Gary Neville highlights reason why he won’t include Chelsea in title race despite being level with Arsenal (Source: Images from Getty)
Gary Neville highlights reason why he won’t include Chelsea in title race despite being level with Arsenal (Source: Images from Getty)
Pundit Gary Neville has decided not to include Chelsea in the title race, despite the Blues being level with fellow London club Arsenal. The former defender highlighted the reason behind this on his Sky Sports podcast.
Both the Gunners and the Blues have 25 points and sit in the Premier League top four. However, despite this, Gary Neville does not think the Blues are in the title race, as he explained (via Standard):
"It feels too early for Chelsea, that’s why I don’t put them level with Arsenal even though they’re on the same number of points. It doesn’t feel like Chelsea will go on and win it. I still think it’s going to be Arsenal if anyone does catch Liverpool. But Chelsea are having a fantastic season. Maresca has got stability there which has been hard to find recently.
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The Manchester United legend continued:
"They are doing really well so well done to the manager for bringing that level of calmness to the club because it’s been mad and chaotic over the last few seasons.
"For the first time in a while it feels like it’s settled down, so well done to Maresca and well done to the players. The owners will feel a little bit more calm at this moment in time. But I don’t feel that they’re in the title race, I don’t sense that really."
The Blues concluded the Premier League weekend with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 1. The Gunners also enjoyed a 5-2 win against West Ham at the London Stadium on November 30.
Why Arsenal are above Chelsea in the Premier League, despite having the same points and numbers
Notably, Arsenal and Chelsea have the same numbers on the Premier League table. They have the same number of games won (seven), drawn (four), and lost (two). They have also both scored 26 goals and conceded 14 goals, and they are both on 25 points.
The Premier League rules determine who sits above the other in a situation like this (via Tribuna):
"If any clubs finish with the same number of points, their position in the Premier League table is determined by goal difference, then the number of goals scored, then the team who collected the most points in the head-to-head matches, then who scored most away goals in the head-to-head."
Notably, the two sides share points in their head-to-head matches. However, the Gunners have more away goals, with their match against the Blues ending 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. This technicality has put the Gunners in second place on the Premier League table, while the Blues sit in third.