‘European trophy would prove Chelsea are back’published at 16:26 British Summer Time 8 May
Chelsea v Djurgarden (20:00 BST)
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says the club can make a statement and prove they are “back” by winning the Conference League.
Asked whether winning a trophy, albeit Uefa’s third-tier European competition, would be enough to say Chelsea are back, Maresca said: “Yes, for me, winning a trophy, the Conference League, is a statement to say Chelsea is back.
“Because, firstly, you win a trophy and then, if Real Madrid or different clubs didn’t play the Conference League, it’s because the Conference League is not the level they were at.
“If we play in the Conference League, it’s because that’s where we are – we need to start from there.
“It’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions, so it’s also good for the club.
“From there we will try to win the semi and final. It is a good place to start to build a winners’ mentality to win games and trophies.
“In the future we hope we can be in different competitions but at the moment the reality is the reality.”
