Coach Enzo Maresca held a press conference this Friday (31) before Chelsea’s trip to face Tottenham in the Premier League. After the defeat at home to Sunderland, the Blues are looking for a reaction against their arch-rivals in the London derby.
Delap recognizes error and apologizes
One of the most talked about topics at the press conference was the red card received by Liam Delap in the victory over Wolves, in the Carabao Cup. Maresca confirmed that the striker apologized to the squad shortly after the match.
“He knows he made a mistake and apologized to everyone in the locker room. Nothing more than that,” said the coach.
The Italian also explained that some interpretations of his post-game criticism may have sounded harsh, but he assured that he trusts the young player.
“I’ve known Liam for a long time. We worked together at Manchester City under-21s. I know he will be a fantastic player for us, but he still has areas to improve”, he added.
Discipline and evolution of the cast
Maresca once again touched on the subject of discipline and admitted that Chelsea needed to avoid unnecessary cards.
“Some red cards could have been avoided. It’s something we need to learn and improve. I’m sure that will happen over time,” he said.
Classic against Tottenham
The coach showed respect to this weekend’s rival, praising the form of the team led by Thomas Frank.
“Tottenham is playing very well. They won the Europa League and started the season strongly. As it is a classic, it will be a difficult game”, he assessed.
Return of Cole Palmer
Maresca also updated the situation of Cole Palmer, who is recovering from injury.
“I met Cole at breakfast and told him I’ll tell him he’ll be back in a week,” the coach joked. “We follow the same plan: wait and hope that he returns as soon as possible.”
