Maresca looking for Chelsea consistency as he eyes conference league glory ahead of Legia second leg

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Gusto on importance of silverware ahead of Chelsea's conference league tie with Legia  16/04/2025  uefa conference league  chelsea 3-0 Legia Warsaw quarter final second leg

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon.

00:03Hiya.

00:04Hi, Tom.

00:05How are you?

00:06Good, how are you?

00:07Back from the surgery, yeah?

00:08Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:23OK, good afternoon and welcome to our Matchday Minus One press conference

00:28ahead of tomorrow's UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinals

00:33second leg against Legia Warsaw.

00:35We will take the usual format today

00:38and we will begin with Paul Gilmore and Sky Sports News.

00:42Away you go, Paul.

00:45Hi, Enzo.

00:46Enzo, how do you find the balance between playing in a game

00:50that you're 3-0 up in the first leg,

00:52weighing that up against the really important Fulham League game on Sunday?

00:57No, we try to prioritise always the next match.

01:05The next match is tomorrow night.

01:09That for us is an important game

01:12because it can give us the opportunity to reach a semi-final

01:15in European competition.

01:17So that is the first one.

01:19And then hopefully we can reach the semi-final

01:22and focus on Sunday game.

01:24Has the Ipswich result made it slightly more difficult

01:28to kind of focus more on the next game?

01:30Do you have no choice but to think of Fulham,

01:32especially the way that the other teams

01:34in and around the Champions League places

01:36are picking up results at the moment?

01:38They are the Premier League games.

01:42They are the sixth game we have.

01:44They're going to be all important, all final.

01:47But at the same time, I think all the clubs,

01:51all the teams that we are involved in the Champions League spot,

01:54we are all going to win games and draw points until the end.

01:59I said already many times that when we win a game at this stage,

02:04you see yourself there and you are happy.

02:07And when you don't win a game, you can be a little bit sad or upset.

02:13But it's how you manage in this moment the emotion.

02:16We have been there and we would like to be there at the end of the season.

02:21And you spoke this week about the environment after the Ipswich game.

02:26Ahead of another home game, what's your message to the supporters

02:30and what's your message to your own players about the tactical approach?

02:34The message is always the same.

02:36Us with our support, our fans, we are a better team, we are stronger.

02:43Sometimes I completely understand that us as a team,

02:49we need to engage the fans.

02:51Something that probably Sunday we were not able to do it,

02:55especially for that 20-25 minutes.

02:58So it's also on us to be good enough and to engage our fans,

03:07because we knew this season, we saw this season,

03:10that when we were able to engage them, they support us in every game.

03:16Enzo, do you still have belief in your approach that it can entertain the fans,

03:20that it can be that style of football that they want to see?

03:23If you still believe in it, that it's going to be the kind of style that they will enjoy?

03:30First of all, 100%, and then also because I'm not able to do a different kind of style.

03:37So in case I'm not the one to do a different kind of style.

03:41And can you just remind people, I mean, we've seen a lot of your teams when they're playing well

03:46and when they're struggling.

03:47Can you remind people of what are the tactics that you'll always keep the same

03:52and what do you change a little bit maybe for the opposition or for the players you have?

03:56No, the only thing I can say is that I think the last six PL games at home

04:04we faced Southampton, Leicester, Wolves, West Ham, Spurs and Ipswich.

04:09We won 5-0-6 and probably the one that the people more enjoy has been the Spurs one.

04:17But Spurs was the only team in the last six games at home that they were trying to press higher.

04:24So this is the reason why probably we attack more and we attack more quick.

04:29But against the rest that they just wait inside the box is a different game.

04:34So we need to learn how to play different kinds of games.

04:38And then we change tactically, we change game by game.

04:42We change even during the game, the last game against Ipswich.

04:45We start in one way first half and then half time we change things.

04:49So we try always to give to the players the opportunity to win the game, create chances and try to do the right things.

04:58Simon.

05:01Hey Enzo.

05:03Why is the fans so important to you?

