Maresca: If you still need to defend yourself if you lose five games in six months, then this is a crazy world

September 29th news At 3:00 am on October 1st, in the second round of the Champions League stage, Chelsea will face Benfica at the Stamford Bridge Stadium. Before the game, Blues coach Maresca attended the press conference and talked about some of the current situation of the team.

Regarding facing Mourinho

- it is definitely an honor to be able to play against Mourinho tomorrow. Mourinho is a legend of this club and has the same status in some other clubs, which will be my honor.

The pressure on winning tomorrow

—We strive to win every game, and hope we can do it tomorrow.

The photo of you appears on the club wall of honor

- I feel very lucky to be able to take photos with the Club World Cup. Of course, our goal is to be able to celebrate moments like this one day together.

Romance about football

-For me, it is my honor to represent this club in the Champions League, and I am very proud to face a coach as outstanding as Mourinho tomorrow.

Regarding the match against Benfica

- This may be a bit difficult because the games I watched were led by their former coach. I watched Mourinho's three or four games, but it was definitely a completely different game from the Club World Cup.

About winning support from fans

- Continuing to win the trophy might be the key, I remember sometime away against Southampton, fans started singing: "Our Chelsea is back." I hope to hear fans singing about me one day, but that's not my main goal. Of course, it would be special to hear my name, but it has made me happy to hear “Our Chelsea is back”. My goal is not whether the fans sing my name, but whether we can win the game and whether the fans continue to feel happy.

Will you rotate the team's injury situation?

- We need to maintain our level because the Champions League needs high performance. We have a lot of players absent due to injuries and this afternoon we will evaluate Andre Santos, Kessedo and Joao Pedro. They have some minor problems, so we'll see if they can play tomorrow.

About Estewan becoming the starter

-I am still thinking about continuing, he performed very well, and it is not easy for a 17-year-old, 18-year-old to come to a European giant like Chelsea and show his strength immediately. He is a great kid, he is very happy here, he can play five positions on the offensive end.

Regarding morale and the pressure facing

- For now, we need to be positive, first, this is what the players need, and secondly, we have no reason to be negative. This morning, the club showed me five games we lost in the past six months, four of which had red cards. In fact, we don’t have any pressure. Of course, we know the pressure we face, and as Chelsea’s head coach you need to win the game, there is no doubt that.

About the Portuguese clubs remain unbeaten at Stamford Bridge

- From the perspective of Benfica and Mourinho, you can expect their current style of play - 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, but they can also play five defenders. I expect there will be two or three different formations, and we have made plans for these two or three formations. Mourinho's career has proven that he can handle different formations of games.

How to avoid red cards?

- First, after looking back on the past two games, I think I could have done better in decision making, and there is no doubt about it. But for me, 10 people fighting is like a learning process. This is not a normal phenomenon for any coach, but it happens sometimes. In the last six months, we have lost five games, four of which have received red cards, and our only away game that we lost 11-to-11 was Bayern Munich.

We don't need to create panic. You know better than me; football is a crazy world. If you lose five games in six months and you still need to defend yourself, then I think it's a crazy world. Compared to last season, we have all improved and the players have more experience. As a head coach, I personally feel better than last year because I am studying. I have a lot to learn, like how to play with only 10 players left, which is part of the process.

About the level of the Champions League

- We need this level, but we also have some young players who have accumulated experience in this event, and Hato from Ajax has experience in this event. In my opinion, he will be the top player at Chelsea. Garnacho and Gittens, even though they are still young, have already participated in the event. Joao Pedro has never been to this event, but he joined us and helped us win the Club World Cup. As the competition increases, they will get better.

About your relationship with Chelsea fans

- I think most of the time, fans' reactions are based on the results of the game, and I can understand the dissatisfaction of fans after losing. I'm not happy, the players are not happy, and the club is not happy. For me, this is more of a reaction after the match result. Again, if we still feel unhappy with losing five games in a six-month period, it might indicate a lack of balance in the sport, but I've been in the sport for 40 years, so I know that feeling.

Did Mourinho lay the foundation for Chelsea?

- The only thing I can say is that he is the legend of this club, the legend of Inter Milan, and led Inter to win the Champions League. He is also a legend for other clubs in the world, and as for the honor he deserves, that's not what I'm going to talk about, but he's already proven how important he is.