Chelsea have started the season strongly under new manager Enzo Maresca
Maresca is predicting a bright future, but does not expect a title challenge yet
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By KIERAN GILL
Published: 17:34 EST, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 17:34 EST, 3 December 2024
Enzo Maresca says Chelsea are growing out of being Premier League ‘puppies' but in a press conference reminiscent of Jose Mourinho, the Italian insisted this season is too soon to claim they can be crowned the top dogs in England.
It was during Mourinho’s debut campaign of his second spell in 2013-14 when the Portuguese famously allayed expectations by insisting the Blues were not in the running with Manchester City and Arsenal, saying: 'Two horses and a little horse that still needs milk. A horse that next season can race.’
Chelsea went on to win the title the very next year under Mourinho and on Tuesday, Maresca, who has a three-year-old Golden Retriever called Ciro, used his dog to describe Chelsea’s growth towards contendership as they take on Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium on Wednesday night.
‘Because of the age, and because of how good the squad is, for me Chelsea in the next five to 10 years will be one of the teams or the team that is going to dominate English football,’ Maresca said. ‘This is what I said this to the club the first time I met them. I still think exactly the same.
'I don’t think (Manchester) City are at the end of a cycle. They are in a bad moment, for sure. I’m more focussed on what we have here, that is good players, good squad, young age and this is the reason why I said, for me, for the next years, Chelsea can be an important club in English football.’
It was then while discussing Mourinho’s horse analogy that Maresca said: ‘The last 20 years, I have always been with two Golden Retrievers or at least one. I don’t know what kind of animals we are.’
Enzo Maresca thinks it is too early for his Chelsea side to challenge for the Premier League title
Jose Mourinho famously claimed in the first season of his second spell that his Chelsea side were just a 'little horse' and they went on to win the title the following year
Asked if Chelsea should be considered 'puppies' currently, Maresca answered: ‘No. I think we showed we are there and we are competing very well in all the competitions. This shows how mature they are in this moment.’
Tuesday was Maresca’s six-month anniversary of his appointment. He had considerable doubters at the time, some even saying he would be out of Chelsea by December due to his lack of Premier League experience.
‘The moment we lose games, there will still be doubt, I know how it works,’ he said. ‘It’s gone quite quick, the six months. Did I doubt myself? No. Eddie Howe, when he started, did he have experience? No. Pep (Guardiola), when he started at Barcelona. Experience? No. Mikel (Arteta), when he started at Arsenal. Experience? No. When you started as a journalist. Experience? No.
‘We all are in the same situation. When you start, you don’t have experience. You cannot go to the supermarket and buy experience. You need time.’