Matt Le Tissier reveals the real reason why Chelsea are out of the title race
Chelsea lack the consistency to stay in the race to win the Premier League this season and Enzo Maresca was right to downplay their chances of doing so.
That is the verdict of Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he feels Enzo Maresca has tried to take pressure off his players by insisting that their inconsistency will mean they struggle to compete at the top of the table this term.
Chelsea lost 2-1 to Sunderland on Saturday (25 October) as Chemsdine Talbi bagged an added-time winner to send the newly-promoted side into the Premier League top four.
The Blues now sit ninth in the top-flight with 14 points from their opening nine games after winning just two of their last six league outings.
Maresca has led the club to Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs in the last five months, but they now already look unlikely to compete for the league title this season with Arsenal now eight points ahead in top spot.
Enzo Maresca has ruled Chelsea out of the title race
Football Insider revealed last month that Maresca was under pressure from the Chelsea board after his side won just one of five games between 13 and 27 September.
Following his side’s loss to the Black Cats on Saturday, the Chelsea boss insinuated that his team are unlikely to be involved in a title race this season due to their patchy form.
He said: “If you want to be there [near the top of the league], you need consistency. Winning four in a row and then today’s result, it shows that [they’re inconsistent].
“If we can have that level [lifted hand towards the ceiling] and this level [dropped hand towards the floor], probably it’s better to have something in between, to be always in the same way. We were not good enough and in the Premier League the consequences can be bad.”
Le Tissier told Football Insider last week that he feels Maresca’s job could be in doubt soon if Chelsea continue to struggle in league games despite their decent Champions League form.
Chelsea are ‘not on the level’ of Arsenal
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier has now admitted that he cannot see the Blues being in a title race this season, but insisted that Maresca was right to try and take the pressure of his players with his post-Sunderland comments.
He said: “They’re eight points off the top of the table. And although eight points doesn’t sound like a huge amount this early on in the season, when you look at what Arsenal are doing and how difficult they are to break down, it looks like it’s going to be too much of a challenge for that Chelsea team.
“They still don’t look like they’ve got the consistency. You know, they’ve got the ability to outplay teams and outscore teams, but not on the level of consistency that the likes of Arsenal probably do.
“So, I can understand why he [Maresca] said that. And also, by saying that, it takes a bit of pressure off the players. It maybe lowers the expectation of the fans a little bit. I can understand why he said it, yeah.“