Enzo Maresca summarised his thoughts on the Champions League campaign so far.
**Chelsea**came into the competition for the first time since the 2022/23 season, starting with a trip to the Allianz Arena. The Blues made major errors to hand openings to Harry Kane and Michael Olise, suffering a 3-1 defeat where the difference between the two teams became more and more comprehensive as the game went on. There was a lot of learning to take from this outcome.
The team bounced back with a 1-0 victory against **Benfica**at Stamford Bridge. They went down to ten men in the latter stages of the clash against former manager Jose Mourinho as Joao Pedro received his marching orders, indicating the ill discipline that has been creeping into their game.
Now, a fixture against **Ajax**awaits the players. It is another historic European club on the calendar, and the head coach wants his young group to embrace the challenges that these tests provide.
“It's a club that in the past in the present they always try to play their kind of football.
“It’s a nice competition because you play fantastic clubs. I think the first game Bayern Munich away we lost. We were not happy with the result but I think the performance we play for we tried to play for 95 minutes face to face against a club that in the last six seven years they always reach you know semi-final final quarterfinal. We knew that was difficult game.
“Benfica* again we try to prepare the game to win the game in the best way. But when you face this kind of club like Bayern Munich , Benfica, Ajax tomorrow there are always things that you can learn after the game and it's going to be exactly the same tomorrow after the final whistle.”*