00:00Good evening and thank you for joining us.
00:17Welcome to our Matchday Minus One press conference ahead of tomorrow's Champions League group stage opener against Bayern Munich.
00:26Who would like to get us underway?
00:30Anybody? In front, please.
00:37Enzo, good evening. In terms of your actual squad with the Champions League, you're relatively inexperienced with the Champions League.
00:46However, obviously with your European success last year and the Club World Cup as well, how do you marry up your expectations for this Champions League season?
00:58First of all, we are very happy to be in this competition.
01:03One year ago, we were playing Conference League playoff, so we are happy to be here.
01:10For sure, winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup help in different aspects and then in terms of experience, I think all of us, when we start something, we are lack of experience.
01:27We have to start and we are going to start tomorrow.
01:31Is there a belief from your side and within the squad that you can really challenge and go on and win this competition this season?
01:43Well, first of all, you know already since last season that I always like to go game by game. You cannot think about the final or semi-final. If you are not able to win games in the group stage and it's the first thing tomorrow.
01:50We have the first one against a fantastic team that probably is one of the three or four favourites in this competition, but we are going to try to do our job in the best way.
01:57What did winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup? Have you noticed a difference in the squad since you came back?
02:04Absolutely, yes.
02:06You cannot think about the final or semi-final if you are not able to win games in the group stage and it's the first thing tomorrow.
02:11We have the first one against a fantastic team that probably is one of the three or four favourites in this competition, but we are going to try to do our job in the best way.
02:18What did winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, have you noticed a difference in the squad since you came back?
02:25Absolutely, yes. When you win games, for sure help to improve confidence, to improve different things, different aspects, knowing that every game is different, every competition is different.
02:38And as I said, Bayern in this moment probably is one of the favourite ones, but we are going to try to do our best.
02:49Gary, just behind please. Gary Cottrell.
02:52Obviously, last season in the Conference League you were able to have almost two teams, a Premier League team and a Europe team.
03:05You won't be able to do that this time. So, is it important you field your best possible XI and will Cole Palmer start?
03:15We try every game, even against Brentford, we try with our best XI. Game by game you have to manage different problems.
03:25As I said in the last game, Cole was not fit 100% to play 90 minutes. Different players, they were out, Estevão for instance.
03:34So, and tomorrow we are going to try to put our best XI for tomorrow game.
03:41Cole, three days ago, didn't play from the start because he was not able to do that. We will see tomorrow.
03:49Jacob, just down here please.
03:52Hi Enzo. Without asking you to name your team tomorrow, does the formula, the formation and system that you used in the final against PSG give you a kind of template to use in these big games in the Champions League this season?
04:10I said before, for me every game is different. For that game against PSG, I think the first XI, the ones that were inside the second half, the plan, everything worked well.
04:25But tomorrow is a completely different game. So, I don't see any comparison between the two teams.
04:37Can I just ask you how you feel about potentially going up against Nicolas Jackson tomorrow night?
04:47He is obviously on loan at Bayern, but he is still sort of a Chelsea player.
04:51And what do you think of that rule that on loan players in Europe can play against their parent clubs?
04:57I said the other day, I am grateful, thankful to Nico because if we achieve what we achieved last year,
05:13it is because all the players, including Nicolas who was with us, I texted him after he left the club,
05:23telling him thanks for last season, wish him all the best.
05:28And Nico is a good guy with us, he was good, he was working well.
05:32And then in terms of rule, for me it's normal. I'm from Italy, I played many years in Spain,
05:42and this rule, when you are alone, you can play, so for me it's OK.
05:49Can you tell me to text you back?
05:50Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Just in the middle here, please.
06:04Hi, Mr. Mareska. Another question regarding Nico Jackson. You said that you are thankful.
06:12Could you explain why you didn't count on him for this new season and why you decided to let him join Bayern?
06:23Because we bought two strikers, Lian Delap and João Pedro.
06:30And I think with two strikers it's a good number, it's enough. And this is the reason why.
06:39Kieran, just down here, please.
06:44Hi, Enzo, how are you? You used Filip Jorgensen in Europe last season.
06:49Are you willing to tell us which goal are you going to go with in the Champions League this season and explain the reason and why?
06:55Tomorrow, Robbie will start. But for sure, with the amount of games that we have, Filip is going to play games in the Premier League, in the Champions League, in the FA Cup, in the Carabao.
07:10We have so many games that for sure Robert cannot play all of them.
07:17Nizar, just down the bottom here, please.
07:24Enzo, you did a great job rotating your squad last season, but is it a bit different when you're rotating your squad now? It's the Champions League because the level is so much higher.
07:33Is that a personal challenge for you this season? Is success and failure going to be dependent on how well you do that in all the competitions?
07:42It helps a lot if you are able to rotate players, especially probably at the beginning of the season.
07:51OK, you can probably go with the same and then it's a long season, many games, so I think you have to do that because you have also saved players, avoid injury.
08:04But it's something that is dictated game by game. It's not something that you can plan because probably you plan something and then any problem or any injury is not possible.
08:16So we're going to try to rotate players knowing that, as you said, the Champions League is a bit different from last season's competition.
08:27And one in the middle here, please.
08:39Hello, Mr. Mareska. Uli Hoeneß, ex-post of Bayern Munich, said that Bayern Munich is an underdog in this season in the Champions League.
08:46Would you agree or what is your opinion about Bayern Munich this year?
08:51I think Bayern Munich is a team that already showed last year that they are very close and they can compete in this competition, try to win this competition.
09:11This is my personal view. I see them together with three or four more clubs, like the favourite ones for this competition, but it's my personal view.
09:23Simon, just in the front here, please.
09:35Hi, Enzo. Another one on Nicholas Jackson.
09:37Vincent Kompany earlier said that he has had a conversation with Nicholas about the way Chelsea play.
09:43Obviously, he knows the way you like to set things up and tactics and so on.
09:47Is there any concern that Nicholas can obviously give Bayern the lowdown?
09:52And secondly, just to confirm that your relationship with Jackson is good because there's been some quotes out there today that perhaps aren't the best relationship?
10:01Me with Nico?
10:02Me with Nico?
10:03Yeah.
10:04Me personally, again, I didn't have any kind of problem with Nico and I don't have any problem with Nico.
10:16Again, he's a good guy, good professional, worked well with us and that's it.
10:23And then the other question, yeah, probably can be a small advantage because, you know, he can ask Nico the way we work, the way we try to prepare a game.
10:38At the end, Nico was with us for one entire season, so he knows exactly the way we approach games.
10:45But at the end, we'll see anyway.
10:51OK, if there's no more questions, we'll end it there. Thank you.
10:54See you later.
10:56Everybody say it, bye-bye.
11:06Hey.
11:08Bye-bye.
11:11Bye-bye.
11:13Bye-bye.
11:15Bye-bye.
11:20Bye-bye.
11:23Bye-bye.
