Enzo Maresca on Chelsea critics after securing Champions League spot: ‘F off to all of them'
Maresca, in his debut season in charge at Stamford Bridge, secured a fourth-placed finish with Levi Colwill's goal the difference in his side's 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.
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Chelsea have the youngest age profile of any team in the English top-flight, and Maresca said he 'didn't have any doubt' that his squad could succeed this season.
'The doubt was from outside,' Maresca said in a post-match news conference. 'All the ones that have the answers or the ones that have the truth, they were saying that we are too young, we are not good enough, they were waiting for Aston Villa to drop points for us to achieve the Champions League.
'They were saying that we were not able to win on this pitch because we are too young, because we are not experienced. Unfortunately for them, they have all been wrong. All the ones that have the truth and have the answer to everything.
'So in English, how you say? F off to all of them, because the players deserve that. The effort they have been doing is fantastic.'
Chelsea, Champions League winners in 2020-21, return to the competition for the first time in three years. They could still finish the season with silverware as they face Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday.
The fourth-placed finish is Chelsea's highest placing since the takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022, despite heavy investment in the transfer market since.
Maresca said that since he joined the club, 'we haven't spent more than the rest,' adding Chelsea 'now have players who deserve to be in the Champions League'.
After the Conference League final, Maresca's side return to action in June with their FIFA Club World Cup opener against the victor of a one-off play-off between Los Angeles FC and Club America, following Club Leon's removal from the summer tournament.
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