Chelsea is challenging to win the Premier League (PL) for the first time in eight years.
Last season, Chelsea ranked sixth in the PL after staying in the middle and lower half throughout the first half of the season, trying to make a dramatic turnaround in the second half. However, considering the value of the club’s name, it was undeniable that the performance was disappointing. After winning the 2016/17 season, Chelsea showed a bit of uneven performance, ranking 5→3→4→4→3→12→6th. Notably, the recent two seasons will remain a season that Chelsea fans want to forget.
Chelsea will be able to dream for the first time in a long time as coach Encho Maresca takes office this summer. Although there were some ups and downs in the first half of this season, it overcame them quickly, and is closely chasing Liverpool (11 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss, 36 points) with 10 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses (34 points) at the present time when 16 matches have been played.
“I’m happy to see my fans happy to have a dream of winning,” Maresca said. “We have to look at it realistically. If you are a team that competes for the championship, there are areas where you have to do better. We have to deal with the ball in the right way and reduce the number of lost points.”
Noni Madueke (22), who was reborn as Maresca’s persona with six goals and four assists in 19 games this season, also shared the same thought. When asked in an interview with British media ‘BBC’ on the 20th (local time), he said, “What does it mean? I don’t know what it means.” 메이저사이트
Nikola Jackson also said after the match against Brentford (2-1) on Saturday that she was only two points clear of Liverpool. “I just try to win every game and focus on the next game. I don’t look at the rankings.”
“To be honest, I don’t know the meaning of the word competition. I’m joking, I know it well, but I want to stress that there is no need to dwell on the rankings. All we have to do is work hard and focus on winning every game,” he said.
Maresca praised players with mental strength that does not waver both in and out of the stadium. In an interview after the match against Brentford, Maresca said, “(The victory) is all thanks to the players. Their mental strength was incredible, and their passion and determination to get three points were incredible. We are moving in the right direction.”