Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley has been speaking about Chelsea ahead of his side’s trip to Stamford Bridge later.
Shamrock Rovers and Chelsea face each other in the Conference League, with the latter having already qualified for the knockout round of the competition.
Last time out in the tournament, the Blues beat Astana 3-1. Enzo Maresca put out a very young team that day and you can expect him to do the same tonight.
Maresca recently thanked the Chelsea supporters who made the long journey to Kazakhstan last week.
Malo Gusto and Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, celebrate after the team's victory during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brentfor...
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Stephen Bradley on Chelsea’s identity
Bradley is a Chelsea fan himself, and the 40-year-old feels that Maresca has given them an identity.
For Bradley, that has made the Blues very enjoyable to watch this season.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, which has been shared by The Independent, the Shamrock boss said: “You have to enjoy watching a team like Chelsea play this year. They’ve a mix of power, pace, a clear identity in what they’re doing, a real energy in the team.
“It’s been a real joy to watch them since the manager has come in. We’ve got to look and try and learn from these teams.”
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One Chelsea youngster who could start against Shamrock is Josh Acheampong, who has just signed a new contract with the club. Maresca is keen to keep Acheampong, rather than let him leave on loan.
Stephen Bradley trained with Chelsea legends
Bradley was once on Chelsea’s books and got to train with Chelsea legends like John Terry and Gianfranco Zola, something that he also spoke about in his press conference.
“Chelsea was a club I was at from the age of 10,” Bradley said. “I trained here with some of their legends — (Roberto) Di Matteo, John Terry, Gianfranco Zola, that era. I remember them quite fondly. Brilliant times.”
Some new legends could emerge from this Chelsea team if Maresca’s men manage to win the Premier League title this season.
While Maresca continues to deny their involvement in the title race, the Blues are only two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
In fact, they could move to first by the time they finish their game against Everton on Sunday, with Liverpool not playing until after them.
Chelsea can be satisfied with a top-four finish and success in the Conference League, though. That would have been their main objectives going into this campaign and they are well on course to achieving both.
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