Enzo Maresca has categorically denied that Chelsea hold the upper hand against Tottenham, despite sitting a comfortable eight points clear of their rivals. As the Blues continue to impress fans with efficient goal-scoring performances, speculation mounts that they could emerge as surprise contenders in the Premier League title race.
In contrast, Spurs boast only a single win, albeit a remarkable 4-0 crushing of Manchester City, across their last six games. Nevertheless, Maresca dismisses any notion of his side being the favourite, asserting: "We are not favourites, I'm sorry.
"They are playing in European competition like us, we are there but it's not because now we are second in the table that we are favourites - absolutely not."
Earlier in the week, Noni Madueke praised Maresca for his straightforward managerial approach, shortly after the Italian coach called the young winger out for complacency following an impactful display against Southampton, where he both scored and assisted.
Previously, Maresca sidelined him against Aston Villa, criticising a lacklustre approach in training. The stern coach also didn't shy away from underlining his strict ethos, warning his squad that standards must remain high at all times.
He explained: "The only thing that I don't allow, not one of them in the squad, no matter who it is, is to drop in terms of intensity and in terms of working hard.
"Because the only way to reach something is if you work very hard, day by day.
"I've said this squad is full, full, full of talent."
Maresca is adamant about the need for more than just talent to win games, as he emphasised the importance of understanding and awareness among his players. "If you put 25 players in this room and you closed your eyes and picked one, you're going to pick one full of talent but that's not enough," he said.
"If you don't put together more things, you are not going to win games and to have a good moment.
"This is what they have to understand. Fortunately, at the moment, they are all aware of that.
Addressing concerns over player confidence, Maresca insists his approach is always with the best intentions: "No, I think when you have a good intention, you don't have to be careful."
"You have to be careful when you have bad intentions.
"My intention with Reece [James] or my intention with Noni or my intention with the next one that I don't know who it will be, it's not because there is any bad intention.
"It's just because I really care about them and because I really want the best for them, no more than that."
Despite not having faced Ange Postecoglou in a managerial capacity, aside from a memorable one-hour conversation in Thailand, Maresca is focused on Chelsea's performance.
Meanwhile, Postecoglou is set to tackle Tottenham's poor record in London derbies, with Spurs having won only four out of their last 13 league matches against other London teams, suffering seven defeats.