Enzo Maresca has just conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday evening's Conference League semi-final first leg against Djurgarden.
Chelsea take on the Swedish side in Stockholm, looking to put some clear daylight between the two teams ahead of next week's return leg at Stamford Bridge. Here is every word Maresca had to say in his presser:
Experiences of European competition, you won the UEFA Cup in 2006-2007, you scored in the final, Super Cup as well. How have those experiences as a player shaped your approach as a coach to nights like these?
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"For sure, all the experience that you have done as a player shaped you in all the sense. But it's for sure something different. But what you have done, not only in terms of career as a player in general, what you have done in the past, it's like a box, you put everything inside and then you shape the box, you shape the way you see things. And I said many times, I've been lucky as a player because I joined a different club where I had the chance to fight for titles."
Since you're in Sweden, I have to ask about Genesis Antwi. Will we see him tomorrow?
"First of all, he's one of the young players, he's one of the academy players in this moment. We try always to give them chances when they deserve. For part of the season he was working with us when we needed him. We call him and he works with us. He's doing well, as you said, with the under-21s and also he's doing well when we call him. So we are happy to give him the chance and we see in the next game he can be involved."
I'm interested to know how many games have you watched of Djurgarden in your analysis and prep?
"And how many games do your analysts watch to make sure that you know any tricks they might have up their sleeve? Personally I've watched six games. Some of the Conference League and some of the league. The only thing is that in the league they use players that they don't use in Conference. And in the Conference there are players that they don't use to play in the league.
"So it's not easy to analyse. Then also the pitch here is a bit different from the one that we are used to play every game. We want to try to prepare the game in the best way, thinking about all these small details that are important."
How much of a difference does playing on an artificial pitch make for you guys?
"Yes, it's completely different. I know that in the last weeks even some of their players were complaining about the pitch. They play every week, so for us it's a different one. But there are no excuses, no reasons why we are not going to compete tomorrow and the second game at all."
Just on the pitch, you've obviously got a huge game coming up on Sunday in the Premier League. Is there any concern beyond how the pitch will play over potentially causing injuries and protecting players?
"For sure, for sure. It can be a concern. I'm a little bit worried about that. But we are not in a moment where we can say we decide to save players for Sunday. This is a semi-final, it's a European competition and we want to be in the final."
In the last round, Reece James talked about the team potentially having disrespected the competition. Is that almost a good thing that they might have got that out of their system?
"Don't take nothing for granted. As you said, I don't think we disrespect the competition. That game, I've said many times, when you win the first game 0-3, the second one you try to manage a little bit the game. And probably that's been the big mistake.
"But I don't think we disrespect the competition. Because since we start, we try to be every time very professional in all the competitions. But for sure that game was not our best game. But probably the reason why is because, again, you win 0-3 away. Also because in two days, in three days, I think we play Fulham away. So we were also trying to manage a little bit the players and the first result. But it's good that happened. Because hopefully it's not going to happen again."
Your squad is worth 44x more than Djurgarden's according to Transfermarkt. How big of favourites are Chelsea?
"You don't win games and titles with money. And we know very well that. So it's not about how much you spend, how much in the transfer market. You are not going to win games or titles just because you spend big money. You have to spend money, but in the right way. And this season we are now in the Conference League semi-final, we are fighting in our league, and hopefully we can finish better in both competitions."
Has Nicolas Jackson got a chance of starting tomorrow? If not, will it be Tyrique George or Pedro Neto in the No.9 role?
"For sure, one of them. I said before, now is not the moment to think about the next game. Now it's about tomorrow. Then, after tomorrow, we're going to focus on the Sunday game. So, the ones that are going to start tomorrow's game, they are the ones that, for sure, we think are the good ones for tomorrow's game. So, we'll see if it's Nico, we'll see if it's Ty, if it's Pedro.
"Ty, we know that he's doing well. He did well every time, even the last five minutes, the last game against Everton, he was there. And he deserves the chance. If he works well, he deserves the chance."
Have you watched six Djurgarden games since Saturday?
"After Everton, you mean? Yeah, absolutely. Before Everton, I didn't watch [the Djurgarden] games. I prefer to finish Everton than to watch tomorrow's team."
So, you've watched six entire matches since Saturday?
"Yes."
Are you aware that the sun's been shining in the UK at all?
"That's why we need holiday."
How important is it, and how are you going to tell the players, that they do focus on tomorrow night with the Liverpool game at the weekend?
"First of all, I think we are trying to build a mentality, a winner mentality. So, for me, you build that taking every game, no matter who is the other player, and try to win every game. It's the only way to build a winner mentality. You cannot build a winner mentality if you don't win games.
"At the end, it's a matter of winning games. So, the players, they are aware that tomorrow is an important game, but they also are aware that the next one is also important. But we have, in terms of Premier League, we have four games. All of them, all of them, they're going to be very important. But we need to go game by game. So, now it's tomorrow, and after tomorrow, we're going to be focused on Liverpool, and the players, they're going to be focused on that, for sure."
Will Christopher Nkunku play again this season?
"They're going to, because it just happened, so they're going to, we have more news probably, not tomorrow, probably on Friday when we are back."
Is it a failure if Chelsea do not win the Conference League?
"For sure, I don't know if [it's a] failure or disappointment, I don't know how is the right word in English, but for sure now that we are in the semi-final, the next target is the final, and then once, if we are able to reach the final, we go for the title that personally for me is a big title.
"It's a huge title, because it's a European competition, and as I said, we can give this club the opportunity to be the only club in the world to win all the European competitions, so it's also a responsibility for me, a responsibility for the players to get that."
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