Maresca on Chelsea discipline issues, red cards and Tottenham test (Full Presser)

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on whether there is a problem with getting too many red cards and the test posed by Tottenham in the Premier League Cobham, London, UK

Transcript

00:00It's Halloween, it's exciting. You're very happy, isn't it?

00:07No, Charlie is much more sympathetic than Tom, so we always laugh together.

00:23OK, good morning. Thanks for joining us for today's press conference.

00:26We'll follow the usual format of starting in broadcast.

00:30And we'll get underway with Jamie from Sky Sports News.

00:33Thank you, Charlie. Good morning.

00:35Can I start by asking you about Liam Dillap and whether you've spoken to him since Wednesday night?

00:41Explain to him how you saw it from your point of view and what he had to say.

00:47No, but I don't need to speak with Liam.

00:49Anyway, I spoke with Liam, but Liam knows everything. He's aware of the situation.

00:58He knows that he made a mistake and full stop, no more than that.

01:04Do you think the players appreciate you being as open and honest as you were on Wednesday night?

01:10This is a question for them.

01:14The problem is that when I say that there is no concern about red card, no concern.

01:20If I say that we need to avoid red card, we need to avoid red card.

01:25I say what I think is correct to say.

01:28Sometimes we had red card that was difficult to avoid,

01:33and sometimes we had some red card that we could avoid.

01:37Do you think, generally speaking, there is a problem with this?

01:41I think that some of the red cards that we conceded, we can avoid that.

01:46And likewise, some of the yellow cards you were saying on Wednesday night were avoidable as well?

01:51I don't know. I don't know.

01:56What can you do to change that, do you think, to change some of the rash tackles,

02:00some of the challenges, the avoidable cards?

02:03It's also something that we need to learn, something that we have to do better,

02:12and for sure, no doubt, that in the future we're going to be better also on that.

02:18OK, we'll go to John, BBC.

02:21Just on that, have you sat the squad down since Wednesday and said,

02:26you know, this is getting a bit ridiculous,

02:28was it six red cards from nine games including your own?

02:31You sat in all that and said, it's really something that's got to stop.

02:36Again, some of the red cards we could avoid.

02:41Some of the red cards we cannot avoid.

02:44I mean, just a way, slightly away from that, on Liam's lap, I mean, you said in the press conference on Wednesday,

02:51he's a player inside the pitch playing for himself, struggles to listen to things around him.

02:57So is it fair to say that he is quite a long way from being the player that you want him to be?

03:03Probably, probably, I'm not from England, so sometimes when I try to translate from Italian to English,

03:13sometimes it's a bit different.

03:15Liam, when he's inside the pitch, is more focused to do his battle against the central defender than the rest.

03:24This was what I was telling, what I was trying to say after that game.

03:31And is that how you wanted to play?

03:34There are two players in this team, three players in this team, that I know them better than the rest.

03:41Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap, because I know them from season 21, four years ago.

03:48So I know Liam always, and I know that Liam will be a fantastic player for us.

03:55But there are some things, like the rest, that he needs to improve.

03:59Just looking at Tottenham, I'm sure you're aware, I'm sure you've looked at the videos,

04:02their home form is one home league winning seven, I think it's three in 18.

04:07So there is, there is, without a doubt, a vulnerability there, isn't there?

04:13Yeah, but Tottenham, I think they are doing very good.

04:16They finished last season winning the Europa League, they started very good this season.

04:22And also because it's a derby, for sure will be a difficult game.

04:28Have you looked at why they are so poor at home in the league?

04:33I don't know, this is a question for them, to be honest.

04:37We'll go to Soraya, PLP.

04:39Your left wingers I want to talk about, Garnaccio scored his first goal against Sutherland,

04:44then you've got Gittins' amazing goal against Wolves and assisting in the game.

04:48You've mentioned previously that you actually tend to pick your attackers

04:51on how well they defend in their defensive activities.

04:54What do you think separates Gittins and Garnaccio and what do they contribute differently to this squad?

04:59They are both adapting to the way we work every day.

05:06They are both doing well.

05:08This is what we want from our wingers, score goals and assists.

05:12And it's good to have both doing well, so we can choose one or the other one.

05:21A few weeks ago I spoke to you about set pieces.

05:24You're scoring them so well, second highest in the league.

05:28We'll speak about the conceding part.

05:30You've conceded the most shots on set pieces as well.

05:33What issue do you think it is?

05:35Do you think it's physicality on the pitch and the players that you have?

05:38Because eerily winning your goals has not been there or covering the critical zone,

05:42or do you think it's a mentality thing or the aggressiveness?

05:46I think that in set pieces you are going to score goals and you are going to concede goals.

05:53The reason why is because if we say that when we concede we are not strong enough,

06:00so why do we score?

06:02I think in set pieces there are teams that score more goals, less goals,

06:07but at the end in set pieces you are going to score and concede goals

06:11because there are actions that are so difficult to defend.

06:15Lastly, I just want to talk about one of the tactical tweaks that you do in games.

06:19Sometimes you move Laby or Caicedo to join the centre-backs.

06:23What's your rationale behind that and what role do you want them to play when they move into the back of Laby?

06:28Yeah, it depends a little bit on how the other team press,

06:31where we can find space, where we can find a solution.

06:34Sometimes it's also to move a midfielder from that area

06:39because it's traffic many players there, so we want to move some players out from that area.

06:44It depends a little bit on, as I said, on the other team, how they press.

06:50We'll go to Simon, Athletic.

06:56We talked to you about when you do long throw-ins.

06:59Have you been working on defending long throw-ins?

07:02That was another one in midweek that you can see from.

07:05Is that something you've been working on this week?

07:07Yeah, and then we have Wolves at home that they do that.

07:13And then for sure we are working.

07:16Yeah, for sure.

07:17And just quickly on Liam, just one question from Liam.

07:21Did he apologise?

07:23Straight after the game in the changing room, yeah.

07:26And did he apologise to the team-mates as well?

07:29Yeah, straight in the changing room after the game.

07:32He apologise to everyone.

07:33And Cole Palmer, is he still on court to be back?

07:38I just met him in the canteen for the breakfast and I told him,

07:42I will say that in one week you are back.

07:44He was laughing.

07:46No, with Cole there is exactly the same plan.

07:50Wait and hopefully he can be back soon.

07:53OK, and we'll finish this section with Rob O'Connor.

07:55Are you open to changing the way you personally approach

07:59squad discipline?

08:00You're still a young manager,

08:02to evolve in terms of tactics in other areas.

08:06If the approach to discipline isn't working,

08:09can you see yourself becoming more forceful,

08:11personality with discipline?

08:14I think, as I said many times,

08:18I like to learn, I like to evolve.

08:20In this moment I think we are trying to do everything

08:24to do everything to avoid this kind of situation

08:28and hopefully we can learn and we can be better in the future.

08:33OK, cameras off please, we'll end that section.

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