Enzo Maresca has delivered a calm and reassuring message ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Benfica, urging positivity and perspective despite recent setbacks.

When asked about his message to the players, the Chelsea boss made it clear:
“In this moment, I think we need to be positive first of all because it’s what the players need. Second, because personally I think there is no reason to be negative this morning.”

Maresca pointed to key statistics provided by the club, which he believes put Chelsea’s form into the right context.

He said: “The club showed me the stats that in the last six months we lost five games, four of them with a red card.”

That, for Maresca, is not a sign of collapse but of a team hampered by circumstances beyond its control.

Maresca continued: “So for sure we like winning games, there is no doubt. But also the reality is that there is not any pressure.”

Still, he recognises the unique demands of leading a club like Chelsea, where expectations remain sky-high regardless of injuries or red cards.

Maresca revealed: “The pressure we have is the pressure that we know that being at Chelsea as a player, as a manager you need to win games, no doubt.”

Yet, despite those demands, Maresca is insistent that perspective matters.

The Blues boss concluded by saying: “But at the same moment the reality is that for different reasons, injuries and red cards, we lost five games in almost six months. But at the same time I think it’s something not bad.”