Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea-Barcelona press conference, featuring Cole Palmer injury update & more | OneFootball

The Blues also have Arsenal coming up in the Premier League, though Maresca was mostly keen to focus in the game coming up next rather than thinking ahead to the weekend.

See below for everything Maresca said in his latest press conference as he discussed Barcelona, the latest on Cole Palmer’s injury, and more.

Enzo Maresca’s press conference in full

On Cole Palmer training sooner with help of a protective boot…

Yeah, we don’t know when, but for sure it will be soon. He’s already in pitch, he’s already touching the ball, so I think it’s good.

On Palmer returning vs Arsenal…

We are here for tomorrow’s game, that is the Champions League game, and then after that tomorrow we start to think about Arsenal. I don’t think so at the moment.

On details of Palmer’s injury setback…

The last time I spoke about Cole was in the last press conference, and the last time I spoke to Cole was yesterday, just after the session, to ask how he was feeling. Again, it was a good feeling, but I didn’t ask him details about the injury at all.

On a big week against Barcelona and Arsenal…

It’s a big week, as you said, but at the end of this week, then we have Leeds away, Bournemouth away, Atalanta away, so it’s another big one. It’s always a big week, they are all important games, at the end of every game is three points, for sure there are games like Barcelona tomorrow and Arsenal Sunday that are important for different reasons, but actually the best thing for us is to win the game.

Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, talks to the media (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

On Pedri being out…

Of course Barcelona loses to Pedri, not only to Barcelona, but also to football, because of the quality of the football, which I think is incredible. Then about Enzo Fernandez, since I arrived here I have always considered him a fundamental and important player, at the beginning it took him a while to understand what he had to do, but then he has become an important player for us on the field.

On scoring against Barcelona in the Super Cup during his playing days…

Yes, it was an important moment, I always said that it was the easiest goal in my life, in terms of we were winning 2-0, and the penalty was in the 96th minute, and there were six extra minutes. So that was an easy one, a nice feeling, but now it’s a completely different thing, they are an unbelievable team, but again we are going to try our best to win the game.

On managing Barcelona one day…

You know me because you are always in my press conference, even when you ask me what’s happening in three-four months, I always say, I don’t know, in this moment I’m very happy to be at this huge club, again one of the best clubs in the world, and this is the most important thing.

On Lamine Yamal and Estevao Willian…

Estevao is already playing high level, he is already starting for Brazil, for sure he is very young, for sure he can do many things better, but we are very happy with him. For me it’s more or less the same thing I said about Pedri, it’s nice for people that love football to watch players like Estevao, like Lamine Yamal, like Pedri, this is the beauty of football, so we are happy that Estevao is with us, and for sure he is going to do well.

Estevao can be, he is going to be for sure an important player for this club for the future no doubt, now again for me personally the most important thing for Estevao is that he has to enjoy football, he has to be happy, he has not to think about being better than this player or the other player, he has just to be better than himself day by day, try to work hard, improve. Again for sure, he is going to be a top player for this club.

On the threat of Robert Lewandowski…

For sure he is a fantastic player, he showed all his life that he does the most important thing in football, that he scores goals, we want to try to defend like always, like a team, aggressive in the way we try always to defend, but Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, it’s Fermin [Lopez], it’s Ferran [Torres], Frenkie de Jong, there are so many players, but at the same time we are going to try and win the game..

On Barcelona’s high line…

Yeah the high line is a factor for sure, but as you said I think we need to pay attention also off the ball, because the idea that they create all the chances, they score goals always, so we need the right balance between attacking and defending.

On Chelsea’s progress since losing to Bayern…

Personally I think we are a better team compared to the day we played Bayern away, but every game is different, Barcelona use different weapons to attack, also different weapons to defend, so it will be a completely different game, but for me personally the team is getting better day after day.

On tiki-taka going out of fashion…

I don’t know. I decide to be a manager because of a Pep [Guardiola] team, Barcelona, years ago. If clubs or teams decide with a different style. I’ve said many times: any team can decide the way they want to play. I chose mine years ago and this will be the way I like to watch my team playing football and in the future. I don’t think no one can be compared to that Barcelona, to Pep, because I think they changed football in Spain, where every club was trying to play in that way and then Pep moved to Germany, and everyone was trying to play that way in Germany.

I think Pep came in England, and many clubs tried to do something similar and also England in terms of the international team. I don’t think anyone can be compared to Pep because I think in the last 20-25 years he changed football.

On Marc Guiu…

Marc is evolving very well, he came here last season, he had the chance to play almost all of the Conference League scoring six-seven goals and then unfortunately he got injured, he’s growing, he’s improving. This season has been a bit strange for him because he was injured and he came back last week so at the beginning it was a bit difficult for him but now he’s working well, we’re very happy with him and the only thing he has to do for his age and different reasons is to work, work and learn and try to be prepared when he has the chance.

On Barcelona under Hansi Flick’s management…

I think they’re spectacular, it’s a team that whenever I look at it there are things that can be learned, things that can be looked at, how they attack, how they defend, which in the end has given them the chance to win La Liga last year, to get to the Champions League semi-final. They do a lot of things very well and it’s a team that always wants initiative, always wants value and we try to do the same on our side.