Enzo Maresca admits gap between Chelsea and Arsenal is “quite big”

Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that the gap between Chelsea and Arsenal is “quite big” after five years of Mikel Arteta’s reign.

However, the Italian believes Chelsea could still close the gap and overtake the Gunners in the race for second place this season, provided they secure a victory at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Chelsea’s 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal last April marked the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure and resulted in yet another managerial change at Stamford Bridge.

Arteta has been in charge of Arsenal since December 2019, leading them to an FA Cup victory.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have won four international trophies during this period.

Despite these successes, Arsenal are currently six points ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea and have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for a second consecutive season.

“The gap? It’s quite big,” said the former Leicester City boss.

“The reason why is because they are working with the same manager for five years, so the difference is quite important.

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

A victory at the Emirates would not only close the gap in the Premier League to just three points but also extend Chelsea’s winning streak to five games.