Claude Makelele is confident Chelsea can be competitive in next season’s Champions League, provided they address one aspect of their squad in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea have endured a topsy-turvy first season under the tutelage of Enzo Maresca but have plenty to cheer about after an impressive end to the season for the Italian’s young squad.
A gutsy 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest on Premier League final day saw Chelsea rubber stamp a return to the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in the league.
And the Blues brought the curtain down on their season with silverware on Wednesday night after a 4-1 comeback win over Real Betis in the Conference League final.
Despite his successes, Mareca has not convinced everyone throughout the season, especially when Chelsea endured a particularly poor run of form midway through the campaign, which saw them drift out of title contention.
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But former Blues midfielder Makelele is more than happy with what he has seen this season, insisting Maresca has built a solid foundation upon which to build in the coming seasons.
‘At the start, many were critical, but I think all managers in the world need time,’ Makelele told Metro ahead of his appearance at bet365’s Big Ticket Giveaway on Friday.
‘Chelsea had a lot of change and they needed stability when it came to the manager but also the players. Maresca has made sure he has stuck with one system and a similar group of players, and now we’re starting to see the results.
‘It’s a good squad, a good team with performances that fans are starting to get behind. I’m happy for him because he’s done a good job. He’s qualified them for the Champions League and he’s won the Conference League, so it’s a great season.’
The early stages of the Conference League allowed Maresca to rest key players and blood academy youngsters, but the Italian will be afforded no such luxuries next campaign in the top tier of European football.
‘The players who arrive need to be Chelsea players’
Despite that, though, Makelele sees no reason why Chelsea cannot be considered a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League next season.
But with the youngest XI in Premier League history this season, the Frenchman is adamant his former side will need to add some experience if they are to truly compete at the business end of the tournament.
‘The key is stability but also bringing in the right players. The players who arrive in the summer need to be Chelsea players, with the mentality and the knowledge of the history of Chelsea,’ added Makelele.
Chelsea’s young guns
Lowest average age of players used by teams in Europe’s top five leagues in 2024/25:
Strasbourg – 22.2
Chelsea – 23.7
Parma – 23.8
Paris Saint-Germain – 24.4
Juventus – 24.6
‘Don’t change too much because they have a good quality squad and a manager working in a way. The most important thing is the stability and that will make Chelsea come back to fighting in the Premier League and the Champions League next season.
‘But they need players who are ready for that step up. There are plenty of teams with squads already ready to compete in multiple competitions, and Chelsea need to add that experience.
‘The season is so long and you also want to fight for the Premier League and the FA Cup as well. They need to compete in these competitions so you need a squad that is stronger and wiser.’
‘PSG have been to the final and smelt it – now they must win’
Chelsea will have to wait until next year to begin their quest for a third Champions League title, but one of Makelele’s other former sides, Paris Saint-Germain, have a chance to end their European drought on Saturday against Inter Milan.
Luis Enrique’s side have lit up the competition with their free-flowing, attacking football and reached the final after clinically dispatching of Arsenal.
But the Parisiens now face a tough ask against Inter at the weekend, with the Italian side back in the final for a second time in three seasons after their miraculous triumph over Barcelona in the semis.
‘PSG made a lot of mistakes but now they’ve started to understand how to build a squad and to progress in this kind of competition,’ said Makelele.
‘It’s all about working as a team and not as 11 players – the more you are together, the more positive things can happen and you can do your job in a good way.
‘When you get to the final and smell it – even if you lose – you get this sense that you have to come back, you need to be there. PSG had that opportunity (in 2020) and they lost it. But you learn how to approach a final. Now, the second step is winning – this is more difficult.
‘But Inter are no different. They won before and have now lost twice, so they will come back with that expectation of success. So both teams will be pushing hard and it will be a good game.’
Claude Makélélé was speaking on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League, which is hosting its Big Ticket Giveaway Game this Friday 30th May in Munich from 4pm, where fans have the chance to win tickets to the UEFA Champions League final. Full Terms and Conditions apply. Gamble Responsibly. Full interview can be found at bet365 News.
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