'All over the place' - Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher deliver verdicts after Arsenal beat Xabi Alonso's Chelsea
Carragher praises Arsenal solidity
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the season with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Chelsea, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard. Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher praised Mikel Arteta's side for their defensive resilience, especially considering the absence of William Saliba.
Carragher believes their ability to restrict opponents is an ominous sign for title rivals. He said: "I think the worrying thing for everybody else already is that Saliba, - who is genuinely world-class arguably probably the best centre-back in world football – has not played a minute of football so far this season. And it doesn’t look like anyone can score against them."
Neville slams Chelsea defence
While Arsenal continue to impress, Chelsea have now conceded seven goals in their opening three games under Xabi Alonso. Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Gary Neville tore into the defensive structure of the Blues. He was particularly concerned by how disjointed they looked at the Emirates Stadium.
Neville explained: "The back three, when I watch them, it's almost like their legs aren't connected to their hips and the hips aren't connected to their bodies. It's almost like they're a bit all over the place." Despite this heavy criticism, he suggested that Alonso might need to recruit more players to fix the issue.
Optimism remains for Alonso
Despite the defensive chaos, Neville remains remarkably optimistic about the trajectory of Chelsea under Alonso. He praised wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorrel Hato, alongside their attacking options, and made a bold prediction regarding their final league position.
"I think they can finish second - third is the absolute lowest I can see Chelsea finishing," Neville stated. "I'm as positive as I have been for three four five years about Chelsea because I think they're going in the right direction." Alonso himself admitted his team need to be tighter defensively, but he was pleased with their spirit and attitude during the defeat.
What next for Arsenal and Chelsea?
Arsenal will look to build on this momentum as they travel to face Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday before returning to league action at Sunderland on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chelsea must urgently address their defensive vulnerabilities. Alonso has nearly a week on the training pitch to reorganise his backline before the Blues host Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
