Gary
Neville believes Chelsea's clean-sheet mentality is breeding confidence, and
that their lack of European football will be beneficial in the title race.
Antonio Conte's side beat Southampton 2-0 at St Mary's on Super Sunday,
their fourth Premier League win and clean sheet on the trot.
It puts them one point off the top of the Premier League, and Neville
believes that defensive confidence is becoming evident, adding Sunday's
performance was near-faultless.
He said on the Gary Neville Podcast: "The very, very top teams make the
fewest mistakes, and that was a team performance today (Sunday) of no
mistakes.
"That clean sheet mentality has definitely been forced into them. It's a way
of being, it builds so much confidence. When the goalkeeper and defenders
are happy, when they are comfortable and relaxed, the crowd aren't getting
anxious.
"I'm seeing Chelsea players do the right things, staying with their runners,
and they've got two very, very good central midfield players from a
defensive point of view, they've got a wonderful ability to read the game
and fill in the gaps.
"Are they the finished article? Probably not, but I wouldn't rule them out
of the title, because I don't trust the others enough to think that Chelsea
can't win it."
Chelsea finished 10th last season with Jose Mourinho and then Guus Hiddink
at the helm, meaning a year out of European competition for Conte's first
season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Despite insisting European competition is a good distraction, Neville sees
the benefit in the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool retaining their energy
levels for the Premier League.
"I think the fact that Chelsea have free weeks, and don't have the confusion
and disruption of European football, even though it is a good disruption
being in the Champions League or Europa League, it gives them a big
advantage.
"Certain players in their team - like John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Diego
Costa, even Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic - I think they all benefit hugely
from it.
"They would have been in that dressing room after the game, having put in a
wonderful performance, and be thinking: 'I've got a week now, I can get my
body right, have a massage and not think about training on Tuesday ahead of
another midweek game.'
"It's a big thing for players of that nature, so I think that gives them a
competitive edge, and Liverpool the same, who have players who give huge
energetic performances. Their recovery between games is important.
"It will be an advantage. I think Tottenham are as good as Liverpool, I
think Tottenham are as good as Chelsea, there's no doubt, but because Spurs
are in European competition I would put Chelsea and Liverpool ahead of them
in the Premier League for that reason.
"I think Manchester City and Arsenal are the better teams, but can you trust
either of them fully yet? I don't think you can. That's not to say they
won't go and deliver, but because they're in Europe, and that they've shown
glimpses of the old Arsenal and old City, they've got to give me more yet
before I trust them.
"That's without even mentioning United, who have fallen behind a little
bit."
Hazard was in fine form again on the south coast on Sunday, netting his
fifth league goal of the season, one more than he achieved in the entire
2015/16 campaign.
Neville says Hazard is an "unbelievable" player and despite suffering from
poor form last season, looks back to his best.
"I'm quite tough on Eden Hazard, not because I dislike him, but actually
because I think he's an unbelievable player. A player like him should be
reaching the level of [Gareth] Bale, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi.
"That is the level I would put him at. He cannot afford to have seasons like
he did last year when you're at that level, you have to build up a trust of
being a world class player.
"World class isn't just one season and then miss a season, it has to be
every single season. The standard is higher now, the players like Bale,
Ronaldo, Messi, they don't drop, they've not dropped for seven or eight
years, they've kept performing.
"What we've seen so far this season is a player who is devastating, and it
looks like he's back to his best."
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