I’m not afraid of Manchester United; given their present record, I can actually score five goals against them on Sunday, but there’s one Man United player I’m afraid of right now.” Chelsea’s Palmer reveals the ONE Manchester United player he is terrified to face on Sunday – Not Rashford, not Mainoo
Enzo Maresca says he’ll give Ruud van Nistelrooy “a big hug” before Chelsea face Manchester United in the Premier League.
The Blues face Manchester United on Sunday, but new Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim will not take over until November 11, leaving Van Nistelrooy in interim command.
Maresca played with Van Nistelrooy in Malaga and is looking forward to reuniting this weekend.
“Best wishes to him [Amorim]. If the people in authority made that decision, it is because they believe it is the right one. All the best for him and Manchester United.
“I didn’t speak to Ruud. I’ll give him a big embrace on Sunday before the game.
“He’s a lovely man, humble, and highly professional. I shared time with him when he was already completed, but you could see he was good.”
Maresca is without Jadon Sancho, who is on loan from Manchester United, and has no other absentees ahead of Chelsea’s journey to Old Trafford, where they have not won since 2013.
Chelsea are seeking to recover from their Carabao Cup setback at Newcastle United.
“We prepared the game to win, but unfortunately we lost,” Maresca remarked. “We prepare for each game with the goal of winning.
“The reason we make changes is because we are all one team, they deserve to play.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall began the 2-0 loss at St James’ Park despite being out of the Premier League squad.
“The idea was to try also with Kiernan,” Maresca remarked when asked about Dewsbury-Hall’s role against Newcastle.
“We play in a different shape against Newcastle to try to gain more control of the game.” The plan was in place, but after conceding a goal, we lost the game in 10 minutes. It might be a concept for the future.
Moises Caicedo has been brilliant in midfield for the Blues this season, creating a solid relationship with Romeo Lavia, who is keeping Dewsbury-Hall and Enzo Fernandez out of the lineup.
“First and foremost, it’s a matter of balance,” Maresca explained. “In this time, Romeo and Moi provide physicality and strength in the middle. This is why we discovered the option with Malo in the pocket.
“Do I exhibit frustration with Enzo? I am frustrated with all of them. Don’t just look at Enzo. I continue to trust Enzo. There is no cause for me to lose confidence in him.
“The reason he is not playing in the Premier League is because I made a different decision, but I am very confident in him.
“I like to claim that we do not have an A or B team. There are players that are fantastic players, but for me, we don’t have indespensible players.
“If Cole [Palmer] is not playing, we are playing Joao [Felix] and if Nico [Jackson] isn’t playing, we are playing Christo [Christopher Nkunku].
“The reason we replace players is that they are all good. Some of them are better than the rest but it doesn’t mean they are always the ones that are going to play.
“You are looking for some different reasons for Enzo, but it’s simple: he is not playing at the moment but we have so many games in the future so it does not mean he is not going to play.”
Asked if Cole Palmer will produce against Man Utd after scoring a hat-trick against them last term, Maresca said: “I hope so. He is going to play. Cole is doing very good all of the time.
“If we expect 20 goals and 20 assists again, it’s probably wrong because we don’t need to put the pressure on his shoulders.”
