Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has boldly declared the UEFA Europa Conference League as the “best competition in the world” as his side prepares to face Real Betis in Wednesday’s final. The Blues are aiming to cap their resurgent season with silverware, having already secured a Champions League spot for next year.
Speaking at a press conference in Wroclaw, the Italian manager said convincing his squad of the tournament’s value was one of his biggest challenges this season.
“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,” Maresca said. “And the reason why was because it was the competition that we were in.”
Chelsea, two-time Champions League winners, have a chance to make history by becoming the first club to win all four major UEFA competitions, the Champions League, Europa League, the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup, and the Conference League.
The west London club have dominated the tournament, scoring a record 38 goals and winning 11 of their 12 matches en route to the final. Maresca, 45, will go head-to-head with his mentor Manuel Pellegrini, the 71-year-old Betis coach, whom he described as a “football father figure.”
Despite being clear favourites, Chelsea are wary of Betis, who are appearing in their first-ever European final after finishing sixth in Spain’s La Liga.
Maresca’s first season at Stamford Bridge has seen highs and lows. After a promising start, Chelsea’s form dipped mid-season, but the youthful side rallied to finish fourth in the Premier League. Sunday’s 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest secured Champions League football and prompted an emotional outburst from Maresca, who took aim at critics of his young squad.
“Yes, we are the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, but at the same time, they are men,” he said. “I used what critics had said to motivate the players, to show we’re not just young, we’re mature, we can compete and succeed.”
With one objective already achieved, Maresca now eyes a European trophy to complete what he calls a potentially “very good season.”
“The first target is there,” he said. “We achieved that last Sunday. Hopefully we can achieve the second one tomorrow.”
Kickoff for the final at the Tarczynski Arena is set for 9 p.m. local time.
Written By Rodney Mbua
