Enzo Maresca talks up chances of Chelsea title challenge

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca promised it is only a matter of time before the club is ready to challenge at the top of the Premier League table, as he prepares to kick off his Stamford Bridge tenure at home to Manchester City on Sunday.

The Italian is the sixth coach to have led the team since Todd Boehly's Clearlake Capital consortium bought the club two year ago.

That period initially saw the Blues, who last won the league in 2017, slump from being Champions League regulars to the obscurity of mid-table before recovering to put in a strong finish to last season under former boss Mauricio Pochettino and qualify for Europe.

The dismissal of Pochettino and Maresca's subsequent appointment have meant yet more upheaval for a club that has undergone massive personnel changes on the pitch and behind the scenes, with a high turnover of players and coaches reflecting disjointed performances, an unbalanced squad and mediocre results.

However, ahead of leading out his new team against former mentor Pep Guardiola - for whom he worked at City as an assistant before departing in 2023 - the 44-year-old said he believes time is now the only factor in Boehly's £1.2billion Chelsea squad becoming title challengers.

"For me, my personal opinion, the big difference in this moment between us and other teams that are dominating English football, is just a matter of time," said Maresca. "Clubs that have worked with the same manager nine years, eight years. We're working with the same manager for one month.

"For sure with time, we are going to close the gap. Hopefully it can happen very soon.

"Sometimes it sounds like an excuse, because every manager is talking about time. Time in football is difficult.

"But in our case, because of the process and