesn't change, it's exactly the same.
07:45For sure, in terms of numbers he could do better, no doubt, but it's not just about
07:52Jadon, I think we have more players in the same situation.
07:55Now, I don't need to give a Jadon message because I speak with Jadon every day, I had
08:01a conversation yesterday with him, he has just to continue to give his best until the
08:06end and this is what we want from Jadon.
08:11On the tactical side, Noni and Nico being back is significant, do you think we'll
08:16see maybe more of that Chelsea that you had where it was a bit more direct, a bit quicker
08:20and maybe it will change the team a lot from the last games when they were injured?
08:25No, but I said many times, no matter who is playing, we want to be direct and quick
08:30when they press higher, but we cannot be direct and quick when they sit back.
08:34Probably the last game at home, if you review Leicester, West Ham, Wolves, Southampton,
08:40if you have a reminder of that game, they are all games where 11 players were behind
08:44the ball, almost at the edge of the box.
08:46It's impossible to attack quick.
08:48Now, against a team that they press higher, you can attack more quick, for sure.
08:52So it's easier when you have players who are running behind, maybe the players you
08:55had before, in that period, they felt that you lacked running behind, they lacked balls
08:59and feet?
09:00For skills, for skills, for characteristics, for sure when you have players that they love
09:05to run in behind more, it's more easy.
09:07But even when you have that and teams sit back, it's complicated.
09:11There is no space to attack in behind.
09:14Thanks.
09:15Rob?
09:16Reach James has been telling us that his comeback has to be managed and he has spent
09:25time in and out of the team.
09:29How far along is that process?
09:33Are we getting to a point where he will just be able to play every week or is he still
09:40thinking that he needs time?
09:43No, I still think that we need to manage Reece.
09:48The reason why is because you know his history probably better than me because you are here
09:54from longer than me and you know that he's a player that you need to be careful with
09:58him in this moment and we want him fit until the end.
10:02So the idea is to try to manage him until the end and then we see in the future if we
10:07can go every day, every day, every day.
10:09But in this moment I think because we need Reece until the end, we try to manage him
10:14and probably we are going to do exactly the same until the end.
10:19Is he still young enough do you think that he can get back to his very best?
10:28Reece in another team is very, very young.
10:31In our team probably he's a bit old but he's still very, very young.
10:36Reece is 25, 26.
10:40He's top age.
10:42Right, we'll do two more.
10:44Liam first and then Davide.
10:46Please stick to one question each.
11:01He was doing better in terms of progress but unfortunately one day ago, two days ago, he
11:08had again a small problem.
11:10So we're going to see in the next hours.
11:30It's an important part and the reason why is because also they can, you know, if you
11:36are able to finish top four, top five, first of all it's fantastic for the fans, for the
11:41club because we bring this club where this club has been always there.
11:45But for the players it's also important because they can realise the work that they
11:51have done and they can build from them something for the future.