Chelsea’s Maresca on fitness issues, Jackson injury, recent poor form and defeat to Brighton who they face again on Friday (Full Presser)

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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

Transcript

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.

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