Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on Sunday's Premier League trip to Wolves and transfer rumours surrounding the club
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
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00:00game, which is embargoed until one o'clock tomorrow.
00:05Yeah, go ahead.
00:08Is there a chance that Jalphelix could play Sunday?
00:12If he is available and for sure he can, yeah, he can get chances to play.
00:18Do you think he's ready to go straight in?
00:20In terms of knowing the way we want to play, probably not yet.
00:25In terms of physicality, I think he's ready because he was already playing games there.
00:30So it's just to understand if he needs more time to understand the way we want to play.
00:37But overall, I think he can play.
00:40Can I ask what prompted you to go for him?
00:43I mean, he came out earlier.
00:44He seems very excited to be back.
00:48He obviously spent six months here before.
00:51What did you see in him that made you want to bring him back to Chelsea?
00:54For sure, tonight I think was the perfect game for him in terms of also using him as
01:03a nine.
01:05For me, he can do that fantastic, dropping and give us extra men when we need more passes,
01:11more possession, and then to find the right moment to attack.
01:14I think he can do that very good.
01:16He can play as an attacking midfielder.
01:19If we need, he can play also outside.
01:21So he can play in different positions.
01:24The last time he made his Chelsea debut was at Fulham and he played magnificently for
01:29an hour and then got sent off.
01:31How important will it be to make sure that he doesn't cross the line, shall we say, if
01:36he plays on Sunday?
01:37No, yeah, I think he's mature enough to understand what he has to do and also hopefully he learns
01:45from his mistakes in the past and he can do better.
01:49But overall, I think, as I said already, it's a player that is going to help us.
01:54Just on Pedro Neto, going back to Rawls, do you think he's ready to start in the Premier
01:58League as well?
01:59And what exactly was it that you saw in him as a winger that you wanted from him?
02:05Pedro, the last time he played 90 minutes was in February, so you can imagine a long
02:11time ago.
02:12So we need, with him and with seven, eight more players, Romeo, Axel, Moy, with these
02:19kind of players, Wes, we need also to build a little bit the physical condition, probably
02:25tonight for Pedro playing 65 or 60 minutes, probably to give him another game on Sunday
02:32probably is too early, but we'll see.
02:34And then Pedro is the kind of winger that is always, you see first half, always trying
02:41one-on-one and he's creating momentum that I think is very important for the team.
02:46Simon?
02:47Enzo, just on Xa, when he was a teenager, there were a lot of big things expected of
02:51him, he might have lost his way a bit.
02:53What sort of potential do you see him being able to reach in terms of a player on him?
02:58Potentially, it's a top player, no doubt.
03:03Now, I know Joao for many, many years, for sure now working with him day by day, I will
03:09know him even better.
03:11And as I said, it's a little bit like Mischa, I think we're going to try to help them to
03:16improve and to see if they can give one step forward to reach that kind of level for those
03:24players.
03:24Can you remember when you first saw him or when you first came across him and what your
03:27thoughts were when you saw him?
03:28No, anyway, when he was at Benfica, he was very young, but he was already scoring goals
03:35and doing fantastic, so everyone is expecting this guy will be top, top, top.
03:41At the end, he played Atletico Madrid, he played Chelsea, he played Barcelona, in any
03:44case, he's playing with a big team and we are happy to have him here.
03:59This is, in this moment, the plan, but the plan can change because, as I said many times,
04:04I judge the players about the level, so if the level continues to be the same, probably
04:10Robert will be in the Premier League when we play in the Premier League and Philippe
04:16in the Conference League or the cup that we have, but at the end it's just about performance.
04:26You've got a huge week coming up in the transfer window,
04:29many of the players are going to have to leave.
04:31Is your job done now?
04:32You've decided who your squad is?
04:35Or do you feel that this could be, again, another very challenging week for you?
04:41No, I just communicate the players that I like and the players that I don't like,
04:49and because there are still one week, ten days for the window transfer,
04:53hopefully we can find a solution for all of them, because at the end,
04:58when you find a solution, everyone is happy.
