Enzo Maresca insists making 11 changes at St James’ Park ‘worked’ for Chelsea


 
 
 
 
 
 

Enzo Maresca watched on as his team went out of the Carabao Cup.

The match ending Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0.

Enzo Maresca insisting ‘I think making 11 changes worked, if we analyse the performance.’

However, he also acknowleged ‘If we analyse the result, then it didn’t work.’

Two matches with very different results only three days apart.

Enzo Maresca reflecting on Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0:

“I think making 11 changes worked, if we analyse the performance.

“If we analyse the result, then it didn’t work.

“But I think for 23 minutes, until their goal, we were in control of the game and didn’t concede anything.

“Then after the goal, we lost control for ten minutes, when we conceded the second goal, then for the last ten minutes of the first half, we created two or three clear-cut chances when we unfortunately didn’t score and in the second half we were in control of the game.

“So I know the most important thing is the result, but with the performance, we lost the game because of ten minutes and for the rest we were quite good.”

Enzo Maresca asked how different it had been to play against Newcastle United on Wednesday night, compared to Sunday’s 2-1 Chelsea victory at Stamford Bridge:

“I didn’t see a big difference in how Newcastle played tonight.

“I think in the last game they were more or less in the same way as tonight, trying to be aggressive.

“Today I think we did quite well.

“The first goal is one we can avoid, because we know playing through the middle, we know they are quite aggressive, so the solution was to go outside, but it can happen.

“I didn’t see a big difference between tonight and Sunday.

“For sure, they needed to win this game to build momentum because of their last results.

“We need to get better at many things but we didn’t concede any chances from their pressing three days ago because we contacted not with the first line. O Sunday it was Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo and tonight it was Renato Veiga, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, we always tried to contact with the second line because we know they are very aggressive.

“Three days ago we did very well and I think we did very well tonight, apart from the goals we conceded.

“But for sure we have many things we can do better.”

Enzo Maresca made only one sub in bringing on Noni Madueke for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, asked why specifically he didn’t bring on Cole Palmer:

“It was simply because Joao [Felix] and Christo [Nkunku] were doing very well and it was just in case we needed Cole but because Joao and Christo were doing well, there was no need to change.”

Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0 – Wednesday 30 October 7.45pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 23, Disasi OG 26

Chelsea:

Possession was Newcastle 35% Chelsea 65%

Total shots were Newcastle 8 Chelsea 17

Shots on target were Newcastle 2 Chelsea 4

Corners were Newcastle 1 Chelsea 9

Touches in the box Newcastle 18 Chelsea 30

Newcastle United team v Chelsea:

Pope, Krafth, Schar, Kelly, Hall (Burn 72), Joelinton, Tonali (Miley 90+2), Longstaff, Willock, (Bruno 63), Isak (Osula 63), Gordon (Livramento 72)

UNUSED SUBS:

Alex Murphy, Almiron, Dubravka, Barnes

(Revenge is a dish best served cold, though some like it hot! Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0 – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Eddie Howe got everything that he dreamed of on Wednesday night – Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0 – Read HERE)

(Full Carabao Cup Quarter-Final Draw – See HERE)