Maresca: Enzo s data will go further next season, and the top four goals will naturally change

May 15th at 3:15 am on May 17, in the 37th round of the 2024-25 Premier League, Chelsea will face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge Stadium. Before the game, Blues coach Maresca attended the press conference and talked about some of the current situation of the team.

Regarding the team's injury situation

- Nkunku still cannot play, Rees James is fine. He missed Tuesday's training class because he was sick. Yesterday he trained with us.

About Jackson's suspension

-I think Jackson is smart enough that he can realize it's a mistake.

About Champions League Qualification Competition

—No doubt, at the beginning of the season, we would be happy if someone said we needed to win the last two games to qualify for the Champions League. We were second and third in the first five or six months, so the situation was better and we would work hard to get a good finish.

Have you discussed with the club what would happen if you didn’t make it to the top five?

- To be honest, we didn't discuss this, we didn't discuss whether we could enter the Champions League.

About Enzo's progress

- At first, he needed to adapt, because he had been playing football in some way in Benfica and Argentina, and here he needed more understanding of when he needed to stay in the position and when he needed to move forward. He scored goals and did a great job in assists. I think his statistics will go a step further next season.

Regarding the issue of discipline

- I think, it is the first time we have received a red card this season in the game against Newcastle. We strive to stay intense and aggressive. This is a good question, and we need to analyze it in the summer to see if we can do better.

About Manchester United's situation this season

- I focus on ourselves, and even if you are internal, it's already difficult to make judgments, so imagine what the situation will be outside. We are here to go all out, and as for your questions, you need to ask them.

Is this a good time to play against Manchester United?

—I personally think that the question is not whether this is a good time to fight them, but ourselves. I think we were in a good time, and we scored 20 points in the last 10 Premier League games. For a team competing for a Champions League place, averaging 2 points per game is a good level.

About Jackson's replacement

-We are working hard to decide, unfortunately we don't have many choices, and Jiwu is still in the middle of injury.

Have the goals changed this season?

- From day one, I have said that what the club told me is that we hope to participate in the Champions League within two years. But when you are in the top four throughout the season, your goals will naturally change. Because we were in the top four or top five throughout the season, the goal naturally became the top four or top five. I think we've had a good season and it would be a great season if we could make the top five and win the UEFA Champions League.

About your pseudo-Nine tactical system

-It depends on the game plan, facing the five defenders, I prefer to send a real center because we want to attack from behind. Facing the four-man defense line, I like the pseudo-Nine because we can connect more. We need to find different solutions.

Regarding Jackson's discipline issue, can this be solved?

-In my opinion, it has nothing to do with age. No matter your age, it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, because we all make mistakes, but if you make mistakes again, it may not be the best result. In the summer, we need to see what the situation is and what yellow cards can be avoided next season. It is normal for Jackson to get attention after getting a red card, but in general, it is not about the issue of Newcastle or the first game of the season, but to avoid it if it can be avoided.

Regarding the progress of the second half against Newcastle

- I think in the second half, we were more brave. The team has always been brave, sometimes it can do this because of the opponent's reasons, and sometimes it cannot. The spirit, solidarity and effort we showed in the second half were excellent, which is 100% needed to maintain in the next two games.