It might appear somewhat harsh but Chelsea have had this coming their way.
Gary Neville is one of the country’s most revered pundits. His opinion is held in high esteem and his brutal honesty is what makes his analysis compelling.
During last weekend’s League Cup final, he was unrelenting with his criticism of how Arsenal played against Manchester City, labelling them ‘pathetic’, highlighting their tendency to walk around the pitch. This Sunday, it was Chelsea’s turn to receive some brutal Neville criticism.
As City moved the ball around at great pace with apparently minimal effort, Chelsea’s players watched in awe, unable to halt City’s momentum.
“They’re just watching Man City play – like mannequins. Embarrassing”, Neville said.
He went on the describe their performance as “Unacceptable.”
Chelsea were not helped by the fact that N’Golo Kanté could not feature today, as his energy in midfield would have given them a fighting chance of limiting City’s build up play. Danny Drinkwater and Cesc Fàbregas simply don’t have the legs.
In fairness to both Arsenal and Chelsea, this is Manchester City they’re playing against. Everyone struggles against City, and if you push out away from your position, leaving a gap, they will exploit it. That Chelsea are watching them like mannequins arguably says more about how good Pep Guardiola has made Manchester City than how poor Chelsea are playing.
But at the same time, Chelsea have been listless, rudderless and aimless for some time now. There’s a lack of ambition and a brimming lack of desire in their play.
They went on to lose this game 1-0 without raising a gallop and it’s another damaging blow for their Champions League hopes.
Playing against City must be not only physically exhausting, as you chase shadows for 90 minutes, but also mentally exhausting but Neville’s observation could easily be applied to much of their play over the last few weeks.
For God’s sake, this is a team who won the title last year.
Maybe Neville was dead right.
