Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on the race for Champions League qualification, squad fitness and the challenges of facing Eddie Howe's Newcastle United
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
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00:00He's embargoed until one o'clock tomorrow, Dom takes away.
00:04Kenzo, you just said in the first press conference that we've got three Premier Finals left.
00:10Head of facing Newcastle, I think you're level on points, level on goal difference as well.
00:14I think you're just goals for the separate. That feels like it sets up quite an important match for you.
00:19It's a big one for you, isn't it?
00:21It's a big one, it's a huge one. United will be a big one and Forest will be a big one.
00:28Now we have three more games that all of them, they're going to be big games.
00:32For sure, Sunday it's a chance to start in the right way.
00:35We are in a good run, in a good mood and hopefully we can play a good game and win the game.
00:42Can we expect a similar line-up to that match against Liverpool last weekend?
00:46From us? Yeah, we see, we see.
00:49We try the first result against Duke Garden.
00:54Also give us a little bit of a chance to rotate tonight and to protect players.
00:59But we have still now tomorrow and Saturday to protect the game and then we see.
01:03In the front, please.
01:04It's an early kick-off on Sunday, Enzo. How does that affect your preparations, especially with the late finish tonight?
01:11Yeah, it's not the ideal situation. It's 12 o'clock in the morning, it's the first night.
01:16But we need to play the game, so we need to adapt immediately, prepare the game in the best way.
01:23And as I said, hopefully we can continue our good moment.
01:28How do you get your players to forget tonight and really focus themselves to make sure the European is put aside for the finish of the Premier League season?
01:37Tomorrow we're going to start to prepare Newcastle. We have two days, tomorrow and Saturday.
01:43And the players, they need to be focused on the Newcastle game because it's the next one.
01:49And for us, it has to be like, you know, thinking that it's the last game of the season, give everything and then we see at the end.
01:56Davide?
01:57The midfield battle is going to be very important, obviously.
02:01You've got a lot of your back compared to the Newcastle game.
02:05Newcastle has changed a lot since when Sandro is running into the centre of the midfield.
02:09What do you think about Sandro?
02:11First question, a very kind person.
02:13And how do you think you're going to win the midfield battle?
02:17You know, Sandro probably this season has been top for Newcastle, for him.
02:22He's doing very well.
02:23He's a fantastic player.
02:25I know him since he was in Brescia and then moved to Milan and then now here in England.
02:31He's a fantastic player, he's doing well, but they have many, many good players.
02:36You know, they have different players.
02:39We're going to try to, you know, to prepare the game in the best way, in the way that we think that we can win the game.
02:46And hopefully we can, at the end, we can be happy with the result.
02:49Kieran?
02:50Do you actually prefer these type of games where the opponent will actually give it a go against you?
02:56Because a lot of teams seem to just try and do a low block and stop you guys from doing what they want to do.
03:01But these, Newcastle will probably give it a go against you, like Liverpool do.
03:06Yeah, they try to be, they are very aggressive.
03:10They are very aggressive, especially when we are in our side.
03:14It's a team that they are aggressive, they go man to man.
03:17Probably when they are in their side, they are more medium block, low block.
03:22But it's a team that also physicality, they are very strong and they are very aggressive.
03:27Do you think that brings the best out of your team?
03:29I hope so.
03:30I hope so.
03:31We play games against teams, you know, low block against teams that they are, they try to be aggressive.
03:36And we made some good game in both situations.
03:39Hopefully tomorrow, hopefully Sunday, we can have a good game.
03:43Peter?
03:44Hi Enzo, just to pick up on Davide's question, there's been a lot of praise I think for the Newcastle midfield.
03:50I know Joe Linton is out, but as a trio they seem like a call that can really, that has taken them up the table.
03:56Do you need that from your midfield trio?
03:58Because it feels like Fernandes, can I say that Lavia coming back in, that's the basis of a strong midfield.
04:03And could that be, you know, the basis for what we hope would be a title challenge at some point?
04:09Yeah, for sure.
04:10I think after Liverpool game, some of you asked me and said to me that we repeat the first eleven after six months.
04:16I mean, Everton and Liverpool, we play with the same eleven after six months.
04:21And it's important when you can continue with the same players because it's very important.
04:27Now we have Romeo back at his feet, Moise is doing well, Enzo is doing well, Cole is doing well.
04:33And they also have Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Murphy or Joe Linton at now is injury.
04:40They have different kind of players that they are a good player and they expect for sure, you know, a huge game.
04:48Do you feel like Chelsea had that midfield set down? Is there in the building that can take them forward?
04:54Absolutely, yes.
04:55Neil.
04:56Hi, can just clarify how well you know Sandro and Tonal? Have you worked with him in the past?
05:01No, with him no, but Sandro was in Brescia when he was very young, then moved to Milan and then moved to England.
05:10And I know Sandro since he was in Brescia.
05:12Yeah, so you must admire the way he's managed to come back almost as a better player from the time he's had off.
05:19The way he's rebuilt his career?
05:20No, I think he has always been a good player.
05:23Probably that kind of moment is not ideal, but not for Sandro, for no one of us.
05:28And now it's more stronger and you can see how good it is.
05:31Just ask one more question.
05:32Is that under Isaac? Is stopping Isaac the key to stopping Newcastle?
05:37I think Isaac is a top player, but it's not enough.
05:40There are more players, so we need to work as a team and we need to stop them as a team.
05:44Jack?
05:45Enzo, the early kick-off isn't ideal for you in terms of tonight and then, but Newcastle was a place with a quite intimidating atmosphere.
05:54Do you hope the fact that it's so early in the day lessens that a little bit?
05:58What do you think?
05:59I don't know.
06:00Yeah, exactly.
06:01I don't know.
06:02I don't know.
06:03For sure, the environment will be top.
06:06The players are going to embrace that and they're going to deal with that, no doubt.
06:10In terms of having the three finals now, given where you were at the halfway stage in the season, the way that you started the season,
06:18is there any frustration that you've got three finals left to get over the line or would you like a bit more?
06:23No, the frustration is that we had many games where we create enough chances to win the game and we didn't win,
06:29but now it's not the moment to think about that.
06:31Now it's the moment to try to win as much as we can in these last three games and then we'll see.
06:37Do you feel you shouldn't be in this position?
06:40I think also in terms of data, if you see XG chances missed, I think we could have some more points,
06:50but now it's where it is and we need to win the games that we have.
06:54We'll finish this section with Ben.
06:56I know you won't want to put a points tally on it, but given you've got to play Forest and Newcastle,
07:02is there a possibility that two wins might be enough or are you looking at nine points out of nine?
07:08No, we're going to try to win the three games that we have.
07:12Now how many points we need to finish top five?
07:17No idea because it depends also on the other results, but we need to be focused on us and try to win the three games.
07:24If it's two or one, we don't know, but the focus is to win the three games we have.
07:29Can I just ask you about Arsene Wenger's comments regarding Manchester United and Spurs?
07:34He said that the two teams shouldn't get a Champions League space because they're 15th and 16th in the table.
07:41How would you feel if you and Newcastle miss out and obviously one of them is now going to get a Champions League?
07:47I think it's not a rule from this season. It's a rule that is there for many years.
07:52So the one that they're going to win the Europa League.
07:55As a player, I won two times the Europa League.
07:57So I was playing the Champions League also because of that.
08:00The rule has been always there.
08:02Then if they're going to change the rule in the future, I don't know.
08:05But the rule has been there.
08:06Okay.
08:07Thanks.
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