Chelsea host a winless AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday at 3 pm BST following a long international break. Xabi Alonso’s team sit 10th with seven points, struggling to build on the exciting start to their first two matches.
Marco Rose’s men sit 17th with just three points from five matches, after three draws and two losses. They have significantly underachieved by squandering many chances in winning positions, dropping nine points from these chances.
The game against the Cherries takes on extra importance for a busy October schedule for Chelsea, who will visit Everton on 17 October. Alonso will not make the mistake of allowing his side to drop more points at home to a team he is expected to beat.
Xabi Alonso Needs To Resolve His Team’s Deficiencies
The primary concern about Blues’ game is their poor defensive record. They have conceded twelve league goals, the most in the league, and have yet to record a clean sheet. They had the ball possession of 68% against Hull City last month, but they lost the expected goals (xG) battle, finishing with 1.49 compared to Hull’s 0.89.
Their defeat against Brentford was even more embarrassing as the expected goals on target (xGOT) for the visitors were 3.72 to Chelsea’s 0.23. However, Alonso’s attacking trio has been clinical in front of goal, with Morgan Rogers and João Pedro each scoring three league goals.
Alonso is expected to bring reinforcements, as Moisés Caicedo, Reece James, Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Marco Palestra are available after the break. Palmer has been in prolific form with two goals and two assists and is likely to lead the line, but Jamie Gittens is out with an ankle injury. Alonso has been experimenting in defence with a back three and back four, so his approach will be interesting to see.
However, history shows that the Cherries are not likely to beat Alonso’s men at Stamford Bridge. They haven’t beaten Chelsea in the last nine Premier League meetings, but five were draws, including two 2-2 draws at the Bridge.
Alonso knows that a win is expected against Bournemouth, but he has a number of concerns that could cause his men to slip up against the bottom club. A disciplined display will certainly ease the pressure.