Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on injuries and their push for UEFA Champions League qualification ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton
Cobham, London, UK
Cobham, London, UK
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00:00Afternoon.
00:24Okay, good afternoon.
00:26We will take the usual format today and begin with Sky Sports and James Green.
00:32Away you go, James.
00:33Enzo, how are you?
00:35Good.
00:36I just want to start with the news that Jamie Vardy is going to be leaving Leicester at the end of the season.
00:40A player that you know very well, fond memories working with him.
00:44Will he be a big miss to the Premier League?
00:46Yeah, for sure, no doubt.
00:48I feel very proud to share part of my journey with Jamie, with Leicester.
00:56I always consider him in the past and when I work with him, one of the best nine in the last 20-25 years.
01:06Not only in England, everywhere.
01:08And as I said, I feel very proud to share part of my journey with him.
01:14With us, he was fantastic, brought the way we want to play.
01:22The way for him was something new because he was used in the past, you know, transition, counter-attacker.
01:28But with us, he changed completely, open mind, fantastic.
01:32So, will be for sure 100% a loss for the football, especially here in England.
01:40There's been a lot debate whether he's a Premier League legend, but do you see him as a Premier League legend?
01:45I know.
01:46The story and journey that he's had to the top.
01:48No doubt what he has done with Leicester.
01:51It's always difficult to score a goal, no matter if it's Premier League or Championship, League One, League Two.
02:02It's always difficult to score a goal.
02:04But when you do what he has done with Leicester, he's no doubt that he's a legend.
02:12He said he's not hanging his boots up just quite yet.
02:15He's got another move in here.
02:16Any interest to bring him to Chelsea?
02:18I spoke with Jamie yesterday, so not about Chelsea.
02:23Not about Chelsea.
02:25I spoke yesterday with him and I said football needs people like him.
02:31So, for sure, he will be involved in football.
02:34I think we've got everybody in the room quite excited at the same time.
02:38On to Chelsea then, Enzo.
02:40Can you give us some team news ahead of the game tomorrow and a bit of an update on Malo Gusto?
02:45Yeah, Malo is injury, but does not look important injury.
02:52He's already running and doing things outside, but he won't be able for tomorrow.
02:59Hopefully he can be available for the next one.
03:02And the rest?
03:03No.
03:04The rest?
03:05They are all fit.
03:06Is Mark close to returning now?
03:07Yeah, he's close.
03:08Hopefully he can be, I don't know, one week, two weeks, and he can be with us for the final part of the season.
03:20I know Romeo Lavia was unused against Fulham.
03:23Is he closer to getting some game time?
03:26Yeah, he was on the bench against Fulham.
03:30He was also on the bench, I think, against some more games.
03:33I don't remember which one exactly now.
03:35So, he's back, he's training with us.
03:37With Romeo we are going to try the same thing that we are trying with Rhys James.
03:42In terms of, we know that we need to use them, you know, step by step.
03:49And with Rhys it's working quite well.
03:52He's already able to play two games in three days.
03:55He played 90 minutes in the conference.
03:56He played 45 against Fulham after three days.
03:59So, it's a huge step forward for him and for us.
04:02And we are going to try to do the same thing with Romeo.
04:05And finally for me, after the game against Fulham,
04:08you made some comments about the Champions League qualification.
04:12You were saying that it's been a successful season already
04:15because of what it's been like here at Chelsea the last couple of seasons.
04:20But internally, the expectations, are they to get into those Champions League places
04:26and to make sure this club is back in the biggest competition in Europe?
04:31No doubt, 100%.
04:32But to say that this season has been already a good season compared to last two,
04:41does not mean that I'm saying that we are not going to try to finish top five at all.
04:47It's our target.
04:49We said, I think, since March, we started to say that our target is the Champions League.
04:56And the reason why is because until March, the team was always there.
04:59So, if the team was there, why not?
05:01We are going to try until the end.
05:02The team is still there.
05:04Unfortunately, now we are in behind and we are going to try to finish in the right way.
