It was the half-time team talk that played a key role in Chelsea making history.

Chelsea were 1-0 down in the Conference League final against Real Betis and looked rattled. Head coach Enzo Maresca came into the dressing room and quickly got to work.

The message given to the players was clear. Sources, who, like all of those spoken to for this article, spoke anonymously to protect relationships, say that Maresca stressed how everything had to change or they would lose the game. But the Italian was upbeat, telling the group to forget what had just taken place and see the second half as like starting a new match.

Maresca also knew things had to change tactically. He was particularly focused on their issues on the right-hand side. Abde Ezzalzouli, who capitalised in the ninth minute to put Betis in front, was causing a lot of problems.

There would be just one change to the line-up, with captain Reece James replacing the struggling Malo Gusto as the ‘inverted’ right-back. After speaking to the whole group for a few minutes, Maresca then sought out individuals to convey what he wanted from them specifically.

James admitted after the game that he was disappointed not to start. But a measure of how well Maresca had got his message across and inspired the players to turn things around came from James himself. Speaking to TNT Sports following Chelsea’s 4-1 victory, Maresca said: “When we changed him, he said to me, ‘Boss, don’t worry, we’re going to win the game’.”

Maresca’s half-time team talk was important (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

This was not the first time Maresca had been particularly vocal over the past week. Before beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their final Premier League fixture of the season to secure Champions League football, he stressed how important it would be to win these back-to-back “finals”.

He said the two results would write the last bit of the story of their season, which he already felt had been a positive progression. It was made clear that everyone should push for two wins. Having one result go well and not the other could be viewed as not a bad return, but Maresca stressed that this is Chelsea and, at this club, you have to aim for the maximum.

And as The Athletic revealed, Maresca also gave an impassioned speech in the away dressing room following Sunday’s 1-0 win. In the build-up to the Conference League final, it was all about giving it one last push. They certainly did that.

All the tension in the build-up to the final was a distant memory at the afterparty, which was held in a conference room at Hotel Q, where the club stayed in Wroclaw.

The players’ families and close friends were staying elsewhere in the city, but they were bussed there to join in the festivities. One of the priorities for everybody was to pose for pictures with the trophy. A queue formed so players and staff could get a photo alongside their loved ones.

Along with food and drink, TV screens were provided so footage of the entire season could be shown. Images of Nicolas Jackson’s goal against Betis, which put Chelsea 2-1 up, sparked especially raucous celebrations.

An insight into Jackson’s mood had already been given when he came through the mixed zone at Wroclaw Stadium, where the media gather post-match to ask players for an interview. There was a Senegal flag (for Jackson’s home country) draped over his shoulders, and he was holding a speaker blasting out a song. Rather than talk about how he was feeling, Jackson showed it by dancing his way on to the team bus.

Nicolas Jackson was in the mood for dancing, not talking, tonight. #CFC pic.twitter.com/hwr5YLOGVG

— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) May 28, 2025

No wonder. After being sent off against Newcastle United for violent conduct, which meant he missed the last two league games through suspension, Jackson had repaid “the debt” Maresca said he owed his team-mates.

Clips of players singing or rapping at the party were put out various social media accounts. But the star of the show was Marc Cucurella. He seemed to enjoy taking to the stage, much to the mirth of his team-mates. Sources in attendance say one of the tunes in his repertoire is his now rather infamous ‘Estrella’ song.

It had to be done. 🍻🥘😜@EstrellaDammUK pic.twitter.com/bWoXzbfK5G

— Marc Cucurella (@cucurella3) August 2, 2024

The hierarchy, coaching staff and academy staff were in attendance too. But this was not the time for more grand speeches; it was an opportunity for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. There were people still in the room at 5am.

Enzo Fernandez, who scored the equaliser, spent some of the event enjoying telling people how Chelsea had made history by winning all the UEFA competitions.

