Chris Sutton: Maresca doing well to take pressure off the players (interview for Newbettingsites.uk)

Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has told NewBettingSites.uk that he believes Enzo Maresca’s insistence on downplaying Chelsea’s title chances is helping to take pressure off the players.

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, Sutton said: “We won’t see how the pressure of being at the top of the table affects this Chelsea side until they get there.

“Enzo Maresca is doing the right thing in insisting that they’re not thinking about a title race. If he came out saying that they were serious contenders then people would shoot him down. He’s trying to downplay the possibility of winning a title this season in order to take the pressure off the players.

“Inside the dressing room, the players will be starting to believe. They’ll still be taking it game by game but they’ll have the belief – and quite rightly so – that they can beat any team in the Premier League. It’s all about consistency now.”

Conference League rotation puts Chelsea in ‘luxurious’ position

Sutton suggested that Chelsea’s ability to rotate their entire squad for Conference League matches puts them in a favourable position compared to Premier League teams competing in other European competitions.

“Maintaining consistency in the league is made harder when you’re competing in Europe,” said Sutton. “However, the fact Chelsea can play a whole different starting XI in the Conference League is a big factor.

“A lot of managers are banging on now about the number of games and how it is taking a toll on the players, so Chelsea are in a luxurious position in that respect.”

I’d be surprised if Chelsea spend big in January

Looking ahead to the upcoming January transfer window, Sutton does not expect Chelsea to spend big again as Maresca will be happy with his current squad.

“Maresca has now had time to assess his squad,” Sutton said. “It was a bloated squad, but it was also a talented one and he’s moulded it well. I would be really surprised if Chelsea went big in January because he seems pretty happy with what he’s got.

“You look at the likes of Nicolas Jackson, the jury was out on him at the start of the season but Maresca seems to have played a big part in his development and now he’s a well-rounded striker. People were questioning the striker position at Chelsea but that isn’t the case anymore, which is a big feather in Jackson’s cap.”

Liverpool still ahead in the title race

Commenting on Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal’s chances in this season’s title race, Sutton is leaning towards Arne Slot’s side coming out on top.

“Looking back at last season where the title was between Manchester City and Arsenal, you’d naturally think that Arsenal would be the ones to take over now that City have fallen away,” he said. “They seem to have been more pragmatic in their approach this season and everyone now seems to be labelling them the new Stoke City! But the fact they’re not scoring as many goals as they’d like from open play is a problem for them.

“I would favour Liverpool under Arne Slot based on the level of experience they have. They’ve got players who have been there and done it. One of those players is Mohamed Salah and he’s arguably been the best player in the Premier League this season alongside Cole Palmer.

“From Chelsea’s perspective, it’s just about focusing on the next game and picking up three points then seeing where that takes them. That’s what Maresca is doing at the moment. They’ve surprised me in how quickly they’ve progressed under the new manager, as have Liverpool.

“All three teams have strong squads but I’d lean towards Liverpool at this moment in time.”