Xabi Alonso has had a mixed start to life at Chelsea since his appointment this summer. Heading into the first international break of the season, we have a small sample of five Premier League games: two wins, one draw and two defeats. Even so, a pattern is beginning to emerge.
Chelsea already look recognisably different, but their defence, midfield and attack are developing at very different speeds. There is plenty to like. Chelsea have scored goals, created chances and overwhelmed opponents with their attacking talent, and there are glimpses of the fluid, positional football that made Alonso such an attractive appointment. But there is also an uncomfortable reality that is becoming harder to ignore.
Chelsea have conceded 12 goals, the most in the league (albeit having played one game more than most sides), and are still searching for a first clean sheet. The 3-0 defeat at Brentford exposed problems Alonso must fix before Chelsea host Bournemouth on 10 October.
The Defence: The Problem Goes Beyond the Back Three
Chelsea signed Maxence Lacroix and Emiliano Martínez to add quality at the back, but the goals conceded point to a wider tactical issue rather than a personnel one. Alonso's identity is built around the back-three system he used to win the Bundesliga unbeaten with Bayer Leverkusen, so it is no surprise he has tried to implement it here. Yet he has also alternated between a back three and a back four depending on the opponent and the game state.
Chelsea rank 11th for possession, with 47.5% across the five games. That would surprise many, given that Alonso was hailed as a possession-based coach on his arrival. Without the ball, opponents have had time and space to pin Chelsea back for long spells and exploit gaps in a defensive structure that is far from airtight.
Premier League sides have the technical quality to punish even the best teams, and Chelsea's off-the-ball coordination has allowed too many box entries. Alonso likes his front three to stay narrow and ready to counter when Chelsea don't have the ball, often forming a 5-2-3 rather than a flat 5-4-1. It is a high-risk shape that has allowed opponents to create wide overloads against Chelsea's wing-backs and wide centre-backs.
The Midfield: A Lack of Quality Options
Selling Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos this summer for up to £175m was great business for the balance sheet. But Chelsea failed to land a replacement before deadline day (reports suggest a move for Monaco's Lamine Camara collapsed), which has turned an area of strength into a weakness.
Injuries have made it worse. Moisés Caicedo has played only 14 minutes all season because of a calf problem, so Alonso has leaned on Jordan Henderson, Valentín Barco and Roméo Lavia, with occasional shifts from the natural full-backs Reece James and Malo Gusto. The issue isn't just a lack of numbers but a lack of control. Alonso needs midfielders who can progress the ball, resist pressure and protect the defence when possession is lost.
His game model is built on controlling possession and space, so being handicapped so early in his tenure must be frustrating, and it is understandable that the cohesion he demands from the engine room isn't there yet. The season is long, though. Caicedo is closing in on a return and Chelsea are expected to look at midfield options in January, so the picture could look very different by the end of the campaign.
The Attack: The JP Morgan Trio Have Been a Joy to Watch
Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa this summer to complement Cole Palmer and João Pedro, and he has hit the ground running with 3 goals and 1 assist in five games.
The trio have been the biggest positive, providing eight of Chelsea's 10 league goals and six of their nine assists. Rogers is the runner and carrier who stretches the pitch, João Pedro is the focal point, and Palmer links midfield and attack from the right half-space. Their complementary profiles have produced a free-flowing attack, each player rotating and combining fluidly, reminiscent of poetry in motion. With Palmer and João Pedro both being assessed ahead of Bournemouth, Chelsea's hopes of silverware rest heavily on that front line staying fit.
Conclusion
For Alonso, the international break offers something every new manager needs: time. Time to fix the defensive structure and the team's rest defence, time to build midfield partnerships and, perhaps most importantly, time to teach Chelsea that controlling a game can be as valuable as dominating it.
There is enough attacking talent at Stamford Bridge to believe goals won't be the biggest problem. The bigger question is what happens when Chelsea don't have the ball. After five games, the right verdict on Alonso is neither optimism nor pessimism but curiosity. The attack suggests there is something worth building, the midfield suggests the foundations are still being laid, and the defence suggests there is plenty of work left to do.
Chelsea have an identity. Now Alonso needs to give them balance.