Retour
The former Manchester United defender highlighted the lack of confidence in goalkeeper Mike Penders as one of the problems.
Neville suggested that the young stopper’s reluctance to play out from the back severely hindered Chelsea’s ability to build possession.
He said (via BBC Sport Live):
“There’s grumbles around the home crowd here who weren’t expecting this. Penders hasn’t got the confidence to play it out so he’s just lumping it forward.”
The pressure on Penders is compounded by the circumstances surrounding his inclusion. Penders is filling in for Emiliano Martinez, who was stretchered off vs Everton.
Martinez has undergone a surgery and will be facing a significant time on the sidelines.
Replacing an experienced established starter in a match of this magnitude was always going to test the youngster, but his clear lack of composure on the ball exposed a major weakness in Chelsea’s setup.
The Blues will need to improve in the second half if they hope to settle the anxious home crowd and turn the derby around.