05:07Looking at something you said, for example, Leicester last season,

05:10you actually said the day my dear is doubted at the day after I will leave.

05:16Why is it so important to you?

05:18Because you even talk about on social media.

05:20Do you think it can make the difference between Champions League football and not the fans in the atmosphere?

05:25I think football belongs to the fans because they are the main part.

05:31And as a team, as a club, when your fans support you, I think it's important.

05:37Because first of all the players, they can receive that feeling and it's important.

05:41Also, as I said, I think we need to be good enough to engage them.

05:45In the last game, unfortunately, for 25 minutes, I think we were not good enough to engage them.

05:50But the first 20 minutes and the second half, I think the team did enough to win the game.

05:57Also because when you are 0-2 at home, with that moment, with that environment,

06:03it's more complicated to come back in the game.

06:05And we did that quite well.

06:07And the fans, I think, for me, they are important because they are the main part of any club in the world.

06:14Obviously, sometimes you're getting a bit of abuse from the staff.

06:19There was actually some shouts near where I was aimed towards you.

06:23Can you hear them and does it put you off at all? Does it upset you?

06:28Me, personally, not because I was focused on the game, to be honest.

06:34I was just focused on the game.

06:36I try always to be focused on the game, to see what's going on,

06:40to see if we need to change things, see if everything is working well.

06:43So, I try to be focused on the game.

06:46And on a lighter note, with all this pressure you're under to get Champions League football

06:50and deliver a first trophy for Chelsea and this ownership,

06:53how do you relax? Is there music that you listen to that particularly helps you?

06:59What kind of music do you play, perhaps on the car drive home or something?

07:03I try because sometimes I'm away from my country, so from Italy.

07:10Most of the time I try to play Italian music that brings me in a different environment.

07:19So, most of the time it's Italian music.

07:21Can you name any artists?

07:23One of them is Pino Daniele, that unfortunately passed away a few years ago,

07:29but it's my Italian preferred one.

07:32Andy?

07:33I'm going to have to follow up on that now, I'm afraid, Enzo, and ask,

07:36what kind of music is that?

07:38It's from my very close to where I was born, from my region, and it's quite easy music.

07:51It's not, how do you say, it's relaxed music.

07:55We would say easy listening.

07:57Yeah, exactly.

07:58Yeah?

07:59Yeah?

08:00So, it's kind of chill down music rather than pump up kind of music, yeah?

08:04Depends on the moment.

08:05Yeah?

08:06We won't see your car vibrating as you go out of the training ground then with a bass line.

08:11Can I just ask as well, the team's been in the top four quite a few weeks,

08:17it's dropped out of the top four at the moment, and you're in the Conference League,

08:22obviously the Champions League is the ultimate goal.

08:25Do you feel, like I said, this team is a young team,

08:28is it ready to make two steps up as quickly as next season, in your mind?

08:35In my mind, I think the team is ready, and the reason why I said that is because I think

08:42we proved this season.

08:45I think, even if sometimes from outside it's difficult to see that,

08:53but in the last two years, Chelsea has been top four zero times.

09:02This season, we have been top four most of our season.

09:07So, this is, I don't know the reason why I was not here last season, two years ago,

09:13so I'm not judging what's happened last year or two years ago.

09:18I'm just judging this season.

09:20And this is the reason why I think fans, they have to trust us, they have to trust the team,

09:26they have to trust the club, what we are doing now.

09:29And the reason why is because if in the last two seasons, Chelsea was zero times top four,

09:36and this season, we spent almost our season top four,

09:40I think it's a big proof that the team is improving and is doing the right things.

09:46Now, is it enough?

09:48For me, no.

09:49Because I would like to fight with this club for titles, for Premier League, for Champions League.

09:56But at the same time, I think we have to be realistic and see that this team, this season is improving.

10:02It's there. It's numbers.

10:04In the last two years, zero times top four. This season, almost all season.

10:09I think it's quite clear that we are in the right direction.

