Gary Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of Chelsea’s Levi Colwill after their crushing 3-0 defeat to Brighton. The former Manchester United defender accused Colwill of being “bullied” on the pitch and stressed that he must build physical strength to succeed at the highest level.
Chelsea suffered a second consecutive defeat at the Amex Stadium, just days after being eliminated by Brighton in the FA Cup.
Kaoru Mitoma broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with a stunning solo goal, and Yankuba Minteh struck twice—once on either side of halftime—to seal a dominant victory for the Seagulls.
Adding to Chelsea’s woes, Noni Madueke limped off with a hamstring injury in the first half. With the Blues failing to register a single shot on target, the result now leaves them vulnerable in the top-four race, as Manchester City could leapfrog them with a win over Newcastle.
After the game, a dejected Enzo Maresca apologized to the traveling Chelsea fans. Sky Sports pundit Neville called it Chelsea’s worst performance under Maresca, saying:
“It was a worrying performance. They looked like they could concede a lot of goals, and at the same time, they didn’t look like scoring. That’s a terrible combination.”
Neville compared Chelsea’s approach to a five-a-side team, criticizing their lack of structure and urgency. He pointed out the absence of attacking intent, saying:
“I didn’t see anyone making fast runs forward or busting a gut to get into the box. There was no penetration. I didn’t see anything I liked from Chelsea tonight.”
The former right-back also took aim at Chelsea’s defensive struggles, particularly calling out Colwill’s display.
“Colwill has to get stronger. He’s been bullied in multiple games recently. For Brighton’s second goal, he gave the ball away and just sat on the floor watching instead of getting up and chasing back. That’s a bad habit.”
While acknowledging Colwill’s youth, Neville emphasized that he and other young Chelsea defenders need to become more physical and aggressive to handle the demands of the Premier League.
Jamie Carragher echoed Neville’s concerns, recalling how Colwill struggled in a previous match against Liverpool.
“He looks like he needs to fill out physically. The Premier League is a tough place for centre-backs, and if you can’t cope with the physicality, you’re in trouble.”
Carragher further criticized Chelsea’s backline, stating:
“That defense is nowhere near strong enough. It’s a million miles away from being good enough.”
With a tough trip to Aston Villa coming up, Chelsea will need to regroup quickly if they want to stay in the fight for a top-four finish.