Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca doubled down on his weekend “outburst” that saw him tell his critics to “f*** off” after his side achieved Champions League qualification on the final day of the Premier League season.
The Blues clinched a return to the Champions League on Sunday by edging Nottingham Forest 1-0.
Using the post-match press conference as an opportunity to bite back at critics, Maresca explained despite constant fault-finding, he had no doubts of achieving Champions League football.
Levi Colwill, scorer of the winning goal at the City ground, also expressed his relief after constant criticism, saying: “Everyone has been talking a lot of s*** about us this season.”
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Levi Colwill’s second-half goal earned Chelsea three crucial points against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League
Asked about both his and his player’s reaction following their Champions League qualification, Maresca explained that it was the natural result of what they’ve deemed unfair assessments of their side.
“I think it’s a good reaction from the players,” Maresca said ahead of Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Real Betis.
“Levi’s reaction, my reaction, was just an outburst for the moment. The reason is that, in our bad moments or bad runs during the season, in February, March, when we drop points, many people were talking, not from our point of view. They were not talking in the right way.
“If you ask them, they’re going say that from their point of view, they were talking the right way, but from our point of view, they were not. And the reason why is because, yes, we are the youngest [squad] in the history of the Premier League, but at the same time, they are men.
“I also use the critics to say guys today, it’s 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.”
‘Jackson is in debt to us’
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Howard Webb discusses the decision that saw Nicolas Jackson being red carded against Newcastle United after the Chelsea striker appeared to elbow Magpies defender Sven Botman.
Maresca also told the press that his striker, Nicolas Jackson, has a debt to pay his team-mates after his red card against Newcastle put their Champions League hopes at risk.
Jackson’s sending off due to violent conduct during a 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park meant that the striker missed his side’s final two Premier League games of the season. However, the 23-year-old will return to the matchday squad for their Conference League final in Wroclaw where, according to Maresca, he will be keen on making amends.
“Nico [Jackson] is in debt with his team-mates,” he said.
“The reason is that at that moment, Newcastle away was for us the most important game and he left his team-mates with 10 players for one hour.
“For sure, he’s in debt. For sure, he’s a good guy. For sure, he recognised the mistake. He apologised to his team-mates. That is very important. And I’m sure that he’s going to do a very good game for us.”
