Chelsea fell to defeat on Wednesday night at Elland Road.placeholder image
Chelsea fell to defeat on Wednesday night at Elland Road. | AFP via Getty Images
Gary Neville said that Chelsea ‘don’t have a chance’ of winning the Premier League after Leeds United defeat.
Chelsea fell to an unexpected 3-1 defeat at Leeds United on Wednesday night as Enzo Maresca suffered a harsh bump back to reality after head turning performances against Barcelona and Arsenal over the past week.
The relegation-threatened hosts cruised past the Blues to pick up a vital three points and lift themselves out of the relegation zone, buying more time for under-pressure manager Daniel Farke. Meanwhile, Chelsea saw the gap between themselves and Arsenal at the top open to nine points with the Gunners beating Brentford.
Maresca’s side had not been expected to challenge for the title this season but with Liverpool and Manchester City slow out of the blocks, Chelsea had been touted as potential candidates in a title race. Speaking after the loss to Leeds United, former Premier League defender Gary Neville ruled that out.
Gary Neville rules Chelsea out of Premier League title race
The Sky Sports pundit said: "I don't think they can win the title. In fact, I don't think they've got a chance. Chelsea do have some gaping holes when you see title-winning teams.”
However, appearing on the broadcaster on Thursday morning, Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony labelled Neville a ‘drama queen’ for writing off Chelsea so early. The outspoken 49-year-old theorised that defeat to Leeds United could in fact galvanise the London outfit.
He said: “I said last year, I was on the radio and said, I think Chelsea and the ownership have got a lot of criticism but they’ll do well. They’ve won a couple of trophies. They’ve done well this season and I think Gary is being a bit of a drama queen.
“It’s far too early in the season to be writing people off and saying there’s no chance of winning the title. Chelsea have got a big squad, a manager who has a certain style. There’s a long way to go. Last night was a bad moment and a bad result. Maybe it’s the kind of result that you need at times when you’re getting carried away - beating Barcelona, going toe-to-toe with Arsenal.
“You’ve gone to Leeds, who you’re expected to beat, been turned over and had a bad night. Maybe that might adjust them a little bit. You’d rather that happens now than in March. It’s not a bad thing for that to happen this side of Christmas.”
Leeds United defeat can galvanise Enzo Maresca’s side
MacAnthony also rubbished the idea that Chelsea could not challenge for the Premier League title because of a lack of spine in the squad. The Posh owner was asked if the current team could be compared to a side with the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
He said: “We’re not living in the 90s. I agree on the goalie position, that’s something they maybe needed to have sorted out. They are not perfect and need strengthening in some areas.
“We’re here talking about a crisis at Chelsea because they had a bad result last night. You go back two weeks ago in the Champions League and look what they did, and what they did against Arsenal. I think we’re being a tad dramatic.”
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