Alonso: Pleased to see the relationship between Palmer and Rogers; Caicedo not yet fit to play

At 22:00 CEST on September 12, Chelsea will host Hull City in their fourth Premier League match. Ahead of the match, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca attended a press conference. This article covers the opening section of the press conference.

【Alonso: Hull City deserve their current league position; I'm pleased with Neto's efforts】

Hello Enzo, nice to meet you. Since the last match against Leeds United, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have been debating who was the standout player. Can you help settle their dispute?

Yes, for me, it's good that both feel they deserved the award. What's certain is that both genuinely enjoy playing together for the team. When the other one makes an excellent contribution, they're truly happy for each other, and we respect that deeply. But I'm really pleased to see this happening, and at this early stage, we've already built such a strong working relationship. You can also see their intuitive connection on the pitch, which is a huge advantage for us.

How much has the deep relationship they've built off the pitch helped them establish this understanding on the pitch?

I have to say it's helped a lot, because even before they actually played together, they'd established a very strong bond. In the weeks before this transfer, we facilitated and pushed to build this connection. Cole is very influential, and he played a crucial role in it, as did Morgan, and so did the club. We're delighted that things have developed into such an ideal situation.

Has Morgan's quick adaptation and integration exceeded your expectations?

Yes, he's adapted very well and very quickly, there's no denying that. This was actually our aim and a strategic decision—to sign players ready to compete and capable of making an immediate positive impact. Morgan was certainly one of our top targets, and we anticipated this. But there's no doubt, the way things have unfolded has been excellent, and he's feeling very good right now. He's enjoying his football, enjoying the game, and his connection with the whole team.

Hull City's manager joked that the only way to stop your attack is to kick them. In your view, when your attack is at its best, are they truly unstoppable?

Let's not use such grand language; "unstoppable" carries too much weight in football. For tomorrow's match, we'll approach it with the same respect as last week against Arsenal. They currently have 7 points and haven't conceded a goal yet. They'll be a very difficult opponent; they also have their own weapons, such as transitions and set-piece threats. They're full of confidence, and their manager has done an excellent job. So tomorrow will be a difficult match, and we must play at our best to beat Hull City.

You previously mentioned wanting the team to be more solid and balanced. Can the team tighten up defensively while maintaining a strong attack as before?

That's our aim, that's the objective. That's where we're focusing, that's our daily work, and that's our development process. We want to compete better, maintain or even improve our attacking performance—because I think there's still room for improvement in attack—while also achieving the right balance and feeling solid and strong in defense. We want to concede fewer goals, and that's a collective effort from the forwards to the goalkeeper.

Regarding injuries, is there a chance Moisés Caicedo can play tomorrow?

No, not yet, not yet. Let's see for the Brentford match, but unfortunately, now is not the time to take risks with him. No, we haven't reached that stage yet.

Final question—it seems the club's ownership structure could change soon. What do you know about this? Do you anticipate any changes that could affect the working environment and your approach?

I'm not the person to provide that information to you. There's nothing... nothing relevant in what I'm aware of, so my work continues as normal. Since we started working together, I've been very satisfied with the cooperation between all parties, and that's all I can say at this moment.

Hello Enzo, I think there are three other injured players. I wonder if they might be available—for example, Jordan Henderson?

No, those players, no, no, no.

One more thing I'd like to ask—you know, in some recent matches against Premier League opponents, your possession has been quite low. How much of this is due to adjustments you're making, and how much is simply how you want to play?

Yes, I like to have an adaptive and competitive mindset, understanding that each match will be difficult and each match presents a different context. We've scored early in all our matches, and we certainly don't need to change our match strategy, but since we're developing many things, I think it's still too early to define what this team will ultimately become. I think we'll demonstrate and develop many things, and with the addition of important players and their readiness, we'll continue to improve. So our current feeling is that the team is competing well, but certainly there are some areas where we can do better.

Is ball possession an important part of what you just mentioned? Like trying to control the entire possession?

Yes, it's an important part, but for me, the most important thing is creating chances, having opportunities to win, and not giving the opponent too many opportunities. Sometimes, controlling possession allows you to control the match better; but sometimes, you need to feel like you're controlling the match even without the ball. Because opponents are strong, and the match environment and competitive level are very intense.

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com