Chelsea should be fighting for the Premier League title under Maurizio Sarri this season, according to former player Ashley Cole.
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The 2016-17 champions have started the campaign in strong fashion, following up a 3-0 win away at Huddersfield Town with a 3-2 victory at home over Arsenal.
Cole, who was part of Chelsea’s title-winning side of 2009-10, thinks his old club should be aiming to topple Manchester City this term, even if many do not feel they are clear candidates.
‘Chelsea have gone about their business a little bit quiet in terms of having a new manager,’ the LA Galaxy fullback said to ESPN FC.
‘They should be fighting for the title, but I don’t think people are [thinking that way] at the minute. To get six points from two games, it’s a fantastic start. They’ve just got to keep going.’
Cole was a double Premier League champion with Arsenal, who have started the campaign with back-to-back defeats to City and Chelsea.
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The results have led to some early criticism of new head coach Unai Emery, but Cole is confident things will quickly improve.
‘With Arsenal, there’s a new manager still, but I think the first two games they had were very, very difficult, so I think they’ll start picking up points now,’ he said.
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Cole added that it is strange not to see former manager Arsene Wenger in charge, although he believes the end of last season was the right time for the 68-year-old to leave.
‘I used to watch the games with [Wenger] in the long jacket and you don’t see that no more,’ he said. ‘But times change, people move on, and I think it was his time to go. And obviously they’ve brought in a new manager with new ideas and a new philosophy.
‘I think it might take a little bit of time, he has to gel the players together, he’s got a few new players. To put his philosophy across and how he wants to play, I don’t think it’s going to happen straight away.’
