Despite Chelsea's impressive comeback victory over Tottenham, Jamie Carragher remains skeptical about the Blues' defensive solidity.
Enzo Maresca's side rallied from a 2-0 deficit to secure a thrilling 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Cole Palmer netting twice from the spot and Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez also finding the back of the net. The four-goal haul in North London takes Chelsea's Premier League tally to 35 - the highest in the league this season.
However, its defensive record is less impressive, having conceded 18 goals in just 15 matches. No team has lifted the Premier League trophy while conceding more than a goal per game on average since Manchester United's triumph in 2012-13. Robert Sanchez was back between the sticks after missing the midweek victory at Southampton, playing behind Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill.
Despite securing the win, Carragher expressed his doubts on Sky Sports: "I still look at the goalkeeper and two center backs, Badiashile who played today, and I just think I can't see someone winning the Premier League with that goalkeeper and without a real standout center back.
"I think you'd say City winning it with Ederson and [Ruben] Dias, Liverpool with [Virgil] van Dijk and Alisson, going back to Petr Cech and John Terry. Those figures, you think, that you need to win a title, I still think Chelsea are a little bit short in those areas."
Chelsea's defensive woes were evident last season under Mauricio Pochettino, with the team conceding 63 goals and finishing in sixth place. The summer saw a flurry of signings, including Tosin at center-back and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen making his Premier League debut at St Mary's"
Enzo Maresca celebrating after Chelsea's win at Tottenham
Enzo Maresca celebrating after Chelsea's win at Tottenham (Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Despite these additions, Maresca's side has only managed three league clean sheets, one of which was thanks to a Sanchez penalty save at Bournemouth. However, they have an opportunity to bolster that record with their next seven fixtures against teams outside the top six.
Maresca acknowledged that Chelsea's sluggish start made their job more difficult. Spurs took a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes thanks to Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, but the visitors rallied. "We had some problems because of the goals we conceded," the Italian told Match of the Day.
"The other problems in the first half were due to the build-up. We didn't concede many chances in the second half. We used to rotate players match by match, but today all the players performed exceptionally well. Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho were outstanding both on and off the ball."