“It Was All Part of the Plan”—Enzo Maresca Defends Chelsea poor first half vs Copenhagen and claims it was part of the plan
Chelsea boss explains why his team struggled in the first half and how their second-half push secured a spot in the quarter-finals.
Chelsea secured their spot in the Conference League quarter-finals after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Copenhagen on Thursday night, winning the tie 3-1 on aggregate. However, the match was far from easy, with Chelsea struggling badly in the first half before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s brilliant solo goal sealed the win.
The Blues failed to register a single shot in the first 45 minutes, making it one of their worst halves of football this season. Despite this, manager Enzo Maresca insisted that the poor first-half display was actually part of the game plan.
Speaking after the game, Maresca defended his team’s approach, claiming that Chelsea deliberately held back in the first half to analyze their opponents before attacking in the second.
“The first and second leg were similar. We planned to analyze and then push in the second half in both matches,” Maresca explained.
While this strategy may have worked in the end, Chelsea were fortunate not to concede early on. The slow start frustrated fans, who expected a more better performance from a team that is considered one of the favorites to win the competition.
At halftime, Maresca made some key changes, including substituting young defender Josh Acheampong. This decision drew criticism from some fans and pundits, who felt that Acheampong had been one of Chelsea’s better players in the first half. However, Maresca stuck by his decision, and Chelsea’s second-half performance improved significantly.
Dewsbury-Hall’s goal was enough to secure Chelsea’s fourth consecutive win, and Maresca was pleased with the overall results despite the slow start.
“We have kept three clean sheets and four wins. Now we have the last effort on Sunday. Then after the international break, Nico [Jackson] and Noni [Madueke] will be back and it’s the final sprint,” he added.
While Chelsea fans will be relieved to see their team progress, concerns remain over their first-half performances. Whether Maresca’s strategy of “analyzing” in the first half and attacking in the second will work against stronger opponents remains to be seen.
For now, Chelsea moves on, but they will need to start games with more urgency if they want to go all the way in the Conference League.
