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Photo by Harvey Murphy/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
After the international break, most of us want to see Chelsea return to a back four.
Although they lost in the end, against Arsenal, Chelsea’s current shape looked good. They defended well for most of the game in a back five and still had a threat going forward. Ultimately, the Blues were able to compete against the Gunners, which they have not always done in recent seasons.
However, bar that game, you can now question whether Chelsea have needed to use a back five. They are conceding a plethora of goals and cannot find room for Estevao Willian in the team.
With all of that being said, switching to a back four may not be that simple. And that is because what is happening throughout the different Chelsea teams at Cobham.
According to BBC Sport journalist Nizaar Kinsella, Chelsea’s academy teams are emulating Alonso’s system. It suggests that the club want all their young talent playing the same way as the first team as they progress up the different age groups with the view of one day lining up under Alonso.
Of course, Chelsea’s track record with managers suggests Alonso will not even last that long. But hopefully that is not the case, as it would be nice for the club to finally have some stability.
Whether Alonso uses a back three or back four after the international break, there are things he has to fix. WhoScored recently listed four of Chelsea’s weaknesses under Alonso, including defending set pieces.
They are not going to be a serious outfit again until that is addressed and they stop getting bullied at every corner and free kick. Chelsea have a new set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee, who has helped them improve offensively. But when it comes to defending set pieces, there is obviously a long way to go.
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Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images
A split of four graphic titled: "Has Chelsea's change in transfer approached worked?!" Image shows Emi Martinez, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and Maxence Lacroix playing for Chelsea.
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Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images