Neville may have just done Arne Slot’s team talk for him ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Chelsea | OneFootball

Not for the first time, Liverpool will be looking to prove Gary Neville wrong when they take to the pitch at the weekend.

The Reds’ first match as newly-crowned Premier League champions sees them make the trip to Stamford Bridge to take on a Chelsea side who are locked in an intense five-way battle for three Champions League positions.

Whereas the Blues are under enormous pressure to get a result, especially if some of their positional rivals have already won by the time they kick off on Sunday afternoon, Arne Slot’s side can enjoy the remainder of the season before they’re presented with the trophy after the Crystal Palace game on 25 May.

Neville predicting Liverpool to experience post-title hangover

Speaking on It’s Called Soccer!, Neville believes that Liverpool might experience something of a title-winning hangover in west London this coming weekend and that the hosts could duly take advantage.

The Sky Sports pundit claimed: “I actually think Chelsea could win. I’m imagining that Liverpool have had a massive party that’s probably not ended and, to be fair, is probably still going now.

“I suspect you have those drinks. Those lads haven’t been drinking for a month or two. They’re just going to absolutely go crazy. Their bodies will just be in shutdown up until Wednesday or Thursday. They’re going to train a bit slower, a bit sloppier, and I think they’ll just get edged out. I think it’ll be 2-1 to Chelsea.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Neville has already done Slot’s team talk for him!

Slot might well be printing off Neville’s comments and pinning them to the door of the away dressing room at Stamford Bridge to provide his players with added motivation!

Although there could potentially be a subconscious drop-off from Liverpool for the remainder of the season – as appeared to be the case after they last won the title in 2020 – that doesn’t seem overly likely given the elite mentality of this squad.

Also, those who were in this position five years ago won’t want a repeat of what happened in the first game after they became champions that time, namely a 4-0 drubbing by Manchester City, after which Jurgen Klopp rejected accusations that his players lacked focus.

Furthermore, the Reds will be aware that their performance on Sunday could have an indirect bearing on the race for Champions League qualification and won’t want their integrity being questioned if they simply turn up and let Chelsea roll over them. In any case, professional pride would prohibit the title winners from doing that.

At least Neville won’t have to beat a hasty retreat out of the stadium this weekend if he’s on duty for the fixture, though Liverpool would take no shortage of pleasure if they were to prove him wrong once again!