Enzo Maresca has claimed that Chelsea can dominate the Premier League in the next five to 10 years.
Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Southampton, Maresca discounted Chelsea’s title hopes for this season, even though they are level with Arsenal in second place, nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
"We're not in the title race," head coach Maresca said. “We are not, in my opinion.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
17 | +23 | 42 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
18 | +17 | 35 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
18 | +5 | 34 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
18 | +9 | 29 |
"What I said to the owners and the sporting directors the first time I met them, because of the age, and because of how good the squad is, for me Chelsea in the next five to 10 years will be one of the teams, or the team, that is going to dominate English football.
"This is what I said this to the club the first time I met them. No matter who will be the manager, for the next five or 10 years, because of the age, the squad, you can dominate English football, and I still think exactly the same.
"In terms of a target they didn't ask me for any target, only to try to build something important for the next years. I think we are [heading] in the right direction.
"In terms of a personal target, I know you struggle to believe but I'm not focused on [the] end of season, next season, because it's not real."
Focus on youth
The transfer policy of Chelsea over the past two seasons has meant that the squad is now the youngest in the Premier League.
All 13 of Chelsea’s starting XIs this season have the youngest average age in the competition, with the team selected to play Newcastle United in October the youngest, at 23 years and 89 days. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was the oldest player that day at the age of 26.
Indeed, the only occasion Chelsea have ever fielded a younger starting XI in the Premier League came in December 2023 against Crystal Palace (23y 21d).
Overall Chelsea’s average age of their starting players at 23 years and 212 days is more than two years lower than the next youngest side AFC Bournemouth.
The emphasis could be on youth again at St Mary's on Wednesday when Chelsea face a Southampton team with the fifth-youngest average starting age this season, 26y 74d.
Youngest average starting age of PL teams
| Team | Average starting age |
| Chelsea | 21y 212d |
|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | 25y 308d |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 25y 315d |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 26y 32d |
| Southampton | 26y 74d |
Although bottom club Southampton have picked up only five points from their 13 matches this season, Maresca believes that Russell Martin's side will pose the "toughest game" yet for his young charges.
"This is the worst game for us since we started the season," he added. "The toughest game and we need to be ready, otherwise it will be a bad day for us.
"I was in the Championship with Southampton last season and I know how good they are. They are very brave, they want to keep the ball and for sure this will be a very difficult game for us and we need to be ready."
