Enzo Maresca on Chelsea’s prospects: ‘We are heading in the right direction’

Enzo Maresca has reiterated his confidence in his Chelsea team, insisting that the squad is “heading in the right direction.”

Chelsea’s results so far this season have been a mixed bag. A standout 6-2 win over Wolves last weekend is in stark contrast to losses at home to Manchester City and away to Swiss Cup champions Servette, though Maresca remains optimistic.

He said: “We are heading in the right direction. I was not happy because we lost against City, but the performance was good. Everyone now talks about Wolves because we won, but we are in the right direction and that is the most important thing.

“The style is clear, this is how we like to play. All in all, since day one the identity of the team is quite clear. Hopefully day by day we can improve and win more games.”

That style relies in many ways on Cole Palmer’s dynamism. The forward contributed to four goals in last week’s Molineux rout, scoring once and teeing up Noni Madueke’s hat trick with a trio of assists.

“I am very impressed with Cole, even if I know him very well for many years. It is never easy to repeat the same numbers as last year in terms of goals and assists, but I think the most important thing for Cole is to enjoy football, relax, don’t feel the pressure on his shoulders.

“He has to enjoy training every day, and the goals and assists, they are going to come for sure.”

It is not all smiles at Stamford Bridge, though. After Thursday night’s defeat to Servette in Geneva, Maresca is wary of a tricky home clash against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

“I watched both [Crystal Palace Premier League] games, they probably did not deserve to lose, they are a very good team since last year, they finished fantastic and for sure this year they are going to be there and do some good results.”

“We really enjoyed the other day, Wolves away, with the away fans it is really special. The fans were fantastic [for City and Servette], so hopefully we can give them a good day and we can enjoy altogether.”

“I feel pressure for myself in terms of we want to play good and win games, but sometimes it is not so automatic, you need a process. I just focus day by day to improve players and improve the team, and we will see.”