Chelsea want to emphasize that Enzo Maresca's position is still guaranteed regardless of what happens after the Premier League's penultimate round. However, qualifying for the Champions League will increase his reputation ahead of a busy summer.
Levi Colwill's 51st-minute goal was enough to bring the Blues a valuable 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. They finished fourth and returned to the Champions League for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
This was a chaotic match, in which many of Chelsea's weaknesses such as a disjointed attack were clearly revealed. But anyway, Maresca has brought a sense of progress to a project that has often attracted attention due to mistakes since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed the acquisition in May 2022.
When he took over at Chelsea, Maresca was expected to help the team qualify for the Champions League in his second season. However, the Italian captain has achieved unexpected success.
And this gives Maresca a solid foundation to prepare for the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis. After that, he and his students will go to the US to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup campaign that Chelsea is expected to be able to make a difference in. In particular, the champion team will bring in a prize money of 97 million pounds.
Chelsea are determined to give Maresca time, giving him a 5-year contract - in contrast to his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine has only signed for 2 years with an option for another year and seems to have never felt stable in this position.
The Blues want to avoid any uncertainty surrounding Maresca's position towards the FIFA Club World Cup. But to do so, Chelsea need to achieve something tangible and a victory at City Ground is the answer.
Pedro Neto missed the Blues' best chance in the first half, when he shot over the bar after a pass from Cole Palmer. The Blues also only had 2 shots after Colwill' goal. This is a match in which Nicolas Jackson cannot participate due to suspension, while Christopher Nkunku is injured.
Nottingham Forest struggled to find an equalizer. Chris Wood shot wide from Ola Aina's right wing pass right before the break. Only when the match enters extra time can they continuously put pressure on Chelsea. However, their efforts were too late.
There was a feeling of excitement at City Ground before the match started, illustrated by the "destination - Europe" poster appearing in the stands. They will participate in a European campaign for the first time since the 1995-196 season if they can beat Chelsea. But that did not happen.
In fact, Nottingham Forest have run out of steam. The two wins in the final eight games of the season have spoken of that. However, nothing could overshadow the season in which Nuno Espirito Santo and his players defied all expectations to finish in 7th place. Before the campaign started, they were even considered a relegation candidate.
Maresca could still struggle to gain the support of Chelsea fans, especially when he has been repeatedly criticized for his playing style. But now he can continue that battle from a new, stronger position.
"I am very happy for a variety of reasons. I think the players deserve this. From the first day of the season, they have worked very hard. Clubs, leaders, our players are in the right direction.
The result is always important, but we want to win in our own way. In this match, my players played well. We made appropriate adjustments because the nature of the game was very difficult," Maresca said after the win over Nottingham.
