Neville critical of Colwill following Brighton defeat
Chelsea lost 3-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday evening and have dropped out of the top four following Manchester City’s win over Newcastle United earlier on Saturday. The Blues were outplayed from the first minute until the last as the Seagulls claimed their second successful result versus them in a span of seven days having knocked them out of the FA Cup as well in the previous game for both sides.
The defensive performance by the Blues was particularly worth criticising with Levi Colwill having a night to forget. Gary Neville was visibly critical of the Englishman as he said the following about his compatriot according to Mirror.
“Colwill has got to get stronger, he’s got to get stronger. He’s getting overpowered quite easily in games that I’ve seen recently. Two or three games that I’ve seen recently, he’s been bullied in that channel. Also, that one [Brighton’s second goal] was a really bad one for him in that he also gives the ball away. But he then sits on the floor, turns around and looks. He spends two or three seconds on the floor. Just get up and sprint back! So that’s a bad habit.”
Indeed, Colwill should be doing a much better job at the back for Chelsea given that he needs to lead the defensive quartet following Wesley Fofana’s injury. The central defender was one of the team’s better players at the start of the campaign but has visibly deteriorated in quality over the last few months, especially struggling when called into action aerially or physically.
Chelsea have a decent way to go if they are to challenge for the top four, let alone a Premier League win as Champions League football for next season is also slowly eluding them. The Blues will also be busy in the transfer market this summer as they look to further rebuild their squad and a defender is expected to be of priority, though more than one could now arrive after Colwill’s unsatisfactory displays.