10:12Now, again, it's enough. For me, no.

10:14Because I would like to fight with this club for important things.

10:18And we are going to fight for important things.

10:21But at the same time, the fans and everyone also in this room,

10:25I think it's correct to trust us because we are doing the right things.

10:28Now we are not in the top four. Unfortunately, top five.

10:31So we are not happy. We are going to try to finish there.

10:34But it's a proof that we are doing the right things.

10:38Is that one of the counters to that might be you're going in the right direction,

10:43but maybe not fast enough to keep the fans happy?

10:47Yeah, but in terms of fast, for me, yes, we are going fast because this is my first season.

10:54So for me, we are going fast.

10:56Now, again, what happened last year or two years ago?

10:59I was not here. I don't have any idea. I'm not going to judge because it's difficult.

11:03But this season we are going. We are...

11:06We can reach European semi-final.

11:09That, yes, for sure, it's not Champions League.

11:12But at the end, it's European competition.

11:14We have been top four all season, almost all season,

11:18compared to last two seasons where the team has been zero times top four.

11:22I think it's quite clear that the direction is the right one.

11:27The style is the right one. Before the Ipswich game,

11:30we were the third best defenders after Arsenal and Liverpool.

11:35And the third or fourth best attacking.

11:37That show that there are numbers that show that the team is doing well.

11:42Now, unfortunately, we didn't win against Ipswich.

11:44We are all upset that we're going to try to win more games from now on

11:47to reach the Champions League spot.

11:51Peter?

11:55Hi, Enzo.

11:56Just on the point about regaining and taking the fans' trust

12:01and asking for the fans' trust and support.

12:03Do you feel you've got less time or have had less of that

12:08because of the past two seasons, because Chelsea have been outside of the top four?

12:13Listen, to be honest, if fans complain because after four minutes

12:20our keeper gives the ball away, if I am one of the fans, I also complain.

12:26But sometimes also they complain with something that probably they cannot see,

12:34but it's a planned game.

12:35So it depends game by game.

12:37Again, if they complain because last year or last two years, I don't know.

12:42The only thing I can say is that the fans with us, they have been always good.

12:48Sometimes they are not happy, but when you are 0-2 at home against Ipswich

12:55and we are making some mistake, it's normal that they are not happy.

13:00That's why I said we have to be good enough to engage the fans.

13:04Against Spurs was a perfect environment and I said immediately after the game

13:09because probably we were able to engage the people.

13:12But the problem is that most of the time the people are engaged when the game is quick,

13:18for instance Spurs, but when they sit back and the game is not quick,

13:22they are not engaged.

13:23But it's not because of us, it's because of the opposite.

13:27I wanted to ask you about engaging with the fans.

13:30Is it just about the style basically?

13:33Is that how you want the players to engage with the fans?

13:36Could you mention that?

13:37No, but when you attack and you create chances,

13:40I don't think the first 20 minutes the environment was top.

13:44We create chances, we could score 3-4 goals the first 20 minutes,

13:48then we start to make some mistakes, especially in the build-up with Robert,

13:52and they start to complain.

13:55Nine of ten, it's normal that they complain.

13:59So when I say we need to engage them,

14:01is that we need to play in the right way, create chances, try to score goals,

14:07because at the end if you score goals also, you know, the mood change for everyone.

14:12Have you spoken to the players about engaging with the fans specifically?

14:16Is this something you've taken aside to speak to?

14:18Since day one.

14:19Since day one, and I also said to you that since day one, for me the fans,

14:23they are very important.

14:24As with the fans, we are even better.

14:27Most of the game at home, the fans, they have been top fantastic supporting the team, help us.

14:32In some games, it happened in some moments, like the last one.

14:36They were not happy.

14:37So we have to be good enough to engage them again.

14:40Thank you, Peter.

14:42Do we have any questions from our visiting media?

14:45No?

14:46OK.

14:47Thanks, everyone.

14:50Sorry.

14:51Just write down the name of the...

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