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Maresca Unveils Bizarre Twist on Why James Missed the European Final Start

May 28, 2025

Maresca Unveils Bizarre Twist on Why James Missed the European Final Start

Reece James, Chelsea’s team leader, began Wednesday’s decisive match as a substitute sitting on the sidelines.
Enzo Maresca has explained the reasons behind his decision not to include him in the starting lineup.
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Enzo Maresca
hopes
Chelsea
Chelsea’s impressive resurgence during Wednesday evening’s Conference League rout against Real Betis could mark the beginning of an extraordinary journey, as the team emerged as the inaugural club to secure victories in all European competitions.

They appeared to be squandering their opportunity for historical achievement when falling behind 1-0 at halftime in Wrocław, Poland.
Cole Palmer
set up
Enzo Fernandez
and
Nicolas Jackson
With two magnificent crosses to change the outcome of this finale. Late scores followed by
Jadon Sancho
And Moises Caicedo sealed the 4-1 victory against Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

This came four days after Chelsea won 1-0 at
Nottingham Forest
to verify their comeback
Champions League
, and Maresca stated: “Following Nottingham, the message was, ‘If we aim to become a significant team, then despite our previous actions, we must secure victory in the final.’”

‘However, it was about the joy, the fatigue, since we had 48 fewer hours compared to them. They played on Friday without purpose, while we competed on Sunday with a significant objective. Our performance improved considerably in the second half. I am extremely pleased.’

Chelsea captain
Reece James
came on at half-time after he was surprisingly dropped to the bench by Maresca, who said: ‘I promise you, I would start always with Reece. But I’m trying to protect him. He’s a top player for us. It’s like Cole, the problem is we need to manage him. When we changed him, he said to me, “Boss, don’t worry, we’re going to win the game”.’

James commented, “It feels amazing. As the match progressed, we gained confidence and fortunately, we managed to score four goals in the second half. Looking ahead, next season we will be back in the Champions League.”

Obviously, it’s heartbreaking to learn that you won’t start in a final. My desire is to participate in every match, yet it was ultimately the manager’s choice. After his decision was made, I knew I had to let go and embrace acceptance, preparing myself for whenever my turn would come.

Levi Colwill mentioned, “When a club has achieved every possible victory, you can witness the fans’ celebrations, which highlight the significance of these wins. They recognized the team would initially perform well due to strong fan support; however, they anticipated this enthusiasm would wane over time.”

Palmer stated, “I was attempting to create some room as the match progressed. Being the first squad ever (to secure a clean sweep in Europe) is truly an outstanding accomplishment.”

The manager of Betis, Pellegrini, stated: “Our biggest disappointment is not being able to present this trophy to our supporters. However, we have secured qualification for Europe next season. Our aim now is to strengthen the team so that we can remain competitive. The injuries were truly problematic; several key players could not participate as a result. Nonetheless, we ought to feel proud about the quality of performance demonstrated in the final. This group achieved reaching such heights together. Moving forward, we intend to create an even more formidable roster for the upcoming year.”