Conference League win is a starting point for further success — Maresca
Enzo Maresca praised Chelsea's emphatic comeback against Real Betis to win the Conference League final and said their European triumph can be a starting point
- WARCLAW — Enzo Maresca praised Chelsea's emphatic comeback against Real
Betis to win the Conference League final and said their European triumph can be
a starting point toward further success.
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- Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises
Caicedo all scored in the second half as the Premier League club came from
behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 at Stadion Wrocław in Poland. The result means
Chelsea are the first team in history to win all five European club trophies.
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- For the majority of players within the Blues squad, the
Conference League trophy is the first piece of silverware won at club level.
Maresca said there is more to come from his squad.
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- "Hopefully, it can be a starting point (toward
further success in the future). To build a winning mentality, you need to win
games and competitions. For sure, the trophy we won tonight will make us
better," Maresca was quoted by Chelsea website.
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- "But also, I’m very proud of the path, the journey,
we have done in the Premier League. That is the most difficult competition in
the world, you need to be consistent over 38 games, and these players showed
that. It's why, after Nottingham Forest, my outburst was exaggerated. But over
38 games, you have to be consistent and with the youngest squad in the history
of the Premier League, it is something unbelievable," he added.
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- Speaking about the match, Maresca said Maresca suggested
his side's sluggish start could be down to his players over-celebrating their
success in clinching a UEFA Champions League place on the final day of the
Premier League season.
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- "I was a little bit frustrated in the first half
because I think we approached the game in the wrong way. I expected [this] a little
bit, the happiness was a bit too much after Nottingham Forest because you go
all season waiting and waiting. So we struggled a bit in the first half. In the
second half, we were much better and now we are very happy.
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- "The message after Nottingham Forest was, 'Guys, if
we want to be an important team, then what we have done is done and we have to
win the final.' But it's the happiness, the tiredness because we had 48 hours
less (time to prepare) than them (Real Betis). We played on Sunday for a big, big
target. So I expected it a little bit. In the second half we played much
better," he said.
