Neville has been assessing Chelsea and Tottenhamplaceholder image
Neville has been assessing Chelsea and Tottenham | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Gary Neville has been assessing the top four chances of Chelsea and Tottenham.
Gary Neville has weighed in on the top four race and whether it’s Chelsea or Tottenham that has the best chance of securing Champions League football for next season. The Blues pulled off a statement win over their London rivals over the weekend, winning 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to Joao Pedro’s winner.
Arsenal and Manchester City look very likely to finish in the top four, while Liverpool’s squad strength suggests they will get it together and lock up at least a top three spot. That would leave one place inside the top four, and the Premier League could yet secure an extra Champions League position depending on how English teams perform in Europe.
It’s looking like an intriguing battle, but Neville believes it is Chelsea who have the edge. “The Chelsea fans were celebrating in that far corner with the Chelsea players and the Tottenham players had left the pitch devastated after being booed off, but it’s them who are in front in the table,” he said on Sky Sports.
“It’s been a bit of a mad start to the league this year. I think Chelsea will have enough to get into that top-four because I think it’s going to be a bit crazy all season.”
Asked if he thinks Chelsea have the better squad, he responded: “I do, yeah. Chelsea have a better squad and better players. Look at Tottenham’s players… Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons and a few others haven’t settled in yet and don’t look like they’re at the level the Chelsea players are. Chelsea have a far better squad than Tottenham, and they should have because they’ve spent far more money.”
Frank on poor Spurs home form
Tottenham are currently top of the Premier League away table, but they are way down in 17th when it comes to home form. Asked about his side’s home troubles this week, Frank said: “Of course, it's a relatively small sample for me to look into, if I'm honest. So, I think first and foremost, we need to work very hard on keep adding performances, keep adding layers, keep improving, work very hard on the training pitch, in meeting rooms and one-to-one actions. I see a good improvement in the team in general. Of course, we're coming off the back of a bad performance.
“That’s a big flashing light right now. So, everyone has a little bit of a struggle to look past that and look at some of the very good performances we've had this year as well. I also think it's fair to say that we're coming off the back of, in many ways, a fantastic season, but also a tough season. If anyone had said that we now have been 17 points after 10 games unbeaten in the Champions League, I don't know what we are – fifth? It doesn't matter where we are now. It's where we are at the end of the season. Everything is definitely not perfect, but there is a decent foundation.
“Then it's up to us to add layers. I think everyone would have taken that situation where we are now in terms of 22 defeats last year and finished 17th. The Europa League is fantastic, wow, but the Champions League is different. I just want to get the point across. I think the fans were fantastic the first 30 minutes of the game on Saturday night. I think the noise was incredible and that carried us forward. It seems there was a little bit of a turning point when we conceded the goal. We all get a little bit frustrated, which is natural. I think it's more than fair because we are in the performance business and if we can't deal with the pressure, deal with the negativity and the criticism, we shouldn't sit here.”
Continue Reading