Enzo Maresca said his players still need time to learn his system, despite getting his first win as Chelsea manager against Servette on Thursday.
Chelsea beat the Swiss side 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff, thanks to second-half goals from Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke.
Maresca describe the win as “important” after suffering a 2-0 loss to Manchester City to begin the Premier League season on Sunday. But he acknowledged that his team could have better managed the latter stages of the game, during which Servette hit the crossbar.
“The last 10 minutes we played a little bit with fire,” Maresca said in a news conference. “I was a bit worried. We could have managed the game in a different way. I expected it because we are in a moment of learning things.
“In some moments the intention to keep the ball is the correct one, especially when you are 2-0 up, but where is not good. We tried to manage the ball in the last 10 or 15 minutes in our side of the pitch, we need to do exactly the same on the opposite side of the pitch. We didn’t concede, but from there we can learn.
“All of them need more time to know better the system. Tonight was also not easy in terms of physical condition for some of them.”
Chelsea made nine changes from the team that lost to City but did enough to get a result that puts them in pole position to finish the job in the second leg in Geneva in a week’s time in order to reach the Conference League group stage.
Nkunku scored with a penalty in the 50th minute after being brought down in the box by Servette goalkeeper Jeremy Frick. Madueke then came off the bench to give the London side some breathing room with a powerful finish in the 76th minute.
“I really like Noni,” Maresca said of Madueke. “The only problem with Noni is he has to understand he has to be consistent during the week, every training, every training, every training, but he is a good player and he is doing well since he started with us. He is the kind of player I like.
“The only thing he has to improve is to be consistent every day, work hard, and then he will get minutes for sure.”
Chelsea’s start to season has been dominated by talks of comings and goings, with England internationals Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell not included in the squad for Thursday’s game and Maresca confirming that both are available for transfer. Meanwhile, latest signing João Félix was presented to fans ahead of the game.
One player who remains at the club is Mykhailo Mudryk, despite struggling since a €100 million move to Stamford Bridge in January 2023. The Ukraine winger played a rare 90 minutes on Thursday and Maresca said he will work to help Mudryk “change.”
“This is the mission, this is Mudryk, not only tonight but since he joined the club,” he said. “I think he had good moments but when he has the ball you don’t know if you’ll get one thing or another. It is consistency. We are going to try and help him to change.
“When he is in the final third it is is taking the right decision. Most of his mistakes are about the choice.”
