Bold Chelsea Premier League prediction made despite fierce criticism of Xabi Alonso's men

By Seye Omidiora | 08 Sep 2026 00:49, Last updated: 08 Sep 2026 07:35

Chelsea suffered their first defeat under the management of Xabi Alonso following a tightly contested London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Blues initially took a rapid lead through Morgan Rogers but were ultimately undone by goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, losing 2-1 to the Gunners.

The frustrating result leaves the West London outfit reflecting on a defensive record that has seen them concede seven goals in their opening three Premier League fixtures.

Pundits and supporters alike are now heavily scrutinising the tactical setup as the new Spanish head coach attempts to implement his demanding philosophy.

Speaking on his podcast, Gary Neville delivered a scathing assessment of the defensive structure deployed by Alonso during the Super Sunday clash.

The former defender claimed that the back three looked completely disjointed and lacked the fundamental organisation required at the highest level.

"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," asserted Neville via Sky Sports News. "It's almost like they're a bit all over the place.

"I look at the sort of best back three probably that I ever saw which was the Juventus and Italy back three with Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonnuci and Giorgio Chiellini - three real giants.

"They worked together as a three, they knew how to position themselves, they were great in the air, they knew how to push up and when to drop deeper. They organised the people in front of them.

Consequently, the pundit suggested that the club may need to explore new defensive signings over the next year to provide their manager with a much more solid foundation.

Despite highlighting their defensive frailties, Neville remains remarkably optimistic regarding the overall trajectory of the club under Alonso.

The former right-back enthusiastically praised the attacking threat posed by wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorrel Hato while predicting that the team will finish no lower than third this season.

"I think they can finish second - third is the absolute lowest I can see Chelsea finishing," said Neville.

"So that's really good. If you said that to me a year ago, I couldn't see where this project was going.

"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. It's not perfect, they were always going to be [against Arsenal]. I wouldn't have expected them to win - but that was as good as I felt they could have done in the game."

Alonso openly acknowledged his disappointment with the result but stressed that developing a balanced and clinical side will naturally take time. 

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