Maresca previews Chelsea's trip to Tottenham as they look to strengthen Champions League claims

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Maresca previews Chelsea's trip to Tottenham as they look to strengthen Champions League claims  02/04/2025  Cobham training centre, Surrey, UK

Transcript

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.

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