In this round of the Premier League, Chelsea will play against Tottenham. Before the game, Blues coach Maresca accepted an interview with Sky Sports and talked about the team's current red card problem and the development of Esteban.
About Delap's red card
Maresca: Delap knew very well that it was a mistake and now the matter is over. Just try to learn from it and move on. I believe that he will become an important player for this club in the future and an important player for us this season.
On the "outspoken" coaching style
Maresca: Yes, I have always tried to say what needs to be said. I did talk to Liam but that was the end of it for me. Now we have to move on and, like I said before, Liam will definitely learn from it and will definitely help the team this season.
The team has a lot of red cards. Is there a discipline problem?
Maresca: I have said before that some red cards are indeed difficult to avoid, but some can be avoided. So we need to learn lessons and try to improve this. So how can we improve it? What's the key? I think it takes experience and going through things to get better. Having experienced this now, I hope we can avoid so many red cards in the future.
About young player Esteban
Maresca: He performed very well. As long as we give him a chance, he can perform well. All he has to do now is continue to enjoy football and play seriously. Moreover, he is another talent for this club that fans will be able to enjoy for many years to come.
You also know the mentality of the fans. When you see such a potential player who can change the situation of the game, you hope that he can start every game.
Is he ready to start against Tottenham?
Maresca: He's ready. He also played a few days ago and has played in almost every game since joining. Some are starters, some come off the bench. He is also satisfied with his current situation.
He is very good, very powerful, he is a bit like Palmer. Like I said before, players like these are special and different, and that's why fans are willing to go to the stadium to watch the game.
About the London derby against Tottenham
Maresca: Yes, this is a derby. You know, this is a big game. We won both last year. We will try to do the same thing this season. Prepare for the game in the best possible way, knowing it's a derby and try to win it.
I think every game is different. Yes. So I think tomorrow will be a different game than previous seasons.
We as head coaches, always want to stay alert to, you know, what's going on on the field. So try to be in control, but sometimes it’s hard to control everything. Personally, I prefer 1-0 or 2-0 to keep opponents clean, rather than 4-3. But again, sometimes you have to play differently.
Thomas has done an outstanding job at Brentford. He's doing the same thing at Tottenham. So a great coach. Like you said, it's a different team tonight. We need to try our best to win the game.