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Maresca seeks mood swing and tells Chelsea players to ‘take responsibility’

Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea’s players to take responsibility in the season’s closing weeks, with the club fighting for a top-five finish in the Premier League and preparing for the Conference League final.

Fifth-placed Chelsea meet Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Friday night in their penultimate league fixture before a trip to Nottingham Forest, another side battling for Champions League qualification, on Sunday week.

Maresca’s squad then fly to Poland for the Conference League final against Real Betis in Wroclaw – a chance to finish a mixed season on a high and claim the club’s first trophy since the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup, under Thomas Tuchel, in 2021 and 2022.

Asked whether his players’ desire was as important as tactics at this stage of the campaign, Maresca said: “There are some games, like now – the one or two, three games we have – that tactics are important but it’s also other aspects. That is players taking responsibility and also showing desire to bring this club – we said many times – where it has to be.”

Maresca’s relationship with Chelsea supporters has been strained at times since he took charge last summer, and he said achieving their domestic and European aims would help lighten the mood.

“Overall I think I have a good feeling from the fans,” the head coach said. “It’s normal that in some moments they cannot be happy. We [players and staff] were not happy for all the season. For part of the season we didn’t win games so we were not happy. But I think a way to give the fans happiness or joy is to finish top five and win the trophy. We’re going to do our best to try to keep them happy.”

Four points separate the five teams below the champions, Liverpool, and second-placed Arsenal: Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Forest remain in competition with Chelsea for Champions League qualification.

Maresca said Christopher Nkunku remained sidelined but that the England full-back Reece James had rejoined training on Wednesday after illness and may feature against United. Ruben Amorim’s side are also getting ready for a European showpiece – the Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao next Wednesday.

Maresca, who signed a five-year contract when he joined Chelsea from Leicester, acknowledged that Amorim’s task at United had been made harder by arriving mid-season. “When you join the club during the season it’s much more complicated, in Ruben’s case,” he said. “So for him it has not been easy. But if you go back, you can say how good he is, because what he achieved with Sporting has been something important.”

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