Maresca on Chelsea's recent dip in form and not being in title race

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on their recent dip in form and the importance of a response against Crystal Palace Cobham, London, UK

Transcript

00:00You said consistently that you're not in the title race.

00:03Were you unfortunately proven right over Christmas?

00:07Yeah, but I didn't need to wait to lose game to understand that.

00:13This is the reason why.

00:14And I always said the same that I would like to tell you, yes,

00:17we are there because it's something nice.

00:19It's not something bad to be in the title race.

00:22But the reason why I said is because I don't think we were ready.

00:25We are ready.

00:27And as I said, I didn't need to wait to lose two games in a row

00:32to prove myself or you that I was right.

00:37What do you put this dip in form down to?

00:39And how concerned are you by it?

00:41I'm always concerned, even when we win games.

00:44But I don't think it's, how do you say, bad form.

00:49I think it's just analysed game by game.

00:53Against Fulham, we were winning 1-0 until 82, 83 minutes.

00:57And then we conceded two goals.

00:59Ipswich probably was not our day in terms of,

01:06I don't know how many chances we created, clear, clear chances.

01:09But probably their desire, don't concede and to win the game was higher than us.

01:17And you are very much in the race for the top four.

01:20How important is it that you don't slip up again this weekend?

01:23No, not only this weekend.

01:24The next 19 games, it's important that we're going to be there.

01:29I said already many times, I don't think one of us in this room

01:32expects us to be where we are now at the beginning of the season.

01:35That means that the team is doing very well.

01:37But now we have the second part ahead of us.

01:40We have to continue to do that, knowing that we're going to be third again.

01:45We're going to be hopefully second again.

01:47But we can be also fifth or sixth on the table.

01:50No panic.

01:51It's just a matter of to see at the end of the season where we are.