Enzo Maresca Addresses Chelsea Injuries, Title Race Stance, and Club’s Future Dominance

Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, addressed the media ahead of the Premier League match against Southampton on Wednesday, scheduled for a 19:30 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Regarding player injuries, Maresca stated that he “does not have any update” concerning defender Wesley Fofana’s current condition, though Fofana is expected to be “out for the next weeks, for sure.” He further confirmed that captain Reece James is “getting better” but remains in the “same situation,” with his return still “weeks” away. When questioned about whether he still considers Chelsea to be out of the title race, despite their identical record with Arsenal, the Chelsea manager replied, “absolutely, yes.” Addressing whether his stance was intended to shield his players, Maresca responded: “No. I said, for me, to be in the title race is nice pressure for players. It is the kind of pressure you like because you are in the title race. But, that is not the case because in the past two years Arsenal are very close to Manchester City. Liverpool have been there. We were not there but hopefully soon we can be.” Maresca expressed his belief that the upcoming fixture against Southampton would be the “worst game” and the “most tough game” his team has faced this season, emphasizing that they “need to be ready otherwise it will be a bad day for us.” When asked if the club had established specific targets for him, he stated: “No, the good thing is what I said to owners and directors when I met them, because of the age and how good the squad is, in the next five to 10 years Chelsea is going to be one of the clubs to dominate English football. This is what I said to club the first time I met them – no matter who the manager is, because of the age and the quality, you can dominate English football. I still think exactly the same.” He further commented: “In terms of targets, they didn’t ask me. The only thing they asked me was to try to build something important for the next years. I think we are in the right direction.” Maresca noted that his tenure as a player at Juventus “showed me a lot in terms of a winning mentality,” a quality he now endeavors to instill “in all the teams I [manage].” He elaborated: “Even my experience with Manchester City Under-23s, it was first time we won that title. Leicester was the same and probably the most difficult one. After relegation, it was a disaster for everyone. Here, I am trying to do the same.”