Incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso would not have been impressed with what he saw from his future team on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues lost 2-1 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the final round of Premier League fixtures.
The Black Cats went 2-0 up before Cole Palmer managed to pull one back for Chelsea in the second half. Defeat means no European football for Chelsea next season, with the Club World Cup holders finishing in 10th place.
Clearly, there are a lot of things for Alonso to fix once he arrives at Stamford Bridge this summer.
After that awful performance against Sunderland, which players do Chelsea need to get rid of this summer? 😡
Chelsea player ratings vs Sunderland
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images
Trai Hume’s goal exposes Chelsea defence that Xabi Alonso must now fix
There is no doubt that Chelsea’s defence is one of the first issues Alonso and the club have to address, and that was made abundantly clear after Trai Hume’s opener.
Truth be told, it has been clear throughout the whole campaign, but the manner of the Sunderland player’s goal really exposed Chelsea’s defensive frailties.
It took just one ball over the top to eliminate the Chelsea backline and hand Hume an opportunity, which he was able to convert.
It was a very sunny day, perhaps making it hard for the Chelsea defenders to see the ball. But they have conceded too many easy goals this season.
The Conference League winners’ last clean sheet in the Premier League came all the way back in January.
Who is to blame for our shambolic defence this season? 😡
No clean sheet in our final game vs Sunderland 🤦♂️
Chelsea's clean sheets record this season
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
How does Alonso fix this? The arrival of a new central defender would certainly help, and it looks like the club are going to bring one in.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea will sign a centre-back this summer. However, it is going to take more than that for the team to become defensively solid again.
Alonso also has to find the right set-up, whether that means playing with a back four or back five. It is not going to be easy.
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