Chelsea trio Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer
Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Chelsea have probably played their most difficult game of the season already.
The Blues are unlikely to face anything more tricky than Arsenal away this term. Xabi Alonso suffered his first defeat at the hands of the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday in a performance full of positives and negatives to take.
Alonso was happy with his players' mentality and spirit at the Emirates Stadium and how they kept battling until the final whistle in the 2-1 defeat. However, the Spaniard was less enamoured at his team's defending.
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Both goals were really soft ones to concede from a Chelsea point of view. Alonso acknowledged post-match that sorting out the defence is towards the top of his to-do list in order for the west Londoners to have a strong campaign.
There were, however, a few reasons for Alonso to be concerned from an attacking point of view. Granted, Arsenal have the meanest defence in the country - probably in Europe - but Chelsea were unable to create anything near enough in terms of clear-cut opportunities at the Emirates.
As per Opta, Chelsea finished the match with 0.39xG, in comparison to the Gunners' 2.05. After going ahead so early on through Morgan Rogers ' second-minute volley, there simply was not enough attacking penetration from the visitors in north London.
Pedro Neto hit the post late in the first-half and Estevao Willian forced a fine save from David Raya in the 89th minute, but apart from that, there were too many instances, from Alonso's perspective, where Chelsea would make the wrong decision or fail to execute the final pass.
Remarkably, Cole Palmer did not pass the ball to Joao Pedro once throughout the game. Joao Pedro passed to Palmer twice - and even that is low. They are two of Alonso's most influential attackers to have such low numbers in that regard should be a concern for the manager.
It won't happen every week. Chelsea won't face such a difficult challenge every week, away from home at the champions, but the Blues need to start showing more in these tough trips.
In the 2025/26 season, against the traditional 'top six', Chelsea recorded just five points from a possible 15 on the road. In that time, they scored five goals - and did not net more than one in any of the five away matches.
Chelsea huddle
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: General view as the Chelsea team huddle ahead of the Premier League 2026/27 match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on September 06, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA)
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It is all about finding the right balance for Alonso with his defence and attack. Somehow the Spaniard needs to make Chelsea a tough nut to crack defensively while still possessing a threat going down the other end. On Sunday, though, the Blues were none of the above.
On the eye, Chelsea looked threatening. And they were able to exploit Riccardo Calafiori and the attacking positions the Italian full-back likes to take up. Quite often in the first-half in particular, Neto would find himself in tonnes of space down the Blues' right side but the end product was never there.
Context is crucial. This is only the fourth official match of Alonso's Chelsea tenure, the third in the Premier League, and there are understandably so many things to work on. There are also a host of new signings still adapting to life at Stamford Bridge, and of course the manager himself.