Enzo Maresca has admitted he had to quickly change his game plan in order for Chelsea to beat Liverpool.
The Blues sentenced the Reds to a 3-1 defeat in their first game as Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer, along with a Jarell Quansah own goal, saw Arne Slot’s side fall to just a third league defeat of the season, despite Virgil van Dijk’s later header offering some hope of a comeback.
Having got the title wrapped up against Tottenham, Slot had set his stall out early by promising in his pre-match press conference that he would rotate his squad. He certainly lived up to that, with six changes made to the side that started against Spurs.
The plan didn’t work how he would have hoped though, with Liverpool still looking to have been carrying something of a hangover from the title celebrations.
Despite the Reds looking far from their best, they clearly still caused their hosts some problems. Liverpool boasted the majority of possession in West London, causing Maresca to quickly throw his original plans out the window.
Reflecting on the game and result with Sky Sports, Maresca said: “Very important three points, especially at this stage in the season.
(Image: HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
“This team [Liverpool] showed why they are so good. They forced us to defend deep, which we don’t like.
“We planned the game to be aggressive, playing the way we want and they forced us to use a different plan. The players adapted quite well. For the amount of chances that we created, we deserved to win the game.
“We didn’t plan to wait and defend deep, but they forced us to do this, and this showed why they won the Premier League, because they are a top side.”
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Chelsea’s victory leaves it in a strong position to secure a top-five finish and qualify for next season’s Champions League. The race for those positions remains tight though with three games left for most of the teams involved, with just four points separating Manchester City in third to Aston Villa in seventh.
“I’m very impressed with the players since we started [working with them],” Maresca added.
“They are doing very good. They can understand that if we finish top five, everyone thinks they have been fantastic. I am very impressed with all of them.
“For sure, Chelsea has to fight for Champions League and hopefully in the future we can fight for something more important. In this moment we are there and hopefully we can finish there.”
