After eight games, Chelsea are currently sitting in fifth place in the Premier League with 13 points, and I’m still not sure if I should be elated or a little queasy. We’ve had a solid start to the Xabi Alonso era with four wins, one draw and three losses. We have scored 17 goals, which is a step in the right direction for a team that finished 10th last season and had three different managers. However, we’ve also conceded 15.
The Blues have certainly not been short of excitement. To start the season, we won 3-2 at Fulham, with Joao Pedro scoring the fastest ever opening-day goal in Premier League history. We then had a 4-3 thriller against Brighton at Stamford Bridge. We lost 2-1 to Arsenal after they came from behind, drew 2-2 against Hull City and lost 3-0 to Brentford.
We had a great 5-1 win against Bournemouth and a 2-0 win at Everton. However, we lost 2-0 to Tottenham on Saturday evening. Overall, our expected points total is only 12th in the league (10.3), so while some of our results have looked like those of a top-four side, the underlying numbers keep us in mid-table. And that’s something to be concerned about. But without further ado, here are 5 things we’ve learnt so far from this Chelsea side under Alonso.
Joao Pedro is everything
If you thought there was any doubt about who the driving force of this team is, the last month has answered that question. Joao Pedro has scored 5 goals and had 3 assists in 6 Premier League games. He has been directly involved in 8 of our 17 league goals.
He’s missed two league games this season. He missed the game against Brentford due to a knee injury and was ruled out against Spurs after picking up a knee issue in training. In those games, we didn’t score a single goal. All 17 of our league goals have come in games he’s played.
We tried to play Morgan Rogers as a false nine against Tottenham, but it didn’t work. However, he’s scored 4 league goals himself, so it’s not a one-man problem. Joao Pedro has only got a 75% chance of playing on Saturday so every Chelsea fan will be refreshing the team news to see if he’ll return. Because we need him, badly.
We’re still getting set-pieces wrong
Even though we brought in set-piece expert Austin MacPhee in the summer, we’re still struggling. We’ve conceded 8 Premier League goals from set-pieces, double the amount of any other team in the division.
We’ve conceded at the worst times. Brentford’s opener against us came from a corner by Mikkel Damsgaard. Against Tottenham, Mike Penders scored an own goal from a corner by Mateus Fernandes with 13 minutes to go.
MacPhee has certainly had an impact. We’ve scored set-piece goals in our first 6 league games. Jordan Henderson scored a curled free-kick against Bournemouth. However, we still look like we’re playing heads or tails with our defence.
We hadn’t picked up a single red card (until Saturday)
Last season, we picked up red cards like they were retro shirts for the 2003 season, 11 in total. However, Alonso looks to have cured this completely. We hadn’t picked up a single red card in any competitions before our London derby on Saturday.
Cole Palmer ended the run in the most frustrating way possible. He was booked in the 70th minute and then sent off 10 minutes later for a late challenge on Conor Gallagher. It was the first red card of his senior career, and we became only the third club to reach 100 Premier League red cards.
It was a painful time for us, as we were down by one goal, and it only made our comeback chances worse. Palmer will miss the EFL Cup game against Liverpool on Wednesday, but is available against Manchester United. Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers was lucky to avoid getting sent off against Everton, so it’s clear that Xabi Alonso still has work to do here.
Alonso will trust the young players
On opening day, Alonso made it clear he would trust his young players. According to Opta, he had the youngest starting XI of the round. This hasn’t changed even though we’ve had some tough games. For example, Geovany Quenda, a 19-year-old who was signed from Sporting for a reported £40m, made his first Premier League start against Spurs.
Mike Penders had a tough week. He came off the bench against Everton and helped us keep our first clean sheet since January. However, 7 days later, in his first Premier League start, he scored an own goal from a punch. The fact he started at all shows how much trust Alonso puts in his young players.
I’d rather he keeps trusting them than lose their confidence after one mistake. There’s a great balance in this squad as he also trusts Jordan Henderson, who is 36 years old, in midfield. Hopefully, we get to see Estevao starting more games soon.
We’ve got injury issues
Considering how much we spend, I’m surprised we’re looking stretched. Emiliano Martinez had surgery on his broken jaw after the clash against Everton. He should be back in a few weeks, but Penders has to man the fort in the meantime.
Reece James has a knee injury, and reports suggest he won’t return until mid-January. Jamie Gittens injured his ankle whilst playing for England Under-21s. He’s only played 56 competitive minutes this season. Emmanuel Emegha hasn’t played a competitive game since joining from Strasbourg.
Pep Chavarria isn’t playing, and Joao Pedro is a doubt. Alonso’s options look very slim ahead of a busy week. We’re going to Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and then hosting Manchester United on Saturday. The next few weeks will tell us if this squad is strong enough to cope with injuries and its own mistakes.
Opinion: Cole Palmer’s Ban Is the Chance Estevao Has Been Waiting For
Liverpool vs Chelsea: Kick-Off Time, TV Channel and How to Watch – Carabao Cup 26/27
Chelsea Team News vs Liverpool: Joao Pedro Scan Awaits, Palmer Serves Ban – Carabao Cup 26/27