Conference League Win Would Show Chelsea Are Back, Says Maresca

Chelsea have one foot in the Europa Conference League final after beating Djugardens IF 4-1 in the semi-final first leg; the Blues would play either Real Betis or Fiorentina if they progress to the May 28 final in Wroclaw

Enzo Maresca believes winning the Europa Conference League would be a sign that Chelsea are “back”.

The Blues have one foot in the Conference League final – taking place in Wroclaw on May 28 – after a 4-1 semi-final first leg win away at Swedish side Djugardens IF.

Should Chelsea win the competition, they would automatically qualify for the Europa League, but Maresca’s side are also chasing Champions League qualification via a top-five Premier League finish.

The Blues have a two-point lead over sixth-placed Nottingham Forest with three games left – but Maresca believes creating a winning mentality is also important at the club.

“For me, winning a trophy this season – and the Conference League trophy – is a statement that you can say: Chelsea is back,” said Maresca in a press conference ahead of the semi-final second leg.

“From there, it’s a good starting point to building the winning mentality and winning trophies.”

‘Chelsea need to learn how to win’
As a player, Maresca won two UEFA Cup titles with Sevilla, as well as the UEFA Super Cup with the Spanish side in 2006.

However, the Italian coach revealed he picked up his best example of a winning mentality while at Juventus, where he spent four years as a player between 2000 and 2004.

“It’s important because it shapes yourself, all the experiences do,” said Maresca about the impact of winning a European trophy as a player.

“The best experience in terms of winning mentality has been with Juventus, because it’s a club where you realise that even in the training sessions, you want to win the small-sided games. So it’s a winning mentality in all the competitions.

“It’s nice to win trophies, because you learn how to win. Chelsea is a big club with many important, trophies in the past but we need to learn how to win with this squad, one that is different from the squad that won important trophies in the past here with Chelsea.

“I try to convince the players that day by day, you have to build the winning mentality. You have to win the small-sided games.

“The competition we are in this moment is the Conference League, then we have to win this competition. In the future, we can be in other competitions but at the moment, this is the reality.”

Skysports.com