Chelsea manager fires warning to Man City

By

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo believes defending champions Manchester City will face a tougher challenge than they did last season.

Since winning the title in May, City have been quiet in the transfer market while the Blues have spent big in an effort to catch them up.

And Di Matteo expects the Premier League to be a stronger division overall this time around.

He said: “Everybody will be chasing them. When you’re at the top it’s harder to stay there than it is to get to the top.

“I’m sure there are going to be plenty of clubs trying to catch them up this season. There are a lot of very good teams and it seems that the Premier League is getting more balanced every year.

“They have a good squad and they will be difficult to catch, but that’s the job of all the other teams.”

Di Matteo, who led his side to Champions League and FA Cup glory after taking charge at Stamford Bridge in March, will be expected to improve their fortunes in the league.

They finished sixth last season – 25 points behind the Manchester clubs – and ought to be much stronger this time.

“One of our challenges this season is to try and bridge that gap. Twenty-five points last season was a lot,” the Italian added.

“It’s a fresh start for us. We finished sixth last season and I don’t think anybody is happy with that, so we certainly have to do better.”

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook