Manchester United legend Gary Neville has discussed this season’s title race and believes Chelsea and Tottenham could now be major challengers to Liverpool.
The pundit admits he thought reigning champions Liverpool would run away with the title again this season, but the injury to Virgil van Dijk has blown the title race wide open and allowed Chelsea and Spurs into the running.
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Tottenham are currently top of the table on goal difference, with Liverpool level on points with them, and with in-form Chelsea just two points off both of them.
Liverpool have actually been in pretty good form despite so many problems with injuries, with Van Dijk’s absence not hurting them too much just yet, even though Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also out, while Mohamed Salah is recovering from coronavirus.
Still, Neville seems to think that Van Dijk’s injury could be the difference-maker over the course of the campaign, in what could be a huge boost for Chelsea and Tottenham.
“It’s an interesting season,” Neville told Sky Sports. “We thought Chelsea might be interesting at the start of the season as they have a young, exciting squad – it looks like Frank Lampard is starting to get it right.
“He was still searching for his best team in the first few matches to try and fit everyone in. There were certain players that weren’t fit but now they are and he’s starting to work it out. They look pretty strong.
“Is it a season where Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard being up against each other in a title race? I thought Liverpool would run away with it, but not now, not the with Virgil van Dijk injury. That’s the one that is the gamechanger and exposes them a lot more.”