Enzo Maresca Throws Jab at Chelsea Critics After Qualifying for UCL 2025/26

• Chelsea finished fourth on the Premier League table and qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League
• The Blues ended their league season with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest thanks to Levi Colwill’s goal
• Head coach Enzo Maresca did not hold back his words when hitting out at the critics who doubted his team

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca went expletive on critics after his team secured UEFA Champions League football for the 2025/2026 season on the final day of the Premier League 2024/25 season.

The Blues confirmed their fourth spot after beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground thanks to Levi Colwill's second-half goal on the season's final day.

Chelsea were in the title race in December before collapsing and eventually struggled to make the top four at the end. The clubs' season isn't over yet with the UEFA Europa Conference League final still to play.

"The doubt was from outside" - Maresca to Chelsea critics

At the start of the season, not many pundits and even fans gave Chelsea the chance of qualifying for next season's UCL, mainly because of their inexperienced manager and players.

According to Football London, English pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville questioned Chelsea's credentials to beat Nottingham Forest and qualify for the Champions League.

The former Liverpool and Manchester United players agreed that the match would end in a draw, thus leading to both teams missing out.

Maresca fired strong words at the two pundits who doubted his team and added that he never doubted his players, making reference to their claims that Aston Villa has to drop points for Chelsea to qualify.

"I didn't have any doubt about the players, the doubt was from outside,” he said as quoted by ESPN.

“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 for us to achieve the Champions League.”

He added that they questioned whether his team could score a victory at the City Ground because they were young and inexperienced, which unfortunately for the doubters, they won.

“All the ones that have the truth and have the answer to everything. So in English, how do you say? F-off to all of them, because the players deserve that. The effort they have been putting in is fantastic.”

It is going to be a long summer for Maresca and his team. First, they have a chance to become the first club to win all three UEFA club competitions if they beat Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday.

They will also compete in the summer FIFA Club World Cup in the United States for a chance to win the competition for the second time in their history.

Mikel Obi sends message to Nicolas Jackson

Legit.ng reported that Mikel Obi sent a message to Nicolas Jackson after the striker received a red card during the 2-0 loss against Newcastle for violent conduct.

The Senegalese striker missed the final two matches of the season, and it threatened Chelsea's chance of qualifying for the Champions League, which they eventually did.

Source: Legit.ng