Maresca’s side go to battle with Real Betis over European silverware on Wednesday
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca told his team they can defy their critics and demonstrate beyond doubt that they have come of age when they face Real Betis in Wednesday's Conference League final in Wroclaw.
The Italian issued a stinging rebuke on Sunday to those he believes had lacked faith in his squad - which is the youngest in Premier League history - following their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest that secured Champions League football for next season, telling anyone who had doubted his team to "eff off."
There was an equally fiery reaction from defender Levi Colwill who also swore during a post-match media interview.
Victory at the City Ground brought the curtain down on a tense run-in as the Blues squeaked over the line in the race for the top five, wrapping up a place in Europe's top competition one year ahead of Maresca's own schedule.
It also hugely changed the mood going into Wednesday's showpiece in Poland, with Chelsea now able to face Betis in the knowledge that whatever the outcome it is mission accomplished.
Nevertheless, the sense after Forest was of a siege mentality having returned to the club, the like of which characterised earlier periods under such firebrand bosses as Jose Mourinho.
"I think it's a good feeling that the players react when there are some critics," said Maresca. "I think it's a good reaction from the players. Levi's reaction, my reaction, was just an outburst for the moment.
"In our bad moments in February and March when we dropped points many people were talking, and from our point of view they were not talking in the right way.
"Yes we are young, yes we are the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, but at the same time they are men.
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"So I also use that criticism to say guys, (Wednesday) is a chance that we can say that we are not young, we are mature enough, we can compete and we can do the right things."
Enzo Maresca was speaking ahead of the Conference League final in Wroclaw
Enzo Maresca was speaking ahead of the Conference League final in Wroclaw (Getty Images)
Wednesday's meeting with Manuel Pellegrini's side will bring to an end what has been a highly unusual European season in which Chelsea have swept to the final using a largely second-string side, hammering teams from Armenia, Kazakhstan and the Republic of Ireland along the way.
Against some of their more capable opponents they have underwhelmed, with captain Reece James claiming they had failed to show the competition respect following the quarter-final second-leg defeat at home to Legia Warsaw.
"Probably the most complicated thing this season about the Conference League has been to convince the players that for us it was the best competition in the world, because it was the competition that we were in," said Maresca.
"So every game has been difficult, especially because I needed to convince the players that we were not able to drop anything because you can lose points against any team.
"We need to respect any team in Europe and any team that we face."