Enzo Maresca has refused to engage with Arne Slot after the Liverpool boss claimed he thought Chelsea would've already won the Premier League title by now given their investment
Enzo Maresca has refused to respond to Arne Slot's Premier League jibe
Enzo Maresca has refused to respond to Arne Slot's Premier League jibe
Enzo Maresca insists he "doesn't pay attention to what the other people say" after Arne Slot claimed he was surprised Chelsea didn't win the Premier League last season - claiming their poor run of form was crucial.
The Dutchman secured the title in his first season with Liverpool. The Merseysiders were rarely challenged following their fast start, but it was looking as if Chelsea would be their closest challengers in and around December as Maresca's side found some impressive form.
The Blues would later fall away and Slot admits the Reds benefited from Chelsea's baron spell midway through the season. He may have been embarking on some early mind games - which Maresca has refused to engage in - when he suggested his side were behind schedule by not winning the title.
He said: "I expected them to win last season already. The amount of quality they have and they were there at the start of the season. They were in [the title race] after ten games. They were still there [in December].
"Squad depth, quality, they have a very good manager as well, and I think they’ve shown this by winning the trophies they won last season. It was good for us that they also had a period last season where they struggled and that’s why they couldn’t compete till the end for the league title."
Liverpool narrowly saw off Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield, but the Blues caused them numerous problems and were scoring goals for fun. That in partly down to huge investment in their squad, which has allowed them to have huge depth and quality. And ahead of the new season their Italian manager is focused solely on his team.
He said, when Slot's comments were put to him: "I don’t pay attention to what the other people say about us. It’s easy to say that more clubs are involved. I don’t like to play this kind of game. I like to be focused on players, try to improve and then they can say what they want."
Arne Slot believes Chelsea should have won the Premier League title already given their investment
Arne Slot believes Chelsea should have won the Premier League title already given their investment
Chelsea would end up finishing 15 points behind Liverpool, who wrapped up the title with games to spare. The Blues meanwhile needed to see off Nottingham Forest on the final day to book their spot in the Champions League.
Rewind to December though and the Blues closed to within two points off Liverpool when they beat west London rivals Brentford. Following that though they endured a run of just two wins in ten games. That included a five game winless run as they were beaten by the likes of Ipswich, Fulham and Brighton.
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