Chelsea ended the season by following the qualification of the Champions League with the victory in the UEFA Conference League, while the young side of Enzo Maresca became the age of Wroclaw and had struck real betis
Noni Madueke insists that Enzo Maresca brought the winning feeling back to Chelsea. Blues -Baas Maresca has delivered Champions League football and a European trophy in his first season that was in charge.
Chelsea has now become the first club to win the full set of major European awards after lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy. That is probably the same as what Chelsea expected at the start of the season when they entered the European competition like a large fish in a small pond.
But it was still a big expectation on Maresca's shoulders when he delivered the club's first silverware in four years. It has helped to put Chelsea back on the map, underlines that Maresca is starting to use a large, young team of talent, all pulling in the same direction.
Chelsea wing player Madueke clearly believes in Maresca's methods and says that he has already proven himself by winning promotion with Leicester last year and then in his first year in the lead at Stamford Bridge.
Madueke said: “The Gaffer is top, man. He won in Leicester last year and he won this year in his first year in Chelsea – and qualified for the Champions League. Of course that is a success. Especially from where we have come from in recent years.
“We know that Chelsea is a winning club. But there has been nothing in our minds, apart from winning and we did that. Of course it will be contagious. Of course it is. It is much of the first big trophy of the boys and we are super happy that we did it.”
It was Maresca who turned on his critics after Chelsea won in Nottingham Forest last Sunday and qualified for the Champions League and told them that they had to be “finished” in a disruption in a dirty mouth.
Madueke was invited to give a message to the club's critics after Chelsea won the Europa Conference League – but actually delivered a different answer.
England Madueke said: “The critics make the game, man. I am not too worried about them. They encourage you. So thanks to them. But I don't understand why there would be criticism of the manager.”
Chelsea were serial winners in the Roman Abramovich era, titles, domestic cups and European trophies. But the Conference League was their first silverware since 2021. It has been a period of uncertainty for the club since joint owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over the reins.
But Madueke insisted that the Chelsea team – with the latest average that XI started in the Premier League of 24 years and 36 days – has now grown up with the success of the Conference League.
Madueke added: “It is fantastic. It's the highlight of a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and we are super happy that we are doing the job. I feel that we have become an adult, right? I feel that we have done that, you know. I think we have made a leap in that sense in the past weeks.
“You look at the Nottingham Forest game and we got through it. The Liverpool match at home, the United match at home and then this final.
“The first half was difficult in the final, but we came out and showed desire, I think my team is so together and I am so proud of everyone.”
But there will be no rest for Madueke who will enjoy a party to celebrate, but will have to participate in the World Cup of Club with Chelsea this summer next week.
Madueke said: “I will first connect to the national team and then two days, then to America, but to be honest, this is the life of a football player. These nights are a blessing, so I don't complain.”