"They need to find their consistency" - Dimitar Berbatov makes interesting Chelsea claim while predicting Brentford result
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has backed Chelsea to win their upcoming Premier League encounter against Brentford. The Bulgarian, however, stated that the Blues need to be more consistent with their performances.
Mauricio Pochettino's men drew 2-2 against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Chelsea seemed to be in control of the game with goals coming from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk.
However, the Blues suffered a lapse in their performance in the final quarter of the encounter when Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard got on the scoresheet. The west London outfit squandered their 2-0 lead and split the points with their London rivals.
Berbatov, while admitting Chelsea have the quality to beat Brentford, insists that they cannot repeat last weekend's mistake. The former Manchester United striker predicted a 1-0 scoreline in favor of the Blues and told Metro:
"I will go for Chelsea. They need to find their consistency. They pick up speed and when you’re winning 2-0 against Arsenal, that is when you need to be more solid and know how to protect that lead because Arsenal have the quality to hurt you."
He added:
"Against Brentford, they cannot afford to do something like this again. They have enough quality to win the game."
The Blues had a poor start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign under Pochettino, winning only once in their first six league encounters. However, the club managed to regain some traction with back-to-back wins over Fulham and Burnley before their draw against Arsenal.
Chelsea are currently tenth in the league standings. It remains to be seen whether Pochettino can turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
Gary Neville names three positions Chelsea need to strengthen in January
Manchester United icon Gary Neville has cast doubt over Chelsea's depth in three positions on the pitch. The English pundit seems to believe that the Blues need to bolster their options up front as well as sign a centre-back and a goalkeeper.
Neville is neither convinced of the club's attacking prowess nor of Robert Sanchez's abilities. He also questioned how long 39-year-old Thiago Silva can continue performing as he enters the twilight stages of his career.
The former Manchester United defender said (via TEAMtalk):
“Chelsea have shown a blueprint of what the future could look like. They’ve still got a problem up front, they haven’t got a striker, and I still think they’ve got a problem with Thiago Silva’s age. He’s so important for them, but he is 39. And then the goalkeeper… Can he [Robert Sanchez] step up to be a good goalkeeper?”
Chelsea have been active in the transfer market ever since Todd Boehly and a consortium of investors took over last summer. The Blues have spent in excess of £1 billion over three windows.