05:14Thanks, James.
05:15Alex?
05:16Hi, Enzo.
05:17I'm sure really frustrated to be suspended from the touchline tomorrow.
05:21Where will you be sat and how will it affect your game management?
05:24They are going to show me this afternoon a few plays where I can sit
05:28and then I will decide.
05:31To be honest, I don't know yet.
05:33So, this afternoon I will decide.
05:35And then for sure, it was just the instinct when we scored the second goal to celebrate.
05:44So, probably in that moment, I need to think a little bit more.
05:50But it was just an immediate reaction.
05:54So, I feel sorry because I would like to be there tomorrow.
05:58But for sure, the ones that are there for me, they are going to try to do the best.
06:03David Moyes has never won a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.
06:07What is your opinion on him as a manager?
06:11Fantastic top.
06:13The history talks for himself.
06:15He is doing fantastic everywhere.
06:18I was at West Ham before he joined.
06:22So, I had the chance to chat with him a few times.
06:26The only thing I can say is that he is another manager that can be considered like a legend
06:34for the amount of the games, for the teams and for the good things he has done in football.
06:39It is his 62nd birthday today. Do you see yourself managing at that age?
06:44Oh my God.
06:45I said a few times here, for me, I really struggle to see more than six months, one year.
06:55For me, the future is now.
06:58But that shows again how good it is that they are still there and they are still doing fantastic things.
07:03Tomorrow will be your 50th game as Chelsea head coach. How would you sum up the experience so far?
07:11Personally, I am very happy. It has been a good experience. I learned many things.
07:17Also, to play every three games, every three days, different competitions.
07:23Also, for me, it has been a journey in terms of learning things.
07:27And I said, I think in all season we had some bad moments, we had some good moments.
07:36But it is just, I think the club has already said many times and showed that the club has a vision.
07:42And for me, we are just at the beginning of this vision.
07:45So, I think overall, it is a good one and can become a very good one if we are able to finish in the right way.
07:53Just finally, I wanted to ask you about Tariq George. Is he pushing for a start tomorrow?
07:58Yeah, but now, for young players, we are excited with him.
08:03But now is the moment that you need to manage them because too easy they can be excited and too easy they can be down.
08:11I said many times, for him and for Josh, I think both, they are from the academy.
08:18Both at the beginning of the season, they were looking for some different solution.
08:25But they started the preseason with us and we saw that they could be a good one for us.
08:33So, we decided to keep them. And now both, I think they are doing very well.
08:38Thanks Alex. John?
08:41You said it has been a good experience this season, but how do you view it now?
08:44Have you made the progress this season that you have hoped for at the beginning?
08:50For sure in terms of results, in terms of, you know, we have the obligation to bring this club, we said many times, where this club belongs to.
09:03And for sure the results have been there. As I said, we had some bad moments, some good moments.
09:11But the good thing is that, me as a manager, the club, we all have a vision, where we want to go.
09:19And I think we are in the right direction. And hopefully we can be there very soon.
09:26I'm sure you've seen that some of the fans have been disgruntled at times over the last few weeks. Can you understand their frustration?
09:33Yeah, I can understand. I can understand. We are trying to keep them happy.
09:45I think the fans are the same. Time ago they were thinking that Chelsea is back. They were showing that they were happy.
09:55And now probably because we are not winning the same amount of games that we were winning at the beginning, they are showing that they are not happy.
10:04So in the way we accept when they were thinking that Chelsea is back, we need to accept now that they are not happy.
10:13The only thing I can say, and I said already many times, is that the players, they are working hard every day to bring this club where this club has to be.
10:22And the club has a vision. The journey just starts and I think we go in the right direction.
10:30You said the journey is just starting. If you don't finish the top five in the Champions League places, as you said, that's now your target. Will it be seen as a failure?
10:40Again, but I think I already answered a few times this one.
10:45And what was that?
10:47That compared to the last two years has been not a fail.
10:53Simon?
10:54How many times in the last two years Chelsea has been in the Champions League?
