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Gary Neville believes Chelsea are ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the race to win the Premier League title this season. The Blues are currently third in the league after 11 games, two points behind Spurs, who are at the top of the table.
Frank Lampard has strengthened the Chelsea backline, investing heavily on Ben Chilwell and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the summer. The Englishman also roped in former PSG defender Thiago Silva for free, and those decisions are already paying dividends.
Chelsea have let in just 11 goals in the league so far, averaging just one goal conceded per game. That is a significant improvement from the 54 goals they shipped in last season at a rate of 1.45 goals per game. And Gary Neville feels that the Blues have a better chance of winning the league than current leaders Tottenham.
Chelsea’s culture and adaptability make them genuine title contenders, says Neville
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, Neville showered praise on the Chelsea team and stated that the Blues’ winning culture puts them ahead of Spurs in the title race.
"Chelsea are impressing me, they have a real chance. I think Chelsea have more of a chance [than Tottenham for the title]. They have Kante, they have Thiago Silva, players that could navigate them to it. There's a winning culture, [Roman] Abramovich wins trophies. They have good players and players that can do the ugly side of the game. They're a real threat."
Neville highlighted the victories over Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League and Leeds United in the Premier League as the perfect examples of Chelsea’s adaptability under Lampard.
"They won 4-0 in Seville and then ran Leeds off the pitch. They’re an adaptable team, a team that can take on what Lampard wants them to do."
Neville also praised the maturity that Frank Lampard has shown so far and said:
"One week it's, ‘I want you to change, sit off, be measured, don’t get hit by the Mourinho trick and get counterpunched. Sit back, we’ll get chances and we’ll win 1-0’. He made sure they didn’t lose the game and that’s a mature coach that does that."
The Blues face Russian side Krasnodar in their final Champions League group stage game on Tuesday. Chelsea will have one eye on Saturday’s Premier League game against Everton at Goodison Park, with the top spot in the group already confirmed.
A win would temporarily take them to the top of the table, with both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur not playing until Sunday.
