Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said his players’ resilient performance in difficult conditions outweighed the disappointment of losing two points after his side’s 0-0 draw with Everton.
The Blues had to fight for it Maintain parity at a stormy Goodison Park on Sunday. After creating the better chances in a tight first half, Chelsea had to rely on the performance of their goalkeeper Robert Sanchez as Everton almost broke the deadlock in the second 45 minutes.
A goalless stalemate denied Chelsea the chance temporarily moved past Liverpool at the Premier League summit, but Maresca was only able to see the positives after the game. In fact, the Italian coach insisted Sunday’s 0-0 draw was more impressive than Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Brentford last weekend.
“I’m absolutely happy,” beamed Maresca. “I’ve just told the players I’m happier today than the Brentford game. The reason for this is that I was very worried about today’s game; a difficult game, a difficult stadium, a difficult team.”
Everton may be in a relegation battle, but Sean Dyche’s side are no pushovers. Sunday’s shutout ensured the Toffees have conceded a Premier League-best seven goals this season.
“They are top defensively” Chelsea‘s optimistic boss continued. “They are one of the top five teams in Europe when it comes to the number of goals conceded. It’s hard to create chances against them and it wasn’t an easy game. You have to keep up and learn to play different games; Long balls come second.” Football is not just about what we do with the ball, but also about how we defend and handle it.
“Like I said, I’m happier today than I was today Brentford Game. Of course, as always, I prepared the game to try to win the game, but sometimes there is another team trying to do the same thing, so we are happy today.”
Maresca would certainly have been happier if Nicolas Jackson had taken one of his two chances in the first half. The mercurial striker was unpredictable on Merseyside, leaving Chelsea four points behind Liverpool, who emphatically took their chances against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
