Chelsea aim higher after Conference League triumph
The Premier League team beat Real Betis 4-1 on Wednesday, recovering strongly from being outplayed in the first half by their Spanish opponents.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca's second-half substitutions lifted his team but an inspired Cole Palmer was the catalyst for victory, producing two pinpoint crosses for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson.
Jadon Sancho's fine finish made it 3-1 and Moises Caicedo added a fourth in stoppage time to give Chelsea their first silverware since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club in May 2022 from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
During the past three years the owners have spent more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on promising young talent, but until now have had little to show for it.
Chelsea had been clear favourites to win Europe's third-tier club competition from the start, enabling Maresca to field youth and fringe players.
They rampaged through the group phase, outclassing teams with a fraction of their resources such as Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers.
Maresca spoke on the eve of the final in Poland about how he had stressed the importance of the Conference League to his players.
He will not need to persuade them next season as they are back where they feel they belong, the Champions League, following a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
'Winning mentality'
Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped winning the Conference League would be a launchpad for bigger and better.
"Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winning mentality," he said. "You need to win games. You need to win competitions.
"And for sure, the trophy we won tonight 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.
"For me, it's the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed it."
Maresca had a rollercoaster first season after replacing Mauricio Pochettino.
His team were within touching distance of eventual Premier League champions Liverpool in mid-December before stumbling badly.
But they found an extra gear towards the end of the campaign, negotiating a tricky run-in to finish in the Champions League spots.
"For sure, we have improved a lot since we started," said former Leicester boss Maresca. "We also start to win games in an ugly way.
"That is something with a young squad that you struggle to do that."
The Italian has been keen to highlight the extreme youth of his expensively assembled squad.
The average age of his starting side was the youngest in a single Premier League campaign.
Under Abramovich, Chelsea became serial trophy winners, claiming five Premier League titles and winning the Champions League twice.
It is too early to predict whether they will return to those heady heights but the Conference League is a start.
Next on the agenda is a trip to the Club World Cup in the United States, for which Chelsea qualified by winning the 2021 Champions League.
"Now we have 10 days off, 10 days where we need to recover energy, and then we're going to start the Club World Cup," said Maresca.
"The target is to go game by game, try to go step by step, but at this moment we don't have any target for the Club World Cup.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid can both win after 'difficult' move
The record 15-time Champions League winners are the world's most successful club and joining them as a player is widely viewed as reaching the pinnacle of the game. In 2003, Madrid signed David Beckham from Manchester United -- a player Alexander-Arnold has sometimes been likened to for his passing range and crossing ability. "It's not the case that other teams are bad, it's just that Real Madrid are the greatest," England international Jude Bellingham said after he joined from Dortmund in 2023. The presence of Bellingham, a compatriot and close friend, certainly increased Madrid's appeal for Alexander-Arnold whose highly-anticipated arrival was formally announced on Friday. The Liverpool academy graduate won it all at Anfield but his chances of winning silverware more regularly are boosted with Los Blancos, so he took the risk of leaving his boyhood club. From Madrid's perspective, securing Alexander-Arnold's services on a six-year deal also seemed an obvious step to take. With Dani Carvajal, 33, injured for much of the season, right-back has been a problem position. Fede Valverde and the departing Lucas Vazquez have played there even though it is not their natural role. Carvajal will be back next season but after his serious knee injury and given his age, whether he will return at the same level is uncertain. Alexander-Arnold, 26, is expected to form part of Madrid's squad for years to come. The defender's arrival fits Madrid's recent approach of using their super-club status to hire 'Galactico' level stars at the end of their contracts. French striker Kylian Mbappe's arrival from Paris Saint-Germain last summer is the prime example, while Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba also joined without a transfer fee. Alexander-Arnold has the attacking range to delight Madrid's demanding fans, who love full-backs with a penchant for the spectacular, including Marcelo and Roberto Carlos. The Liverpudlian, a set-piece expert, has also been used in midfield by England which is an area where Madrid have struggled since Toni Kroos' departure last summer. Sweetening the pot is Alexander-Arnold's association with Liverpool's 4-0 thrashing of Madrid's arch-rivals Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals. The defender created his team's vital fourth goal after a 3-0 away defeat, with a corner taken quickly to catch out Barca's defence and tee up Divock Origi to score. "When I got to those big occasions, I felt like that's where I belonged," Alexander-Arnold told FourFourTwo. "Those sorts of games naturally demand you to play the best that you can and think on the spot, and have those moments of brilliance –- I was able to come up with one." Defensive doubts British players have not always found it easy to