Gary Neville doubles down on Chelsea as ‘billion-pound bottle jobs’

Gary Neville reiterated his description of Chelsea as “billion-pound bottle jobs” after seeing Mauricio Pochettino’s team struggle in the Carabao Cup Final loss to Liverpool.

Neville, a former Manchester United player, criticized Chelsea for their performance after Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal in extra time, securing Liverpool’s 10th League Cup victory.

Despite Liverpool facing several injuries, including key players like Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota being absent, they managed to perform well in extra time while Chelsea, with their expensive squad, seemed to falter.

When asked to explain his remarks on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Neville admitted that calling Chelsea “bottle jobs” might have been harsh but stood by his statement. He explained that his commentary during extra time reflected his frustration with Chelsea’s approach, noticing their fear and reluctance to take initiative against a young Liverpool team.

Neville emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities and criticized Chelsea for not doing so, describing their performance as shrinking or playing with fear. However, he acknowledged that Chelsea still has talented players who might succeed in the future.