Enzo Maresca has insisted the target for Chelsea must be Champions League qualification ahead of the Premier League run-in.
Chelsea sit sixth in the table, though are just a point outside the top four places. However, after a strong start to the campaign, Chelsea have faltered in recent weeks. The Blues have won just two of their last nine Premier League games to fall out of the Champions League places.
Maresca’s team travel to face fellow top-four hopefuls Aston Villa in a huge game this weekend. Ahead of the clash, the Chelsea boss said his team must build on their progress this season and target a place in next season’s Champions League.
“We spent almost the season in the top four and with 13 games to go, the target, for sure, is top four,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“We will try our best to achieve that. Knowing the difficult moment we have now. Five or six significant players out.
“I’m here to win games and bring this club fighting for titles. The problem is when you win games, you look humble and when you don’t win games, you look like a lack of ambition.
“My intention is to bring this club where it needs to be.”
Aston Villa secured Champions League qualification for the first time last season and are in contention again for the top four. In Europe, Villa have reached the Round of 16. However, Unai Emery’s team are without a win in the Premier League since January 15.
Despite that form, Maresca has lavished praise on The Villans and the man in charge.
“Since the new project with [Unai] Emery, doing fantastic,” he said on Villa.
“You can see in the Champions League, they finished in the first eight and they’re fighting to finish in the top four this season.
“The team is very good. And the manager is one of the best managers.”
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