Tottenham Hotspur FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea beat Tottenham to move to within
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says Chelsea are ‘definitely’ in this year’s Premier League title race, though believes the club’s apparent lack of a top-class goalkeeper may prove costly.
Enzo Maresca has enjoyed a promising start to his Chelsea tenure after taking over the reins from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer and the west London outfit sit second in the table after 15 games.
A breathless 4-3 comeback victory away to Tottenham moved Chelsea to within four points of league leaders Liverpool. However, the Reds have a game in hand over Maresca’s men after Storm Darragh forced the postponement of Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Riding a five-game winning streak in all competitions, Chelsea will look to further strengthen their title hopes next weekend when they play host to London neighbours Brentford.
While some Chelsea fans are beginning to dream big, Maresca has consistently moved to dampen expectations, insisting his side are not yet in the conversation when it comes to lifting the Premier League trophy.
But speaking after Sunday’s win at Spurs, Carragher argued that the Blues must now be considered a potential candidate to end Manchester City’s four-year dominance in the English top flight – whether Maresca likes it or not.
‘They are definitely in it. You look at some of the attacking players, no team is perfect,’ the former Liverpool and England defender said on Sky Sports.
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Palmer converted two second-half penalties in north London (Picture: Getty)
‘I am talking about the goalkeeper who isn’t great. But there are probably areas in Liverpool’s team where you think they could improve there, the same with Arsenal and no doubt Manchester City right now.
‘But I just think certain positions almost feel more important than others when you think of teams who win the biggest prizes. That’s what would probably make me say right now… I still look at the goalkeeper, even today, they were a couple of clearances that Tottenham could have gotten a goal from.
‘Maybe you can go to Everton and you lose that 1-0 because of a situation with the goalkeeper. You think at the game at Anfield, Chelsea played Liverpool off the park and Liverpool were delighted to get the final whistle.
‘You look at that game and the goalkeeper let them down and I just think I look at Liverpool’s goalkeeper and even Arsenal’s goalkeeper, I think they are a level above Chelsea’s.’
Aston Villa v Sheffield United - Premier League
Carragher and Neville disagree over Chelsea’s title chances (Picture: Getty)
Carragher’s long-time colleague, Neville, meanwhile, has been blown away by Maresca’s start to life at Stamford Bridge but feels Chelsea are ‘not quite’ contenders this season.
‘I think he’s being clever and doing the right thing in managing expectations because I think he’s right, they’re not quite in the title race as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think they’ll win the title this year,’ the ex-Manchester United and England right-back said on NBC Sports.
‘But obviously the closer they get, the more that question will be asked of him.
‘He’s done a very good job. We knew he was a good coach but we didn’t know if he could manage this chaotic club over the last couple of years which has spent billions, that has basically chewed and spat out managers.
‘What he’s done is absolutely brilliant in his first few months and I’ve been really impressed with him.
‘Believe it or not, the two games that I’ve watched them this season are the two games that they’ve lost against Manchester City and Liverpool. But in both of those games, they went up in my estimation.
‘There were things I saw in those games where I thought, “They’re okay”, and what he’s doing is involving the whole squad, so he’s keeping them all happy. That was one of the problems with the other managers, they couldn’t deal with the size of the squad.’
Are Chelsea in this season's title race?
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Ronaldo names Chelsea star who is ‘kind of like Lamine Yamal’ at Barcelona
MORE: Ruben Amorim handed Manchester derby boost after Pep Guardiola injury update
MORE: Michail Antonio’s first words revealed after West Ham star’s horror car crash