Enzo Maresca hits back at Chelsea critics after Champions League qualification: 'Eff off'

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Evening Standard

·25 May 2025

Enzo Maresca hits back at Chelsea critics after Champions League qualification: 'Eff off'

Chelsea finished fourth despite having the youngest squad in Premier League history

Enzo Maresca has hit out at Chelsea’s critics after they secured a Champions League return, telling those who doubted his young side to “eff off”.

The Blues will play in Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2022/23 after their 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest secured a fourth-placed finish.

While Maresca’s side were as high as second in the table in December, few had expected them to mount a serious Champions League challenge back in August, after several tumultuous seasons and more upheaval in the summer transfer window.

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Levi Colwill’s goal at the City Ground, however, has ensured that the youngest squad in Premier League history will be back among Europe’s elite clubs next term - and would have been so even if Aston Villa and Newcastle had not been beaten on the final day.

“I didn’t have any doubt about the players,” said the Italian, who was accompanied into the post-match press conference by his young daughter. “The doubt was from outside.

“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 [against Manchester United] 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.”

Smiling, he added: “All the ones that have the truth and have the answer to everything - in English, how you say? - ‘eff-off’ to all of them, because the players deserve that. The effort they have been doing is fantastic.”

Chelsea began the season in superb form but their form suffered badly after the turn of the year and at one stage they looked in danger of slipping out of Champions League contention ahead of a tricky run-in.

A timely run of five wins in their final six matches, however, ensured Maresca’s debut campaign will go down as a significant success - even before Wednesday night’s Conference League final against Real Betis.

“We are in a business where people judge us because of results,” Maresca added. “Today, if we were not able to win the game, probably all of you would judge the season as a disaster. But it was not a disaster.

“I said many times that this season was already good. We were 12th two years ago, sixth last year and fourth this season, with the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League. So, I’m very happy.”