Ex-Chelsea player Glen Johnson has openly backed manager Enzo Maresca, praising the Italian’s revolutionary influence on the team in his maiden season at Stamford Bridge. Johnson, a Chelsea player from 2003 to 2007, also commended Maresca for his role in helping the team’s performance and cohesion improve.
Under Maresca, Chelsea has shown tremendous improvement in defense strength along with overall team cohesion. Johnson said (via Metro):
“Enzo Maresca has done a really good job this season. The team has been a lot more consistent than we have seen in recent years, despite dropping quite a lot of points early in the season. He has made them much more solid defensively than they have looked in the past, which is the key to any team improving long-term.”
Johnson underlined the importance of Maresca’s achievement, going on to say:
“Maresca seems to have turned the club around in his short reign. They have the Conference League final coming up in a few weeks, which they should win, and they should have Champions League football this season, what more could fans want?”
Looking back on the development of the team, Johnson summed up:
“They’ve had good players for years now, Chelsea, but no manager has seemed to get them to play together like a team, and Maresca is nailing that and keeping everyone happy by rotating in the Conference League.”
Chelsea Secure 1-0 Victory Over Manchester United, Chasing Champions League Qualification
The Blues enjoyed a recent 1-0 victory over Manchester United, thanks to an accurate Marc Cucurella header from a Reece James cross. The victory has placed Chelsea comfortably in a position to qualify for the Champions League with only one league game left against Nottingham Forest.
Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League later on offers them a chance to claim their first European title in three years, since the 2021–22 season. The win would also make them the first team to have won all four of the top UEFA tournaments.