Maresca urges Chelsea players to embrace the pressure in their match against Fulham

Manager Enzo Maresca expressed prior to Sunday’s Premier League match against rivals Fulham that Chelsea’s players need to embrace the pressure they face and maximize the limited opportunities remaining to redeem their season.

After disappointing draws against Brentford and relegation-threatened Ipswich Town, Maresca’s team, aiming to make a comeback to the Champions League following two challenging seasons, has fallen to sixth place in the league standings.

Although they experienced a surprising 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw of Poland in the second leg of their Europa Conference League match on Thursday, the London club progressed to the semi-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win.

“No, there isn’t a bad time right now,” Maresca informed reporters when questioned about whether Chelsea’s derby matchup against Fulham was unfavorable.

Currently, there is only one suitable moment to engage in any game.

“We have six matches in the Premier League, along with the two semi-final games in the Conference League.”

“Currently, we have eight official games available, and each one offers a great experience.”

“Everything matters.” We are unable to determine the exact moment. Now is the time to act if we aim to achieve something.

Chelsea has been struggling with offensive power in recent weeks, as forwards Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson have both been enduring extended goal droughts.

Maresca stated that the team can only secure a top five position if the pair manages to regain their form.

“They have previously scored goals.” They only require a brief moment to shift that moment slightly.

“As I mentioned earlier, Cole has netted 14 goals in 20 Premier League matches this season.” He successfully scored goals. Nico remained unchanged prior to the injury.

“Regrettably, Nico was sidelined for two months.” It seems that physicality may require a bit more attention.

Romeo Lavia, a midfielder for Chelsea, will be available for the match against Fulham, the Italian manager stated. However, he stressed that the Belgian will be reintroduced to action gradually to avoid any further injury issues.

Lavia has faced a recent setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, having taken part in only two Premier League matches since early December.

“Romeo has returned, he’s training with us and he may be available for Sunday.” “We’re going to attempt the same approach with him that we are using with Reece James,” Maresca stated.

“I would like to play Reece every three days, but we are working to manage him for his benefit.”

“We are going to attempt the exact same approach with Romeo, as he is a key player for us.”