Chelsea's Maresca on trip to Wolves and transfer rumours (Full Presser)
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.