Chelsea are being spoken about more and more lately about being in the title race this season, although most pundits are still not putting them there.
And neither is head coach Enzo Maresca, who has been keen to play all that talk down in recent days preferring to think about the reality of the situation and how other clubs are well ahead for now.
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Chelsea and Maresca are a new partnership, the squad is a new squad rebuild, everything is still fresh and still new. So in terms of being an experienced team who are ready and able to compete for a title across the long course of a season, most people are just thinking that they aren’t there yet.
But winger Noni Madueke has responded defiantly when he was asked about Chelsea being in the title race this season off the back of him scoring a goal to help his side beat Southampton 5-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.
Of course we are up for it!
Madueke responds well to title question
“Of course we are up for it,” Madueke said when asked about the title race, in words cited by The Evening Standard this week. “[But] whether we are in it or not is a different question.
“However, we are taking every game as it comes. We are trying to progress and trying to get better. We are focusing on ourselves, really, and really trying to improve.
“We won 5-1 [at Southampton] and in the dressing room we are very happy with that, but we also know that we can be a lot better. It’s really focusing on us, focusing on training and trying to improve.”
I think this is a great way to respond to such a question. They certainly look up for it, but it may just be a tough too far for this season at least.
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Noni Madueke celebrates a goal for Chelsea (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)