Liverpool are vulnerable but still dangerous, says Chelsea's Maresca

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM CHELSEA MANAGER ENZO MARESCA AHEAD OF PREMIER LEAGUE GAME AGAINST LIVERPOOL  SHOWS: STOKE D'ABERNON, UK (OCTOBER 3, 2025) (AGENCY POOL – Access all) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ENZO MARESCA SAYING:      "There is vulnerability about any team in the world, not just Liverpool. But if a team wins all the games, it's impossible to catch them. When we did the interview, after five games, they had 15 points. My words were, if they continue in the same way, it's impossible to catch them. Now, they lost one game, two games; that shows that there is vulnerability. And this is something, this is something for me from not just Liverpool, but from all the teams in the world. So, and then the Premier League, how difficult it is, and you can drop points against any team." 2. WHITE FLASH 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ENZO MARESCA SAYING:      "I don't think that now it's better to play Liverpool just because they dropped points in the last two games. It's always a tough game, always a big team. For me personally, the way they are doing this season is, in any case, fantastic, especially after Jota's (Diogo Jota)  tragedy. I lived exactly the same when I was a player 20 years ago. It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that play is empty. So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why, for me, they are doing not just good, even better than good; even more, because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy.  4. WHITE FLASH  5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ENZO MARESCA SAYING:      "We didn't get the points that we wanted for sure, but we already analysed the reason why. Again, I think most of the games where we didn't get the points are because they were very complicated for us in terms of, again, unfortunately, a red card. But no doubt that, you know, also the injury situation. We have, in this moment, I think, eight players out. So it's a mix of combinations, but we don't have any doubt that slowly, slowly, we're going to be again where we need to be." 6. WHITE FLASH  7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ENZO MARESCA SAYING:       "I really trust all the players we have. As you said, in this moment, we have, I think, four or five defenders out. But we're going to try to adapt and find the right solution for tomorrow's game." 8. WHITE FLASH  9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ENZO MARESCA SAYING:      "I consider them the best team at this moment in England. The reason why is because they showed that and because they won the Premier League. Where we are in this moment, I think we are improving. We are trying to solve problems in terms of, you know, finding solutions. But, for sure, I think, as I said at the beginning of the press conference, I think at the end we're gonna be, we're gonna be there close."  STORY: Liverpool's back-to-back losses over the last week have shown that they are vulnerable, but that will not make this weekend's Premier League clash with the champions any easier for Chelsea, the London-based club's manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday (October 3).  Leaders Liverpool started the league campaign with five straight wins but lost at Crystal Palace last Saturday, before a defeat away to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday. Chelsea, who have lost their last two games in the top-flight and sit eighth in the table seven points adrift of Liverpool, will look to build on the momentum from Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica at Stamford Bridge. "There is a vulnerability about any team in the world, not just Liverpool. But if a team wins every game, it is impossible to catch them. Now they lost one or two games. That shows vulnerability," Maresca told a press conference before Saturday's home game. "I don't think now it is better to play Liverpool. It is always a tough game, always a big team." Keeping Liverpool's attack at bay will be a challenge, Maresca added, with Chelsea missing injured defenders Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo as well as defensive midfielder Dario Essugo, who had thigh surgery last month. "In this moment, I think we have four or five defenders out. We are going to try and adapt and find the right solution for tomorrow," Maresca said. Forward Liam Delap and midfielders Cole Palmer and Andrey Santos are also out with injuries. Red cards have plagued Chelsea, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez dismissed five minutes into the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United and Trevoh Chalobah being sent off in last weekend's 3-1 loss to visiting Brighton & Hove Albion. "Most of the games we didn't get the points were because of the red cards. Also the injury situation, we have eight players out. It's a mixed combination but we don't have any doubt that slowly we will be again where we need to be," Maresca said. (Production: Suramya Kashik)

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