Top News

The Blues are set to take on Real Betis on Wednesday in the final of the Conference League, and they are seen by many as overwhelming favourites.

However, there are concerns that a defeat against the La Liga side could invite further scrutiny on Maresca’s position despite the fact that his team have qualified for the Champions League.

Speaking to BuzzParker insisted that boss Maresca must get the team back to winning trophies in order to avoid spoiling his achievements this season, saying: “(Losing) certainly won’t help with the way a lot of the fans feel about him. He definitely needs this and he wants it badly.

“He desperately needs to win that trophy. Even the most hardened Chelsea fan, who mostly thinks it’s not a big trophy, would say they want it because if you’re a club like how Chelsea perceive themselves, everything that’s in front of you, you want to win.”

The Blues’ last piece of silverware was the FIFA Club World Cup in 2022, though their last major trophy was the Champions League, which they won in the 2020-21 season.

© Imago

Is there a risk of Maresca ending the season poorly?

In his previous role as Leicester City boss, Maresca managed to get the Foxes promoted from the Championship to the top flight at the end of 2023-24, but his side ended the campaign in poor fashion.

Leicester lost eight, drew one and won seven of their final 15 games that season, and there are fears that his limited experience of getting teams over the line could cost Chelsea.

Parker spoke of his hope that Maresca has learned from his experience with Leicester, when he told Buzz: “As a manager in English football, he coached one season at Leicester and he got a promotion and he just about got over the line. Their performance at the end of that season for Leicester wasn’t very good. They really had to push hard in the end.

“Chelsea have managed to get themselves over the line into the Champions League, so we need something positive (to end the season on) so we can have a half-decent summer.”

It should be noted that Chelsea have come into strong form at the end of this season, winning seven of their eight most recent outings.

© Imago

Comparisons to Tottenham

A win in the Conference League final would also ensure that Chelsea become the third Premier League club based in London to win silverware this term, following in the footsteps of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs were crowned Europa League champions when they beat Manchester United 1-0 on May 21and they will have bragging rights over the Blues should Real Betis claim the Conference League.

Parker insisted that a victory on Wednesday would prevent Tottenham supporters from boasting about their Europa League triumph to Chelsea fans, telling Buzz: “You want the trophy loaded up so you can throw it back as a Chelsea fan – most Chelsea fans want to throw it back at Tottenham in particular.

“Tottenham’s got a trophy, and Chelsea would have a trophy to match it. It doesn’t matter what levels they’re seen as, it still matches their one, so they’ll be content with that.”

Winning the Conference League would also add significantly to Chelsea’s history in Europe given they have won two Champions League titles, as well as two Europa Leagues, and they would become the first side to win each of UEFA’s three main European competitions in club football.

No Data Analysis info