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Not only did Xabi Alonso arrive with more support from Chelsea fans than Liam Rosenior did, but he has also earned greater backing through his early results. The Blues have made a decent start to the Premier League season, collecting 10 points from six games.
Chelsea have not improved defensively in the first few months under Alonso, but their attack has been completely transformed. Only Brighton (18) and Manchester City (16) have scored more league goals than the Blues (15).
However, one eye-catching statistic suggests Alonso is actually fortunate not to have followed in Rosenior’s footsteps. Rosenior must be frustrated when comparing the expected goals (xG) from his brief tenure with Chelsea’s figures now.
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How would you compare Chelsea’s sporting directors to their counterparts at other English clubs? Have they really been that bad? 🤔
Winstanley and Stewart for Chelsea
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Not good at all. If they didn’t spend as much as they did and pull all of the questionable levers that they did, Chelsea would be like Tottneham. Pure luck with where they are at right now.
jameslovemore777
Too many below average players. Can't understand their strategy or thinking for that matter. Obviously not learned enough in football terms.
They’ve thrown a million darts at a dartboard and hit the very occasional bullseye - feels like a desperate strategy that just wastes money
Chelsea’s xG stats raise questions over Liam Rosenior’s sacking
Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea have already become famous for their fast starts, scoring six goals in the opening 10 minutes of their six Premier League games. According to The Athletic, these goals have come from an xG of just 1.52, suggesting exceptional finishing rather than well-worked moves.
However, Chelsea have also been exceptionally clinical throughout the full 90 minutes so far this season. Alonso’s side have overperformed their xG by 6.6 goals, the largest discrepancy in Europe’s top five leagues.
That statistic highlights the biggest difference between Alonso’s and Liam Rosenior’s spells at Stamford Bridge. During the Englishman’s tenure, Chelsea recorded the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League, often dominating games without taking their gilt-edged chances.
If only the Blues had been nearly as clinical under Rosenior as they have been recently, the now-Paris FC manager might still be in West London. The question is: how much of Chelsea’s finishing is down to luck, and how much is down to coaching?
Many would argue that a coach’s job is to put players in the best positions to score, while the rest is up to them. Even a footballing legend such as Alonso surely cannot teach Joao Pedro or Cole Palmer how to strike a ball.
Therefore, perhaps the forwards’ lacklustre finishing, which ultimately cost Rosenior his job, was no fault of his own. Meanwhile, Alonso is fortunate to be receiving credit for his players’ potentially unsustainable overperformance relative to their expected goals.