Levi-Colwill-Chelsea
Chelsea have entered the November international break without any momentum, defeated by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool have now leapfrogged Xabi Alonso's side in the Premier League. The season is still young, but Chelsea have a number of issues which quickly need ironing out, lest they fall away from the title race and, having already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool, fail to mount an FA Cup challenge too.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
To understand that many of Chelsea's problems are found in defence is not rocket science. Against Sunderland, it was a one-goal defeat, but Levi Colwill was right at the epicentre of it in a concerning display.
Levi Colwill's performance vs Sunderland
Colwill, 23, has been an important player for Chelsea in the Premier League this season. The left footer is skilled on the ball and thus suitable within Alonso's system. However, his strength and the quality and consistency of his defending is another matter.
Reuters/Lee Smith
Brian Brobbey is one of the strongest strikers in the world. He is a hulk of an attacker, and subduing him is a delicate matter, one which is not resolved by going toe-to-toe.
Colwill and the Chelsea persuasion would argue that Sunderland's match-winning penalty, conceded by Colwill following a tussle with Brobbey, was soft, and they may have a case in that, but it was still a weak performance from Chelsea's Cobham graduate, who must stand firmer as he approaches a position of seniority.
It was always going to be difficult for Colwill to win the physical battle, and the fact that he did not apply a bit more brains to knock down the brawn is frustrating.
However, Colwill is still expected to produce the goods over the course of the campaign. The same, sadly, can't be said for Wesley Fofana, who is getting worse and worse for the Stamford Bridge side.
Why Wesley Fofana is a big problem at Chelsea
To think that Chelsea spent £75m on Fofana in 2022. In hindsight, that was money poorly spent on the Leicester centre-half, though it's true that he has been disrupted by so many injuries.
REUTERS/Ian Hodgson
Fofana is not only failing to live up to that billing, but he's struggling to string together performances under Alonso which suggest he deserves a prominent berth in Alonso's team.
He is clearly a talented player, but unintuitive all too often, making poor decisions and lacking the nous that a Chelsea-standard defender should sustain over the course of a season.
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Wesley Fofana's Premier League Career with Chelsea
Season
26/27
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
Fofana is never going to live up to the price tag. This is becoming increasingly clear. Chelsea need to find a way to fix their defensive issues, and it might require something of an overhaul.
There are other players on the roster to consider, but there's one who certainly won't have the answer, and may even be a bigger liability than the likes of Colwill and Fofana.
Chelsea flop will never wear the shirt again
If Chelsea want to narrow the gap on those at the top of the Premier League (and Europe), they will need to sign some world-class defenders. Under Alonso, they are far too vulnerable, having conceded 15.0 xGA this season - putting them 14th for that ranking.
New signings, carefully made, will mark the only way forward for this ambitious Chelsea project. They cannot under any circumstances recall the likes of Axel Disasi, who has left a lot to be desired on loan with Crystal Palace this season, and must be sold at the first opportunity.
REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Chelsea paid £39m to bring Disasi over to the club from AS Monaco in 2023. At the time, he was billed as one of Europe's top rising centre-backs, but he has never come close to hitting the right notes at Stamford Bridge.
Colwill will be frustrated after his disaster on Wearside last weekend, and Fofana's days at Chelsea feel numbered, but Disasi pales in comparison to the pair of them, having only made six Premier League appearances for Chelsea since the 2023/24 campaign.
He has always had a mistake in him, but the French defender's form has worsened over his three years in England, having failed to catch the eye on loan with Aston Villa and then West Ham United and now Crystal Palace, a bit of a liability for the Eagles this season.
Contracted to Stamford Bridge until 2029, it seems like the Blues are struggling to get rid of the 28-year-old, who certainly has no place in Alonso's long-term plans.
This can only go down as a total misfire from BlueCo, one of many, and the sooner Disasi is sold, the sooner Chelsea can begin work on refashioning a backline which is nowhere near the title-winning standard Alonso is striving for.