Gary Neville has delivered a sharp assessment of Chelsea's defensive frailties following their 2-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal on Super Sunday — yet the former Manchester United captain remains confident that Xabi Alonso's side can still secure a top-three finish this season.

The defeat was Alonso's first since taking charge at Stamford Bridge in May, and it arrived despite Chelsea racing into the lead through Morgan Rogers after just 77 seconds. Arsenal came from behind to claim all three points, leaving Chelsea having conceded seven goals across their opening three Premier League fixtures.

Neville's back-three verdict

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville reserved his harshest words for Chelsea's defensive unit. "The back three, when I watch them, it's almost like their legs aren't connected to their hips and the hips aren't connected to their bodies," he said. "It's almost like they're a bit all over the place."

Neville drew a contrast with one of the finest defensive trios in football history. "I look at the sort of best back three probably that I ever saw — the Juventus and Italy back three with Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini. Three real giants. They worked together, they knew how to position themselves, they were great in the air, they knew when to push up and when to drop deeper."

He suggested Chelsea may need to strengthen further in that department. "Maybe Chelsea will need to actually recruit more players as they move on through the next year or two with Xabi Alonso. He's done a lot already. He just needs to get a back three that feels solid — they don't look solid right now, they look a little bit all over the place."

Reasons for optimism

Despite those defensive concerns, Neville was full of praise for other parts of the Chelsea squad — highlighting wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorell Hato, while noting that the Blues possess strong options in midfield and attack, provided they keep their key players fit.

"I think they can finish second — third is the absolute lowest I can see Chelsea finishing," Neville said. "If you said that to me a year ago, I couldn't see where this project was going. I'm as positive as I have been for three, four, five years about Chelsea because I think they're going in the right direction."

He added that Chelsea's travelling supporters had reason to leave the Emirates Stadium encouraged. "I wouldn't have expected them to win — but that was as good as I felt they could have done in the game. Those Chelsea fans will be thinking: 'Yeah, I can buy into what I'm seeing. I like this.'"

Alonso: time needed to build defensive solidity

Alonso acknowledged the defensive issues but urged patience, noting that the team is still in its early stages under his management. "My priority is to win games. Normally you win games when you don't concede many goals — it's something we need to address. We need to be tighter, more clinical, more balanced. But this takes time," he said.

The Chelsea manager was nonetheless encouraged by his side's attitude. "I'm pleased with the spirit and the attitude of the players. They worked hard. It's game three or four for us in a new phase starting with Chelsea — we need to learn from this, make it better."