Chelsea looked to be in their best moment of the season, defeating Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League, and following up that with a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal. Since that draw against the Gunners, Chelsea have struggled form, but did win 3-1 away to Cardiff in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, making it two in a row for Enzo Maresca’s team. Following the win at Cardiff, Maresca spoke to the press, offering his thoughts on the team’s win and the absence of Estevao from the match-day squad.
Maresca Speaks to the Press After Chelsea Progress to Carabao Cup Semi-Final
Enzo Maresca Praises Players After 3-1 Win Against Cardiff City
Reacting to the win and his team’s second-half improvement, Maresca said:
“These are the kinds of games where I fall in love even more with the players. It’s very easy to slip, to slide, because these are tricky games. Cardiff are very well organised and very intense. We expected this game, knowing Ty is not playing a lot, Guiu is not playing a lot and Facu not playing a lot.
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“They are not playing a lot. They need physical condition and minutes to be there. We were very good off the ball in the second-half but we struggled to create chances.”
Where was Estevao?
Estevao has quickly won the hearts of Chelsea supporters, with his exciting dribbling and eye for goal. The teenager was missing from the squad against Cardiff, and Maresca explained his absence:
“Small problem, muscle problem, he won’t be available for Newcastle. We will see for the next one.”
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After his team’s win at Everton, Maresca called the build-up the his “worst 48 hours” at Stamford Bridge. This caused intense speculation regarding his future, but after the Cardiff win, Maresca appeared in better spirits:
“I’ve been happy since day one. It’s not that tonight I’m not happy. I am happy, thank you very much.”
“No. As I said yesterday, I started to prepare Cardiff the day after Everton. I didn’t speak with anyone,” said Maresca when asked if he’s spoken to the Sporting Directors.
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Martin Dalton