30/05/2025

FRIDAY | MAY 30, 2025

30

SPORTS

T HE Uefa Conference League was not where Chelsea wanted to be, but their triumph in Wroclaw could prove to be a turning point for a club that had lost their trophy-winning habit. The Premier League team beat Real Betis 4 1 yesterday, recovering strongly from being outplayed in the first half by their Spanish opponents. During the past three years the owners have spent more than £1 billion (RM5.7b) on promising young talent, but until now have had little to show for it. Chelsea had been clear favourites to win Europe’s third-tier club competition from the start, enabling Maresca to field youth and fringe players. They rampaged through the group phase, outclassing teams with a fraction of their resources such as Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers. Maresca spoke on the eve of the final in Poland about how he had stressed the importance of the Conference League to his players. He will not need to persuade them next Palmer, James unwilling to put neck on the line CHELSEA stars Reece James and Cole Palmer refused to judge whether 2024/25 had been a successful season after winning the Conference League. The Blues will play Champions League football next campaign and they managed to get their hands on silverware with a comeback win over Real Betis in Poland. But James was reluctant to say that is enough to constitute success for Chelsea, pointing to Palmer minutes after the final whistle in an interview with TNT Sports and saying: “I’ll let you answer that.” When the same question was posed to Palmer, he said: “Ask the captain.” Chelsea did enough in the Premier League to return to Europe’s top table via the conventional route, finishing fourth after a final-day win at Nottingham Forest. Their strong end to the campaign continued with triumph over Betis which brought Enzo Maresca his first trophy since being appointed 12 months ago. “It’s a great feeling,” said James. “We knew the game was going to be tough, and they made it tough for us in the first half. We grew into the game as it went on and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half.” He added: “I thought we were very flat in the first half. Things didn’t go our way early on and it looked like it took a lot out of us. We needed a reaction and we got it. Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win, and next season we go again in the Champions League.” With huge amount of money spent by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in the transfer market, fans are expecting Chelsea to be fighting it out with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for Premier League titles. And once they take their spot in the Champions League next term, Maresca’s deep squad will be tasked with marching through to the knockout stages. Apart from a blip early in the final, Chelsea’s Conference League victory came with relative ease. Chelsea captain James said anything other than winning the Conference League would have been judged a failure. James came off the bench to help inspire a second half turnaround as the Blues stormed back from 1-0 down at the break. “Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win,”James told TNT Sports . “Next season we go again in the Champions League. “To be the only team in history (to win all four), it is a great feeling,” said Cole Palmer, who helped turn the game with two assists for Chelsea’s first two goals. – Express Newspapers/AFP

Chelsea aim higher … after Conference League triumph against Real Betis

youngest in a single Premier League campaign. Under Abramovich, Chelsea became serial trophy winners, claiming five Premier League titles and winning the Champions League twice. It is too early to predict whether they will return to those heady heights but the Conference League is a start. Next on the agenda is a trip to the Club World Cup in the United States, for which Chelsea qualified by winning the 2021 Champions League. “Now we have 10 days off, 10 days where we need to recover energy, and then we’re going to start the Club World Cup,” said Maresca. “The target is to go game by game, try to go step by step, but at this moment we don’t have any target for the Club World Cup. “Now the only target is to recover energy, because the season has been very long.” – AFP

Maresca had a rollercoaster first season after replacing Mauricio Pochettino. His team were within touching distance of eventual Premier League champions Liverpool in mid-December before stumbling badly. But they found an extra gear towards the end of the campaign, negotiating a tricky run-in to finish in the Champions League spots. “For sure, we have improved a lot since we started,” said former Leicester boss Maresca. “We also start to win games in an ugly way. “That is something with a young squad that you struggle to do that.” The Italian has been keen to highlight the extreme youth of his expensively assembled squad. The average age of his starting side was the

season as they are back where they feel they belong, the Champions League, following a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped winning the Conference League would be a launchpad for bigger and better. “Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winning mentality,” he said. “You need to win games. You need to win competitions. “And for sure, the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better. But also, I’m very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League. “For me, it’s the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed it.”

Kevin De Bruyne. – REUTERSPIC

De Bruyne transfer saga takes fresh twist

Ű BY MIGUEL DELANEY

Bruyne was on the brink of agreeing a move to Chicago Fire in MLS. He was nevertheless already having second thoughts due to the feeling that, once he leaves the top level of European football, he won’t be coming back. It is why he is currently unlikely to go to Saudi Arabia, despite long-standing interest, particularly from Al Ittihad. While Napoli is seen as the likeliest destination from the serious offers so far, De Bruyne is prepared to discuss options.The Belgian would not be against another Premier League or Serie A club. De Bruyne made his 421st and, in all likelihood, final appearance for City as a late substitute in their last Premier League game of the season at Fulham. He could still be eligible to represent City at this summer’s Club World Cup but he is not expected to be involved in the tournament in the United States. – The Independent

KEVIN DE BRUYNE is still deciding on his future, principally between Napoli and Chicago Fire, although has still not ruled out a move to another Premier League club. The 33-year-old had a 25 minute meeting with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, but it is understood negotiations are not yet as advanced as have been made out in Italy, with De Laurentiis saying De Bruyne had already bought a villa in the country. While the new Italian champions have so far made the most attractive offer, De Bruyne is still weighing up a lot, and is also considering Napoli’s manager situation. There is a feeling in Serie A that title-winning manager Antonio Conte may return to Juventus. Napoli have at least significantly changed the situation from even a month ago. Before their interest, De

Arsenal should have won more trophies under Arteta, says Henry ARSENAL should have some silverware to show for their efforts over the past three seasons, according to the club’s record goalscorer and former captain Thierry Henry. least three or four transfer windows to change everything that you want to. “It takes time and you have to League Cup. Crystal Palace won the first major trophy in their history by triumphing in the FA Cup.

Even Manchester United, who have endured a stark decline in recent seasons, have still managed to win trophies, notably last season’s FA Cup and the 2022-23 League Cup. “Manchester United have played in five finals in the last five years, the United that everyone laughs at – whereas for Arsenal in the last three years of building, they’ve not reached a final,” said Henry. “So I do understand when

give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do. For the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup or (reached) a final.” Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year wait for a trophy by winning the Europa League last week, while Newcastle United snapped a

Former midfielder Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal back into a force since taking charge in 2019 but has delivered just one major trophy during his reign, the FA Cup in 2020. Arsenal have finished as Premier League runners-up three times in succession, twice pushing Manchester City hard but this time finishing a distant second to Liverpool. They exited the Champions League semifinals, having reached the quarterfinals the season before, and were knocked out in the semifinals of the League Cup. “I’m not saying that I’m disappointed with Arsenal, but it’s normal that people are raising questions now about what the team is doing,” Henry, 47, told the Stick to Football podcast. “I understand that at the very beginning you arrive and it’s not your team. You need at the very

people ask the question, ‘Surely you

decades l o n g drought b y winning t h e

s h o u l d compete for a trophy?’” – Reuters

Henry. – REUTERSPIC