The midfielder was also pictured standing with Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been provisionally banned since December for failing a doping test. Mudryk, who has not been able to train at Cobham since, arrived separately in Wroclaw on Tuesday, happily posing for pictures with Chelsea fans and telling them that he was in town to get a “winner’s medal”. Chelsea had 50 to give out and, while Maresca seemed surprised when asked about the Ukraine international’s whereabouts in the pre-match press conference, the club felt he merited a medal for his contribution during the league phase, where he scored three goals and registered three assists in four games.

Cucurella was the star of the show at the after-party (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

This was a theme of the build-up. Some players who had featured heavily in the earlier rounds were taken aside by staff and told their contribution was valued, even if they weren’t in the starting XI for the final. The messages were appreciated despite the hint that they could miss out on a major role in the showpiece occasion.

A sign of the strong team spirit was clear for all to see at open training at the stadium on Tuesday night. During the light session, there was lots of laughter and joking as the coaching staff did some fun drills.

#CFC squad is in good spirits before the final. pic.twitter.com/IsZSJtBuMv

— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) May 27, 2025

Maresca informed the players of the side he had picked in the customary team meeting held hours before kick-off. One of the players left out of the XI spoke to a close friend about his disappointment at missing out, but said he would get behind the team.

Meanwhile, family members were having a pre-final get-together where they were all housed at the Hotel Monopol. One parent told The Athletic that they could not hide their tension, saying: “I am not feeling excited, I am too sick with nerves!” Chelsea had also arranged two coaches to take them to the stadium.

As the players came out to inspect the pitch beforehand, they were greeted with loud, shrill whistling from the Betis end. However, many players looked relaxed. Cole Palmer was sharing a joke and a smile, partly helped by his close friend Tosin Adarabioyo being alongside him. James looked more serious, no doubt digesting the news that he would be on the bench to begin with. Yet such was the repartee around him, including with backup ‘keeper Marcus Bettinelli, he soon broke out into a chuckle himself.

A few hours later and they had even more reason to bond together. Soon after the whistle, James dragged and pushed Maresca to take the acclaim of the Chelsea fans. Initially reluctant, he did a Jurgen Klopp-style pumped-fist celebration to wild cheers.

All the Chelsea hierarchy were there too. Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali had already been pictured sharing a rare hug in the stands. As the jubilant scenes unfolded, they were joined on the playing surface by Jose Feliciano, sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields and Sam Jewell. Eghbali and Boehly, whose relationship is described as professional rather than close, took it in turns to offer some warm words to Maresca.

A section of supporters may still take some convincing when it comes to the man in the dugout. But Noni Madueke does not understand why there are any doubters remaining. He told The Athletic afterwards: “The gaffer is top, man. He won the Championship last year at Leicester and he won this year in his first year at Chelsea, and qualified for the Champions League. I don’t understand why there would be criticism of him.”

Most of the squad wanted to get to the coach and head to the afterparty rather than discuss the evening’s events with the media. Loud screaming could be heard from the press conference room as journalists waited for Palmer and Maresca to go through their official duties.

Once done, Palmer was so distracted by the thought of getting away from a microphone, he left his man-of-the-match award behind. Fortunately, Tosin, who had come with him mainly for moral support, picked it up for him. “You forget this!” he said with great mirth.

Palmer accidentally left his man-of-the-match award behind before Tosin reminded him (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The last month has seen Chelsea’s season end on a high. After being booed off for a 2-1 loss against Legia Warsaw, a result that was still good enough to make the Conference League semi-finals, Chelsea ended the campaign with eight wins from their last nine games.

“We’ve improved a lot since we started,” Maresca said before leaving the stadium. “We started to win games in an ugly way. That is something with a young squad that you struggle to do, but it is very important.

“I knew we are on the right path when we scored, and the first two guys to celebrate were Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile (who had both been substituted). For a manager, when you change players who are not playing good and they are the first to enjoy the celebration, that means a lot. That means that the spirit is good, we’re going in the right direction, everyone is helping each other, and this is a good base to build something important.”

As the squad go their separate ways before reuniting for the Club World Cup, Maresca may come to reflect on events in Wroclaw as a key foundation to his Chelsea tenure.

(Top photo: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)