Liverpool head into Christmas with a four-point lead at the top, having lost just one of their 16 league matches under new manager Arne Slot.
Chelsea, who are surprisingly challenging for the title under new Premier League arrival and former Leicester City boss Maresca, are currently in second place. . Continue Reading
Arsenal, often coming close to clinching the title under Mikel Arteta, hold third place, while Nottingham Forest secure the final Champions League spot after an impressive first half of the season.
Another team exceeding expectations is Bournemouth, positioned fifth ahead of Aston Villa, who finished in the top four last season, and the defending champions, Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s team aimed to win a record-extending fifth consecutive league title but have only managed to win less than half of their games, slipping to seventh place, 12 points behind Liverpool.
Despite their poor form, Maresca believes that Manchester City will still challenge for the title in the later part of the season, attributing their struggles to injury problems.
Guardiola lost Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to a season-ending injury earlier this season and has been missing several other key players.
‘Manchester City at the end will be there,’ Maresca said when asked if his former club were still in the title race. ‘They are in a moment that has never happened before.
‘Every time they play a game, they have an injury, and they don’t have enough players in this moment.
‘And the ones they have are not 100 per cent because they have just come back from injury, so it is a very bad situation.’
On his team’s title aspirations, Maresca added: ‘We are ahead of our expectations, in terms of the way we are playing, and the points we have.
‘But the main focus is how we can improve the players and how we can improve the team. It is not about the (title) pressure for the players or for the club or for me, it is just the reality.
‘I would like to have that kind of pressure and hopefully soon we can, but the reason why I said we are not there yet, is because the reality is that we are not.
‘The reality says we are second at the halfway point, so the table does reflect the teams.
‘But Liverpool have done a fantastic job since the first day, and the squad has lived that kind of moment, winning a trophy, which is important. We are happy to be where we are.’
Chelsea will look to return to winning ways against Fulham on Boxing Day after a goalless draw with Everton last time out.
Discussing the threat of Chelsea, Fulham manager Marco Silva said at his pre-match press conference: ‘They are very, very good. That is quite clear.
‘A football club that has spent money in such a short period of time, the quality was there. For young players, it’s not easy to find a club with so many young players performing.
‘They are very good and very confident to play in that system. They have been dominant in most of their games. It’s another big challenge for us.
