“For sure” – Enzo Maresca changes his tone on crucial topic after Arsenal draw

Chelsea may not have beaten Arsenal yesterday, but a draw after going down to ten men, after a really gritty second half performance, felt like a big deal. The fact that it followed in the same week that the Blues smashed Barcelona in the Champions League enhanced that even further.

Their manager Enzo Maresca was asked, once again, if he’d admit his team were in a title race. He continued to do his best to avoid it.

Maresca starts to change his tone on title talk

Joao Pedro protests a decision against Arsenal. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I think, once again, sometimes I think I’m a little bit boring, but in terms of boring, I have to say, again, the same. If in February, March, we are where we are now, we’re going to be for title,” the coach said post game.

“But we are still, you know, end of November, December. Now we are weeks away, Wednesday, that is a very difficult game. So, you need to be there every time, every time, every time,” the coach said, continuing to play down their chances.

But… he wasn’t able to rule it out entirely anymore:

“For sure, you know, Arsenal tonight, Barcelona the other day, Liverpool, PSG, these kind of games, for sure, they give to the players, you know, the confidence to grow and to believe.”

Saying that, in response to a question about whether we’re in the title race, tells its own story.

It’s perfectly reasonable for him to not want to declare that we’re going to be up there at the end of the season – he can only lose in that situation.

In other news…

With Cole Palmer and Dario Essugo now back in the squad, Chelsea have the deepest group they’ve had in a while, and it could prove crucial in the busy weeks to come.

The bad news from the presser was that Enzo Maresca confirmed that Reece James wouldn’t be able to play against Leeds next week. His 180 minutes this week have pushed him to the limit,