Absolute Chelsea
·18 October 2025
Inside Chelsea's half-time message vs Nottingham Forest as Neto reveals 'aggressive' mindset

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Yahoo sportsAbsolute Chelsea
·18 October 2025
Pedro Neto shared the mindset inside the Chelsea dressing room at half-time, which eventually led to their impressive 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Reece James may have been awarded the Player of the Match, but Pedro Neto was just as impactful, having also provided an assist and a goal in the game.
All three of Chelsea's goals were in the second half, however, showing how difficult it was for the visitors to break down Nottingham Forest's defence.
According to Pedro Neto, Chelsea had a clear plan during the break.
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"We needed to change some things (at half-time), be more aggressive," the Portugal international told TNT Sports after the match.
"In the second half, we kept more of the ball, scored three goals, so we are really happy with that."
Enzo Maresca, on the other hand, said that he focused more on warning his players against making simple errors when in possession.
"My message at half-time was, 'Guys, off the ball, the way we are pressing, we are good. On the ball, we are not good enough,'" the Italian head coach said in his post-match press conference when speaking about his message to the players.
"In first half, we made three or four mistakes in the build-up, when we conceded (shots). Like you say, lazy? What do you say in English? Lazy? Lazy.
"Yeah, I think the word is lazy. No, anyway, lazy mistake. We can avoid that.
"And second half, I think also we adjusted a little bit. And we were a little bit better."
Considering the final score, Maresca's half-time talk clearly paid off, although the immediate introductions of three substitutes, Jamie Gittens, Moises Caicedo, and Marc Guiu, also played a huge part.
Maresca also mentioned how he initially prepared his team to play against Nottingham Forest's back four, and had to make some adjustments after it was clear that the hosts deployed a back five instead.
"We expected them with a back four. Joao Pedro against a back four is better."