Chelsea star Renato Veiga shares golden dressing room rule behind five-match win streak
CHELSEA vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Renato Veiga netted his first goal for the Blues in midweek during the 4-2 Conference League triumph over Gent as Enzo Maresca's side now look to make it six straight victories in all competitions before the international break
by Ryan Taylor · The MirrorRenato Veiga has revealed the secret behind Chelsea's five straight victories in all competitions - small cliques do not exist under Enzo Maresca.
The hard-nosed Italian tactician has made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge, swiftly transforming an over-inflated squad into a competitive, cohesive unit - all pulling in the same direction.
And Veiga, who netted his first Blues goal on Thursday in the 4-2 Conference League victory over Gent, claims the infectious togetherness within the club is fuelling Chelsea's bid for silverware this season.
The 21-year-old said: "First of all we have a really good group with great individuals and good values. We all really like each other, we are building a family that understands that the most important thing is Chelsea.
"The squad is really together, there are no little groups like in other teams that I've been part of before. It does happen, it's normal but it's kind of special that here at Chelsea, in our team we have just a big group that is one big family. Everyone feels part of it."
There were fears of a divided dressing room back in July, when Wesley Fofana publicly condemned team-mate Enzo Fernandez following an offensive chant, but harmony was quickly restored after the £107million midfielder issued a heartfelt apology.
And Maresca has since implemented specific measures to ensure Chelsea keep their house in order - ruling all players are now expected to attend home fixtures to support their colleagues, even if they have been left out of the matchday squad.
Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Malo Gusto were among those positioned behind the home bench in midweek amid heavy rotation, as the club's fringe players battled to stake a claim for a starting berth in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest.
Veiga, a £12million summer steal from FC Basel, is hot on the trail of Marc Cucurella following another impressive, all-action performance at left-back against the Belgian Jupiler Pro League outfit.
When asked if he feels he has done enough to displace the Spaniard, the Portugal U21 international responded: "That's not a question for me, I do my work, Marc does his work. What a guy, what a player. It's healthy competition and we push each other but the most important thing is that the team gets results.
"It seems like we are rivals and that's maybe the vision you have from the outside but for us we don't see it like that. We just have to put in our own quality and enjoy the game."
Veiga, who likes to invert just like Cucurella, can also operate as a defensive midfielder and he is willing to play wherever his boss desires.
He concluded: "I think it's important, the more positions you can play, the better. That's basically it. Helping the team, by any means possible and when you work on top of victories, you know it's different to working on top of draws or losses, so that's what we try to do every game. Chelsea always comes first."
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