Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has clarified his comments about the Blues not being in the Premier League title race, emphasising that his assessment is based on realism rather than a strategy to ease pressure on the players.

“It is not about the pressure for the players or for the club or for me,” Maresca explained. “It is about the reality. Not about the pressure because we would like that kind of pressure, and hopefully soon we can.”

He doubled down on his statement, reiterating that Chelsea’s current position reflects where they stand in their journey.

“The reason I said we are not there is because the reality is we are not there. We will see game by game,” he added.

Maresca’s grounded approach aims to keep the focus on continuous improvement as Chelsea navigate their campaign with measured ambition.