Enzo Maresca on Manuel Pellegrini influence, playing against Real Betis with Sevilla and Chelsea's UEFA Conference League final hopes

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will want to prove that the student has become the master as he prepares to take on Manuel Pellegrini and his Real Betis side in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday 28 May.

Maresca played under Pellegrini at Malaga and served as his assistant coach at West Ham United, but is now hoping to outwit the 71-year-old, whom he describes as his "footballing father figure," as he sits down with UEFA.com.

Ahead of the trip to Wrocław, the Italian tactician also reflected on Chelsea's journey to the final and his experiences of the "ultimate derby" between Sevilla and Real Betis.

On Manuel Pellegrini

I see him as one of my professional footballing father figures. I am where I am today thanks to him. I worked with Manuel for four years — two years as a player and two years as part of his staff. So, I owe so much to him in terms of what I’ve achieved.

I am grateful for the relationship we have and the advice he gives me. He told me never to change. He always said that often players and managers in football rush to change themselves and he’s always told me that the best thing is to always stay true to yourself.

Enzo Maresca (right) was Manuel Pellegrini's assistant coach at West HamGetty Images

Experiencing the "ultimate derby" as a Sevilla player

I played at Sevilla for four years and Sevilla vs Betis is the ultimate derby. It’s a beautiful derby because you talk about the match the week leading up to it and the week after it. And it’s a derby between two big teams in Spain with huge fanbases.

What a Conference League title would mean

It’s been a good season, but it can be a great one if we manage to win the Conference League and finish in the top four or five of the Premier League. It would be a way of saying that we are back and that we are a winning club in Europe, and we hope to achieve just that.

We would become the first club in Europe to win every trophy [the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the Conference League] — that’s important.

Contesting finals as a player and a coach

They’re chalk and cheese. As a footballer – people often say this – it’s more about yourself, whereas you need to think of your 30 players in the dressing room and so many other things as a coach. So, there’s no comparison really.

I went through certain things as a footballer. At Man City I was lucky enough to experience a Champions [League] final as an assistant coach. So, I have some experience to my name overall.

Enzo Maresca started in and won two UEFA Cup finals with SevillaGetty Images

Challenges from the Conference League campaign

We had games against Copenhagen and Legia Warszawa. These are tough places to go to where big European teams got knocked out last season. That’s because the atmosphere in those places is intense and you’ve got to win those games. Those have been the decisive moments in our season and our route through the Conference League.

I learned that games like those force you to prepare 100%. Even 90% is not enough – you’ve got to make it 100% and cover every small detail.

Legia Warszawa are the only team to defeat Chelsea in the Conference League properUEFA via Getty Images

Developing young players in the Conference League

It’s definitely been important because it’s given us a chance to develop the players and field my whole squad. It’s also given us the chance to go all the way in a European competition which this club has never won. We hope we manage to win it. Without doubt, the experience of being part of a European competition helps you develop. Your group of players also develops a winning mentality if you win the games.

I love it [fielding academy players], but mainly because they’re strong players. You’ve got to wait for the right moment to give them a chance. We’ve given many players game time but many of them have also played in the Premier League, so it’s not limited to the Conference League.