The aim was clear for Xabi Alonso from the moment he walked into Stamford Bridge after the defensive leaks from the weekend before against Arsenal. The solution was structural, not personnel, with Chelsea lining up in a back four for the first time this season in the Premier League. Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato were at full-back with Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill in the middle and Reece James dropping in alongside Romeo Lavia in midfield. Maxence Lacroix, who had started every previous game, was demoted to the bench as a substitute.
The reshuffle was designed to free up another attacker and make Chelsea less vulnerable to transition against a team that tends to defend with numbers. In practice, it had the opposite effect in a chastening game. Hull conceded 68% of possession, conceded ten corners, and still left Stamford Bridge with a point.
What follows is an evaluation of what parts of Alonso’s plan worked and what parts fell apart.
What Alonso Got Right
The decision to play Cole Palmer in the middle, with Pedro Neto and Morgan Rogers providing width, paid dividends straight away. That was how Chelsea scored their first goal, with Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers combining in the penalty area inside seven minutes. The attack created 11 attempts and seven efforts on target against the meanest defence in the division, which is solid attacking productivity.
His half-time intervention also showed admirable pragmatism. Pep Chavarria coming on for Hato was a correction of a selection mistake and immediately settled the left flank, which Hull had targeted repeatedly. Chelsea then controlled the territorial battle in the second-half and created the leveller with Palmer’s driving run on 66 minutes.
The fact that there was no panic after conceding two goals in six minutes was just as important. Chelsea didn’t knee-jerk react and abandon their structure. Instead, they methodically rebuilt their possession patterns. That calm meant a manageable deficit didn’t become unmanageable against a side defending as compactly as Hull.
What Alonso Got Wrong
The biggest mistake of the day was the back four, especially the personnel selection. Hato isn’t a typical left-back, and Hull saw that weakness within the first half an hour of kick-off. Ryan Giles’ bouncing delivery over the top called for a defender happy to defend the space behind him, and Hato was manifestly not that player.
The structural problem had much to do with Chelsea’s set-piece defending. Semi Ajayi headed onto the crossbar, as Emiliano Martinez missed his punch, allowing Belloumi to eventually score. Hull had been marked out as a major dead-ball threat before kick-off, which made conceding that goal harder to forgive.
Reece James in central midfield was also an inefficient use of a considerable asset. The captain has never seemed entirely comfortable in that role, and Hull’s congestion in central areas kept cancelling out his distribution. Chelsea’s midfield therefore lacked the progressive passes required to break down a disciplined low block.
What Chelsea Need to Improve Ahead of Brentford
Alonso has to decide whether the back four was a fleeting experiment or a true change of direction. If it is the latter, then Chavarria’s composure in the second half suggests he deserves a first Premier League start at Brentford next Friday. Lacroix’s return to join Fofana would also seek to exploit the aerial frailties Hull so successfully capitalised on.
Timing substitutions correctly will also need attention in the coming matches. Danny Welbeck and Estevao Willian were too late to make any impact on a deep-lying defensive set-up. Chelsea have the squad depth to make crucial substitutions, but only if they’re made before the final ten minutes.