As Chelsea prepare to face Arsenal, manager Enzo Maresca has acknowledged the significant gap between the two sides, citing stability under Mikel Arteta as a key reason for Arsenal’s progress.

“It’s quite a big gap. The reason why is because they are working with the same manager for five years, so the difference is quite important,” Maresca explained.

While Arsenal continue to push for the Premier League title, Chelsea are still fighting to secure a Champions League spot. Maresca emphasised that Arsenal’s consistency in leadership and squad development gives them an edge.

“With the same players, they already played for some important games. But our target, our duty is to close that gap between us and them,” he added.

Despite Arsenal’s advantage in long-term planning, Maresca pointed out that Chelsea are still within reach in the league table.

“In this moment, the table just said that the difference between us and them is six points. So we are quite close, but we have still nine games to go,” he noted.

With the season entering its final stretch, Chelsea will be aiming to bridge that gap—starting with a strong performance against Arsenal this weekend.