Maresca: I expected slow start – but hope this can begin something

Enzo Maresca put Chelsea’s slow start in their ultimately victorious Conference League final down to the mental efforts his side had put into securing Champions League football 72 hours earlier.

And the Blues boss hopes achieving both targets can mark the beginning of something new at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were abject in the opening 45 minutes in Wroclaw before the half-time introduction of Reece James re-invigorated Maresca’s men, and saw them score four second-half goals to wrap up a thumping 4-1 victory over Real Betis.

Even ahead of the game, the head coach had already suspected the strain of playing such an important Premier League game at Nottingham Forest on Sunday may have a knock-on impact following their 1-0 win.

He told TNT Sports: “In the first half, we approached the game in the wrong way. I expected it a little bit, because for two days the happiness was a little bit too much after Nottingham Forest.

“You go all season waiting, waiting. We struggled a little bit with that, but the second half was much better.

“The message after Forest was that if we wanted to be an important team, what we’ve done is done and we have to win a final now.

“That was the message, but there’s the happiness, the tiredness. We played on Sunday for a big target, [Betis] played on Friday for nothing. They had 48 hours extra.

“I expected it a little bit, but in the second half we were much better and we were attacking in behind, which we didn’t do before half-time.”

Chelsea’s eventual 4-1 win made them the first team to win all of Europe’s major continental trophies and brought them their first silverware since the Club World Cup in February 2022.

Since BlueCo’s takeover later that year the club has spent well in excess of £1bn on new signings, but have had little to show for it until securing their first Conference League title.

Coupled with a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, Maresca is hopeful a domino effect is about to follow.

“I’m very proud, and very happy,” he said. “I know the fans deserve it, they’ve waited for a few years for good moments. The club has invested a lot of money so they’ve been waiting too.

“Hopefully, this can be a starting point and we can begin to create something important.

“The target for next season? We’re going to try again. We’ll enjoy it for a week or so, and then start looking ahead.”

James ‘devastated’ not to start | Maresca: I would if I could

Chelsea skipper James was a surprise omission from the starting line-up but played a major part in Chelsea’s second-half turnaround.

He had been left “devastated” to miss out on a place in the starting line-up, but Maresca said managing his minutes and fitness – after a wretched three years of numerous injuries – was the main driver behind starting him on the bench.

“It’s devastating to find out you’re not starting a final,” James told TNT Sports. “I want to play every game, but it was the manager’s decision.

“I needed to accept it and move on and come on if I was needed. In the first half, we were very flat. We needed a reaction in the second half, and we got it.”

Maresca said in response when asked about the decision to start James on the bench: “I promise you, I would always start Reece but I’m trying to protect him, He’s played more games this season than in the last two.

“He’s happy, he’s a top player. He’s like Cole Palmer – but we need to manage him. When I brought him on, he said not to worry and that we’d win the game.”