Results really went Chelsea and Enzo Maresca’s way on the final day of the Premier League season.
Chelsea were able to beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground and qualify for the Champions League as a result.
Newcastle United also lost 1-0 to Everton, allowing Maresca‘s side to leapfrog them into fourth place, while Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2-0.
With Villa losing, even a draw would have been enough for Chelsea to finish in the top five. They started the day level on points with the Blues, which is why Willy Caballero was keeping an eye on the game.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Willy Caballero informed Enzo Maresca of Aston Villa score
Caballero is an important member of Chelsea’s backroom staff, with the ex-goalkeeper currently serving as Maresca’s assistant manager.
Caballero was seen screaming at Chelsea players at one point during the team’s 3-1 win against Liverpool earlier this month, while it was the Argentine who was keeping Maresca up to date with what was going on at Old Trafford.
When asked whether he knew about the other scores in the second half, Maresca told football.london and other outlets: No, they told me just once and that’s when Man United scored the second goal. My assistant manager Willy Caballero said Man United scored the second one, it’s 2-0.
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“That was the only information I got through the game because I said before, everyone was waiting for us to draw points and see if Man United win. But I said to the players all week, we don’t need to watch Aston Villa, we need to do our job. We need to win the game.”
Caballero had a successful spell at Chelsea as a player, winning the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup during his time there.
Things are now going well for him as a coach at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea having an opportunity to win some silverware on Wednesday when they face Real Betis in the Conference League final.
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca and Willy Caballero’s jobs were always safe
Chelsea finishing in the top five was important, but failing to do so was not going to cost Maresca, Caballero and the rest of the current backroom staff their jobs.
It has been claimed that Maresca’s position was safe even before Chelsea had kicked a ball at the City Ground.
The club clearly have a lot of faith in the 45-year-old and his staff, and that faith has been justified so far.