Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville highlighted what he described as “gaping holes” in Chelsea’s squad after Leeds took a two-goal lead through Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka. Pedro Neto scored for Chelsea in the second half, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin capitalised on a defensive error to secure the win for the home side.
“I don’t think they can win the title. In fact, I don’t think they’ve got a chance,” Neville said. “Chelsea do have some gaping holes when you see title-winning teams. The team is well built, it’s got an incredible amount of talent, but the centre-backs tonight were poor in every way. The goalkeeper is not good enough to be a title-winning goalkeeper, and then at centre-forward, they’re good players, but they’re not at the levels that are required to win Chelsea a title. They’ll finish in the top four, but the inconsistencies are still there.”
Neville’s comments underline growing scrutiny of Chelsea’s squad depth and defensive vulnerabilities, as the club seeks to regain consistency under intense Premier League competition.