Chelsea

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto on why fans are frustrated with Maresca despite winning trophies last season: "In football it is like that. One day you're the best, if you're losing another day you're the worst. So when the manager won he was the best in the world and now he's losing, he's the worst. It's the same for players.

"Jose [Mourinho] is a part of the story of the club and Maresca is here to do his best and he cannot do better than he is doing because it is not only his fault, it is the players fault. We are on the pitch, we have to take the blame as well and do much better and focus on ourselves and learn from our mistakes."

Chelsea

Across all competitions, Chelsea have won just three of eight matches this season, while drawing two and losing another three:

• 17 Aug: Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace
• 22 Aug: West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
• 30 Aug: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
• 13 Sep: Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
• 17 Sep: Bayern Munich 3-1 Chelsea (UCL)
• 20 Sep: Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea
• 23 Sep: Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea (EFL Cup)
• 27 Sep: Chelsea 1-3 Brighton

Chelsea

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Chelsea winger Pedro Neto on the feeling around the club: "I think the environment is really positive. A lot of our points lost are from our own mistakes, we controlled most of the last game but we lost from our own mistakes. I'm not blaming anyone.

"We know the quality we have, the control that we have in the games, even Brentford away we were winning until the last minute but we conceded the goal because our focus was not 100%.

"But the players are really positive and tomorrow we have an opportunity to show what we can do and go on to try and win the game."

On player fitness: "For me, I'm really fresh, I feel really good. I enjoy having these kinds of games because it means we don't have to train as much as we do. It's good to have football week in week out, in the middle of the week - I really just want to enjoy football."

Chelsea

We've read Enzo Maresca's thoughts on tomorrow night's game against Benfica, now let's see what Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has to say. The Portugal international feels the environment at the club is "positive" and the team's patchy form is also a fault of the players, not just the manager.

A rather subdued news conference from Enzo Maresca, with his agenda clearly set out to hammer home how few defeats they've tasted when playing with 10-men.

Obviously after defeats to Manchester United and Brighton in the past few weeks, it's a pertinent issue at Stamford Bridge. He was also asked plenty about former manager Jose Mourinho coming to town.

Here's a recap of what he said:

• 'Five defeats in the past six months and four of those were with 10-men'
• On whether he wants to have his name sung by Chelsea fans, like former manager Jose Mourinho, he said he was just happy fans can sing, 'we have our Chelsea back'
• On having already won a trophy in his first year at the club, Maresca said he hopes Chelsea can enjoy more moments like these
• The game against Benfica 'will be completely different' to the Club World Cup victory in the summer
• Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos are being assessed on Monday afternoon, as the trio all have "small" injury problems
• Maresca said'there is no reason to be negative' following the Brighton defeat
• He added 'football is a crazy world'if a manager loses five games in six months and feel the need to defend himself
• He said he can understand fans are unhappy with results, adding: 'But I'm not happy, the players are not happy, the club isn't happy.'

Chelsea

Enzo Maresca was asked if Jose Mourinho deserves the acknowledgement for laying the foundations for success at Chesea. Here's how he answered:

"The only thing I can say about Jose is that, for me, personally he's a legend for this club. And from Italy he's a legend for Inter where he won the Champions League.

"So he's a legend for different clubs in the world, that shows how good he is and how good he has been.

"For what he deserves? To be honest, I'm not here to think about what he deserves. I think he has already showed how important a manager he has been and is."

Chelsea

So what were those defeats that Chelsea faced in the last six months?

• 27/09/25: Brighton (home) - Chalobah sent off in 53rd minute, Chelsea lost 3-1
• 20/09/25: Man Utd (away) - Sanchez sent off in 5th minute, Chelsea lost 2-1
• 17/09/25: Bayern (away) - no player sent off, Chelsea lost 2-1
• 20/06/25: Flamengo (CWC) - Jackson sent off in 68th minute, Chelsea lost 3-1
• 11/05/25: Newcastle (away) - Jackson sent off in 35th minute, Chelsea lost 2-0

Chelsea

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Enzo Maresca on his relationship with fans: "I think most of the time the fans react over the results.

"I can completely understand that, after a defeat, it's normal that the fans are not happy. But I'm not happy, the players are not happy, the club isn't happy.

"As I said, last year, they were signing 'we have our Chelsea back', then we had a bad run and then they were not happy so for me it's more the reaction after the results.

