Willy Caballero interview: 'The ambition of Chelsea has not changed'

In an exclusive interview, Willy Caballero discusses his role as Chelsea assistant coach, his relationship with Enzo Maresca, how he works alongside the players, and his links to the Blues' past, present and future...

‘It’s easy to understand,’ replies Willy Caballero without hesitation. ‘The ambition of the club has not changed. Yes, many other things have: the coaches, the players. But the ambition? No, this at Chelsea is the same.’

The authority with which Caballero delivers those words comes through experience. He spent four years with the Blues as a player and lifted the FA Cup, Europa League, and the Champions League. The latter success secured our place at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.

He returned to Chelsea last summer as part of Enzo Maresca’s coaching staff and is an important and supportive voice on and off the training pitch.

Throughout our 25-minute interview, the Blues assistant coach speaks passionately about his role and the club. He understands the expectations that have to be met and knows Chelsea’s position in the world game.

He says: ‘Chelsea is an important club, a big, big club. You see that in America, in South America, everywhere. The supporters are across the world and their ambition is always there. So it’s on us to defend the name and the colours.

‘We have to match the history and, as a staff, help create a great team that can compete. We have done this with qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Conference League, but we have to keep going.’

That, in the immediate, means ensuring the Blues secure a place in the knockout stage of the Club World Cup. Our final Group D fixture takes place tomorrow against ES Tunis; avoid defeat and a place in the Round of 16 awaits.

Maresca and his staff have spent several hours planning and preparing for the fixture. No detail is left unchecked, no matter the opposition or the competition.

‘I’ve been very fortunate in my career – in the Premier League and other countries – that I have worked with many top coaches,’ says Caballero. ‘But I don’t think anyone is as well prepared, tactically focused, and trains the details to give solutions to the players like Enzo.

‘I felt this very quickly. In the moment I decided to finish my playing career, he had a space for me on his staff [at Leicester City] and I saw how he coached, managed the moments in the week and how he can interpret the game.

'He is also good at making you feel important [as a coach]. He gives us moments or time in the week or during a game where you speak with the players and help the players. So I believe he is a top manager.’

The friendship between Maresca and Cabellero began during their time together at Malaga. They spent just one season together at the Spanish club but their families became close and they remained in contact.

And while Cabellero admits there are several former team-mates he never expected to turn to coaching, he long felt it was a path Maresca would take.

He says: ‘We only played together for one year, but I got this sensation as he had come from very good teams and had worked with very good managers. He was always talking about football, whether that was on a trip or after training.

‘And the way he talked, it was different. It wasn’t about winning, it was about how to win – what we did wrong, what we could do better. If you find a player who has this kind of interpretation of the game, I feel you are close to finding a potential coach.’

Such are the demands of the modern game that the days are long for Maresca and his staff. That is the case whether it is out in the U.S. for a summer tournament or back at our base at Cobham during the regular season.

Cabellero says the staff enjoy the different challenges presented and the unseen work that is undertaken at our training base. He also highlights Maresca’s ‘open-office approach’ as an important aspect in the team’s development.

‘You can always go and have a conversation or ask a question, or he will want to chat about something,’ he says. ‘Maybe it’s about a player, or something in the session yesterday, or how you are feeling about this or that.

‘So there is always an open conversation between all the staff about what we can do better, how we can prepare better for the next day, and further on.’

Leaning on his experience as a player, the former Blues goalkeeper continues: ‘Every coach will have their own philosophy in terms of training, preparation, how they interact with the players.

‘Sometimes in my career, I didn’t even get a ‘how are you?’ from the coach, but that is not because they are a bad person. A coach’s head is working on so many things at the same time, and has to deal with many different pressures, that they must be completely focused.

‘That is why the staff can be so important, but I have to say with Enzo, it’s totally different. He is always speaking with players, joking with them, making them feel good during and after sessions.

‘So, how you manage all these things is also how you become a good coach as well.’

It was a little over two years ago that Cabellero hung up his gloves and he transitioned straight into coaching by joining Maresca’s staff at Leicester City.

A year later – the summer of 2024 – he was back at Chelsea and working with a squad that included a former team-mate in Reece James and several players who knew him from playing days.

It’s why, by his own admission, Cabellero initially felt the need to create some separation between himself and the playing squad. However, the closeness of the group stretched beyond those out on the pitch come match-day.

He explains: ‘When I started the season, I thought I would have to be a bit different, that I would have some distance. But I have a good relationship with so many of the players and it’s because they include you in many things.

‘They ask questions, they will talk to you about doubts, and other things. Enzo will try to solve everything for the players, but it’s good to have this closeness and it means we can link all the different departments of the team and find solutions every time.

‘So, it’s important to have a strong relationship and I believe the players talk to me about how they are feeling, or about a session, or about many different things. So it’s good to have this link with them.’

Those bonds are strengthened by time together, which there has been plenty of Stateside as the Blues compete in the Club World Cup.

Our place in the tournament was earned by winning the 2021 Champions League. That night in Porto is one of the greatest in Chelsea history and Caballero was part of the squad that lifted the big-eared trophy.

It’s why he feels the Club World Cup is something of a full-circle moment. ‘The club deserves to be here and I am honoured to be part of the staff that represents this badge again,’ he says.

‘Winning the Champions League was a great gift, not just for me but for everyone in that squad, and now we are here at this new tournament.'

Chelsea's game against ES Tunis kicks off at 2am UK time on Wednesday. You can watch that and every other game at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 live for free by signing up with DAZN here.

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