By Simon Wilkes
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca defended his decision to bench Reece James for Wednesday night’s Conference League final with Real Betis – and believes their 4-1 win can be the springboard for more trophies.
Blues skipper James was surprisingly not named in Maresca’s starting XI for the showpiece game against Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis team, with Malo Gusto getting the nod at right-back.
That decision backfired as the Londoners put in a limp first-half display against the Spanish outfit, who went into the break with a 1-0 lead after a ninth-minute opener.
Blues galvanised
But Maresca turned to his captain at the interval, sending him on for the second half, a move which galvanised the Blues, who levelled matters on 65 minutes through Enzo Fernandez.
Chelsea proceeded to score through Nicolas Jackson (70), Jadon Sancho (83) and Moises Caicedo (90) in a four-star second-half display which battered Betis into submission.
The turnaround ensured Chelsea became the first team to win all of Europe’s major continental trophies.
James protected
And a relieved Maresca admitted he was merely protecting James from fatigue after a long season which also ended in them finishing fourth in the Premier League table to secure Champions League football for next season.
The Blues boss told TNT Sports after the final: “I promise you, I would always start Reece but I’m trying to protect him.
“He has played more games this season than in the last two.
“He’s happy, he’s a top player. He’s like Cole Palmer – but we need to manage him. When I brought him on, he said not to worry and that we’d win the game.”
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Devastated to be on bench
James himself admitted he was gutted not to make the starting line-up – but was glad he got the chance to lead his team to an emphatic victory.
The defender told TNT Sports: “It’s devastating to find out you’re not starting a final.
“I want to play every game, but it was the manager’s decision.
“I needed to accept it and move on and come on if I was needed. In the first half, we were very flat. We needed a reaction in the second half, and we got it.”
Proud and happy
Maresca, meanwhile, feels the final success can stir his young team onto greater things next season.
He admits the pressure of securing Champions League football with a final-day win at Nottingham Forest took its toll on the squad.
And he added: “In the first half, we approached the game in the wrong way. I expected it a little bit, because for two days the happiness was a little bit too much after Nottingham Forest.
“You go all season waiting, waiting. We struggled a little bit with that, but the second half was much better.
“I’m very proud, and very happy. I know the fans deserve it, they’ve waited for a few years for good moments. The club has invested a lot of money so they’ve been waiting too.
“Hopefully, this can be a starting point and we can begin to create something important.
“The target for next season? We’re going to try again. We’ll enjoy it for a week or so, and then start looking ahead.”
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