The Stamford Bridge outfit have the opportunity to turn a good season into a great one, and the Italian tactician deserves a lot of the plaudits
Champions League qualification and a trophy is the absolute minimum most Chelsea fans could have hoped for from the 2024-25 season, especially after Enzo Maresca took the reins as something of an unknown quantity last summer. Fast-forward nine months, and the Blues stand on the cusp of achieving that unlikely feat.
Although an early-season flourish proved to be misleading, Chelsea have still overachieved under the Italian head coach - claiming a top-four place on the final day of the Premier League season at Nottingham Forest's expense and ultimately not even requiring the fall-back of fifth.
While a return to European football's top table will feel like a trophy in itself, a genuine piece of silverware is up for grabs on Wednesday in the form of the Conference League, and Maresca's men have the opportunity to turn a very good season into a great one.
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