Maresca frustrated not to have UCL secured
Enzo Maresca feels Chelsea has done more than enough to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League this season.
However, the Blues must beat Nottingham Forest at The City Ground on the final day to be sure of a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
Forest is seventh, but knows a victory would see it move above Chelsea in what promises to be an enthralling tussle.
Chelsea's London rival Tottenham Hotspur secured its spot in the UEFA Champions League by beating Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final this week, and although Maresca is not frustrated that 17th-place Spurs are sure of their place in Europe's elite club competition, he is downbeat that the Blues have not yet guaranteed their qualification.
"I feel frustrated, not because of Tottenham," he said.
"I feel frustrated because if you see the data, we are the first or second club in creating chances.
"I’m not thinking about Tottenham. If they’re going to play in the [UEFA] Champions League next season, it’s because they have done something good, winning the [UEFA] Europa League.
"The frustration is more because I think overall we did enough to finish top four or top five. The numbers are there, offensively and defensively. We are the third-best defence in the league, but we have the risk of not finishing in the top four or top five.
"I feel frustrated because I think we did enough offensively and defensively to finish in the Champions League. But now we are here and we will try to finish in the right way."
Only Liverpool (228) has had more shots on target than Chelsea (216) in the Premier League this season, its most in a season since having 223 in 2019-2020.
Forest, meanwhile, has had a fantastic season, but would no doubt be disappointed to miss out on the UEFA Champions League, having occupied a place in the top five for so much of the campaign.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been linked with a move away from the club to join Roma, but he scoffed at that speculation.
"Do you really think that I’m going to waste time on that?" he replied when asked about the rumours.
"So much seems to get read, my main focus is on preparing the team, trying to get the best solutions and details for the players. Nothing else. Nothing else."