"Again, if in this moment after five defeats in six months, we are not happy then probably this is luck...in this sport.

"But it is a sport where I've been in for the last 40 years and I know it's exactly like this.

"The only thing you can do is to try and be better, to learn and improve. And the most important thing in this business is to win games."

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on what he has learned from recent defeats and red cards: "After reviewing the last games - [defeats to] Manchester United and Chelsea - for sure I could have done better in terms of decisions.

"It's like a learning process to play with 10 players. For any manager it is not something normal. Unfortunately for us it happened two times.

"The only game we lost [in last six months] that did not include a red card was Bayern Munich away.

"There is no reason to create panic. Football is a crazy world. If you lose five games in six months and feel the need to defend yourself then football is a crazy world.

"I don't think we need to defend ourselves in this moment because the reality is I have a very good feeling with the squad that we have.

"I think compared to last season we all improved. The players because they have played games and have more experience. For me personally as a manager I feel better than last year - that is because I am learning.

"For sure there is many things I need to learn, but it is part of the process and I have no doubt that in the coming years we are going to get better and better."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

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One of the most fascinating aspects of manager Enzo Maresca's media conference was that it took place in the Drake Suite at Stamford Bridge.

There are three pictures of now-Benfica manager Jose Mourinho lifting Premier League titles in this room celebrating every league title at Chelsea.

It nicely sets up Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge and Maresca was full of respect for the legendary manager.

However, there were also interesting themes exploring his own fraught relationships with the Chelsea fan base - as Mourinho is largely expected to be welcomed back despite having managed Tottenham and Manchester United.

Maresca looked very relaxed and even offered up his own concession that he hasn't performed well managing his team when down to 10 men.

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on dealing with pressure and keeping players positive after defeat to Brighton: "We need to be positive because first of all it is what the players need. Secondly, because I think there is no reason to be negative.

"This morning the club showed me a stat that in the last six months we lost five games, four of them with a red card [for a Chelsea player].

"For sure we like to win games, but also the reality is there is not any pressure. The only pressure is that being at Chelsea as a player or a manager you need to win games, there is no doubt, but the reality is that for different reasons, injury or red cards, we lost five games in six months.

"At the same time I think it is something that is not bad."

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on injuries and squad rotation: "We need to maintain our level because the Champions League requires a high level. In this moment we have many players out with injury.

"This afternoon we are going to assess Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos.

"They are all players, unfortunately for us, with small problems.

"We see if tomorrow they are going to be available. But we have a squad big enough to replace the injuries we have."

A journalist in the news conference challenged Maresca's stat about defeats when they've played with 10-men, by asking what can be done about the discipline of his side.

Maresca said, "For sure I could have done better in terms of decisions" and that it's a "learning process" for him.

Full quotes to come.

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was asked what he had to do to inspire fans to chant his name, rather than that of former manager Jose Mourinho: "Probably to continue winning trophies. I remember some moments from last season when the fans were starting to sing 'we have our Chelsea back'.

"I would like one day for sure, but it's not my target. I am already happy if they can sing 'we have our Chelsea back' because that means that as a team and as a club we are doing something important."

Chelsea

Enzo Maresca has made a big point during this news conference about a particular stat he says he heard about this morning.

It's that Chelsea have lost five games in the last six months and four of them were when they played with 10-men.

He must have repeated the stat a good three or four times.

Chelsea

More from Enzo Maresca on whether he expects a different game to the one Chelsea faced against Benfica in the Club World Cup: "They have played three or four games with Jose [Mourinho]. All the games I started to watch unfortunately was with the former manager. I also watched some games when Jose was with Manchester United or Roma, but for sure it will be a completely different game than the Club World Cup game."

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca countered a question on whether he felt pressure looking at pictures of successful managers lifting trophies at the club training ground - another reference to Jose Mourinho - by listing some of his own achievements in one season at the club: "I feel already to be in some picture at the club training ground with the Club World Cup, so I feel already lucky with that after one season. And also with the Conference League. For sure the target is to one day all together enjoy these kind of moments [once more]."

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on trying to bounce back from defeat to Bayern Munich in their opening game: "We try to prepare every game to win the game. And hopefully we can do that tomorrow."

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on the new Benfica manager: "It's an absolute honour to be facing Jose Mourinho tomorrow. He is not just a legend at this club, he is a legend at a lot of clubs. It will be a privilege to face Jose tomorrow."