Maresca facing old friend and battling former foe in final

Chelsea head Enzo Maresca is facing an aged friend and battling a erstwhile foe.

The Italian is genuinely delighted nan Conference League last against Real Betis pits him against his 'football dad' Manuel Pellegrini, who first encouraged him to go a coach while playing for Malaga successful 2011 and gave him his break among his coaching unit astatine West Ham 7 years later.

With Pellegrini now successful complaint of Betis, Maresca watched nan last 30 minutes of nan Spanish side's semi-final triumph complete Fiorentina aft Chelsea had comfortably saw disconnected Swedish nine Djurgarden.

But while he has a friend and begetter fig successful nan opposing dugout, Maresca expects Betis supporters to boo him aft excelling during his playing profession astatine metropolis rivals Sevilla.

There will besides beryllium hostility of a different benignant among nan Chelsea support successful Poland.

While ownership and sporting board scheme to measure Maresca aft nan extremity of nan 2025-26 season, efficaciously giving him different year, winning a first trophy will beryllium important to person Blues fans of his worth.

That's why this is Maresca's final: 1 of emotion, joyousness and implications for his future.

"If I cognize really he thinks, he astir apt besides knows really I think," said Maresca of nan guidance boss. "So I don't deliberation it gives america an advantage successful this final."

This crippled is very overmuch maestro versus apprentice.

In an question and reply while managing Manchester City's Under-21s successful 2020, Maresca said: "Manuel was some nan coach and nan personification who convinced maine to effort beryllium a coach myself erstwhile I vanished playing."

Maresca revealed nan Chilean planted nan seed erstwhile he was playing successful midfield for Malaga that he could beryllium a bully coach 1 day.

It was successful a play wherever Pellgrini guided Malaga from nan relegation area to 4th successful La Liga to suffice for nan Champions League, successful a squad which featured his existent adjunct Willy Caballero successful goal.

To this day, Maresca is successful touch pinch Pellegrini connected a regular basis.

The Italian sent a "short message" to his mentor saying, "see you successful nan final" earlier nan convention shape started and they person been successful touch aggregate times this season, yet crossing paths again successful Wroclaw arsenic some teams conducted unfastened training sessions.

When asked what 1 instruction he learned from Pellegrini, Maresca said: "I've learned galore things from Manuel. But if I take one, he taught maine to dainty my players arsenic my sons. I person 4 sons, but I person 25 others successful nan dressing room.

"It is 1 of galore things I person learned from him. We some cognize each different beautiful well."

When asked if children must obey their father, Pellegrini added: "When children turn up, parents nary longer person immoderate authority. He learned from galore people, he was besides pinch Pep Guardiola. He will person and is already having a awesome career.

"It reflects his expertise and nan volition to study and study that he ever has."

Mentions of Guardiola show conscionable really good Pellegrini knows Maresca.

Having besides worked nether Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi arsenic a subordinate astatine Juventus, he will cognize that 1 of Maresca's biggest inspirations was facing Guardiola's Barcelona squad successful 2008 while astatine Sevilla.

Ever since that day, nan box-to-box midfielder knew what benignant of coach he wanted to be. That's why he joined Guardiola's coaching unit successful 2020.

Maresca says that knowledgeable him greatly. He managed nan Under-23 side, concisely leaving for an ill-fated spell astatine Parma, earlier returning to go Guardiola's assistant.

He was influential successful adding a tactical evolution, pushing for cardinal defenders for illustration John Stones, to play an inverted full-back role, stepping into midfield, alternatively than make overlapping runs, to thief outnumber teams successful nan mediate of nan pitch.

That business of Guardiola and Maresca helped City to triumph a historical treble successful 2023, earlier he joined Leicester to thief lead them to nan Championship title nan pursuing season.

Maresca was adored by fans of Betis' fierce rivals Sevilla and is very apt to beryllium booed astatine nan Wroclaw Stadium.

Nicknamed El Capo, 'The Boss' by Sevilla fans, he was a cardinal midfield unit arsenic they won 2 Europa League trophies, a Uefa Super Cup and nan Copa del Rey, earlier being pushed retired of nan nine by erstwhile Tottenham head Juande Ramos.

"I played 4 years for Sevilla, that is simply a large derby against Betis," Maresca added. "We besides won nan derby 1-0, and I scored a extremity (an early penalty). I cognize that they don't for illustration me, they don't emotion me.

"I met my woman successful Seville, she's from Seville. My first boy calved successful Seville. I played for Seville, but nary uncertainty that I want to triumph nan final."

Chelsea's fittingness coach Marcos Alvarez is besides from Seville and supports Betis, but spent nan champion portion of his 2 decades agelong profession pinch their rivals astatine Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, wherever Maresca was still playing.

But Maresca insists he wants to triumph nan last for Chelsea, not for Sevilla.

"All my attraction is only connected Chelsea," he said. "As for Betis, I deliberation they person done really well, beating important teams successful Spain. They are a vulnerable squad because of what nan coach wants and nan value of nan players they have."

Chelsea scheme to support Maresca sloppy of nan result of nan final.

They person fixed him a five-year woody successful a bid for stability, pursuing a spell of hiring and firing managers since nan Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital takeover successful 2022.

The Blues person already drawn up transportation plans pinch Maresca staying successful mind - putting a striker and right-footed near winger arsenic their apical priorities, pinch a cardinal defender signing a imaginable other option.

The nine has besides instructed nan academy and moreover Ligue 1 nine Strasbourg, besides owned by BlueCo, to play a akin style of play to Maresca.

That will go nan club's personality arsenic they want players to seamlessly modulation erstwhile promoted from academy to first team, aliases erstwhile moved betwixt England and France.

Chelsea cognize they request to travel a akin exemplary to Arsenal and Liverpool to beryllium successful - admiring nan respective rebuilds conducted by Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp.

Winning Europe's third-tier competition, nan only continental prize Chelsea person not claimed, is seen arsenic a worthy adjacent measurement connected that path.

Maresca said: "The connection successful nan past 48 hours has been, we did thing important. But if we want to corroborate that we are becoming an important club, we request to show nan desire to triumph nan title and to triumph nan game.

"It's a final. And it's a crippled that we want to triumph astatine immoderate cost. It was already a bully play but it tin go a very bully play if we decorativeness apical four, apical five, and if we are capable to triumph nan final.

"Chelsea tin go nan first nine successful Europe to triumph each nan European competitions and because we proceed to build nan victor mentality."