Sunderland fans having a blast at Stamford Bridge during their 2-1 win against Chelsea
Gary Neville has hailed Sunderland’s “brilliant” win over Chelsea – and says their Premier League rise is “great for English football.”
Gary Neville has praised Sunderland’s physicality, tactical bravery and resurgence under Régis Le Bris – describing their 2–1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as a “brilliant result” that highlights the return of great northern clubs to prominence.
The Sky Sports pundit was analysing the weekend’s results after Sunderland’s stunning comeback in west London, where Chemsdine Talbi’s stoppage-time winner briefly lifted the Black Cats to second in the Premier League before Tottenham and Bournemouth leapfrogged them on Sunday.
While Neville was critical of Chelsea’s inconsistency, he reserved glowing praise for Sunderland’s approach and their impact on the top flight. “Chelsea, again, inconsistent,” Neville began. “I mean, what you want in life from everybody that you work for is consistency and reliability, particularly at the top level and in a high-performance environment. We’re talking about all these teams – Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea – they’ve all been inconsistent at parts of this season, and they need to try and find that.
“Chelsea, I thought, were fantastic against Liverpool a few weeks ago. I thought they were awful a week or two before that at Old Trafford. When they got back to 10 men in the second half, 10 v 10, I just thought they were nowhere near enough. So you’re watching them one week here, the next week there, and that’s not good enough. The money that has been spent on these squads – the managers have got to get more out of them.”
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
Neville suggested that part of Chelsea’s struggles, and those of other top clubs, stem from a decline in the calibre of elite managers operating in the Premier League. “Is it the players that have been recruited for these clubs, or have the managers just dropped off? I think we’re seeing that,” he said. “Obviously Pep Guardiola’s still here, but there’s no doubt there was a period five, six years ago where the managers in the league were all the very best in Europe. And when those managers have left one by one, apart from Pep, it’s got to a point where you see that the football just drops.
“I think the managers are the most important people in the Premier League. We need the best managers in Europe, and then obviously we’ll get the best teams along with that.” Turning his attention back to Sunderland, Neville said their early-season performances have been a breath of fresh air.
“Sunderland, from the first game of the season, they played against West Ham, and I know a lot of teams have beaten West Ham since,” he said. “But just their approach, their physicality, the speed of their attacks, their counter-attacks, their aggression. I’m all for that, and I think it’s come back into football in this last couple of years.
“One thing that the teams have done this year that have come up, they’ve respected the physicality of the Premier League. We know the talent in here is great, and the football and technical ability, but you’ve got to be physically matching every single team home and away, and that’s what Sunderland are doing. It’s a brilliant result.”
Neville went on to praise Sunderland’s resurgence more broadly, describing it as symbolic of a healthy, competitive Premier League. “I crave the idea of Sunderland – and God bless them this week,” he said. “Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, those types of clubs from the north of England that are great First Division and Premier League clubs in my mind. You’re getting back into the league and thriving and doing well, and that’s what Sunderland are doing. It’s great for the Premier League and great for English football.”
Continue Reading