Enzo Maresca accused of lying by Chelsea legend after winning Conference League

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Enzo Maresca has been called up on his comments in the aftermath of Chelsea's final Premier League match of the season following their victory in the Conference League final
Enzo Maresca has lied about the doubts he felt around his Chelsea squad earlier in the season, according to Frank Leboeuf. Maresca ended the season triumphantly by guiding Chelsea to fourth in the Premier League before winning the Conference League with a win over Real Betis.
The Blues have risen to the pressure impressively, seeing off Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Sunday to secure a place in next season's Champions League, before producing a comeback over Betis. The Spanish side led 1-0 at half-time in Wroclaw, but Maresca's changes helped his side roar back and win 4-1.
‌
Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo earned a new trophy for Chelsea's collection and ensured a wholly positive feeling at the end of a busy 2024/25 campaign. Maresca has revelled in the achievements from his debut campaign in charge, but former Chelsea star Leboeuf has criticised his words.
‌
'I didn't have any doubt about the players. The doubt was from outside,' Maresca said in a rant after the Forest win which saw him tell Chelsea's critics: 'F off to all of them, because the players deserve that.'
But Leboeuf believes this assertion is simply not true. He told ESPN: 'He is right and he has a right to brag. He finished fourth in the league and won the Conference League today and we didn't think he could finish fourth and that's the reality.
'But his first sentence is a lie. He said he never had doubts about his team. Yeah, he had doubts like everybody else, even the players had doubts about the capacity of consistency. As we said this season in the Premier League inconsistency is the word of the season. Nobody has been consistent, even Liverpool hasn't been consistent.
‌
'Chelsea, for some people, they were in the race for the title in December. I said wait for the first defeat and what happened? They went down. No doubt Mr Maresca? Yes you had doubts, of course you had doubts.'
Speaking in his post-match press conference after the Conference League win, Maresca did admit that his Forest outburst was 'a little bit exaggerated'. He said: 'Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winner mentality. You need to win games, you need to win competition. 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. But for me, it's the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed.
'That's why after Nottingham Forest, my outburst was a little bit exaggerated. But the reason why is just because in 38 games, you need to be consistent. And with the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, it's something unbelievable.'