Gary Neville has criticised Chelsea’s defence as “all over the place” following their 2-1 defeat by Arsenal, but believes Xabi Alonso’s side are capable of finishing second or third in the Premier League.
Chelsea suffered their first defeat under Alonso despite taking an early lead at the Emirates, with Morgan Rogers scoring after just 77 seconds.
The result means Chelsea have now conceded seven goals in their opening three league matches, prompting Neville to question whether further defensive reinforcements are needed.
“The back three, when I watch them, it’s almost like their legs aren’t connected to their hips and the hips aren’t connected to their bodies,” Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“It’s almost like they’re a bit all over the place.”
Neville compared Chelsea’s current defence with the Juventus and Italy back three of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, which he described as the best he had seen.
He believes Chelsea need a more settled defensive unit capable of organising the players in front of them.
“Maybe Chelsea will need to actually recruit more players as they move on through the next year or two with Xabi Alonso,” he added.
“He’s done a lot already. He just needs to get a back three that feels solid. They don’t look solid, they look like they’re a little bit all over the place.”
Despite his concerns at the back, Neville was encouraged by other aspects of Chelsea’s performance, particularly the displays of wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorrel Hato.
He also praised Chelsea’s midfield and attacking options, suggesting the team could challenge near the top of the table if they can keep their key players fit.
Neville believes Chelsea can take confidence from the defeat despite the result.
“I think those Chelsea fans over there in the corner of the ground that have travelled from Stamford Bridge will be thinking: ‘Yeah, I can buy into what I’m seeing. I like this.'”
The defeat leaves Chelsea with six points from their opening three matches, but Neville believes Alonso has the foundations to guide the club into the upper reaches of the Premier League.
