Enzo Maresca has just faced the media ahead of Chelsea's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues head coach has just addressed the press where he answered a number of questions on various different topics. You can read the full transcript below...

Any players returning from injuries?

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"Reece is back. Romeo is very close, he has started to work with us. For the rest, there is not any update. Kiernan is still out. Unfortunately Wes will be out for a very long time. Benoit will be out until at least February. So the only two big updates are on Wes Fofana and Benoit but both are going to be out for a very long time."

Do either require surgery?

"Not at the moment. For sure, not Benoit. For Wes, not at the moment."

Does that affect your thinking in terms of this transfer window?

"We'll see, now the focus is on tomorrow's game, that is an important game like the rest, so the focus is just about tomorrow, but for sure these two players they're going to be out for a long time, so we'll see."

And Reece James, how close is he to getting some minutes again?

"He's back, the last game against Ipswich he was with us just to be with us on the squad; the plan was not to give him any minutes. Tomorrow is different, we can give him minutes, so hopefully we all know how important this game is for us, so hopefully he can get minutes very soon."

You said consistently that you're not in the title race, were you unfortunately proven right over Christmas?

"Yeah, but I didn't need to wait to lose a game to understand that, this is the reason why, and I always said the same, I would like to tell you.

"We are there because it's something nice, it's not something bad to be in the title race, but the reason why I said it is because I don't think we were ready. We aren't ready, and as I said I didn't need to wait to lose two games in a row to prove myself or you that I was."

What do you put this dip in form down to and how concerned are you by it?

"I'm always concerned even when we win games, but I don't think it's bad form, I think it's just analyse game by game, against Fulham we were winning 1-0 until 82-83 minutes and then we conceded two goals. Ipswich probably was not our day in terms of, I don't know how many chances we created, clear chances, but probably their desire not to concede and to win the game was higher than us."

And you are very much in the race for the top four, how important is it that you don't slip up again this weekend?

"Not only this weekend, the next 19 games. it's important that we're going to be there, I said already many times I don't think one of us in this room expects us to be where we are now at the beginning of the season. That means that the team is doing very well, but now we have the second part ahead of us.

"We have to continue to do that knowing that we're going to be first again, we're going to be hopefully second again, but we can be also fifth or sixth in the table, no panic, it's just a matter of seeing at the end of the season where we are."

Those two disappointing results, have they affected the mood around here, morale?

"No, absolutely, we don't like to lose games. We don't like to drop points, but it's not going to affect our journey because we all know, we are aware that during the season you are going to lose games.

"As I said, we finished the first part of the season, now we're going to start the second part, thinking that again we are going to win games, we are going to lose games, but the important thing is to see how the team is improving game by game, and things that we can do better.

"And don't forget that this is just a journey that started five or six months ago, so it's not five years ago, or six years ago, they are still teams that they are together five or six years, and they are still fighting to win titles, primarily, and we just started five or six months ago."

Is that the reason why you say that this team isn't ready to compete for the title, because with so many incredible players in that team, anyone would think that they could compete for a Premier League title?

"Yeah, but you don't need only good players, I said many times, for me the talent is not enough to win football. You need to add more things, things that we are adding, like to become a team in a difficult moment, and the difference between us and, I said, City, Arsenal, Liverpool, is that in that aspect they are more ready and team than us, and we're going to be there, hopefully soon."

Crystal Palace up next, a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, what kind of game are you expecting this time?

"Tough game, like you say, even the last game for us was tough. They are all tough games, especially there, in their stadium, they are quite clear what they do, since the manager is there, also off the ball.

"They are very aggressive, it's a team that if you can see them transition, they can hurt you, so we need to manage both phases, when we attack and when we defend."

You brought Aaron Anselmino back from Argentina, what was the reasoning behind that, what are your plans for him?

"He's another talent, another good player, now the most important thing is that he arrives here and he adapts himself, he starts to find a house, settling in the right way.

"Then we need to give him time, because when you come from the other part of the world, you need to adapt, you need to see a new world, a new culture, but for sure we are going to try to help him to adapt as soon as possible.

On Romeo Lavia's absence, you only won one of four games without him last month, what kind of impact does a fit Lavia have?

"Last month, but probably we won more games without Romeo previously. Romeo, no matter if we win games or we lose games, Romeo, we all consider Romeo a top player, but the most important thing for this kind of player is to be fit, so no doubt when Romeo is fit that he's top player. We just need to try to understand how we can help him not get injured."

With Wesley, do you expect him to be out for the rest of the season, and how big a blow is it given how important he's become for you?

