Gary Neville has dismissed Chelsea's chances of winning the Premier League this season, describing the squad as having 'gaping holes' after their defeat to Leeds United. The former Manchester United defender told Sky Sports that the Blues 'don't have a chance' of finishing top, despite being touted as contenders earlier in the campaign.
Chelsea produced their worst performance of the season at Elland Road, losing 3-0 to a Leeds side fighting relegation. Goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin left Enzo Maresca's team nine points behind league leaders Arsenal. The result has seriously dented their title ambitions.
Neville pointed to specific weaknesses in the Chelsea lineup, particularly in defence, in goal, and at centre-forward. 'The centre-backs tonight were poor in every way,' he said. 'Robert Sanchez is not good enough to be a title-winning goalkeeper, and Liam Delap and Marc Guiu are good players but not at the levels required.'
Despite his criticism, Neville acknowledged the talent in Chelsea's squad, predicting they will finish in the top four or five. However, he insisted they are 'short' in key positions and cannot be considered genuine title contenders.
