Sunday 3 May 2015 20:17, UK
Chelsea are way ahead of their Premier League rivals and cannot be criticised for their approach this season, says Gary Neville.
The Blues wrapped up the Premier League title after Eden Hazard scored the rebound from his saved penalty to give Jose Mourinho’s men a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Only Manchester City have scored more goals than Chelsea in the league this season, but the Blues have recently come under fire for a defensive approach in recent games on their way to securing the title.
But during his commentary on Super Sunday, Sky Sports pundit Neville believes Chelsea are the masters at picking the right tactics based on their opponent.
“I think people are forgetting how well Chelsea played in the first half of the season; they're only remembering the last few weeks where they've had to dig in,” he said.
“There will always be times in the season when you have to dig in but the rest are miles away from this Chelsea team, tactically and defensively.
“I’m just thinking back through the years – in the Manchester United teams I played in, Ronny Johnsen would play holding midfield to win games, and my brother at times. People forget those things.
“I’ve not seen a title-winning team that plays well the whole way through. You have to be pragmatic at times and recognise the strengths of other teams. Mourinho does that – he adapts.”
Signings such as Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have been key in Chelsea’s title charge this term.
Mourinho has built a squad in the vein of his first title-winning side 10 years ago, and Neville believes his new generation of players will be a formidable force beyond this term.
“They’re all at a pretty good age,” he added. “They’re going to go again and again, and they’re the team to catch over this next couple of seasons.
“They’ve got the resilience, and now they’ve got the confidence after winning their first Premier League title, for a few of them. It becomes a lot easier after that first one.”
Neville now believes the next step for Mourinho is to bring through some of the young talent which has seen the club enjoy plenty of success at youth level, including in the UEFA Youth League this season.
“There was a Champions League group game earlier in the season when they were already through, where I think there was an opportunity to play two or three younger lads, and he didn’t do that,” he added.
“I think that’s something that needs to be addressed.
“They’ve had such a fantastic record in youth competitions in the last five, six years.
“He said earlier in the season ‘if I don’t start bringing through some of these boys then I’ve failed’, and I think we need to see that.”
