After Chelsea’s 1-3 defeat to Leeds United, manager Enzo Maresca attended a press conference and discussed why the team’s performance has been inconsistent.
Why was the team’s performance so different from the games against Barcelona and Arsenal?
— Yes, I think they were better than us in every aspect and deserved the victory. We get nothing from this game; the only thing we can do is try to understand our mistakes and adjust, because we have another game in 48 hours.
What do you think happened between the Arsenal game and today’s match?
— No, just because we performed well against Arsenal, Barcelona, or last month doesn’t mean the team can maintain that level consistently. For various reasons, that’s impossible – you have to deal with different situations and rotate players. So, for multiple factors, our level can’t be the same every game. In the Premier League, when you play away to any team, it’s a tough battle if you don’t give 100%.
After watching the last two games, do you sometimes feel confused why we played so poorly today? Does this also highlight that the team’s occasional poor performances show Chelsea aren’t yet genuine title contenders?
— Of course, given our performances in the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, people naturally expect better. But for various reasons, we can’t play at that level every game. One reason is rotation – as we’ve said many times, some players can’t play every two or three days.
When you rotate, the team’s level naturally drops because these players are important to us, but also to any team. Players like Caicedo, Reece James, Fofana, etc. But we can’t play them in every game. It’s impossible, otherwise they might get injured again and be out for months.
So, is there concern that the players replacing them need to take more responsibility in this regard?
— I don’t think any player played at their best tonight. I think for all teams and all players, maybe only Pedro Neto and Garnacho performed well in the second half – they were our best players. Because after we scored, Palmer and João Pedro both created two chances. But the third goal, I think, ended the game completely.
You said Leeds were better in every aspect tonight and you’ll go back to analyze it. But what’s your initial thought on the reason?
— I hope it’s just an off night for us, because it’s hard to find anything positive to take from this game. I think the opponents were better in every aspect – in possession, out of possession, winning second balls.
Did you feel the absence of Caicedo?
— We missed Caicedo again tonight, and I think we’ll miss him in the next game too. He’s an important player. Similarly, even if the results were different in previous games, we missed Palmer and other key players. Caicedo is important to us, but also to any team in the world because he’s a top player.
Was substituting Estêvão at halftime to protect him?
— I think it felt a bit like "welcome to the Premier League, welcome to Leeds United" for Estêvão tonight. It definitely had a big impact on him. The reason we substituted him is that he already had a yellow card. Sometimes, 18-year-old players struggle to control their emotions, so it’s better to take him off to avoid him receiving a red card.
