Chelsea Coach Maresca Reflects on Tough 1-2 Loss to Aston Villa

February 23 - In a recent match of the Premier League's 26th round, Chelsea suffered a 1-2 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park. After the match, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca attended the press conference and addressed reporters' questions.

On Team Performance and Match Result:
"I believe this might be one of the heaviest defeats we've faced this season. We had responded positively after previous losses, and our overall performance was strong. Unfortunately, at this stage of the match, that wasn't enough to maintain our lead. Therefore, this loss is particularly hard to accept.
Honestly, I don’t think we deserved to lose this match. In a league like the Premier League, efficiency is crucial; often, the outcome is decided in moments within the penalty area. When we were leading 1-0, we had some good chances but failed to convert; even at 1-1, we missed several key opportunities. In the end, anything can happen on the pitch, and it's regrettable that we lost."

On Chalobah's Injury:
"We are still in the observation phase, and it's too early to draw conclusions. We'll reassess tomorrow. His physical condition is okay for now, but the specifics remain unclear."

On Goalkeeper Change:
"The goalkeeper position is quite sensitive. Forwards may miss chances, and it doesn't always seem as serious, but when a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it’s very obvious, and everyone notices. In such cases, we need to support each other, stay strong, and keep working hard.
Right now, I feel we need to win a match to regain our form. Fortunately, we have a new challenge at home in a few days, and I hope we can secure all three points in front of our fans to start fresh."

On Whether Philip Jørgensen Will Start Against Southampton:
"I can't say for sure yet. I won't change my evaluation of Jørgensen due to today's mistake; we need to wait and see."

On Offensive Play Without Jackson:
"I think we've struggled a bit with playing behind the defense in the last two games, which is why we tried Pedro Neto in the number 9 position, and I think it worked quite well. The team performed well, and the players gave their all, but it's unfortunate that we lost, and everyone is unhappy. If we can maintain this level of performance, we should be in a good position by the end of the season."

On Palmer's Missed Opportunity:
"I have said many times that Palmer is a top player, at that level. Because they are top players, they always crave victory and strive for excellence. He knows he missed an opportunity at that moment, so he’s quite upset. In a way, we can take comfort in his reaction because it shows he regrets his mistake.
That chance came around the 75th to 80th minute, and if it had gone in, the match could have taken a completely different turn. In my view, this is somewhat similar to Jørgensen’s situation—we are indeed facing difficulties in our results, but we remain competitive. Our performance today was much better compared to the game against Brighton. We have 12 matches left to play—I still believe that if we win just one, we can regain our momentum."

On Away Form's Impact on Top Four Chances:
"If you remember, we won all our first four or five away matches at the start of the season, and that was when we were in our best form. That’s the beauty of football; the season is always full of ups and downs. Sometimes you win at home and lose away, but the most important thing is to assess the overall performance of the team.
The reason I say this loss is the toughest of the season is that our team showed the level we should have today. Whether it was our aggression without the ball or our organization and chance creation with the ball, there were significant improvements. Our attacking creativity has been somewhat affected in the last two games due to the absence of a number 9. This week we tried Pedro Neto in that role, and he did well, creating opportunities and contributing to a goal. But it seems we may just be a bit unlucky right now. We need a win to lift our spirits and then continue moving forward."