Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, has said that Chelsea are real contenders for the Premier League title this season, before their highly anticipated match at Stamford Bridge. On Sunday, the Gunners will travel to west London to face Enzo Maresca’s team, currently in second place after exceeding expectations in the first 12 matches of the season.
The Blues have had a great start to the season and are now Arsenal’s closest rivals. Sunday’s game is a big test for both teams. Chelsea want to close the gap on the league leaders and show that they are real contenders for the domestic crown. Meanwhile, the Gunners want to extend their six-point lead at the top of the table.
Arteta has praised Maresca’s work since he arrived at Stamford Bridge. He talked about the quality of the Blues’ players and how they have improved their tactics on Friday. The Spaniard said:
“I think we are all there, and they are there because they fully deserve what they have done in the last few years. I think the squad that they assembled, the numbers that they have, the quality that they have, the number of coaches they have it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.”
The Arsenal manager had called Chelsea “the best attacking team in the league by a mile” after a 1-0 win in March, and he said they were still a threat this season:
“They were [the best last season], the sample now this season is early so it’s difficult to say.
“But it is one of the teams that I enjoy the most watching and they have a lot of fluidity, they have a lot of threat, they have a lot of individual talent, they are very clear what they want to do and that’s why they are very tough.”
Chelsea manager discusses facing Arsenal
As he gets his team ready for Sunday’s big Premier League game, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has called Arsenal “ruthless.” The Blues are in a good mood going into the game after beating Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League midweek.
Even though they are more confident after their European game, Maresca is still worried about the league leaders. He admitted that it would be hard to catch up to Mikel Arteta’s team, who are currently six points ahead at the top.
Maresca said at his pre-game press conference:
“I said after the game it is another big game. We won against Barcelona, was a good feeling. If it is bigger than last one? I don’t know, they are all important games. For sure, beating Barcelona, or if we can beat Arsenal, it is a nice feeling but it is still three points the same.”