Enzo Maresca highlights his own Chelsea achievements before Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge
Enzo MARESCA sails the prospect of facing Chelsea “Legend” Jose Mourinho tomorrow evening, but hinted that there would be no inferiority complex after having spoken of his own record at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho returns to west of London with Benfica in the Champions League and will come up against the Italian Maresca, who had to read the reports that his work was threatened on weekends according to the 3-1 defeat from Saturday to Brighton.
It seems inconceivable that Chelsea was considering a change in the canoe less than three months after Maresca led the club as the Club World Cup with a 3-0 challenge of the European Champions Paris Saint-Germain and the former boss of Leicester was in a bull mood during his press conference this lunch hour.
He said, “We must be positive because first of all, that’s what players need. Second, because I think there is no reason to be negative.
“This morning, the club showed me a statistic that in the past six months, we have lost five games, four of them with a red card [for a Chelsea player].
“We surely like to win matches, but the reality is that there is no pressure. The only pressure is that being in Chelsea as a player or manager you need to win matches, there is no doubt, but the reality is that for different reasons, injuries or red cards, we have lost five games in six months.
“I think it’s something that is not bad.”
A Hornour to face Jose Mourinho – Maresca
The presence of Mourinho adds another layer of intrigue to speculation around Maresca’s position, but the 45 -year -old man was eager to accommodate the old Blues boss at the bridge.
“It is an absolute honor to face Jose Mourinho tomorrow,” he added. “He is not only a legend of this club, he is a legend in many clubs. It will be a privilege to face Jose tomorrow.”
Maresca does not feel intimidated by the photos of the Portuguese, however, adorned the club’s training ground.
He said, “I [am also] In some photos with the club World Cup, so I already feel lucky with that after a season. And also with the conference league. »»
Benfica will be different under Mourinho
Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 at the club World Cup, but the recent arrival of Mourinho at the Lisbon Club, in place of Bruno Lage, means that visitors will have an additional motivation tomorrow.
“They played three or four games with Jose [Mourinho]. All the games I started to watch unfortunately were with the old manager, ”said Maresca.
“I also watched matches when Jose was with Manchester United or Roma, but it is sure that it will be a completely different match from that of the Match of the World Club.
“We are trying to prepare every match to win the match. And I hope we can do it tomorrow.”
