Chelsea supporters have not always been happy with Enzo Maresca following his arrival at the club last summer.
When Chelsea found themselves 2-0 down to Ipswich Town last month, some of Stamford Bridge had a real go at Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea’s form since their 2-2 draw with Kieran McKenna’s side has picked up, with the Blues beating Premier League champions Liverpool last weekend.
Fans will be much happier, but after some recent comments from Maresca, you could not blame them for feeling disappointed again.
Enzo Maresca claims Chelsea are almost ‘back’
Chelsea are clinging onto a Champions League place and find themselves 19 points behind Liverpool.
Arne Slot has been left surprised by that gap between his side and Chelsea, impressed with how well Maresca’s side played at Anfield earlier in the season.
Whatever the case, that gap is there and it is a huge one. Yet Maresca thinks Chelsea will be “back” if they manage to win the Conference League this month.
Speaking to BBC Sport and others in his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s game against Djurgarden, the 45-year-old said: “Yes, for me, winning a trophy, the Conference League, is a statement to say Chelsea is back.
“Because, firstly, you win a trophy and then, if Real Madrid or different clubs didn’t play the Conference League, it’s because the Conference League is not the level they were at.
“If we play in the Conference League, it’s because that’s where we are — we need to start from there. It’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions, so it’s also good for the club.
“From there we will try to win the semi and final. It is a good place to start to build a winners’ mentality to win games and trophies.”
Given where Chelsea once were, you suspect that many fans will disagree with Maresca, though he is aiming for his team not to be in the competition again in his defence.
“In the future we hope we can be in different competitions but at the moment the reality is the reality.”
Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal played out some very high-quality and exciting ties in the Champions League semi-finals. They were the kind of fixtures that Chelsea used to find themselves competing in regularly.
Fast forward to the present, and the Blues are nowhere near that level. Triumph in the Conference League will not change that and to suggest that the club would be back if they won the competition could set a very dangerous precedent.
Ultimately, Maresca’s view of Europe’s third tier competition really shows how much the standard at Chelsea has dropped, and that should worry supporters.
If Maresca and the club are happy to accept Conference League glory as success, then a title charge and deep run in the Champions League may not even be in mind. But given the size of Chelsea and all of the investment that has gone into the squad, it should be.
