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**_Sky Sports_ pundit Gary Neville thinks that Chelsea have a “great chance” of finishing runners-up behind Arsenal.**
The Blues will get their campaign underway [**against Fulham**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-predicted-lineup-fulham-2/) on Monday evening, and asked about their prospects before the match, Neville said:
“I think Chelsea will finish second because of the squad and the lack of European competition and they’ve got a great manager.”
“I do think Chelsea have a great chance to push Arsenal this year and finish second.”
As Neville points out, the absence of European games will aid manager Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard can spend a lot more time with his players on the training pitch than other teams.
Furthermore, the depth of his squad means they should not suffer from fatigue, even when we get to the very busy festive period.
As long as Alonso can implement his ideas quickly, there is every chance that his team can compete at the top end of the Premier League table.
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The Premier League is harder to predict than usual
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All of the traditional “top six”, barring Arsenal, have made recent changes in the dugout. Man City’s Enzo Maresca and Liverpool’s Andoni Iraola have been appointed in the past couple of months.
Roberto De Zerbi only arrived at Tottenham at the start of April, while Michael Carrick’s appointment as Man Utd head coach was only made permanent in late May.
Of course, Alonso has only just moved to England too, and that means predicting how most of the top teams will fare is very difficult. Even so, Neville believes there are several factors that could help Chelsea have a successful season.