Enzo Maresca remains confident that Manchester City will recover and re-enter the Premier League title race, even as he acknowledges that Chelsea are not serious contenders for the crown this season, describing it as ‘just reality.’
Chelsea, currently second in the table, sit four points behind leaders Liverpool ahead of Thursday’s west London derby against Fulham, although they have played one more game than the Merseysiders.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Meanwhile, Manchester City—winners of an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles before this season—find themselves 12 points off the top after a dismal run of nine defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions.
Despite this, Maresca, who previously worked alongside Pep Guardiola at City, expressed optimism, stating, “Manchester City at the end will be there. They are in a moment that has never happened before.
“Every time they play a game, they have an injury, and they don’t have enough players in this moment. And the ones they have are not 100 percent because they have just come back from injury, so it is a very bad situation.
“We are ahead of our expectations, in terms of the way we are playing, and the points we have, but the main focus is how we can improve the players and how we can improve the team.”
Maresca, who has repeatedly dismissed any title talk concerning Chelsea, added: “It is not about the (title) pressure for the players or for the club or for me, it is just the reality.
“I would like to have that kind of pressure and hopefully soon we can, but the reason why I said we are not there yet, is because the reality is that we are not.”
Maresca, asked if it was now Liverpool’s title to lose, replied: “No, the reality says we are second at the halfway point, so the table does reflect the teams.
“But Liverpool have done a fantastic job since the first day, and the squad has lived that kind of moment, winning a trophy, which is important.
“Last year, when Liverpool faced Chelsea in the Carabao (League) Cup final I saw the amount of finals that Liverpool players had played in, and the number of finals Chelsea players had played in, and there was a huge difference. So it shows the experience you need, but we are happy to be where we are.”
2024 has been a groundbreaking year for Nigerian sports, with athletes excelling across diverse disciplines…
Ekohotblog reports that Eredo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) has announced the postponement of its…
Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has shared his predictions for the Premier League fixtures scheduled for…