Chelsea boss Maresca on closing the gap with Liverpool: Need more ‘experienced players’

As Liverpool arrive at Stamford Bridge on Sunday to receive a guard of honour, Chelsea will be aiming to do more than applaud.

With Champions League qualification still up for grabs, Blues manager Enzo Maresca made clear his side’s focus remains firmly on the top five.

“Of course it’s not over,” Maresca said ahead of the match. “We are still competing. We know what is at stake, and the players are aware of what we are playing for.”

Chelsea are currently fifth and in control of their destiny, following back-to-back league wins and a 4-1 Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg victory over Djurgardens.

But Maresca knows the scale of the task ahead when facing the new champions.

“You can clearly see the difference in points,” he admitted. “But we are moving in the right direction, and hopefully this gap can be smaller and smaller and smaller.”

The Italian praised Liverpool’s consistency, contrasting it with Chelsea’s more erratic form this season.

“The difference is they have been consistent compared to us,” he said. “For part of the season, we were very good, and then we lost some games. This has probably been the main reason why.”

He added that experience remains another major dividing line between the clubs.

“In terms of experienced players that know how to win games and these kinds of things, I think they have something more compared to us,” Maresca said.

“We’ll for sure have to look at gaining experienced players to close the gap with these kinds of clubs.”

Nonetheless, he highlighted Levi Colwill as one of the players showing leadership qualities already.

“He is growing a lot in terms of leadership,” said Maresca. “Hopefully, players like him can take that step.”

Before the action begins, Chelsea will honour Liverpool with a guard of honour, a gesture Maresca called ‘tradition’.

“They won the Premier League and deserve it,” he said.

Asked whether the moment could serve as motivation, he replied, “I don’t think we need that to understand how good it is to win the Premier League.

“But for sure, when you are there, our players are probably thinking, ‘I would like one day to be there’.”

Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez are doubts, though Sanchez is training and ‘in a better situation’, according to Maresca.

Sunday is about more than ceremony for Chelsa. It is a test of progress – and a chance to prove they still belong at Europe’s top table.