Chelsea are one of the teams in the EPL who are very serious but the manager doesn't have the balls to admit it and I believe he has made the player to accept it that they're not in any way qualified to be title contenders. Is a shameful thing to say that a club you're managing are not yet in the title race even when you see how awesome you team have been doing even better than the current Champions and the league leaders. I think Enzo Maresca learnt a lesson from the other coaches who got fired, he noticed that the Chelsea club and the fans have this kind of pressure they inflict on every new manager to always take them to the top even when they know is not immediately it had to happen. Enzo is not really using mind game per say but he is avoiding being pressured and he also wants the players to play without pressure and he feels it will help them do well.
I think it's part of Enzo Maresca's strategy, he doesn't want his players to bear the burden of what he says in press conferences. He chose to lighten the mood and the players had no burden when playing. I think any coach would want to win a title with his club, but Enzo preferred to be humble so that his players would not be burdened. Even though Enzo didn't say it directly, anyone can now judge which direction Chelsea are heading.
You know we football lovers likes it when we get the truth from the main man which is the coach because we can't get information from the players even if is the captain, it doesn't happen that way. Every coach wants to win titles but when it comes to Maresca he chose to ignore the fact that he is the number one favorite for the title, let's forget the point gap Liverpool are having over Chelsea and it would be a thing of joy if after denying that he (Enzo Maresca) is not in any way in the title he loses it with a point or a goal difference because if he wins it he'll celebrate with his players so since he's not comfortable with it by saying it then he shouldn't have that chance of winning the EPL.