Chelsea are set to discover who they will face in the Conference League play-offs with Malo Gusto saying they have to embrace Europe in any form and lift a trophy this season.
The draw for the two-legged play-off will be made on Monday, and Gusto is not scoffing at the club being in UEFA’s third-rate competition, insisting it is an opportunity in disguise.
‘It is better than nothing but we have to take it step by step,’ he said. ‘We are young. The Conference League can be nice for us to know how the European cup is. We have a good group with a lot of players and more matches this season. It is going to be nice to build something and put Chelsea where we have to be.
‘We have to win something this season, it is very important. That is the objective. The Conference League, even the Premier League, or the cups. It is important to win trophies. To become better, it is important to the group.’
Gusto is also excited that Enzo Maresca’s tactical vision for full backs is taking him back to the position he once played in his youth – a midfielder.
Malo Gusto has insisted that Chelsea will take the Conference League seriously this season
Gusto has been inverting while playing on Chelsea’s pre-season tour, both from the right and the left. Some supporters wondered how the 21-year-old and Reece James would both fit into Maresca’s team, but they were used on opposite flanks in the 3-0 friendly win over Club America.
‘I started as a midfielder when I started to play football,’ Gusto said. ‘For me, it's not new but it was a long time ago. I have to continue to learn about this position.
‘In modern football, you have to play not only in one position. It’s important. I try to do my best as a midfielder, as a full back. For me, it's the same thing; I just have to show my best on the pitch and that's it. Anywhere, left back or right back, I just try to do my best wherever I can play.’
Gusto has been one of the best signings under the new ownership, costing £30.7million from Lyon.
Soccer in the Streets co-ordinates sports-based youth development programmes in low-income communities across Atlanta, Georgia, and worked with Chelsea to deliver the programmes in the days leading up to their friendly with Club America.