Patching defensive loopholes
This is the first and most urgent thing Xabi Alonso should do. After the first 5 rounds in the Premier League, The Blues have conceded 12 goals and they have not been able to keep a clean sheet in 21 consecutive matches in the domestic league, lasting from last season until now.
Xabi Alonso has tried every way to turn the defense, from a 3-center-back formation to a common model of a defensive quartet. They have recruited center-back Maxence Lacoix and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Although they are high-class players, this pair of new players still cannot help make The Blues' defense more solid. The most difficult is Dibu when he is the world's top goalkeeper but still has to continuously pick the ball out of the net with a patchwork defense system in front.
In the Premier League, in the first 2 matches of the season, Chelsea won all with an average ball possession rate of just over 32%. In the next 3 matches, they had an average ball possession of 47% but only won 1/9 maximum points. This is a sign that opponents are wary of Chelsea's attack but do not show respect for this team's defense.
In the match against Brentford, although The Bees only held the ball 34% in the second half, they scored 3 goals in a row to sink The Blues at Gtech Community.
Avoid being too dependent on the attack
The performance of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro is the biggest highlight. This trio has contributed 8/10 goals and 6/9 assists of Chelsea in the Premier League since the beginning of the season. However, when this trio "sniffs", The Blues immediately have problems.
When Joao Pedro was injured and could not participate in the match against Brentford, Danny Welbeck was replaced but had no connection with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer. That was Rogers' worst match since he moved to Chelsea for £117 million. As for Palmer, this midfielder is no longer as explosive as before when he lacks a good partner.
Chelsea needs other factors to speak up. Pedro Neto and Romeo Lavia are other rare players who have scored in the Premier League since the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Jorrel Hato (2 assists) and Lacroix (1 assist) are other names who have contributed to the goals.
Although Palmer, Rogers and Pedro are still expected to create the biggest threat, Alonso needs to be vigilant to avoid falling into a situation that makes opponents believe that just stopping this trio can neutralize Chelsea.
Need to thicken the staff in midfield
The sale of Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos brought in 175 million pounds for Chelsea. From an economic perspective, these are very wise deals. However, after letting Dario Essugo "study abroad" in Strasbourg, plus Moises Caicedo's injury, Chelsea has shown a gap that cannot be patched at this time in the midfield area.
Romeo Lavia and Reece James have had fitness problems in many seasons. They have started 3/5 matches but are not really convincing when playing together. Lavia alone has not been able to play the full 90 minutes in any official match since joining Southampton in 2023.
