Chelsea 12th in Premier League after 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday; Neville describes performances in run of six straight defeats as "nothing short of a disgrace"; Sky Sports pundit critical of Boehly's decision-making; Listen to the Gary Neville Podcast
Sunday 7 May 2023 12:28, UK
Gary Neville slammed Chelsea's performance in their defeat at Arsenal as "pathetic" but blamed owner Todd Boehly for the club's "nightmare" season, saying he must "stop meddling".
Chelsea were three down in 34 minutes on Tuesday night at the Emirates, with their 3-1 defeat their sixth loss in a row across all competitions and leaving them 12th in the Premier League table.
At the end of a season which has seen the club break transfer spending records but sack Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, Neville says the application from the players hasn't been good enough but it is Boehly who must take the blame.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast the Sky Sports pundit was critical of the way the American has made major changes to the staffing at Chelsea and taken on big football decisions himself.
"Disgusting," said, Neville when asked about Chelsea's performance at Arsenal. "It was the best team on paper I've ever seen play as badly as that. It was a shambles in the first half. Pathetic.
"There were World Cup winners, internationals, so expensive - I can't believe it. Frank Lampard will be thinking the same. They were as bad as I've seen. When you interpret a manager's language on television you can times that by 100 on what they were saying in the dressing room.
"With the quality and pride these players have you can't stoop to that level. They played really well against Liverpool and I thought there was promise. Yes, they haven't got a centre forward or can score goals but they played well. But what we've seen since is nothing short of a disgrace.
"It all comes from the top. It's been chaotic, a mess since day one. Boehly has had a nightmare and misread this league. I'm sure he'll learn quickly. What has happened this season is purely down to him.
"He needed to keep the footballing department together. He's the non-footballing department. You're the owner. You're not a player or a coach. You've got no experience in this league so stay where you are and allow the people to run the football club [who have done so] successfully over the last 10 years.
"Try and get a year out of them to learn the ropes and keep the stability and consistency of Chelsea. Petr Cech left, Marina Granovskaia left, Thomas Tuchel was gone after a few games and all of a sudden you're in complete turmoil. Then they flipped it to a model giving players eight-year contracts to 22-year-olds!
"When you start sacking groundsmen, physios, sports scientists, directors, managers, then you are throwing everyone under a bus saying, 'it's their fault not mine'. Chelsea had a successful way of running the club. This is now what Boehly has created. He created this mess. Like playing football manager, it's been terrible."
However, despite all of Chelsea's troubles this season, Neville believes they have the potential to return to competing at the top end of the league in 2023/24.
With Mauricio Pochettino the front runner to be the next permanent manager at Stamford Bridge, Neville says the quality of player in the squad means the team have big potential - if they are coached correctly, show the right attitude and Boehly leaves the football decisions to specialists.
"I do think someone will mould them into a decent team and challenge for top four and trophies," said Neville. "I think they are capable of challenging the top three.
"That makes the Arsenal performance even worse. People will think I'm mad after what we saw on Tuesday but that makes it worse that players have stooped to that level.
"We saw it with Manchester United last season when they chucked the towel in under Ralf Rangnick. Those Chelsea players have chucked the towel in, they're not bothered at all. They may as well have not turned up. If they were on 42 points and mathematically safe, you'd leave them all out and play the kids.
"I think Chelsea can have a decent season. It's never as bad as you think and it's never as good as you think - unless you are Man City.
"They've had a shocker but it can be resurrected with an appointment of a strong manager who can control a group of players and stop the meddling from the ownership."
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly says he is committed to the long-term goals of the Premier League club in light of their disappointing run this season.
May 6: Bournemouth (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 13: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 21: Manchester City (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4pm
May 25: Man Utd (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 28: Newcastle (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
