Chelsea vs Arsenal: Enzo Maresca believes Blues are getting better as Mikel Arteta refuses to be drawn on title talk | Football News

Enzo Maresca admits Sunday’s meeting with Arsenal is a “big moment” in Chelsea’s season, but warned his side are going “better and better”.

Maresca’s side head into the match at Stamford Bridge six points behind Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders, knowing a win could halve the gap.

After a resounding victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, there is no time to dwell on what could be a season-defining competition.

‘It’s a big moment,’ said Chelsea manager Aerial sports.

“Especially because it’s a derby. It’s against Arsenal. They are in good shape.

“Defensively they are very good. And offensively they are fantastic players. They have different weapons, not just set pieces, because everyone talks about set pieces, not just set pieces.

“They have players who can decide the game at any time. With and without the ball they are very good.

“But we are also in good form. Every match is different. I hope we can have a good match and win.”

Sunday November 30 at 4:25 p.m.

Kick-off at 4:30 p.m.

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While many feared that Chelsea would struggle to emerge from a turbulent summer that saw them go all the way in the FIFA Club World Cup – after an already successful campaign that involved a top-four finish and a UEFA Conference League triumph – Maresca managed to navigate their way to a maiden title run.

This extra time together seems to have only improved the cohesion within the camp, although the Italian still isn’t sure where his team stands in relation to the other big teams.

“I think we are better than last season, that’s for sure,” he said. “The reason is that we spent another year together.

“Where we are right now, to be honest, I don’t know. What I do know is that we’re going in the right direction and we’re playing any team every game.”

Sky Sports News’ Chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol has revealed that Chelsea have no expectations of winning the title this season, despite going into Sunday’s game as Arsenal’s closest challenger.

While that might be the case, the confidence within the team has allowed Maresca to believe that her team can beat anyone who stands in front of them.

“Winning last season or finishing in the top four has helped a lot in terms of confidence, energy and belief because they can see that they are capable of doing anything to win any game,” he added.

“Last season helped a lot, and I think this season you can see we are getting better and better.”

Arteta refuses to get drawn into title discussions

At the other end of the scale, Arteta is confident his side stay grounded ahead of the chance of going nine points ahead.

Paul Merson has claimed the Premier League is Arsenal’s to lose, but the Gunners boss is silencing the noise.

“I am confident in what we have done so far and the things we can control,” Arteta said.

“This is football and now we have to show him every day what we are capable of.”

A large part of the reason why Arsenal failed to win the league title last season was seen to be the fitness issues that plagued Arteta’s side, particularly in the first half of the season.

A similar situation has occurred in recent weeks, with Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres among several who have found themselves on the sidelines.

This time however, the Gunners have fared much better, with Arteta crediting the depth of his squad as the biggest difference this time around.

“There was a point last year where we had 14, 13 players playing competitively, which was very difficult,” he said.

“Now we have increased the depth and the quality as well, which is what we needed.”

But it’s not just quality that the league leaders have brought to the table. It’s a mentality that Arteta says is at an unprecedented level.

“If we are all here with the same goal, which is to do our best to try and bring success, joy and trophies to this football club, we all have to be in the same boat.

“We will experience times and roles that will change. The better we understand this, the more we care for each other and focus on the task, the more effective we will be.

“You see a lot of examples of players coming in and winning the game for us and that’s only if your mindset and your clarity about it is superb.”