Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and Real Betis playmaker Isco offered contrasting reflections after Wednesday night’s Europa Conference League final, where the Blues romped to a 4–1 win despite a sluggish start.
Enzo Maresca, who guided Chelsea to Champions League qualification just days earlier, admitted his side’s poor first-half display stemmed from overconfidence and emotional fatigue following their weekend triumph against Nottingham Forest.
“In the first half, we approached the game in the wrong way,” Maresca told TNT Sports. “I expected it a little bit because, for two days, the happiness was a little bit too much after Nottingham Forest.”
The Italian tactician confessed that Chelsea had lost focus in the buildup to the final in Poland, but praised his players for rediscovering their edge after halftime.
“We struggled a little bit with that, but the second half was much better. The message after Forest was that if we wanted to be an important team, what we’ve done is done and we have to win a final now.”
Chelsea trailed early in the match after Betis’ Abde Ezzalzouli found the net courtesy of a pinpoint assist from Isco. However, the Blues turned the game on its head in the second half with goals from Enzo Fernández, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho, and Moisés Caicedo.
For Isco, the result was a painful reminder of Betis’ season-long failure to capitalize on dominance.
“We had a good first half where they barely had any chances,” the former Real Madrid star said. “We had it close and we didn’t know how to take advantage of the score, something that has penalised us all season.”
The Spanish playmaker highlighted the brutal nature of European finals, where momentum can shift quickly and punishment comes swiftly.
“In a European final, mistakes are very punishing. In the second half, they ran over us. It’s painful.”
