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Gary Neville insists that Chelsea and Tottenham can challenge Liverpool for the Premier League title after calling Virgil Van Dijk’s injury a ‘game changer’.
José Mourinho’s men rose to the top of the table after a ruthless 2-0 win against Manchester City at the weekend, with champions Jurgen Klopp joining them with 20 points after beating Leicester at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard’s side sit two points behind the duo after their win against Newcastle, and will face Spurs in their next Premier League game on Sunday.
And speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast ahead of the Reds’ win on Sunday, Neville believes the two London teams can compete with Klopp’s men due to Van Dijk’s long-term injury sustained in the Merseyside derby of the month. past, which ‘exposes them much more’.
‘Is it a season where José Mourinho and Frank Lampard face off in a title race?
I thought Liverpool would get away with it, but not now, not with Virgil van Dijk’s injury. That’s the one that changes the game and exposes them much more. ‘
“We think Chelsea could be interesting at the start of the season as they have a young and exciting team; It seems like Frank Lampard is starting to get it right.
“He was still looking for his best team in the first games to try to fit everyone in. There were certain players who weren’t fit, but now they are and he’s starting to figure it out.” They look pretty strong. ‘
It is unclear whether Dutch international Van Dijk will play for Anfield’s team this season, and the club has yet to announce a period of absence despite the player undergoing successful knee ligament surgery in late October. .
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s City, who have won the title in two of the last three seasons, are now eight points behind Spurs and Liverpool in 13th place after their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite signing a new two-year contract last week, the Catalan side have had their worst start to the season since joining the club in 2016, and former Manchester United right-back Neville insists on transition and a Over-reliance on midfield star Kevin De Bruyne are key issues.
“They’re not that quick to get the ball back,” Neville added.
“Teams feel more comfortable playing a pass through them and taking risks. The city used to be on you like a rash when you fumbled the ball or just sustained attacks, but it’s less than it was before.
“Ederson doesn’t look that comfortable in goal, he’s making mistakes that he wouldn’t have made a couple of seasons ago. There seems to be too much trust in Kevin De Bruyne. Something is wrong.
Pep seems to be looking for the right combinations. A couple of seasons ago you could get the team out: Sane, Sterling, Agüero, De Bruyne, Silva, Fernandinho, Kompany; you could tell what was going to happen in each game. I no longer have the feeling that fluidity and continuity are there. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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