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Xabi Alonso was refreshingly candid when discussing his own squad over the weekend, labeling Chelsea as "soft."
Chelsea dropped points for the second consecutive match, requiring a João Pedro equalizer to salvage a 2–2 draw against newly-promoted Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues took an early lead, but two goals within a six-minute window allowed the visitors to stage a comeback, with Alonso's side only managing to escape with a point.
While Chelsea undeniably possess one of the Premier League's most potent attacks, their defensive vulnerabilities remain a persistent concern. The Blues can hurt opponents but are equally susceptible to being hurt themselves, producing entertaining matches while simultaneously causing headaches for their manager.
We have to settle for a point.#CFC | #CHEHUL pic.twitter.com/oWFHz5fwb4
"It's all maybe entertaining," Alonso said following the match. "But I hope that one day you say it was a boring game and we win, and we don't give these entertaining moments, but for sure, it kind of repeats some patterns that we are making.
"It will take time to, or it will take moments to, fix them when we get the lead, and you still need to be competing and not to give the chance so easily for them to come back, especially in the first goal, we can do much better.
"It was too soft to give them this hope because until then we were controlling, we were creating chances, but that momentum that we had changed the mood and the score of the game, and it's something that we need to be talking about, we address and we will get better, but it's having an impact on our performances at the moment."
Xabi Alonso Calls Out Chelsea's Porous Backline
Chelsea have now conceded 12 goals across six matches in all competitions to open the season. In three fixtures played over a six-day stretch last week, Arsenal, Leeds United, and Hull combined to put seven goals past a leaky Blues defense.
Errors, poor decision-making, disorganization, and substandard defensive performances have become routine at Stamford Bridge. Perhaps most concerning, Chelsea's backline appears to lack character, frequently being overpowered by opponents and failing to project any sense of confidence or solidity.
When questioned about whether he could identify a genuine desire to defend among his players, Alonso's response was revealing.
"We can do better, we can do better for sure," Alonso acknowledged. "We need to know that even when we have the lead, a very important part of the game is to hold together, to keep the distances, to go intense in the situations to defend. I'm sure that we can do better."
"We need to be aware that from any situation, any team in the Premier League can hurt you. Today it was from a long ball, two bounces, the way it happened. You need to be very aware, very ready that the danger can come from any situation. If you are soft or if you are not prepared, you will get punished, and we have been punished that way."
A Team-Wide Problem Compounded by Individual Shortcomings
A case could be made that Chelsea are still finding their footing under Alonso's system. A back-three with wingbacks has been Chelsea's primary defensive setup this season, though Alonso has also utilized a more conventional back-four in select matches—including against Hull.
Yet beyond the expected adjustment period of settling into a new system, several Chelsea players are also performing well below their capabilities.
Levi Colwill has found things difficult since returning from an ACL injury that kept him out for nearly a year. Jorrel Hato has been inconsistent at best, and he carelessly allowed the ball to bounce over him inside the penalty box in the buildup to Hull's second goal. Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix, Malo Gusto, and Josh Acheampong have also featured regularly at the back and have all played a part in Chelsea's defensive troubles.
After Robert Sánchez made one too many errors, Emiliano Martínez was brought in to address the goalkeeping issues; however, the two-time goalkeeper of the year has endured a shaky start to his time at Stamford Bridge.
There is only so much Alonso can do to address Chelsea's defensive problems. Ultimately, the players must take responsibility and raise their standards, as the majority have gotten off to a poor start this season.
No reinforcements appear to be coming, either. Should Chelsea's defenders fail to turn things around, Alonso's "soft" entertainers will almost certainly keep dropping points in winnable games, seriously undermining the Spaniard's prospects for a successful debut season.