Chelsea coach Enzo Mariska appeared at a press conference to discuss the upcoming match on Sunday against Crystal Palace in the first round of the Premier League.

The coach spoke about Colwill's ACL injury: "He is fine now, but we realize he will be out for a long time, and that is tough for us. We know how important he was for us last season, and our style of play heavily relies on him. Now, with his absence, we will try to find a different solution."

Regarding the possibility of signing a new replacement, he clarified: "We are looking for an internal solution, but the club fully understands my point of view — we need to sign a defender. Currently, the only player capable of fulfilling that role properly is Tosin Adarabioyo, but we will see the available options."

He added: "We have both the Premier League and the Champions League, and we need players who can adapt. [Yuriel] Hato has not played in this specific position before, even though he is a defender, but the task is different. Also, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are facing physical issues, which is why the club knows what I need in defense."

On the players' condition before Sunday’s match, the Italian coach said: "Wesley Fofana might be ready — we will see. Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia are in the recovery phase, and Trevoh Chalobah is fine."

Regarding Crystal Palace: "I believe we deserved a better performance in the two matches [last season], that’s football. It’s normal. The last two matches they won show how strong they are (the UEFA Super Cup final and the Community Shield final)."

He emphasized: "When I joined the club, the buzz around the club was completely different from what it is now. Personally, I don’t like to look three or four months ahead because that doesn’t exist in football. I like to focus on tomorrow. My personal goal and the team’s goal is to improve every day."

He concluded: "We believe we are ready to compete in the league, but we have to wait for the competition to confirm that. We have a great team. We are happy with the team we have, no doubt. When the transfer window is open, anything can happen."