Xabi Alonso’s warning about Chelsea’s defensive balance came back to haunt him as the Blues were held to a 2-2 draw by Hull City at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea made another excellent start when Morgan Rogers opened the scoring after just seven minutes.
But Mohamed Belloumi struck twice in six first-half minutes to turn the game around before Joao Pedro rescued a point for Chelsea after the break. Hull ultimately held on to preserve their unbeaten Premier League start.
The result continued a familiar pattern for Alonso.
Chelsea remain extremely dangerous going forward, but their attacking quality is repeatedly being undermined by problems at the other end.
Alonso had already warned Chelsea about balance
Alonso recognised the issue before Hull even arrived at Stamford Bridge.
After Chelsea’s chaotic 6-3 Carabao Cup victory over Leeds United, the Spaniard admitted his side needed to become more controlled.
“We want to have better balance, to be more solid,” Alonso told Chelsea’s official website.
The Chelsea head coach also explained that he wanted his side to develop the ability to win less spectacular matches rather than continually relying on their attacking firepower.
Hull demonstrated exactly why.
Chelsea scored twice against a side who entered the weekend without conceding a Premier League goal this season.
Yet two goals still were not enough to secure three points.
ReadChelsea had already examined how Chelsea’s explosive attacking numbers were masking an obvious balance problem following the remarkable win over Leeds.
Saturday provided another example.
Chelsea defensive problem refuses to disappear
Belloumi’s first goal came after Jorrel Hato misjudged the ball inside Chelsea’s defensive third.
Hull then struck again only six minutes later to leave Alonso’s side trailing despite their dominant start.
Reuters highlighted Hato’s error as Chelsea’s defensive problems continued, while The Guardian noted that Alonso’s side remained vulnerable without the ball even after changing shape.
It is no longer an isolated issue.
Chelsea have now gone 20 consecutive league matches without keeping a clean sheet, reaching a defensive sequence not seen at the club for 65 years.
That comes after Alonso had already admitted Chelsea’s defensive problems needed addressing following the defeat at Arsenal.
The personnel have changed.
The formations have changed.
The underlying problem has not.
Chelsea attack continues to deliver
The positive for Alonso remains the quality Chelsea possess further forward.
Rogers scored again against Hull, while Palmer created Joao Pedro’s second-half equaliser.
Chelsea therefore became the first team to breach Hull’s defence in the Premier League this season — and did it twice.
But Alonso’s warning after Leeds now feels increasingly significant.
Chelsea cannot expect Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro to continually compensate for what happens behind them.
The attacking side of Alonso’s Chelsea is already frightening.
Finding the balance he called for may determine how far this team can actually go.
Comments.
Loading comments…