this is a statement the manager has tried in all means possible not to talk about but when you see the kind of result they are getting, you cant just factor them out of the title race. maresca has been playing some mind games with teams like arsenal and Liverpool giving excuses why he doesn't want to be seen as a potential title contender but yet, of all the teams in the league, they are the only team that have succeeded in winning six straight games while the defending champion is still struggling to get a grasp on what is currently happening to his team with consistent losses. regardless of how the season ends and whether they are able to contend for the title or not, having taken the club to this extent is a feet Enzo maresca should be applauded for because it is definitely not an easy task at all. till the end of the first half of the season, they will remain in the top three and the only major work they have to do is to ensure that they at least a draw from the top teams they lost to at the start of the league. once they are able to get some draw and some win from those teams, any slight carelessness from Liverpool and arsenal automatically gives them the league.