Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he welcomes the pressure of needing to win the club’s final two Premier League matches to secure a Champions League spot for next season.
The Blues currently sit fifth—enough for Champions League qualification—but are only ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference, and just one point above Nottingham Forest, whom they face on the final day.
After a strong start to Maresca’s first season at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea suffered a dip in form, managing only five wins in 16 league games between December and April. However, they’ve also made it to the Europa Conference League final, where they will face Real Betis on May 28.
Despite speculation, reports this week suggest Maresca’s job is not under threat even if Chelsea miss out on a top-five finish.
The pressure is on all of us,” Maresca said ahead of Friday’s home match against Manchester United. “From day one, we’ve said it’s our duty to bring Chelsea back where it belongs—top four, top five, Champions League.
If you had told us at the start of the season that we’d need two wins at the end to qualify, we probably would have accepted it. We’ve had good spells, especially in the first few months where we were second or third. Now we’re in a position to finish well, and that’s our goal.
Chelsea’s challenge has been made harder by the suspension of striker Nicolas Jackson, who was sent off in last weekend’s 2–0 loss to Newcastle. He will miss the remainder of the league campaign. Backup options are limited, with Christopher Nkunku injured and Marc Guiu lacking match fitness.
Maresca dismissed the idea of using wingers like Pedro Neto or Tyrique George in central roles against United, whose manager Ruben Amorim typically deploys a 3-4-3 formation.
Against a back five, you need a true number nine who can stretch the defence. We don’t have one right now, so we need to find another solution, Maresca said.
I prefer a false nine against a back four—you can link up better. But this is the situation we’re in.