WORDS Pat Nevin

This Conference League campaign has been a huge success in a variety of ways for Chelsea, from start to almost finish. Making the final of any European competition is to be celebrated, and by winning this one they can be the first club to claim a clean sweep of top European trophies – a nice little boast for the fans.

The club have been through a huge amount in the past few years, and this competition has allowed regrowth that would have been impossible without their involvement. Enzo Maresca has discovered the capabilities of many players because these have been high-level competitive fixtures, not a bunch of bounce games. Eight young academy players have had debuts.

Chelsea’s squad was infamously large at the start of the season and it had to be managed. The early matches in the Conference League allowed players minutes and provided opportunities. Some were taken, some not. The Blues kicked off the league phase in October, winning 4-2 against Gent and the scorers were very interesting: Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were all trying to muscle their way into the domestic starting XI. João Félix and Mykhailo Mudryk then nudged their way into coach Maresca’s thoughts by scoring in the next game against Panathinaikos in Athens.

Read the full piece in the official 2025 UEFA Conference League final programme. Get your copy here and also dive into interviews with Enzo Maresca, Marc Cucurella, Manuel Pellegrini and Aitor Ruibal, plus lots more about the road to Wroclaw.