Maresca: Stupid red card could have been avoided, I shouted 4-5 times to ask Delap to calm down

Hupu, October 30th: Chelsea head coach Maresca attended the post-match press conference after defeating Wolves 4-3 in the League Cup.

You must have been very satisfied with your performance in the first half, but were you surprised that the second half was also so difficult?

That’s right. Totally agree with you. The first half was very enjoyable and the second half very frustrating. This is my analysis and personal opinion on this game.

I think we played very well in the first half. It is always difficult for any team to score three goals away from home against a Premier League team. Our offense played well and created a lot of chances.

We didn’t concede a goal, but we didn’t do something right in the second half. Maybe the first goal we conceded opened up the game a little bit and gave them the motivation and energy to fight back.

As for the three goals we conceded, I think we could have avoided them all, and we also received a very stupid red card today, which was completely unnecessary.

Do you think the red card was reasonable?

Of course it is reasonable. Stupid foul that we could have avoided.

What did you say to him after the game?

No, no, not to him, but to everyone. I completely understand that a red card situation like Brighton or Manchester United can be tricky, but the red card against Nottingham Forest, and the red card in today's game, we could have avoided it.

And we must avoid this.

Chelsea’s disciplinary issues…isn’t it a bit embarrassing to receive 6 red cards in 9 games?

Yes, a red card like today is indeed embarrassing. Because within five minutes, ten minutes, seven minutes, we got two yellow cards. I feel like we could all have avoided this. So this is bad.

When Liam got the first yellow card, did you tell him to calm down?

Yes, after the yellow card I called him four or five times to calm him down. But Liam is a player who only cares about playing football on the court. It is difficult for him to realize the situation around him and hear the sounds around him.

In the second half, so many experienced players were replaced, but they still couldn't control the game. Does this also make you feel a little disappointed?

We lost the balance of the game before the substitution. Therefore, for players who come on the bench, the situation is more complicated and difficult to adapt to.

But when we fell behind 0-3 in the first half, the game was completely under our control. Then we conceded the first goal and then got a little panicked. But this is all part of growth for this team and this team, and we need to continue to accumulate experience to become better and better.