The Blues have only lost once in their last eight games and that 2-0 defeat came when a much-changed side travelled to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.

Maresca's positive start to life at Stamford Bridge has seen the club climb to top of the Conference League table and up to third in the Premier League, despite the Italian only starting to work with his players less than five months ago.

The past week has seen the Blues make it four wins from four in the league phase in Europe, with a 2-0 victory over Heidenheim, whilst a return to Leicester City saw his side leave with a 2-1 win.

Maresca was asked how much there was still to come from his side in the lead up to Sunday's game with Aston Villa, to which our head coach replied: ‘We can improve a lot. The other day against Leicester, we can learn that in football, what is in one way can change in a second.

'The first half we scored, had a goal disallowed, had three or four more chances, and in that point we have to be clinical and make it 0-2 or 0-3, and make sure the game is finished. But we concede something and the game was still alive, so even after that game, we can improve things and we’re going to try.’

Chelsea's pleasing start to the 2024/25 campaign is even more impressive when you factor in Maresca has regularly rotated his team in a bid to manage the return of several previously injured players and to ensure the Blues are still firing when it comes to the business end of a long season, which will see us compete in the month-long Club World Cup from mid-June.

You only have to look at the Chelsea bench at a weekend or on a Thursday night to see names which would arguably occupy in a starting place in most other XIs, and the topic of how he keeps everyone happy was put to him ahead of the Villa clash.

Maresca said: ‘It’s the bad part for all managers when you have to leave out players, but the good thing is they can see clearly it’s not the same XI playing every game in the Premier League. In the last game against Leicester, Benoit Badiashile did fantastically but hadn’t played much in the Premier League, Enzo did fantastic and Joao Felix did fantastic; that shows the way we want to work because we need all of them.’

So does the fierce competition make them hungry to play?

‘Exactly,' Maresca responded, 'this is one of the targets, that they can compete with each other in the right way. The other day, Romeo was on the bench but that doesn’t mean he’ll be on the bench the next game. It’s the same for Malo Gusto or Pedro Neto, who were out. The good thing is that when we give them minutes, they are ready to have the chance.’

With Chelsea nine points below leaders Liverpool and just one off reigning champions Manchester City in second, it is unsurprising journalists have started asking Maresca about a potential title race, even though there are still 26 league matches remaining.

But Maresca continues to be consistent in his approach, highlighting that with just five months of coaching time with his players, compared to the Pep Guardiola's eight years at Manchester City and Mikel Arteta's five at Arsenal, the Blues are very early in their development.

‘It’s nice to see the team improving, that is important; it is nice, a good feeling,' he said, when asked if it was nice to be asked about a title race.

'At the same time, you need to be realistic and you can see the difference between us and the rest at the moment. This doesn’t mean we are not going to win games and not compete until the end, but the main focus has to be the feeling we are improving game after game.’

He continued: ‘City lost three games in a row but they are still second. Arsenal are there [in fourth, level on 22 points], Liverpool are doing fantastic too. For me, it’s not about the points and table that they are ahead of us, it’s the process.

'Arsenal is five years together, Man City more than eight years together, Liverpool is a bit different but they didn’t make many changes from the past. This is the reason. It’s not about points or difference in the table, it’s just the time together.’

Sunday sees Chelsea welcome an Aston Villa side who sit eighth in the Premier League table but only three points behind us and are only outside of the automatic Champions League knockout qualification places by goal difference.

Villa are managed by Unai Emery, one of the most successful managers in European football during the last 11 years, having won three consecutive Europa Leagues at Sevilla, another at Villarreal in 2021 and several other trophies during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

Maresca, who himself won a couple of UEFA Cups at Sevilla in the years prior to Emery's arrival, praised the Spaniard and is under no illusion as to the challenge the Blues face at 1.30pm on Sunday.

He said: ‘Villa have a top manager, they are doing fantastic. I know Emery from Sevilla and I know how intense they are. They are showing fantastic things with very good players. It will be a tough game.’