In the 20th round of the English Premier League, Chelsea played against Crystal Palace in a 1-1 draw. After the match, Chelsea's manager Maresca came to the post-match press conference and responded to the media about the match performance, the team's situation, and the changes in the lineup.
Analysis of the results
Maresca admits that Chelsea's performance today was actually enough to win the game. From the first half to the second half, the team created enough chances to score, but unfortunately failed to capitalize on them to end the game. He emphasized that in the arena of soccer, if you can't seize the opportunity, it is difficult to completely eliminate the suspense of the game, especially in the stadium of Crystal Palace, which is a fierce attack.
Assessment of team mentality
In the face of the team's failure to win four consecutive games, Maresca believes that this has not had a significant impact on the team's mentality. He believes that every team goes through a down period during the season and Chelsea is no exception. He emphasized that it's not about the standings, but about how to improve. Today's performance was quite good both in possession and without the ball, but they failed to capitalize on their chances.
Considerations for staffing adjustments
Responding to a question about not making many lineup changes for recent games, Maresca said there was no particular reason. He emphasized that there should be a clear reason for making adjustments, such as poor performance or physical exhaustion of players. The 11 players who started today's match performed well, so he was reluctant to make changes just for the sake of making substitutions. He revealed that Jacobsson and Sancho were replaced today because they were tired from the high intensity of the defense, while Giu and Maduekai were replaced with new energy.
Josh Archampong's debut
Talking about the decision to allow Josh ACHAMPONG to complete his Premier League debut, Maresca expressed his satisfaction. He believes that Josh has the potential to be a top player for the club but needs the right growth path and the right timing. Today he proved his mettle but also needs to slow down, work hard and wait for his next opportunity. Maresca emphasized that he has full trust in Josh, who has proven his excellence even without the reinforcements involved.
FA Cup and League Preparation
On the upcoming FA Cup third round tie, Maresca said it is an opportunity to rotate the squad. He revealed that this is the first time since September that the team has had a full week of training and therefore has the opportunity to be fully prepared for the FA Cup before preparing for the Premier League. He emphasized that the team needs to maintain a consistent form to be ready for the upcoming matches.
Strategies to Improve Your Shooting Skills
Addressing the team's ability to shoot on goal, Maresca said that creating chances is the key. If you can create chances, it means the team is doing the right things. The next thing that needs to be done is to capitalize on those chances. He revealed that the team will increase the intensity of training in preparation for matches to improve the players' shooting skills. At the same time, he admitted that this is an area where the team needs to improve, but it is also important to realize that the team is currently one of the top few teams in the league in terms of goal-scoring ability.
Ravia's comeback
Regarding Ravia's comeback, Maresca said that he expects him to play in the next game, which will undoubtedly breathe new life into the team.
Nikolai Jacobsson's Mindset Adjustment
Talking about Nikolai Jaksson's recent problems of scoring only one goal in six matches and missing some good chances, Maresca said that the striker sometimes takes all the chances and sometimes misses some. He emphasized that Jaksson had two or three great chances today, so he has been in a state of readiness. Hopefully next time he will be a bit luckier, but overall he was quite good today.
