Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea’s European commitments may actually give them an advantage over Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Enzo Maresca’s side is currently the Reds’ closest challenger, having narrowed the gap to two points after beating Brentford on Sunday. Arne Slot’s men still holds a game in hand, although their lead has been cut drastically after back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Fulham.
Chelsea is the most in-form team in the Premier League at the moment, having won each of its last five games to leapfrog Arsenal and Manchester City into second. The Blues’ re-emergence as a threat has left plenty of people wondering whether they could make a genuine play for this season’s title, having been way off the pace in recent years.
Carragher still believes they won’t go on to be crowned champions, although the former Liverpool defender did concede they hold an advantage over the Reds.
Although Chelsea does have to contend with European football like Liverpool, the Conference League does present Maresca with an opportunity to rest some of his star players. Pointing at Liverpool’s own experiences, Carragher feels that could give the Blues an edge.
“I still look at them, and I don’t see a title-winning team in there just because of when I look at the goalkeeper and the two center-backs,” Carragher told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
Enzo Maresca celebrates
Enzo Maresca celebrates after Chelsea's victory over Brentford at the weekend (Image: Julian Finney)
“I know Liverpool didn’t win the league, but if you remember the season under Brendan Rodgers when Liverpool came really close - they came from nowhere, no one expected it, but they didn’t have European football.
“I know Chelsea do, but they can put the second team out and probably still win that competition, so in some ways they haven’t got European football for the starting XI. That is something that definitely puts them right in the race.”
Chelsea holds another advantage over Liverpool this week, with Maresca able to rest his players while the Slot’s men face a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Southampton on Wednesday, with the Blues having already been knocked out of the competition.
Liverpool might well hope for a favor from their Merseyside rivals this weekend, with Chelsea traveling to Everton on Sunday, just hours before the Reds face Tottenham in north London.