Jose Mourinho hinted that many generations of Chelsea coaches have lived under the huge shadow he left behind. The hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica was therefore like a reminder that Enzo Maresca still has a lot of work to do if he wants to gain the same respect.
That was a special adversity for Maresca. He entered the match as a European and world champion, having won the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea in just a few short months.
However, as Maresca himself admitted during his preparation, the Stamford Bridge audience had never sung his name - which was in complete contrast to Mourinho. In the second minute, the crowd stood up and shouted the name of "The Special One", who had won 3 Premier League titles under Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea fans are still divided about Maresca. They have not been dissatisfied with creating a wave of resistance, but they are not convinced that his football philosophy is the optimal way to exploit the heavily invested collective. And of course, a hard-fought victory over Benfica at home will not be able to calm down that debate.
Chelsea won thanks to the only goal in the 18th minute, when Pedro Neto's long pass went to Alejandro Garnacho. The former Manchester United player's cross forced Richard Rios to score an own goal.
Neto played enthusiastically, Moises Caicedo continued to show great influence in midfield, while Garnacho started explosively but gradually disappeared towards the end of the match. However, the Blues' overall performance was still unconvincing.
Benfica is no less dangerous. Dodi Lukebakio hit the post early in the match, while Fredrik Aursnes missed a remarkable second-half opportunity. Overall, Chelsea had a stressful evening against an opponent who had lost 3 of their last 4 matches.
After the defeat to Bayern Munich in the opening match, The Blues were forced to have all 3 points. Even though the competition was poor, the final result was the most important thing.
To be fair, Maresca suffered many disadvantages. He was missing all four centre-backs, key playmaker Cole Palmer and new signing Liam Delap, while Joao Pedro was fit enough to get on the pitch in the final half. However, the striker could not complete the match after receiving two yellow cards, becoming the third Chelsea player to be sent off in just his last four games.
That situation forced Maresca to field a squad with an average age of just 24 - Chelsea's youngest in Champions League history - with a total of only 42 appearances in this arena. By comparison, Mourinho alone has had 146 Champions League games in charge.
"We lost to Bayern, but the team played well. They are a team that has always reached the quarterfinals or semi-finals for many years. For us, the Champions League has only started this season, hopefully each match will help the team improve.
We need to win for many reasons. Anyway, tonight's victory is a good thing. Sometimes you need to learn how to win in the worst way like in the last minutes of the game. At least we learn how to win a match with a red card" - Maresca shared.
There is always a bit of an exaggerated color in Mourinho in moments like this. And he was not always warmly welcomed at his former club. However, his great contributions to Chelsea have always been recognized by fans with sincere gratitude.
It is interesting to see Mourinho return to the coaching area where he was twice Chelsea head coach, in 2004 2007 and 2013-2015.
Notably, Mauricio Pochettino has changed Chelsea's technical area position since the 2023-2024 season to stand closer to the center of the pitch. Therefore, Mourinho's vision and position in the last match evoked a feeling of being especially familiar to the audience at Stamford Bridge.
"I don't nourish myself with these memories. I nourish myself with victories" - Mourinho said after the loss to Chelsea.
