Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, has urged fans to trust him and says that the team is improving under his leadership.
The 45-year-old Italian saw his team mocked by some fans while they lost at home against Ipswich on Sunday in a game where they finally returned to draw 2-2.
After the game, the coach accused the supporters of creating an environment that forced the team to lose the way, amid criticism of their tactics, style of play and insistence to play from behind.
When asked if he is confident that his football can entertain Chelsea fans, Maresca said: “I can’t make a different style.
“The message [is] that with [the] admirers [behind us] We are a better team. I completely understand that, as a team, we have to involve our fans. That is something that we could not do on Sunday, especially during those 20 or 25 minutes. It also depends on us to be good enough to involve our fans. “
One of Chelsea’s preseason objectives was to qualify for the Champions League, but Sunday’s draw has seen the club fall into sixth place at the Premier League table.
With an end among the top five that now needed to reach the best competition in Europe, Maresca sought to defend their record as Chelsea manager so far, and added: “I think we tried this season [that we are progressing] Even if sometimes from the outside it is difficult to see.
“In the last two years, Chelsea has been among the first four times. This season we have been in the top four for most of the season. I don’t know why, I wasn’t here last season or two years ago, I’m not judging those seasons, just this season.
“But I think that fans have to trust us, the team and what the club is doing now because in the last two seasons, Chelsea was not among the first four and this Chelsea season was among the top four the year most of the year, that is a great proof that the team is improving and doing the right things.
“For me, is enough? No, because I would like to fight for the titles, fight for the Premier League and the Champions League.”
Chelsea’s next opportunity to impress fans is a quarter-quarter-round part of the UEFA Conference League against Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge, with 3-0 blues up from the first leg in Poland.
“We can reach a European semifinal, which, yes, is not the Champions League, but it is still a European competition. It is quite clear that the direction and style is correct,” added Maresca.
“Before Ipswich, we were the third best defenders and the fourth or fifth best attackers. After Ipswich, we are upset and we will try to win more games to get to the place of the Champions League.”
In fans Jers, the bad taste defender added: “Surely you listen to this in the field and in the end you can tell yourself that the fans were not behind us. But we played for Chelsea, we are all here, we all come to the stadium to support this team.”
