Maresca: Esteban can become Chelsea s top player and Barcelona is something we can learn from

At 4:00 in the morning on November 26, in the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea will face Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Before the game, Blues coach Maresca attended the press conference. He talked about some of the team's current situation.

Update on Palmer's injury

- We don't know yet, but of course, he will be back soon. He has returned to the training ground, practiced with the ball and feels good.

Will Palmer play against Arsenal?

- We're here to discuss tomorrow's game, and after that, we'll look at the game against Arsenal.

Talking about Palmer again

- The last time I spoke to Palmer was after yesterday's training session to see how he was feeling, but I didn't ask him about the details of his injury.

Important week

- As you said, this week is crucial, but after this weekend, we have away games against Leeds United, Bournemouth and Atalanta, so the following week is also crucial. Every game means three points, tomorrow's game against Barcelona and Sunday's game against Arsenal have their own importance and for us, game after game is very crucial.

About Enzo's form

- I've always thought he was a very good player, at the beginning he had a little problem understanding his role, but now he's very crucial for us on the pitch.

As a player, you scored against Barcelona in the Super Cup final and helped the team win

- As a player, that was an important moment. It was the easiest goal of my career, we were 2-0 up and the penalty was awarded in the 90th minute with six minutes of added time. It felt great, but now things are completely different. They are a very strong team but we will do our best to win the game.

Do you dream of coaching Barcelona?

——You know me because you always come to my press conferences. Whenever you guys ask me about my future plans, I always say I'm happy to be here.

Comparison between Yamal and Esteban

-Esteban has shown a high level of competition and is already a starting player for the Brazilian national team. He is very young and of course there is a lot that can be improved and we are very happy with him. For those who love football, it is really a pleasure to see Esteban, Yamal and Pedri compete on the same field. This is the charm of football. We are delighted that Esteban is joining us and wish him well.

About the threat of Lewandowski

- Of course, Lewandowski is an incredible player and throughout his career, he has proven that he can do the most important thing on the football field: score goals. We will work together as a team to defend and stay aggressive as usual. They have many good players in the team: Yamal, Fermin, De Jong, but we will try our best to win the game.

Regarding Barcelona’s holes on the defensive end

– Their high defensive line is certainly a factor, but we also need to stay focused without the ball. They create a lot of chances and always score. We need to find the right balance between attack and defence.

About the progress since the start of the season

- I think our team's strength has improved after the away game against Bayern, but every game is different. In my personal opinion, the team is getting better every day.

About Cucurella facing Yamal

- Cucurella is always a big advantage for us, not just tomorrow. His level has been outstanding since I came to the club, not only defensively but also in the organization of the game and he has been crucial to the overall performance of the team and we are very happy with him. There are many players on the other side that we need to face as a whole.

Can Esteban be as influential as Yamal?

- There is no doubt that Esteban will become an important player in the future, but he needs to enjoy football and stay happy instead of thinking about being better than other players. What is certain is that he will be a top player for this club.

Will Tiki-taka style football go out of style?

- I don't know. Years ago, I decided to become a coach because of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. As for whether clubs or teams choose a different style, I've said it many times: any team can decide how they want to play. I chose my style many years ago and I want my team to play this way in the future.

I don’t think there is anyone or a team that can compare to Barcelona, ​​or Guardiola, because I think they changed Spanish football. At that time, every club was trying to adopt that style, and then Guardiola went to Germany, and German clubs were also trying that style. I think when Guardiola came to England, a lot of clubs tried to follow suit, and so did the English team.

About Giu's progress

- Giu performed very well. He was here last season and had a lot of opportunities to play, but unfortunately he was injured. He is growing and improving. It was a bit difficult at the beginning of the season due to injuries, but he worked very hard and we are very happy with his performance. He is young and needs to keep learning to be ready when the opportunity comes.

About Barcelona's threat

- They play very well and you can always learn something from Barcelona. The way they attack, the way they defend, the way they won the league last season is something we can all learn from. So they are a good team, they always take the initiative and we will try to do that.

source:vn2 7