Enzo Maresca has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's home match with Southampton on Tuesday evening.

The Blues welcome the Premier League's bottom side to Stamford Bridge in an absolute must-win for Maresca and his players after three straight defeats in all competitions. Maresca has just previewed the visit of the Saints and also addressed a variety of other topics during his press conference at Cobham on Monday morning.

Below is a full transcript from the Chelsea head coach:

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How is Trevoh Chalobah?

"He had a check yesterday and it will be around one week or 10 days. On one side it is good because it is not an important injury and on the other side, it is a shame because we lose another player in this moment with the number of injuries we have."

How is Filip Jorgensen?

"He is okay. He feels a little bit sad, or upset, because he recognises there has been a mistake but overall, he is okay."

Has it changed the feeling of who your No.1 goalkeeper is?

"If we need to change players every time there is a mistake, we need to change players game by game, many players. But no, nothing's changed."

Are you glass half full or glass half empty at the moment?

"It's like this. We ask for a better performance compared to the Brighton one. I think the performance was there, we didn't deserve the final result but we need to accept that. In this moment, it is not enough. We need to find something extra to get results but for sure, we are going to be there."

You called it your 'toughest defeat', was that the heat of the moment or do you still feel like that?

"No, I still feel that feeling because for the way, the performance was very good to go to Villa Park and play the first-half we played is an important statement. The problem at the end was the result, the result was not good for us. It was a tough one in that moment, also because we are in a bad run of results, so that is also the reason why."

Was it the toughest result of your career?

"No, there have been bad ones, good ones, but it was just after the game and now it is gone. We have to think about the next 12 [games]."

With respect to Southampton, this feels like a game you should win...

"I don't trust games, they can also be a tricky game. They are different. If you watch the game against Man United away, they were winning 1-0 and then in the last five minutes, Man United beat them. It's a team, a complicated team, a tricky one. Every team is playing for something, so they will be tough."

What would the criticism of your team be like if you got beat by Southampton?

"When you are here at Chelsea, you don't have games that you don't prepare to win. Our duty is to prepare every game to win and for sure, from now on, with 12 games to go, there is no doubt that all of them are must-win for us."

Could bettering your goal difference against Southampton be helpful?

"We focus just to win the game, we don't think about goal difference. In this moment, I don't think you have to think about that. We have 12 games to go, we are going to try and win as much as we can. It has been a bad weekend because we lost but nothing has changed in terms of the table; we are still one point from fourth, we are four points from third, so we are still there."

You said the word 'tricky' to describe Southampton... honestly? Really?

"I really think that. It is football. You are older than me, I guess, and you know better than me that football is full of these kinds of things. I'm not saying that for a message, I'm saying that because I really believe every game is a tough game. The difference sometimes is so tiny and as I said, if you see the Man United game, they were winning until the end and then Man United won the game. We need to focus on how we need to win the game and no more than that."

What has been missing since the turn of the year?

"Probably there are always more than one reason. In the last seven, eight, 10 games, the huge difference has been especially inside the box - in both boxes. Apart from Brighton away in the Premier League, all the rest we always create chances, we almost always score. So the difference has been inside the box. We need to be defensively more strong and more clinical when we get the chance."

Is this a good chance for Christopher Nkunku to rediscover some form in front of goal?

"We hope for him, but also the rest. Christo didn't play a lot in the first six months and now he has started the last three games. Hopefully from now on, he can help us in terms of numbers."

You have a bit of a rest after this. Do your team need to really go for it and then leave everything out on the pitch?

"Yeah, but they also gave everything against Aston Villa. I don't think they reserved some energy against Villa. They are giving everything - this is why I said the other day that probably when you see the performance and the players gave everything and then in the end you don't get one point, you feel a little bit sad. But the performance was there."

Is Cole Palmer's form a concern?

"No, I'm not concerned. I'm always concerned about general performances, but I'm not concerned about Cole because Cole is a human being and during the season, he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more. The problem is with Cole, we rely on Cole for everything and I've said from the start, we need to rely on the team. For sure, we need big players, top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all."

Do you like the new Premier League ball?

"New ball, it's okay. It's a question for the players. They play football, I don't play football. I don't know. It's okay. I like any ball."

How can you compare English football with Spanish or Italian football?

"English football, in the last 10 or 15 years, is the best football in Europe from my point of view because of the quality of the managers, the quality of the players, the intensity. I think in this moment, English football is better and different. The Italian one is more tactical, the Spanish one is more technical and the English one is a little bit of both."

With Cole, how do you give him his magic back?

"Just continue working in the way he is working. The other day, I think yes, he had a great chance but overall, the performance from Cole - as I said, every game we expect from him a goal or an assist, so it is difficult. He is a human being and player. In this moment, his performance also reflects the team's performance that we struggle to score goals and we need to be a little bit more clinical when we get the chances."

He is creating chances but he hasn't got an assist in 13 games. Have you seen a frustration from him that his teammates aren't taking the chances?

"No, because also the other teammates can be frustrated with the chances we missed against Aston Villa, and we miss against Man City. I think both chances were Cole, no? Very clear. The other day, we were 1-1, to score 1-2 with 10 minutes to go. Against City, we were 0-1 to go 0-2 after 10 minutes. I didn't see his teammates frustrated. Cole is just upset because we're not winning games, no more than that."

Is Pedro Neto as a No.9 a solution going forward?

"Yeah, could be a good option. We tried with Pedro days before the game and we see that he can do that. It was a positive one. The performance in general was positive. Some players, Enzo [Fernandez] was fantastic, even Reece after a long time [playing] 90 minutes, struggled in some moments but it is normal - overall, his performance was very good. Pedro, with the Nico [Jackson] and Marc Guiu injury, could be a good option for us."

Chelsea have dropped 13 points from winning positions this season. What does that tell you about your players?

"I don't know, to be honest. I don't have an answer for that. I knew this, that we dropped 13 points from winning positions. Sometimes it is football, sometimes there is a reason why behind, we are trying to understand a little bit. The good thing is at least you were in front in these kinds of games. Now, it is the other part; when you are in front, try and protect that.

"In almost all of these games, we analyse that we had chances from 1-0 to go 2-0, from 0-1 to go 0-2, we miss more than once. Even against Villa, we had four of five chances to go 2-0 in the first-half. At the end, you miss and the game is always open and anything can happen. For sure, it is something we need to understand."

Are you seeing an identity with your team?

"Yeah, absolutely. Against Villa, the identity was there; the way we played on and off the ball was there, very similar to what we have been doing this season. The identity is there. In this moment, it is just a matter of results. In this moment, I have the feeling that winning one, we can have a good run again and we build a good momentum again. This is what I think, in this moment, the players need."