After Chelsea defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 this afternoon, Enzo Maresca just finished his post-match press conference.

The Blues defeated Forest, who recently fired Ange Postecoglou, by three points thanks to goals in the second half from Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto, and Reece James. He did not even show up for his post-match press conference because the decision to fire the former Tottenham manager was made just after the game.

However, Maresca did, and the complete transcript is available below:

How do you feel about Postecoglou's dismissal?

I did not talk to Ange. I said, "I feel really terrible for him," even though I did not see him. However, as I have stated numerous times, in this line of work, the consequences for everyone are the same if you lose a game. I am sad for him.

How did you find the director's box experience?

Horrible. It felt awful to be there. To be honest, I would rather be in the dugout. However, we did win the game. I believe that we had some difficulty in the first half. I think we did well off the ball. We made a few errors with the ball that allowed them to gain some time. We were far better in the second half. We can definitely perform better when it comes to red cards. We can avoid that error. It is 3-0, and we have already received one yellow card.

On the other hand, I must admit that the players want to avoid giving up a goal. Additionally, they were yelling at one another, "Do not concede, do not concede," throughout the last four or five minutes. Therefore, we can definitely avoid receiving a second yellow card. However, they also demonstrated their intent to play for a clean sheet and avoid giving up anything. Additionally, this is crucial.

Do you find the number of red cards concerning?

Once more, there is room for improvement, but I do not care. I am aware that some of you are wondering why he does not seem worried. Since I enjoy analysis, I am not worried. Yes, it is a situation where we consider a red card. That is something we can definitely avoid.

However, I also think that the athletes' desire is significant. Today, the game is over after 90 minutes with a score of 3-0. Malo [Gusto] can avoid it since a second foul on a yellow card is definitely pointless. The good news is that Malo is demonstrating that he is unwilling to make any concessions. They are playing for a clean sheet and do not want to give up a goal. We can definitely avoid that; that is the balance.

At halftime, you made three substitutions. Did you choose the wrong team?

I always try to give it my all. I am correct sometimes and wrong other times. But just now, player protection is the first priority. Romeo [Lavia] was not going to play ninety minutes, as we already knew.

Romeo had forty-five minutes in mind. It was decided to start Romeo or Moi because Moi [Caicedo] is unable to play 90 minutes. Romeo also needs to start the game, get a boost, and gain confidence. That was the plan, then. Then, against Liverpool, Garna [Garnacho] played a great game. Therefore, it was wise to give him another chance.

Come on, Jamie [Gittens] was fine. Marc Guiu was good, too, in my opinion. However, we also anticipated that they would return four, not five, as we designed the game. Joao Pedras at No. 9 in the back four is superior, in my opinion. Joao Pedro at number nine with the back five is not... Remember when we fielded Joao Pedro and Liam Delap against a back five when West Ham was away? We therefore anticipated that they would return four, but they returned five. Following halftime, we changed.

How did you feel about Marc Guiu's influence and Josh Acheampong's performance?

Guiu, who I believe played for 15 minutes against Liverpool, was excellent in his fights with Van Dijk, Konate, and Gravenberch. He won a corner against Morato today after the second half had lasted one minute. Marc must provide that to us.

Yes, it is not lazy in my opinion. It is careless. We appeared careless during the build-up. Some of the mistakes we made were inadequate.

Why were Wesley Fofana and Enzo Fernandez present?

No, Enzo did have a minor issue. A little issue is that we are now unable to determine whether he will be available for Ajax. And Wes is merely an attempt to somewhat shield him.

Wes and Josh are the same to me. Wes is going to play games, as I have stated numerous times, and I genuinely like him. However, it was only for protection. For Ajax, he will be available.

Are you protecting when you say "protected"?

Generally. What we need to do with Wes, Romeo, and Reece, in my opinion, is to follow our course of action with Reece. Reece is currently playing three games a week, participating in nearly every game, and he is in good shape. We must also attempt to do the same with Romeo and Wes. I wish Romeo, Wes, and Reece could be on the pitch at every game. However, it is not feasible. It is not feasible; we must control them. This season, keeping everyone healthy and rotating is the major goal.

I always try to give it my all. I am correct sometimes and wrong other times. But just now, player protection is the first priority. Romeo [Lavia] was not going to play ninety minutes, as we already knew.

Romeo had forty-five minutes in mind. It was decided to start Romeo or Moi because Moi [Caicedo] is unable to play 90 minutes. Romeo also needs to start the game, get a boost, and gain confidence. That was the plan, then. Then, against Liverpool, Garna [Garnacho] played a great game. Therefore, it was wise to give him another chance.

Come on, Jamie [Gittens] was fine. Marc Guiu was good, too, in my opinion. However, we also anticipated that they would return four, not five, as we designed the game. Joao Pedras at No. 9 in the back four is superior, in my opinion. Joao Pedro at number nine with the back five is not... Remember when we fielded Joao Pedro and Liam Delap against a back five when West Ham was away? We therefore anticipated that they would return four, but they returned five. Following halftime, we changed.

How did you feel about Marc Guiu's influence and Josh Acheampong's performance?

Guiu, who I believe played for 15 minutes against Liverpool, was excellent in his fights with Van Dijk, Konate, and Gravenberch. He won a corner against Morato today after the second half had lasted one minute. Marc must provide that to us.