Enzo Maresca wants to see a "winner mentality" grow in his squad after **Chelsea**capped off their campaign with a 4-1 win over Real Betis in the final of the Conference League. It has ended a trophy drought for the club and the manager hopes that a fruitful future is coming off the back of this feat.
‘He can decide games’
You would have been a bold person to predict such a sizeable triumph at half time. Abde Ezzalzouli rattled the back of the net to give an early advantage to the Spaniards, who were set to shut down the pedestrian patterns of play from their opponents. Despite the tactical inferiority of his side, Maresca argued that the fitness of the two outfits played a big part in their sluggish start to this European final.
“I think I expect a little bit the way we played in the first half. And the reason why is because I said two weeks ago that in football you cannot give any advantage to any team. I think between us and them 48 hours has been big difference. Friday, they had the game where they were playing for nothing any target. We play 100 minutes Sunday until the last seconds to achieve something important.”
He has his players to thank for the eventual outcome— and none more so than Cole Palmer. It looked like it would be another quiet display from the 23-year-old, but he burst into life with two assists for Enzo Fernandez and **Nicolas Jackson**to turn around the deficit. His manager never doubted his class.
“The bad moment or the bad run he had during this season is going to make him a better player. No doubt. We all know that is a top player. We need to help him to be in the right position in the right moment. And then he’s a quality player in the last third. He can decide games with goals or assists.”
The 45-year-old then spoke some more about the second scorer: Jackson. The forward missed the final two fixtures of the Premier League campaign after a straight red card in a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United. He had some atoning to do for his error of judgment and delivered the goods on the night.
“He had a good game. In the first, half I think it was difficult for all of us. Second half we were much better also. Nico was better. He scored, he worked hard, and this is the Nico his teammates need.”
One of the best moments of the match involved two men who were not on the field. Maresca chose to take off the two French defenders that he had put in the starting eleven. However, their attitude after that decision displayed the character that he considers to be crucial if the camp are going to succeed.
*“The best picture for me for tonight that makes me understand we are going in the right direction is when we score the first two guys to celebrate was Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile, the two that we changed. For me for a manager when you change players that they are not playing well, and they are the first to enjoy the celebration that means a lot that means that the spirit is good. We go in the right direction. Everyone is helping each other, and this is a good base to build something important.”*
He also opened up about the reaction of Manuel Pellegrini, with whom he has a close relationship.
“With Manuel, we have spoken, we spoke yesterday, we spoke a few years ago and of course we coincide in one thing. He wanted to win on one side. I wanted to win on the other side. But I'm sure that the winner and the loser would be happy for the winner. Because we know each other very well.”
‘You need to win competitions’
Maresca mentioned his overall thoughts on the club's campaign as he took stock of a whirlwind year.
By the middle of December, the Blues were brimming with goals, scoring six more than league leaders **Liverpool**as they sat in second spot in the table. But their form in the final stages of the season showed that the team had discovered how to get positive results through defensive discipline.
“We have improved a lot since we start. We also start to win games in ugly way and that is something with the young squad that you can struggle to do. But I think for instance the Nottingham Forest game we won in an ugly way. We found the way to win the game. That was very important.”
He hopes that the team can build on that nasty streak with the belief that they can claim silverware.
“Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winner mentality. You need to win games. You need to win competitions. And for sure the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better.”
The manager also made clear how vital it was for the club to finish in the top five. It is the first time **Chelsea**have qualified for the Champions League since 2022 and as they turned around their fate following a near-fatal 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town, he feels the squad have proven doubters wrong.
*“But also, I am very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League. That for me is the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. That's why after Nottingham Forest my outburst was a little bit exaggerated because in 38 games you need to be consistent and with the youngest squad in Premier League history, this is something unbelievable.”*
Then, the Italian indicated his happiness with achieving his goal in Europe. The Conference League, as the third tier European competition, has been a source of derision from fans of rival clubs, and **Chelsea**could afford to give minutes to many fringe players for much of the tournament. But it was necessary in his eyes to make the most of the situation that the team found themselves in this year.
*“We won this competition. I said many times we're going to try to win the competition where we are in this season. Many times, people were talking about the Champions League or Europa League, but you cannot win that competition if you play in the Conference League. Our target was to win the Conference League. Now, next season we're going to play Champions League, and we will see.”*
However, participation in the playoff of this competition has contributed to a lengthy campaign. The Club World Cup is the last duty that the side have to tick off before they have a well-earned break.
“Now we have 10 days off where we need to recover energy and then we start the Club World Cup. The target is to go game by game, step by step but in this moment, we don't have any target for the Club World Cup. Now the only target is to recovery energy because the season has been very long. We started the Conference League in play-off, not even in the group and it has been a long season.”