Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday to secure their spot in next season’s Champions League.
On a dramatic final day of the Premier League, Chelsea produced a great team performance to win 1-0 away against Forest.
Levi Colwill’s second-half goal earned the Blues a vital three points, which means they finish in fourth spot in this year’s Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s position was never under review during his first year at Chelsea, but perhaps the head coach has won over some doubters in the fanbase by delivering Champions League football.
The Blues now wrap up the 2024/25 campaign on Wednesday with the Conference League final against Real Betis. They play in the Club World Cup tournament this summer, too.
Jason Cundy praises mature Chelsea for beating Nottingham Forest
Jason Cundy was super impressed by Chelsea after watching them overcome Forest on the final day to qualify for the Champions League.
In particular, he was stunned to see Maresca’s tactics in the game, with changes to the system and the team helping them to hold on to the winning result.
Cundy told talkSPORT (6:40pm, 25 May): “I thought our second-half performance was a team performance I didn’t think I would see. A maturity… Sitting in, changed the shape, change the personnel. Finished fourth… I think we came of age today. Some stellar performances.”
In the second period, the Chelsea head coach did use both Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto as substitutes to make a positive impact on the game. The pair of them helped to tighten up the Blues XI with a bit more stability.
Chelsea’s player ratings against Nottingham Forest highlighted some impressive individual displays.
Ultimately, the Blues have won five of their final six games in the Premier League to achieve their target of returning to Europe’s elite club competition. We think Maresca deserves a lot of credit for some of the tactics he’s deployed to get his side over the line.
Chelsea reach Champions League with the kids
One very interesting statistic to emerge from the 2024/25 season is that this Chelsea squad is the youngest in Premier League history.
Despite the youthfulness in the Blues camp, they’ve ended up in fourth spot.
Todd Boehly’s feelings on the Chelsea squad are that they need a blend of both youth and experience, so we look forward to seeing what happens in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Like Cundy mentions, it’s a step in the right direction for a young Chelsea group that will have learned a lot over the course of the whole season.
