On July 28th, Beijing time, Chelsea suffered a strong challenge from Celtic in a friendly match, and eventually suffered a 1-4 defeat. After the match, Celtic's manager Rodgers shared his insights and feelings when reviewing the match and Chelsea's recent personnel changes.
Rodgers began by expressing his surprise at the departure of former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. He believes that Pochettino has made his tactical intentions clear during his tenure at Chelsea and that these intentions have been recognized and supported by the players. Therefore, Pochettino's sudden departure is indeed surprising and regrettable.
Rodgers then turned the conversation to new manager Maresca, who will be taking over at Chelsea. He praised Maresca's outstanding performance during his time at Leicester City, believing that he has shown excellent coaching talent and tactical wisdom. However, Rodgers is also aware that coaching Chelsea will be a new and tougher challenge. Chelsea, as one of the top giants in world football, always carries high expectations from the fans, the media and the club's senior management, and this pressure is hard to compare with that of coaching other clubs.
Speaking about Maresca's prospects at Chelsea, Rodgers expressed cautious optimism. He believes that with Maresca's success at Leicester City and his deep understanding of soccer, he is capable of succeeding at Chelsea. But at the same time, he also pointed out that Chelsea has a group of talented players, how to convince these players to play according to the coach's wishes and form a united and efficient team will be the first task facing Maresca.
Finally, Rodgers also expressed his respect and understanding for the game of soccer itself. He believes that no matter what the outcome of a match is, it is the result of the joint efforts of players and coaches. In the world of soccer, both victory and defeat are the norm, and the key lies in how to learn from them and keep improving. Therefore, he expects Chelsea and Maresca to show better form and strength in future matches.
