Arteta expected Chelsea to be title ‘contenders’

Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, said he anticipated Chelsea to be “contenders” for the Premier League title this year.

The teams meet at Emirates Stadium on Sunday (13:30 GMT), with the Gunners currently second in the standings and the Blues currently six points adrift of fourth place.

However, it seems unlikely that either team will catch runaway leaders Liverpool, who are 15 points clear of the leader after more games.

Arsenal and Chelsea appear to be ensuring their place in the Champions League for the moment, with fifth place now likely to be sufficient. Real Madrid will also face the Gunners in this year’s quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition.

However, Arteta suggested that Chelsea’s current head coach, Enzo Maresca, had anticipated more from the club.

The Spaniard claimed that they were “possible contenders to even win it” from the moment I watched them play in the pre-season, fully aware of how Enzo works and the talent they have in the squad.

In December, Chelsea moved within two points of the top after a five-game winning streak, making it appear as though they were the closest rival to Liverpool.

However, they have only managed four victories in 12 games and have exposed a number of weaknesses, particularly in defense.

Chelsea’s play and persistent issues have attracted criticism from their own supporters, but Arteta has backed former Leicester manager Maresca to fix things.

He is a superb coach, Arteta continued.

He has stated in his letter that he has been very clear about what he wants and how he does it. His team’s play is really good, I really like it.

Arteta added that Myles Lewis-Skelly, who received his first England call-up on Friday in Thomas Tuchel’s first team, showed promise while on the club’s pre-season US tour.

The 18-year-old made his senior debut in September, and he said, “You see the talent.”

You can observe how they respond to particular circumstances or difficulties. Then you start to believe that there is a player in this place, but you must do it. When he started against Liverpool as a sub, I was very impressed with him in the United States.