“Stop Lying"—Chelsea Legend Calls out Enzo Maresca Of After Conference League win

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has openly questioned Enzo Maresca’s recent comments following the club’s strong finish to the season — even accusing the Blues boss of not being entirely truthful.

After leading Chelsea to a stunning 4-1 win over Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final, Maresca was full of confidence. The Italian coach told reporters that he had “never doubted” his team throughout the season, despite a rocky spell after Christmas that saw Chelsea drop out of the Premier League title race.

Speaking to ESPN FC, former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf called out Maresca, saying:
“His first sentence is a lie. He said he never had doubts about his team. Yeah, he had doubts — like everybody else. Even the players had doubts.”

Leboeuf, who played nearly 150 games for Chelsea in the Premier League, admitted that Maresca deserves credit for Chelsea’s late-season turnaround. The Blues finished fourth in the league and added a trophy to the cabinet — but Leboeuf insisted it’s only natural that Maresca would have questioned things during their poor run earlier in the year.

“Chelsea were in the title race in December,” Leboeuf explained.
“Then the first defeat came, and they collapsed. No doubt, Mr. Maresca? Of course you had doubts.”

Chelsea lost six of 11 games across all competitions after Christmas — a worrying spell that saw them written off by many pundits.

Despite calling out the Chelsea boss, Leboeuf didn’t hold back in praising the overall achievement. He admired how Maresca helped the team bounce back, especially considering their youth and lack of experience at the highest level.

“They reacted well,” Leboeuf said.
“Well done to the players, well done to Maresca. He made great choices. He went back to his vertical style of play.”

Leboeuf also mentioned how tough criticism earlier in the season wasn’t personal, but based on what was being shown on the pitch.

“We had to say the truth because that’s what we were seeing,” he added.
“It’s legitimate to comment on what we see. I love Chelsea, but the reality was they were inconsistent.”

Maresca’s first year in charge has had plenty of highs and lows. From a worrying winter slump to ending the campaign with a trophy and Champions League football secured, the turnaround has been impressive.

However, as Leboeuf pointed out, much of Chelsea’s success this season came down to their grit, the weakness of their rivals, and a manager who — despite what he says — likely had a few doubts of his own along the way.