In a key match of the 8th round of the EPL, Chelsea lost 1-2 to Liverpool away from home. After the match, Chelsea manager Maresca attended the press conference and gave an in-depth analysis and summary of the match.
Maresca began by saying, "I think we played very well today. It was a loss, but if you have to choose a way (to lose), it's probably this way. This is a difficult stadium to play on and Liverpool are a very strong opponent. We controlled the game and dominated for most of the game but in the end we lost. We're not happy, but we also have to admit that the performance with and without the ball was up to our expectations."
On the manner in which the goals were conceded, Maresca expressed some frustration: "We conceded two goals, one of them was a penalty, which could have happened. The second goal, we've avoided conceding five or six goals this season because of this defense. But against this team in this stadium, it's impossible to not give the other team a chance at all. Nevertheless, we controlled the game for the most part and we should be proud of that."
Speaking about the defense, Maresca admitted that it needs to be improved: "We really need to work on our defense. Although we may be at the top of the league in terms of goal scoring, we are in third or fourth place in terms of goals conceded. This shows that there are many things we can do better. But at the same time, we are seeing that the defense is getting better and needs to be understood and improved game after game."
On the decision to replace Reece James, Maresca said it was planned, "The original idea was to play him and Romeo (Lavia) for an hour or 55 minutes at most. Keeping them on the field longer would have worried me, so I decided to sub both of them at the 55-minute mark."
As for the controversial penalty, Maresca was relaxed: "I'm relaxed. I'm not happy because we lost, but I'm happy with the team's performance. Referee's decisions are part of the game, sometimes they are right and sometimes they are wrong. There is nothing to say about it, we need to focus on our performance."
