Chelsea’s defensive problems have reached a new low after Xabi Alonso’s side conceded three times against Brentford on Friday night.
The 3-0 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium took Chelsea’s tally to 12 goals conceded across their opening five Premier League matches.
No team has conceded more in the division so far this season, while Chelsea are still waiting for their first league clean sheet under Alonso.
The numbers underline the scale of the defensive problem facing the head coach during the international break.
Chelsea defence now worst in Premier League
Chelsea have conceded at least twice in every Premier League fixture this season.
Their results read:
Fulham 2-3 Chelsea
Chelsea 4-3 Brighton
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-2 Hull City
Brentford 3-0 Chelsea
That is 12 goals conceded in only five matches.
The latest Premier League defensive figures show no side has allowed more goals than Chelsea, with Crystal Palace next on 11.
Chelsea’s attacking output initially helped disguise the problem.
Alonso’s side scored seven times while winning their opening two league games against Fulham and Brighton, but those victories still featured five goals conceded.
Once the attacking production slowed, Chelsea’s lack of defensive security became considerably harder to overcome.
They have collected only one point from their past three Premier League fixtures.
Xabi Alonso joins unwanted Premier League list
Chelsea’s start has also produced an unwanted personal statistic for Alonso.
The Spaniard has become only the sixth manager in Premier League history to see his side concede at least twice in each of his first five matches in the competition.
The previous five were Mick McCarthy, Sammy Lee, Terry Connor, Slavisa Jokanovic and Scott Parker.
That statistic was highlighted in the post-match numbers following Chelsea’s defeat at Brentford.
It is hardly the company Alonso would have expected to join when he arrived at Stamford Bridge during the summer.
The Chelsea head coach has already acknowledged the problem.
After Friday’s defeat, Alonso admitted his players lost discipline and made costly mistakes against Brentford.
Set pieces becoming major Chelsea weakness
The overall defensive numbers are not Chelsea’s only concern.
Captain Levi Colwill revealed after the game that the Blues have already conceded five goals from set-pieces this season.
He admitted Chelsea have at times been “bullied” inside their own penalty area and described their record as not good enough.
That is particularly frustrating because Chelsea appointed specialist coach Austin MacPhee during the summer to improve their work from dead-ball situations.
There have been signs of progress going forward, but the set-piece battle against Brentford exposed another defensive weakness.
Jaidon Anthony’s opening goal arrived from a corner before Chelsea became increasingly vulnerable as they chased the game.
International break gives Alonso opportunity to reset
Chelsea now have time to work on the problem before returning to Premier League action.
Alonso has repeatedly argued that defending is a collective responsibility rather than something that can simply be blamed on his centre-backs.
That assessment is supported by the manner of the goals Chelsea have conceded.
Transitions, set-pieces, individual errors and periods of lost control have all contributed during the opening weeks.
The 3-0 defeat against Brentford simply brought all of those concerns together on the same night.
Chelsea have demonstrated they possess enough attacking talent to score heavily.
The uncomfortable numbers after five league games show Alonso’s biggest challenge is now at the other end of the pitch.
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