Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca has cautioned fans against thinking the team can compete with Manchester City and Arsenal for Premier League title aspirations, stating they are "not ready" due to a lack of experience.

Maresca made these comments following Chelsea's 4-2 Conference League win over Gent, their fifth consecutive victory in all competitions. Despite this strong run, he emphasizes that the team requires time to reach the level of City and Arsenal, who have had more consistent leadership over the years.

"I really don't think we can compete with City or Arsenal," Maresca said. "I really don't think that because we are not ready. The reason is City has worked with the same manager for nine years and Arsenal, five years. If you want to compete for big things, you need that time."

Maresca also spoke about the calmness currently surrounding Chelsea, attributing it to his own coaching style, which he believes is different from other Italian managers like Maurizio Sarri and Carlo Ancelotti.

The coach acknowledged that Chelsea still has work to do, particularly in improving their defensive solidity. He expressed concern over the team's defensive performance against Gent, where they conceded two late goals after taking a comfortable lead.

"We need to improve that," Maresca said. "You are always going to concede goals in football. But you have to decide in which way. The second one I really didn’t like. The reason is they saw the game was finished so they switched off."

Chelsea will face Nottingham Forest in their next Premier League match, and Maresca has warned his players that it will be a difficult game despite Forest's recent struggles.

"Beating Liverpool is not easy, especially away," he said. "We will prepare our best."