Chelsea ahead Cole Palmer scoffed on the suggestion that his aspect have been within the Premier League title race.
The invariably blunt playmaker did not disguise his disdain for that exact line of questioning after Chelsea’s straightforward 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon. Palmer scored the third and remaining purpose, amassing the ball on the sting of the field and bending a vicious effort past the attain of substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen.
That triumph left Chelsea third within the Premier League desk, though they’ve the very same factors and purpose distinction as second-placed Arsenal. Whereas the Gunners have brazenly mentioned their aspirations of chasing down league-leading Liverpool, Chelsea are working below a blanket method of denial.
With a mixture of bemusement and annoyance washing throughout his face, Palmer shut down any title discuss in an interview after Sunday’s victory over Villa. “It is too early,” he sniffed.
“If we maintain profitable then we’ll be close to the highest 4, however just like the gaffer mentioned Manchester Metropolis, Liverpool and Arsenal have been collectively for greater than 5 years, whereas we have solely been collectively for a season. We simply wish to maintain going and profitable the video games.”
As Palmer alluded to, Chelsea supervisor Enzo Maresca has been at pains to downplay his aspect’s probabilities of difficult for the Premier League title. “I feel we aren’t able to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and Metropolis for a lot of causes and since we win right this moment I am not going to vary my concept,” the Italian boss huffed on Sunday.
Chelsea have solely been crushed by league-leading Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester Metropolis in England’s high flight this season. After a tricky begin to the marketing campaign, the Blues have been handled to a seemingly beneficial fixture record over the festive interval.
Maresca’s aspect do not play a group presently contained in the Premier League’s high six till travelling to Metropolis‘s Etihad Stadium on 25 January. Chelsea are up towards 5 of the underside six earlier than that journey north, beginning with a go to to Twentieth-placed Southampton on Wednesday night time.
If the west London outfit proceed to choose up factors throughout this attractive slate of matches, Palmer and Maresca will not be capable to deny their title credentials for for much longer.
