Maresca on laboured Chelsea 1-0 Benfica win

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Maresca on laboured Chelsea 1-0 Benfica win  30/09/2025  uefa25 champions league

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00:00How much did you need this result and how are you with the performance of your team?

00:19Yeah, we need for sure the win, the three points, for different reasons.

00:24I think first half we control the game, we score the goal, we create more chances and we didn't

00:31concede nothing unless 2-3 transition, that is normal.

00:35And then second half for different reasons we drop, I think we have some players inside

00:41the pitch that unfortunately are not 100%, but they are playing because we have 7-8 players

00:46out, but also I think it was good to win tonight, in any case, even if sometimes you need to

00:54learn to win in an ugly way, like the last minutes of the game.

01:01Simon?

01:02How frustrating is it that we talked about red cards, but again there is another red card,

01:10does that again limit your striking options for Ajax?

01:14Yeah, at least we learned how to win a game with a red card, that was the first one.

01:20Anyway, it was just 2-3 minutes to play, and now we have Tyrik playing tonight, we have

01:27Guy on the bench that can play tonight, now we have time before Ajax's game, but yeah,

01:32as you said, unfortunately another red card that we need to avoid.

01:37Gary?

01:38Have you spoken to the players, can you give us some insight, what you said to them about

01:43picking up red cards, this is obviously three now in four games, and Pedro Neto said the

01:48players have spoken to each other about it, what have you said to them about it?

01:53I always like to see 1v1, I think Newcastle and Flamengo red cards, they were for bad action,

02:04then Sanchez is not for bad action, it's just because he wants to defend the goal, Chalova

02:08is because he wants to defend the goal, and tonight I think the second yellow card, Joao

02:13will not even touch the other player, but the dynamic of the action is a dangerous one,

02:18so for me personally there is not any concern or any issue in behind, it's just a moment

02:26that probably you need to take a different reason and avoid, for instance, Robert foul

02:32after 2-3 minutes, or even the other day against Brighton, 15 minutes, we were 1-0 up,

02:37sometimes it's better to consider the goal or the chance, because then it's 11v11,

02:41you have 40 more minutes, so for me personally there is not any problem behind.

02:47Jack?

02:48On top of the red cards, you also mentioned you've got a lot of players that aren't 100% fit,

02:53struggling with a bit of fatigue or injury, how hard is it at this point in the season

02:57to get any sort of rhythm together as a team when you've had to change so much?

03:01Yeah, very difficult, very difficult, very hard, very difficult, again,

03:06because the ones that they play, there is a big risk that they can get injury,

03:11because they are the ones that they are playing a lot, for instance we lost from Brighton

03:14Andres Santos, that will be out until after the international break,

03:19and we have 7-8 players out unfortunately for us in this moment,

03:23so it's difficult, you know, because also we struggle to repeat the same 11,

03:29but it's where it is, we need to adapt and we try to win games,

03:33that's why it was so important tonight to win, and also was the other day important,

03:37but unfortunately we didn't win, now focus on Saturday.

03:40Matt?

03:41Enzo, talking about all the problems with the injured players and the amount of games

03:46and the schedule, how important is it to try and get top eight to avoid those two extra games,

03:51is that your target in this league, that is?

03:54Yeah, absolutely, first of all the target is to continue the next stage, but if we are able to finish top four,

04:00that is very good for us, now we have six more games, we see if we are able to recover also players,

04:11that for us is so important, but now the focus is more for Saturday game,

04:17then we have the international break that we are waiting, because we can have players back,

04:22you see tonight Benoit play, but actually he was very good, so if we are able to recover players,

04:27that's what we need.

04:29Jacob?

04:30Enzo, is it encouraging that you've seen tonight's guy matchup make an impact on the goal,

04:34obviously it's not started much for you so far?

04:36Yeah, yeah, tonight we start with, you know, Garner, that probably was the first game that he started,

04:41Ty has a nine, but we know that he is not a nine, Fakou, Bonanotte, you know,

04:47play an important role tonight, so that's why for me tonight it's a nice feeling that it was important to win,

04:53for different reasons, injury players that they are new with us, Garner was very good,

04:59I think Gettens also he tried in the last 20 minutes when he was inside,

05:04and both are going to be better and better game after game.

05:09Okay guys, we'll end at that, thank you.

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