The Chelsea boss spoke ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Cardiff City
Enzo Maresca, manager of Chelsea(Image: Getty Images)
View Image
Enzo Maresca was forced to repeatedly steer the conversation back towards Cardiff City after his own words dominated a spiky pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The Blues head coach faced a barrage of questions following his explosive admission that he had endured the “worst 48 hours” of his Stamford Bridge tenure before Saturday’s win over Everton, comments that sparked intense speculation about tensions behind the scenes at the Premier League club.
But time and again Monday lunchtime, Maresca shut down attempts to revisit the issue, insisting his focus had already shifted firmly to Cardiff and the task of reaching another semi-final.
“I already spoke about that and I don’t have nothing to add,” Maresca said when pressed to explain his remarks. “It’s Cardiff tomorrow, please.”
That phrase would become a recurring theme throughout the press conference, as Maresca politely but firmly refused to clarify who, or what, his frustration had been directed at.
Questions about his relationship with Chelsea’s owners and sporting directors were waved away, as were suggestions that he had deliberately “opened a can of worms”.
“I respect people’s opinions,” he added. “But again, I don’t have nothing to add. My focus is just on tomorrow’s game.”
For Cardiff City, that insistence will be music to the ears.
While much of the narrative around the tie has inevitably been framed through Chelsea’s internal drama, Maresca made clear he views the Bluebirds as a serious obstacle and one that demands full concentration.
The Italian was full of praise for Cardiff’s start to the season and for the work being done by Brian Barry-Murphy, a coach he knows well from their time at Manchester City.
“He’s doing a great job,” Maresca said. “They are top of the league, playing nice football and winning games.
"We need to pay attention, we need to be careful.”
Maresca underlined the importance of the occasion for his own side too, noting that victory would secure a third semi-final in just 18 months.
“These are the worst games,” he warned.
“Football is full of games where the favourite can drop. That’s why the focus has to be on Cardiff. It’s something important.”
Despite the persistent attempts to drag him back into discussing his “worst 48 hours” comments, Maresca remained unflinching, repeatedly stressing that whatever had been said was now in the past.
“It’s done. It’s finished,” he said. “Now it’s focus on Cardiff.”
---
*Sign up to ourdaily Bluebirds newsletter here and ourWhatsApp channel here. Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams is also on social media. He can be found on hisX account here, onInstagram, onTikTok and onFacebook.