Chelsea just pulled off an entertaining 2-2 draw against Hull on Saturday, but don’t let the goal count fool ya, because the real story is what’s happening on the other end of the pitch. For the first time in 11 years, the Blues have conceded two or more goals in each of their opening four league matches, and manager Xabi Alonso is not holding back, calling his side “soft” in duels. Yeah, you read that right.
The Defensive Sinkhole Is Real, And It’s Historic
This isn’t just a rough patch, folks, this is a crisis that’s been brewing. Even though Chelsea are the Premier League’s top scorers with 10 goals this season, they’ve also shipped nine goals total. Only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have given up more, which is just wild to think about. What’s even crazier? They haven’t kept a clean sheet in 20 league matches, which is their longest run in a shocking 65 years! It’s a mess that started way before Alonso even got there.
You saw it plain as day against Hull too. Jorrel Hato completely misjudged a cross for Hull’s equalizer, and Mohamed Belloumi’s second goal came right after Chelsea couldn’t clear a corner. Even Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic basically crowned Chelsea’s own keeper, Emiliano Martinez, as “man of the match” because he had to deny Oli McBurnie, Mohamed-Ali Cho, and Lucas Herrington! Former defender and BBC pundit Ashley Williams didn’t mince words either, saying they’re “all over the place in transitions” and that the goals conceded are “just basic errors.” He nailed it, “individually and as a defensive unit, they are so far off it.”
Alonso’s Search for Stability Amidst The Chaos
Xabi Alonso is clearly still figuring things out. He changed the team’s shape in three straight matches this week alone, from that Arsenal defeat to the Carabao Cup win over Leeds and then again for Hull. But after the Hull game, the mood was definitely subdued at Stamford Bridge, and Alonso kept it real: “Not happy. We can do better. We got what we deserved.” He knows they need to be “more solid and be more controlled.”
He even said his decision to switch to a back four wasn’t a silver bullet for the defense, explaining it’s “about the profile of the players.” He pulled Hato off at halftime for “tactical” reasons. It’s clear he wants to stop the “entertaining moments” and just get a “boring game and we win.” Alonso admitted it “kind of repeats some patterns that we are making” and that it will “take time or it will take moments to fix them.” The especially frustrating part? He said it was “too soft to give them this hope” on the first goal against Hull, after they’d been controlling the game. Yeah, that’s gotta sting.
Look, with Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro all in fine form offensively, scoring isn’t the issue. It’s the gaping holes at the back that are killing them. Alonso hopes that “in a few months” they’ll have better control, but as Ashley Williams said, they’re “not going to achieve what they want this season defending like that.” The clock is ticking, and Chelsea needs to find that defensive solidity fast, or this “process” is gonna be a long, painful ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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