Gary Neville Slams Jose Mourinho's Chelsea Amid Invincible Claims

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has questioned the current Chelsea team's killer instinct and suggests they are not as good as Jose Mourinho's 2005 Blues, let alone Arsenal's Invincibles.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are currently four points clear at the top of the Premier League and have yet to lose a match nine games into the new term.

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Their largely serene progress so far this season has had many speculating whether Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas et al may be able to match Arsenal's 2003-04 title-winning side who remained unbeaten for the entire season.

Indeed, even the captain of that Gunners side, Patrick Vieira, believes it is a possibility, per ESPN:

However, Sky Sports pundit Neville—speaking on Monday Night Football—is sceptical and believes the current Blues side have some way to go before they even match Mourinho's 2005 title-winning Chelsea team, via Hamish Mackay on the Daily Mail:  

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If a team are going to be playing for a 1-0 then you better see it out. When I saw Jose Mourinho two weeks ago he talked about the 2005 (Chelsea) team and (compared) the team he had then to the team he has now and he said the killer instinct's missing. When I look at the statistics they are staggering - 28 times they (the 2004/05 team) scored first (in Premier League matches), 27 the season after and they only dropped two and four points (respectively). This team this season, even though they're at a really high level, have scored first seven times and already dropped four points. They've got to get to that next level.

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Indeed, Neville used both of Chelsea's trips to Manchester this season as examples in his argument. Most recently, Chelsea sacrificed a 1-0 lead at Old Trafford on Sunday as Robin van Persie smashed home a final-minute equaliser.

Equally, back in September, Chelsea dropped their only other league points of the season against Manchester City as the 10-man Sky Blues got an 85th-minute equaliser.

Additionally, against Schalke in the Champions League, Chelsea went 1-0 up early on at Stamford but failed to hold onto the lead with the visitors equalising in the second half and claiming a draw.

While Chelsea do indeed look the best side in the Premier League this season, Neville does seem to have a point. They have dropped six crucial points in games that should have been killed off, not a hallmark of Mourinho's 2005 side who amassed an incredible 95 points to win the English title at a canter.

As Garry Hayes writes on Bleacher Report UK, Chelsea should have killed off Sunday's game but naively invited pressure from United which eventually led to the equalising goal:

While they are still flying high at the top of the table, Chelsea will need to improve even further if they are to win the league and be regarded as one of the best English champions.

Mourinho is the absolute master of the perfectly orchestrated 1-0 victory in which, despite the narrow margin, his sides never look like dropping points once they take the lead.

Thus far this season it seems his current Chelsea side have not quite reached the level expected by the Portuguese manager as superfluous points have been dropped which may prove crucial come the season's end.