Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has made it clear that spending big isn’t enough to win trophies, ahead of their UEFA Conference League semi-final first leg against Swedish side Djurgarden in Stockholm on Thursday.
Despite Chelsea spending over £1 billion on transfers in the last three seasons under new co-owner Todd Boehly, Maresca believes success comes from more than just money. “You don’t win games and titles with money,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “You have to spend money, but in the right way.”
Chelsea, two-time European champions, have been strong in this season’s Conference League, losing only once — in the quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw. Domestically, they are fighting to stay in fifth place in the Premier League, the final spot for Champions League qualification.
Maresca is expecting a tricky evening in Stockholm, where Djurgarden play on an artificial surface — something many Chelsea players are not used to. “It’s completely different,” he said. “Even their players have complained about it recently. But we can’t use that as an excuse.”
Chelsea will be without injured players Robert Sanchez and Christopher Nkunku, though striker Nicolas Jackson is set to start after recovering from injury.
With Liverpool waiting in the league on Sunday, Maresca stressed the importance of building a winning mentality: “You build that by treating every game as important — no matter who you’re playing. That’s the only way to grow as a team.”
