A journalist left Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca speechless when he spoke in a press conference ahead of his side’s Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense on Tuesday (July 8).
Maresca’s Chelsea side head into tonight’s clash at the MetLife stadium as heavy favourites and know a win will see them progress to Sunday’s final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
The Premier League side has already faced Brazilian opposition twice in the Club World Cup, having lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage before beating Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarter-final.
Maresca spoke in a press conference yesterday evening and got more than what he expected when a journalist asked a question about the physical demands put on Chelsea throughout the season.
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"For me personally, it is not that it is not important, it is that we come to this tournament with two different situations,” Maresca said.
“How many games did PSG play officially this season? We have played 63 games, so the European teams come to this competition in a different way than the Brazilian teams or the South American teams, because of the number of games we have played. But the desire we have to win is the same as you have, but the conditions are different.
“European teams come into this competition in a different way compared to Brazilian or South American teams because of the number of matches we’ve already played. But our desire to win is the same as yours. The difference lies in the conditions. We’re arriving here after having played 60 matches, and you guys…”
A Brazilian journalist then jumped in and hit back.
They said: “We’ve played 70 in the same period. That’s even more games.”
The Italian coach was left speechless before later insisting his side were not favourites.
“No, I don't think that Chelsea is the favourite,” Maresca added.
“I think that at this point, there is no favourite.
“At this point, the teams that have come here it's because they deserve it, because they have something good, and they have to do everything to try to win and get to the final.”
Tonight's game is streaming exclusively on DAZN, register here to watch for free.
Topics: Chelsea, Enzo Maresca, Football, Premier League
Luke Davies