Maresca: Still thinks that Paris is the best in the world; the challenge is higher expectations from the outside world

Hupu on August 17th before the first round of the Premier League started, Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca accepted an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.

Asked whether you have taken some time to look back on the entire season in the past three weeks? Have you given yourself some space? Because I know that there is always "the next thing, the next thing" in the football world, but you also need to have such moments, right?

Of course it is needed. You have to watch the game back and analyze what is done well, what can be improved, and what is not done right and needs to be corrected. So I have always had the habit of reviewing and seeing how to improve. This is why it is difficult to completely "turn off the switch".

Which thing most often appears on your "must improve" list when reviewing videos?

I have always said that to improve the team, we must first improve the players. So we must continue to help players grow and there is always room for improvement. Defensive can be better, offense can be better. This is not to say that we don’t defend or attack well, but that we can go further.

How proud are you of your performance in your first season? After all, you were in a difficult situation when you took over, but the final result was not bad. Have you ever said to yourself, "I'm doing a good job"?

I don't care much about these. I'm more concerned about the situation of the team. We were still far from the top team last summer, but now we are closer. This is not to say we are in place, but at least the direction is in the right direction. We did close the gap from last summer to this summer.

You are facing a huge lineup and you have to deal with ups and downs. What did you learn from it?

Some moments are indeed difficult and frustrated. For example, at the press conference after we qualified for the Champions League, I spoke some emotional language that I had never shown before. That was because when the team was in a downturn, some players were dissatisfied with the comments from the outside world. I promised them that if we entered the top four, I would say what I thought about at that time. So that was more like an emotional outburst.

During the difficult period from January to March, there were many doubts from the outside world, and in the current football environment, the head coach's tolerance is not high. But you survived and you ended with a successful season, which was an achievement in itself.

The possible reason is that I always focus on things that I can control - the court, the players, how to improve them and the team. As for the noise around the club, it was not within my control.

What is the best team in the world this season in your mind? What kind of appearance do you want Chelsea to take?

We will continue to improve based on last season. It did a good job last season, but not enough. There are teams that lead us, such as Paris Saint-Germain. I said a month ago that they are the best in the world, and I still think so now. We need to learn from them, analyze them, and thus improve ourselves.

In ideal situations, when you dream of Chelsea holding up the Premier League trophy, what do you think that team should be like?

I feel that we are indeed closer to our goal than last summer. This feeling is very important. As for how close it is, I can't say, but we are in the right direction and are indeed narrowing the gap.

What is the biggest challenge in the new season?

Challenges will be more because the outside world expects higher. Last year, many people talked about whether Chelsea could enter the top four, and this year is still the case. For clubs like Chelsea, the goal is always to win as much as possible.

You have shown a high level of tactical maturity against Paris. Will this give you more confidence in the new season?

Since I joined Chelsea, my preparations for each Premier League 38 rounds have been different. The problem is, when you win, everyone can see it; when you don’t win, everyone will say that you haven’t changed. But in fact, we deal with each game in different ways. That game against Paris only strengthened everyone's confidence.

Have stronger players and ensure that they are satisfied. Is this your challenge?

Yes, if the players don't play much, they won't be happy. But that's the same for any player. I have played football myself for 20 years, and I will be unhappy if I don’t play games, which is normal. We will try to get them playing time, especially this year, with the Champions League.

Which new player is what you are most looking forward to seeing?

is actually everyone. Everyone is talking about one or two players, but we actually have six or seven new players, and they can all help the team.

Do you think Chelsea can narrow the gap with Liverpool this season?

I don't know. But two years ago, the gap between us and Liverpool was more than 25 points, and it has narrowed last year. I hope to go further this year. Arsenal are also closer, Manchester City is still strong, and Tottenham and Manchester United are also in the competition. Every year is harder.

So is the final goal still the Premier League champion?

We will come one by one and see where the season will take us.