Enzo Maresca said Chelsea can use winning the Uefa Conference League as a springboard for future success after Cole Palmer fired his team to a 4-1 victory over Real Betis in Wednesday night’s final at Stadion Wroclaw.
Palmer, who was named player of the match after a stunning performance in the second half, was at the heart of an inspired comeback from Maresca’s young side. The 23-year-old produced gorgeous assists for Enzo Fernández and Nicolas Jackson as Chelsea, who were already on a high after qualifying for the Champions League last weekend, fought back from 1-0 down and claimed their first trophy since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago.
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“Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winner mentality,” Maresca said. “You need to win games, you need to win competitions. The trophy is going to make us better. But also, I’m very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League.
“It’s the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. With the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, it’s something unbelievable.”
Chelsea were poor in the first half but fired back in the second half, rounding off a resounding win with goals from Jadon Sancho and Moisés Caicedo. Palmer had stolen the show.
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“I was sick of getting the ball and going backwards and sideways,” the attacker said. “I thought when I next get the ball I’m going to go. The first one, there was a bit of space and I’ve seen Enzo running at it so put it over the top. It is a good feeling for us and the fans, we just picked up the intensity.”
Chelsea’s focus now turns to competing in the expanded Club World Cup, which takes place in the US this summer. Maresca batted aside a question about whether his side are contenders to win the Champions League next season.
“Now we have 10 days off,” the Italian said. “Ten days where we need to recover energy. And then we’re going to start the Club World Cup. The target is go game by game.”
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