Former Liverpool and Manchester City star Steve McManaman claims Chelsea are a ‘ghost side’ from the team that won the Premier League
The two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid has bemoaned Antonio Conte's side after the Blues lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace on Saturday
LIVERPOOL legend Steve McManaman has claimed Premier League champions Chelsea are a 'ghost side' compared to the one that won the title.
The Blues suffered a shock loss at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday, as the Eagles netted their first goals in the league and picked up their first points of the season.
Antonio Conte's side have now lost three top-flight matches in their opening eight games - their second consecutive defeat after Manchester City won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea only lost five games in the whole of the 2016/17 campaign in which they claimed their sixth English league championship.
Speaking on BT Sport on whether their chances of the title are already over, McManaman, 45, said: "I would say it’s over.
";I didn’t fancy them to win the league anyway come the end of the transfer window so it’s not a surprise to me, no.
"Before they began the season, certainly at the end of the transfer window, would you have said hand on heart that Chelsea were your favourites to win the title?
"I don’t think so. I don’t think anybody chose them so that’s what we all thought about it.
"Chelsea can’t lose any more games. I think they lost, what, three games last season in their title victory – they’ve lost three already this year.
"That shows you instantly what they’re fighting against and the fact they’re going to have to travel in the Champions League as well makes it doubly as hard."
The absence of key duo Alvaro Morata and N'Golo Kante highlighted the West London sides lack of squad depth.
And McManaman could hardly believe that the loss of two players could detriment Chelsea to such a degree.
He added: "When you’re missing a couple of players… Morata and Kante and that, you would never have thought that Chelsea have left themselves short.
"I’m absolutely amazed that, a couple of injuries in, and they look like a ghost side of what they were last year.
"They were strong and powerful last season – they’re not now."