Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has downplayed his team’s status as Premier League title contenders, despite their strong start to the season.
However, he believes the Blues have the potential to dominate English football in the coming years.
Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League table, level on points with second-placed Arsenal, following a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Blues have only suffered league defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool this season, signalling that their significant investment in players may finally be bearing fruit.
Key players like Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are thriving in attack, while high-profile midfield signings Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia have begun to find their rhythm in the heart of the pitch.
Under Maresca’s guidance, the young squad is delivering an attractive style of football, inspired by the Italian’s association with Pep Guardiola’s philosophy.
Appointed six months ago to replace Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca has overseen a notable transformation in Chelsea’s form and style of play.
However, despite being level on points with Arsenal and the closest chasers to league leaders Liverpool – who hold a nine-point lead – Maresca is adamant that his team is not in the title race this season.
When asked if this stance was intended to shield his players from pressure, Maresca responded: “No. I said, to be in the title race, it is a nice pressure for me and the players. It’s not that kind of pressure that you don’t like.
“It’s that kind of pressure that you like because you are in the title race but it is not our case.
“Arsenal, in the last two years, they were very, very close to City and Liverpool, they have been there.
“We were not there. Hopefully soon we can be there.”
“The good thing is that I still think what I said to the owners and the sporting directors the first time I met them: because of the age, and how good the squad is, for me Chelsea in the next five or 10 years will be one of the teams, or the team, that will dominate English football,” he added.
“I said this to the club the first time I met them, no matter who the manager will be. Because of the age, because of the squad, you can dominate English football. I still think exactly the same.
“In terms of a target, they didn’t ask me [for] any target. The only thing they asked me was to try and build something important for the next years. I think we are in the right direction.
“In terms of a personal target, I know from the outside you struggle to believe but I just finished to see how today, this afternoon, we can use this session to help the players improve. I’m focused on Southampton, for sure, but I’m not focused about [the] end of the season, next season, two seasons because it is not real.”
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