Chelsea boss, Enzo Maresca, has opened up about the mental challenge his team faced during their Europa Conference League final clash with Real Betis on Wednesday night, admitting his players lacked motivation at the start of the match.
Maresca revealed that the squad failed to approach the game with the right mindset, still riding high from their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest just days earlier, a result that secured their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
The Blues fell behind in the first half when Isco set up Abde Ezzalzouli to give Betis an early lead.
However, Chelsea regrouped after the break, turning the tide with four second-half goals to seal a convincing victory over the Spanish side.
“In the first half, we approached the game in the wrong way,” Maresca told TNT Sports.
“I expected it a little bit, because for two days the happiness was a little bit too much after Nottingham Forest.
“We struggled a little bit with that, but the second half was much better.
“The message after Forest was that if we wanted to be an important team, what we’ve done is done and we have to win a final now.”
Despite the shaky start, Chelsea’s dominant second-half display ensured they finished their season with silverware, highlighting both their quality and Maresca’s growing influence as manager.
