Chelsea beat Brentford by a narrow margin of 2-1 in the 16th round of the English Premier League. After the game, Chelsea's manager Maresca spoke in front of the camera about his insights into his team's performance and the title race.
Maresca opened the game with high praise for the team's overall performance: "The players were in great spirits. In the first half we almost dominated the game and had the chance to increase the score. Although we struggled a bit in the second half in the last ten minutes, the overall performance was excellent. We deserved this victory."
But Maresca didn't overlook his team's flaws in the game: "Despite the win, we still have a lot of room for improvement. For example, the goal that was conceded towards the end of the game was a mishandled ball out of bounds. A really competitive team would have handled the ball in a more secure manner, which we clearly failed to do."
Speaking about Cucurelia's crucial goal and Mareca's pre-match tactics, he said, "We had some pre-matched tactics before the game and Cucurelia's goal was the highlight of that. Players miss chances and take chances, it happens. The key is their attitude. Jacquesson (specific player name unspecified) was impressive on the field and his commitment off the field, he worked very hard and we are very happy with him."
Speaking about the battle for the Premier League title, Maresca was cautious but firm: "Personally, no matter how many games we win, we are nowhere near ready to fight for the title. A team that really knows how to win games doesn't make mistakes like today. We are moving in the right direction and the fans can envision and expect the title, but as a club, a team, players and coaching staff, we have to keep our heads up. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot of areas where we can improve."
