Chelsea star’s comments on Enzo Maresca speak volumes after European triumph

Chelsea ended the season by following up Champions League qualification with victory in the UEFA Conference League, as Enzo Maresca’s young side came of age in Wroclaw and thrashed Real Betis

Noni Madueke insists Enzo Maresca has brought back the winning feeling to Chelsea. Blues boss Maresca has delivered Champions League football and a European trophy in his first season in charge.

Chelsea have now become the first club to win the full set of major European honours after lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy. That is probably on par with what Chelsea expected at the start of the season as they went into the European competition as a big fish in a small pond.

But it was still a big expectation on Maresca’s shoulders as he delivered the club’s first silverware in four years. It has helped put Chelsea back on the map, underlines that Maresca is beginning to harness a big, young squad of talent who are all now pulling in the same direction.

Chelsea winger Madueke clearly believes in Maresca’s methods and says that he has already proved himself by winning promotion with Leicester last year and then topping that in his first year in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Madueke said: “The gaffer is top, man. He won last year at Leicester and he won this year in his first year at Chelsea – and qualified for the Champions League. Of course that’s a success. Especially from where we’ve come from in the last few years.

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“We know that Chelsea is a winning club. But there has been nothing in our minds apart from winning and we did that. Of course it becomes infectious. Of course it does. It’s a lot of the boys’ first major trophy and we are super happy that we’ve done it.”

It was Maresca who turned on his critics after Chelsea won at Nottingham Forest last Sunday and qualified for the Champions League, telling them to “f*** off” in a foul-mouthed outburst.

Madueke was invited to deliver a message to the club’s critics after Chelsea won the Europa Conference League – but actually delivered a different response.

England star Madueke said: “The critics make the game, man. I’m not too worried about them. They spur you on. So, thank you to them. But I don’t understand why there would be criticism of the manager.”

Chelsea were serial winners in the Roman Abramovich era, lifting titles, domestic cups and European trophies. But the Conference League was their first silverware since 2021. It has been a period of uncertainty for the club since joint owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over the reins.

But Madueke insisted that Chelsea’s squad – with the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League of 24 years and 36 days – has now come of age with the Conference League success.

Madueke added: “It’s fantastic. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and we are super happy that we got the job done. I feel like we’ve come of age, don’t you? I feel like we have, you know. I think the last few weeks, we’ve taken a leap in that sense.

“You look at the Nottingham Forest game and we came through that. The Liverpool game at home, the United game at home and then this final.

“The first half was difficult in the final, but we came out and showed desire, I think my team is so together and I’m so proud of everyone.”

But there will be no rest for Madueke who will enjoy a party to celebrate but must join up with England next week before then going to the Club World Cup with Chelsea this summer.

Madueke said: “I will go and link up with the national team first and then two days, then off to America but, to be fair, this is the life of a football player. These nights are a blessing so I’m not complaining.”

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