Enzo Maresca Insists Chelsea Are Not in Premier League Title Race Despite Brentford Win

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has maintained his stance that the Blues are not in a Premier League title race this season, despite his team’s impressive form.

The Italian boss reiterated his point after Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Brentford, which keeps them firmly in second place in the league table.

Chelsea’s Strong Start Under Maresca

The Blues have won 10 of their first 16 Premier League matches under Maresca, leaving them just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.

With Manchester City and Arsenal both struggling, there has been talk that Chelsea might be poised to challenge for the top spot.

However, Maresca has downplayed these suggestions, emphasising that his squad is still in a rebuilding phase. Despite their recent results and performances, he believes Chelsea are not yet equipped to compete at the level required to win the title.

“I think Enzo Maresca’s so far manager of the season”

Huge praise from Joe Cole as Chelsea continue their impressive form 📈

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Maresca: “We Are Not Ready”

In his post-match comments, Maresca explained why he feels Chelsea are not in the title race, highlighting defensive lapses as a key area for improvement.

“No matter how many games we win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title,” he said. “One of the reasons why is that the team that knows how to compete to win titles, they won’t concede goals we concede.

Referecning Bryan Mbeumo’s late consolation goal for Brentford, which stemmed from a Chelsea throw-in, Maresca said, “A team that knows how to win titles – that is not a goal they know how to concede.”

Despite being one of the league’s better defensive units—only two teams have conceded fewer goals than Chelsea—Maresca stressed that there’s room for improvement.

“Defensively, we’re not doing bad,” he noted. “We’d like to end with a clean sheet, but there’s another team trying to score.”

Chelsea will turn their attention to European competition next, as they face Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Does Enzo Maresca think Chelsea are in the title race? 🤔📊pic.twitter.com/KP7GhGYS7l

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 16, 2024