05:00When you don't find a solution, probably you can create some problem,
05:03but at the moment, with the squad that we have, that I said the other day,
05:07I don't remember, some of you, at the end, I'm working with 22, 23, 21 players,
05:13not with the 42 or 43 players, because it's impossible for any manager in the world
05:18to make a session with 45 players, it's impossible, you cannot do that.
05:23Even the fact that the players are still here,
05:25these players may not be training, but they're presumably still a problem,
05:28that makes it quite awkward, I presume, it could be easier once they've got...
05:33You mean after the window transfer is finished?
05:37Ah, hopefully when the window transfer is finished,
05:41if they find a solution, hopefully for them it's better.
05:44In case they don't find a solution, I don't know, we're going to see.
06:01Yeah, difficult place to go, as you said, for sure, 100%,
06:04but I think in the Premier League, all the players,
06:06they are very difficult to go and to try to get points,
06:10but we're going to try, we're going to do our best,
06:14I think hopefully we can start Sunday to get some points in the Premier League,
06:19and from there to build some momentum.
06:22Yeah.
06:30We are, yeah, for sure, we are far away from, yeah, far away from, you mean...
06:36You're starting at 11.
06:37No, you mean as 11? I said the other day, even if probably you don't believe me,
06:43I judge and I take the first 11, it depends how they work every day.
06:49For all of them, if they are bad in training session,
06:52and they don't train with intensity, they are not going to play.
06:56And if they don't play Sunday Premier League,
06:59and they think that they're going to play Thursday,
07:02but if from Sunday to Thursday they don't train well,
07:05they are not going to play in Premier League,
07:06and they are not going to play on Thursday,
07:09because Chelsea is a demanding club.
07:12You need to work hard, to fight until the end,
07:16to get your place and to give 100 per cent.
07:19If you think that I'm going to give you a chance without working hard,
07:24forget about that.
07:25So, first 11, first 11.
07:27Tonight was this, against City was that one,
07:30we'll see the next game,
07:31but I said about the keeper, it's about performance.
07:35If Robert continues in the same way, he's going to play Premier League.
07:39If Philippe is going to play.
07:40Otherwise, it's not one of them.
07:43This is the way I like to work with the players.
07:48Endo, may I just ask a quick one?
07:50Will you be happy if Chelsea do not sign another player now,
07:53between now and the end of the transfer window?
07:55Will you be happy with what you've got?
07:57If we sign for sign, it's better if we don't sign,
08:01because we don't need to sign players just for sign players.
08:04If we sign players that they're going to help us to improve,
08:07for sure we need players.
08:09Otherwise, we are happy in the way we are.
08:11Because some fans might think you still need a centre-forward.
08:15Because of Mark.
08:16No, no, just generally.
08:19I love Mark, I just said.
08:20You know why I love Mark?
08:21Because the way he works tonight,
08:23he's doing the same exactly every day,
08:25running behind everyone,
08:27and he's deserving his chances.
08:29At the end, he's not scoring,
08:30but as I said, we'll see.
08:32If we have a chance to bring a nine that can help us
08:35and make the difference, we're going to try.
08:37Otherwise, we are okay.
08:39And we'll finish with them.
08:40Just a word on Moises Caicedo.
08:42You said before the game,
08:43you might add four or five to the leadership team.
08:46And the third name, along with Enzo and Rhys,
08:48that you mentioned was Levi Colwell.
08:49But tonight, Moises was given the captain's armband.
08:52Is he part of the leadership team,
08:53and what does he bring leadership-wise?
08:55Yeah, Rhys was not on the pitch,
08:57Enzo was not on the pitch,
08:59and Levi was not on the pitch.
09:00So I need to find another one.
09:04Moi, because he was already here last year,
09:06I think also he has respect from his teammates.
09:10So he was captain tonight,
09:12and he is one of the captains.
09:14But as I said, I like all of them
09:18being, in some way, captains.