10:58How many?
11:00Zero.
11:01How many times this season?
11:03Almost all season.
11:04Is it an improvement or not?
11:06No, it's just, is it an improvement or not?
11:08No, it's already an improvement because we spent all season there.
11:14Now we are going to try our best to finish there, no doubt.
11:17We want to finish there, no doubt.
11:19We are happy to finish there, yes, it's enough.
11:21No, because we want to compete for titles.
11:24But compared to the last two years, I think it's quite clear that there is an improvement.
11:30Now, if you want to see, you see it.
11:33If you don't want to see, you don't see it.
11:35Depends in which way I see that.
11:37How has Nkunku been in training this week and I know you don't normally name squad members except, but will he be back in the squad?
11:52Yeah, he's on the squad, yeah, yeah.
11:54He's on the squad and he has been good.
11:57Also last week when he was out, but because we need to decide one, two players out and also to give some of the young players, you know, like Ty, Josh, the chance to continue to be with us.
12:11So it was just for that.
12:13Now he's back.
12:14He's back on the squad.
12:15So when you said it was due to a technical decision, it wasn't because you'd been disappointed with what you'd seen in training?
12:22No, no, no, no.
12:23He's training well.
12:24He's training well.
12:25Probably in this moment, if he's in the squad, one offensive player has to be out in Fulham game.
12:33That's probably his tie.
12:35It was Tyrik.
12:37But we decided, but now Malo is out.
12:41So we can bring another one and Christo will be with us.
12:45The last one on this though, does that show on one hand, you're both entirely George, but people were looking at it and going,
12:53Kunku cost a lot of money.
12:55He's a big name signing, but you've gone for the academy player over.
12:59Someone that cost a lot of money and was expected to score a lot of goals for this club.
13:03Since day one, I just tried to do my best for the club.
13:07So any decision I take is always thinking the best thing for the club.
13:11I know that Christo cost a lot of money and Ty is from the academy.
13:17But sometimes Amir just also to take this kind of decision that probably from outside is difficult to see.
13:25But from inside, when you see them working every day, you have to take a decision.
13:30And we'll finish this section with Rob.
13:33What are your feelings on Pedro and Eto's progress and contribution this season?
13:38We saw on Sunday exactly what he's careful of, what he's at his best.
13:42Does it kind of point to perspective, you know, some of the weeks when we've not seen so much trouble over the season?
13:48Why haven't we seen more of what we saw on Sunday?
13:52I think Pedro helps us a lot, especially also when Nico was injured.
13:57When he played as a nine, for sure we know that he is much better in our right side than left.
14:04Sometimes we use him in the left because we have also known it when we decide to go with both.
14:09One of them has to be in the left side.
14:11And because Pedro in the past, he played games in the left side, so we decided to keep Pedro in the left and not in the right.
14:19Knowing that Pedro is better, he's better in the right side.
14:23I think overall he's doing well with us.
14:25Now I think he scored already four or five goals in the Premier League.
14:29Our wingers, for me, they have to score at the end of the season around ten goals.
14:37For the amount of chances they have every game, one-by-one chances.
14:41So Pedro is doing well, but no doubt he can do better.
14:45In terms of numbers, for instance, Noni scored, I think, seven or eight goals in the Premier League.
14:49That is the number that we require from wingers.
14:52Between goals and assists, around ten goals.
14:57Noni, I think, between goals and assists is there.
15:01Pedro also is there.
15:02So they are doing well.
15:04Do you see him starting now maybe for the rest of the season?
15:06Give him a chance to maybe get a bit closer to that?
15:09Pedro.
15:10Yeah, for sure.
15:11But it's a little bit game-by-game, week-by-week, how they work every day.
15:17And Pedro is working well.
15:19The good thing is that we have Pedro, Noni and Jadon.
15:22Also type can play wide.
15:23But we have these three players that it's easy for me to choose which one because they are working well.
15:32Okay.
15:34Cameras off, please.
15:36And...