Chelsea’s promising start against Manchester City on Saturday quickly faded as they fell to a 3-1 loss at the Etihad.

Despite taking an early lead, the Blues couldn’t hold on and ended up conceding three goals, continuing their rough patch of form.

Their defeat has placed their Champions League hopes in jeopardy, with the team now slipping out of the top five in the Premier League.

A Strong Start that Faded Too Quickly

Chelsea took the lead early in the game, with Noni Madueke scoring after a defensive blunder from City’s new signing, Abdukodir Khusanov.

It seemed like the Blues might extend their lead, especially with Khusanov struggling at center-back.

However, that early momentum quickly faded, and Manchester City capitalized with goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden to seal the win.

Despite their early advantage, Chelsea couldn’t capitalize on the vulnerable moments City were facing.

Neville, speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, noted that Chelsea missed a golden opportunity to go for the jugular and put the game out of reach early.

Gary Neville Critiques Chelsea’s Approach

Neville was particularly harsh on Chelsea’s performance, emphasizing the talent on the pitch but highlighting a lack of adaptability.

He pointed out that with players like Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, and Reece James, Chelsea should have sensed the opportunity to press harder, especially after seeing City’s weaknesses.

In his analysis, Neville mentioned how Chelsea had shown promise in the opening 10 minutes but couldn’t adjust when City began to struggle.

“They were programmed to play a certain way, but they couldn’t switch gears to go for the full press when they had the chance,” Neville said, expressing frustration at their inability to capitalize on City’s vulnerabilities.

The Critical Mistakes and Missed Opportunities

Chelsea’s opening goal came from a mistake by Khusanov, who attempted to head the ball back to goalkeeper Ederson but missed, allowing Nicolas Jackson to assist Madueke.

Despite this early error, City regrouped and regained control.

However, Chelsea’s own mistakes also played a role in their downfall.

Robert Sanchez, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, made a costly error when he rushed out of goal and was lobbed from distance by Haaland, leading to one of City’s goals.

This marked Sanchez’s fifth error leading to a goal this season, making him the player with the most mistakes of this kind in the Premier League.

A Critical Look at Sanchez’s Form

After the game, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca hinted that Sanchez’s future as the starting goalkeeper could be in doubt.

“We trust Robert for sure, but he’s aware of the mistakes he’s making,” Maresca said.

“We’ll continue to trust him, but we have an entire week to assess and decide on the next games.”

Chelsea’s ongoing struggles, combined with individual mistakes, have left fans and pundits frustrated, especially after what looked like a promising start to the season.

Now, the team faces the challenge of bouncing back and reasserting themselves in the race for European qualification.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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