Chelsea may be third in the Premier League table but head coach Enzo Maresca says his young side are not part of the title race and solely concentrating on improving in every match.
Chelsea may be third in the Premier League table but head coach Enzo Maresca says his young side are not part of the title race and solely concentrating on improving in every match.
The west London club have only lost two of their 12 league games, with those defeats coming against champions Manchester City and leaders Liverpool, who they trail by nine points.
Chelsea are level on 22 points with fourth-placed Arsenal and Brighton in fifth, but have a better goal difference.
Asked before they beat Aston Villa 3-0 at the weekend if they are in the title race, Maresca says: “No. I said it many times. I really like the pressure. I’d like to say: ‘Yes, we’re there’ – but we’re not there.
“It’s nice to see the team improving, that is important; it is nice, a good feeling.
“At the same time, you need to be realistic and you can see the difference between us and the rest at the moment.
“This doesn’t mean we’re not going to win games and not compete until the end, but the main focus has to be the feeling we’re improving game after game.”
Chelsea travel to Southampton on Wednesday night for their match that kicks off at 9.30pm, SA time.