adapt to life in the Spanish capital. Welshman Gareth Bale was hugely successful at Madrid and yet still ended up as a scapegoat, while England internationals Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate never completely found their footing. Bellingham hit the ground running however, leading Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double in his first campaign, and can help Alexander-Arnold fit in. The biggest concerns around Alexander-Arnold's arrival relate to his defensive aptitude. At times for Liverpool and England he has been criticised for switching off, allowing wingers to drift behind him unchecked. Madrid's defensive line has suffered this season as they ended up without a major trophy. If new coach Xabi Alonso sticks to the 3-4-3 system he used at Bayer Leverkusen, Alexander-Arnold could thrive in the right wing-back role. "Because he is so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes on him doing special things with the ball," explained Liverpool coach Arne Slot in September. "I think with him it is not about if he is capable of doing things, it's more -- can his concentration rate constantly be at 100 percent focus?" It would not be the first time Madrid have signed a player fuelled by optimism over their potential, rather than a more measured approach to squad-building. In Alexander-Arnold's case, though, there is plenty to suggest this union will suit both club and player.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
AC Milan turn to old boy Allegri in hour of need
Milan have turned to serial winner Allegri in their hour of need following the widely expected sacking of Sergio Conceicao, who leaves the San Siro club after five miserable months in charge. "AC Milan is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Allegri has been appointed as the head coach of the men's first team," said Milan in a statement. Milan did not reveal details of the deal but Italian media widely report that Allegri has signed a two-year contract worth five million euros a season, with the option to extend for a further two years. Allegri has become the fourth coach in a year for Milan, who finished this past Serie A season in eighth place. The 57-year-old led Milan to the 2011 Scudetto in his first stint in charge, between 2010 and 2014, and he was their coach for one of the most infamous episodes in recent Serie A history. Milan were beating Juventus, rivals for the 2012 league title, 1-0 in February that year when a Sulley Muntari goal was not given despite the ball clearly crossing the line. Juve went on to draw that game 1-1 and then win their first title in nine years -- finishing the campaign unbeaten -- and two years later hired Allegri who then won Serie A five more times in his two spells with the Turin giants. Allegri had been on hiatus since being sacked by Juve in May last year, his final act there being a post-match rampage after winning the Italian Cup in which he railed at officials and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli. Conceicao out Conceicao, a former Inter Milan and Lazio player, was hired in late December in place of his countryman Paulo Fonseca on a contract until next year. He began in positive fashion at Milan by winning the Italian Super Cup in January, beating local rivals Inter in the final in Riyadh. But he failed in his task of getting a Champions League spot for a talented but inconsistent team frequently accused of having a bad attitude. And the 50-year-old's fate was sealed when Milan lost the Italian Cup final to Bologna earlier this month. Conceciao, 50, won 16 of 31 games in charge at Milan, including 11 victories, seven losses and three draws in the league and also had to deal with vociferous protests from supporters against the club's American owners RedBird. Fans demonstrated in large numbers outside Milan's headquarters ahead of their team's final match of the season, a dead-rubber against relegated Monza last weekend. That protest was a culmination of months of visible anger from supporters who have watched Milan slide down the league after Stefano Pioli took them to second place in 2023/24. For months matches have been punctuated by loud calls for owner Gerry Cardinale, the founder of investment fund RedBird, to sell the club as fans watched Inter battle for the Serie A title and arrive at this weekend's Champions League final.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Real Madrid sign Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool
The 26-year-old England international's contract at Anfield was drawing to an end but Madrid paid a fee to bring him in earlier so he can play in the Club World Cup. Right-back Alexander-Arnold, who has just won the Premier League title with Liverpool, came through the academy of his boyhood club and won the Champions League in 2019. He also won the Premier League in 2020 and 352 appearances for the club. The defender joins former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid, with the Spaniard appointed as their new coach to replace Carlo Ancelotti. Alexander-Arnold's close connections to Liverpool meant that his announcement that he was leaving the club was viewed with disgust by some supporters and he was booed in the penultimate match of the season. But after club figures including former manager Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah urged fans to remember the contribution he has made to Liverpool's success over the last six years, he was roundly cheered when he lifted the Premier League trophy at Anfield last Sunday. The defender joins a Real Madrid side which failed to win a major trophy this season. Alexander-Arnold has been criticised for his defensive concentration at times but brings supreme passing vision and attacking edge down the right flank. Real Madrid have struggled at right-back this season with Dani Carvajal recovering from a long-term knee injury and winger Lucas Vazquez enduring a torrid time there out of position. Alexander-Arnold could make his Real Madrid debut when they face Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in their opening Club World Cup match on June 18 in Miami.
