Chelsea: Why the Conference League is key to Enzo Maresca project at Stamford Bridge

Evening Standard

·13. März 2025

Chelsea: Why the Conference League is key to Enzo Maresca project at Stamford Bridge

Third-tier European competition could be a springboard to bigger trophies

Chelsea face Copenhagen in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday, leading 2-1 from the first leg

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If Chelsea require any convincing that winning the Conference League can be a springboard bigger trophies, their manager can speak from personal experience.

It was at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven that, in 2006, Enzo Maresca scored twice and was man of the match in the final of the UEFA Cup. Sevilla beat Middlesbrough 4-0 and so began a love affair with Europe’s secondary competition. The Spanish side have since won it six more times, becoming its most successful team.

Chelsea do not wish to strike their own love affair with the Conference League, of course. The presence of teams such as FC Petrocub Hincesti, Borac Banja Luka, and FC Noah demonstrates why the Conference League still lacks prestige and why Chelsea, its far-and-away favourites, simply have to win it.

But if Maresca has hopes of greater triumphs and more illustrious titles during his time at Stamford Bridge, he and his players ought to take it seriously.

Chelsea won 2-1 in Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 tie last week

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Particularly for a young squad like Chelsea's, winning breeds winning. Maresca said so himself.

Can Chelsea use the Conference League as Sevilla used their 2006 UEFA Cup win? “It could be,” Maresca said ahead of the second leg of their last-16 tie against Copenhagen on Thursday, leading 2-1 from the first leg. “It could be.

“Sevilla’s history is very different from Chelsea’s. Chelsea is a club that every year fights - especially in the past - for big titles.

“Since then [2006], they [Sevilla] won more titles. But for sure, when you start winning you can get addicted. You can start to win games, to enjoy it. Hopefully for us it can be exactly the same.”

Only if they prevail tonight, though, against one of the better sides left in the Conference League.

Centre-back Levi Colwill, in line to start at Stamford Bridge, is in no doubt that Chelsea are being guided into the business end of the tournament by just the right man.

“The way he [Maresca] teaches us every day has been amazing,” Colwill glowed on Wednesday. “Everyone in the changing room really enjoys playing under him. I love the ideas that he has.

“The games we are winning, it’s all down to him. Of course, we’ve got amazing players that are going to help us pull off what he wants us to do, but at the end of the day it comes down to him, in my opinion.

“He’s a joker, at times. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of him. He’s got a good balance.”

For the first time in the Conference League, there might be some backs-to-the-wall defending for Colwill and the Chelsea defence to busy themselves with tonight.

Copenhagen are a decent side and Chelsea's lead is slender. Colwill insists he and his team-mates are ready to “handle different situations”.

Colwill is in no doubt, though, that with Maresca in command of the reins, Chelsea can progress to the quarter-finals - and that in the long-term under the Italian, “we’re only going to get better and better.”