Maresca: If we win the UEFA Champions League, we will make our season more perfect

May 26th, on May 25th, local time in the UK, in the 38th round of the Premier League this season, Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 and finally ranked fourth in the league to lock in the Champions League qualification. Chelsea coach Maresca was interviewed after the game.

How do you feel after reaching the team's goal this season (to the Champions League)?

Very happy, I have many reasons to be happy, I think Chelsea players deserve this result, since the first day of the season, they have been working very hard, and the club has been one and moving in the same direction throughout the season. I have said many times this season that there is much more noise outside than inside (meaning: Chelsea is still very united inside).

Today's game is very difficult. How do you manage the team's emotions?

Yes, this game is very difficult, Manchester City lost (Home of Forests), Arsenal drew here, Liverpool drew here, and Chelsea won, which is not easy, Chelsea players demonstrate their abilities and their efforts. Unfortunately, in the industry we are in, people only look at the results, and if we fail to win this game today, maybe many of you will think that this season is a disaster for Chelsea. But that's not the case. I have said many times that Chelsea has been very good this season. Two years ago we ranked 12th in the league, sixth last year and fourth this year. Don’t forget that we may have the youngest squad in Premier League history, so I’m very happy now.

About Chelsea's winning of this crucial game today

From the first day of the season until today, the results of each game are important to us. We have our own way of playing and want to get results the way we want. I think the players are very tenacious today, and we have adjusted our tactics when we are off the ball to a certain extent. Playing football in today's environment is not easy, but our team's players handle it well.

Do you think Chelsea has performed poorly overall in the second half of the season?

Some people may say that since January, we have not played many good games, but I don't see that, today we have achieved a goal that is very important for the club, and we are very happy.

Regarding players who have never doubted Chelsea, I have never doubted the players. Those so-called doubts come from the outside world. Those who think they have mastered the truth say we are too young and not good enough. They say we need other teams (such as Aston Villa) to make mistakes before we can qualify for the Champions League. They say we cannot win on the field (forests) because we are too young and lack experience. Now they are all proven to be wrong, so please shut up because Chelsea players deserve such results and the efforts they put in are amazing.

Does the qualification to enter the Champions League provide you with more options in the transfer market?

To be honest, I'm not thinking about what's next summer right now, today is a day we should be happy because we brought the club to where it should be and we did. From tomorrow, we will start preparing for Wednesday's Europa League finals, and then we will have time to think about next season.

In the second half of today's game, how much do you know about the scores of other Premier League games in this round?

They only informed me once, and that was when Manchester United scored the second goal, my assistant coach Caballero told me that "Manchester United led Villa 2-0". That was the only information I got in the game, and this week I kept saying to the players "We don't need to pay attention to Villa's game, we just need to do our jobs",

As long as we win the forest, everything is fine.

Seeing Colville, a Chelsea youth training player, scored the winning goal today, how do you evaluate Chelsea's high investment in the transfer market?

I wasn't here in the past, and I think Chelsea hasn't spent more money than other clubs since I joined the club, and we invested in the same way as other clubs.

Let's talk about Chelsea's qualification for the Champions League next season, which is first attributed to the players. I feel that I have helped them grow, and I am especially proud of them for their progress this season. They are all good guys. Most of the time, the outside world thinks we are not good enough, says “we are too young, we don’t have the leader players”, and so on, but they end up being wrong.

Regarding the UEFA Champions League final next week, I think Chelsea's performance this season is already very good. If we can win and win the UEFA Champions League next Wednesday, it will make our season more perfect.