"Unfortunately he could be out for the season, so we don't know exactly for the entire season, but unfortunately he could be out for part of the season. And we are together here since we start, and every time you ask me about Wes, I said many times that I'm in love with Wes.

"I was in love with Wes, also because Wes is that kind of defender that gives you the chance to press and be aggressive and to leave him 1v1 with Watkins on pitch."

"We did exactly the same when Wes was injured with Benoit Badiashile, 1v1 with Solanke on pitch, and they can deal with that, and it's very difficult to find that kind of defender, but now unfortunately both are injured. We are trying to find different solutions, but for sure for us Wes is a huge loss."

Halfway through the season, from what you've seen so far, are you confident of finishing in the top four?

"We are there, for the first part of the season. We were there almost since we started every game, we need to improve many things, but for sure we're going to try to be there at the end of the season."

How important is it for your plan of the club and the progression to play Champions League football next season?

"I said already many times, I have to be honest, when I met the club they never asked me to be in the Champions League top four this season. They said to me that they want to build in two, three, four, five years a team that they can fight for title, but they never said to me next year we need to be in the Champions League.

"Now, for sure, I'm going to tell you that if we are in the Champions League next season we are all happy, because it's where the club has to be."

But in your mind you must have a plan of where you want to be next season?

"No, in my plan I'm not thinking about June, I don't believe about the future to be honest, because I can imagine in September playing in the Champions League, but if I don't win games, so I don't believe about the future.

"Because yes, I can imagine winning game and then if we don't win, or I can imagine losing game and then if we win, so for me the future is fake, but not only football, it's my idea about everything."

"For sure you have a dream or you have a desire and if you ask me for sure it's to bring this club to the Champions League or to compete for title, like when I was a Leicester in the Championship. My dream was to bring that club to the Premier League, because it's a club that belongs to the Premier League and for Chelsea it's exactly the same, my dream is to bring this club, but then the future is a little bit fake."

Nicolas Jackson scored in his fixture earlier this season, nine goals this season, how pleased have you been with his performances and how much more do you think there is to come from him?

"He can do many things better, he's doing already very good, as you said he probably scored nine goals and last year he scored 14, so he scored most of the goals he scored last year. So hopefully he can score more goals, he can help us, but we are completely happy with Nico and the reason why he didn't play the last game against Ipswich is because we have also more players that can help us."

Is there an update on Ben Chilwell's future?

"No idea, to be honest. In terms of the transfer window, generally there are players that probably they are going to leave but not sure at the moment."

So Ben Chilwell could leave this month? Then, would that be fair?

"[He] could, yeah."

And the other one is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, you mentioned earlier about his injury, but is he someone you would like to keep here until the end of the season?

"The ones that are here, they are here and then we see if it's going to happen something, but the one that they are here is because we are happy to have them here."

With Romeo Lavia then, is it too simplistic to think that just taking him out of the team over those last few weeks has made a difference in this downturn?

"No, I think football is all about players. We can have the best idea, but if you don't have players, you struggle. Romeo for us is a top player and for sure with Romeo we are a better team, but when Romeo is not there we need to also manage that kind of game. I think since we started we won games without Romeo.

"We lose a game without Romeo, but for sure if you ask me we are a better team with Romeo, but not only with Romeo, we are a much, much, much, much better team with Reece James. So it's all about players, it's not about... Again, I can give the players the tools, how they are to behave for sure 100%, but if they are not good enough I can give them all the tools that I have, but if they are not good enough we are not going to win games."

To go back to Wesley, but you initially said this kind of injury that he picked up after the Villa game that he said takes two, three, four or five weeks. What has changed for it to be this bad?

"No, it was the first update, the first information we had, but then making tests we realised that it was worse than what we thought at the beginning."

So it's a really bad hamstring tear?

"Yeah, it's hamstring and unfortunately we are going to lose him for a while."

How concerning is it, because this is the third straight season for Wesley, where injury has basically ruined his season?

"I don't think this kind of injury can be compared to the rest, because this one is muscle and I think that previously he never had any injury problem, any muscle problem.

"So it's a completely different kind of injury. It's a bit unlucky, but he will be back and he will be back good in the way he was before he was injured.

And just quickly on Anselmino, is the plan to send him on loan or is it actually for him to stay around?

"No, at the moment the plan is to keep him here, to allow him to work with us and then to take a decision."

Just staying with Anselmino, do you think there's a chance, do you believe he's ready to go into the team and help?

"No, if he's here it's because we think he's a good player and he can help us. But for sure he's very young and he's coming from Argentina, completely different culture, different football, different level. So he needs time for that."