Chelsea’s New Era Under Xabi Alonso: Progress Amid Persistent Problems
After a disastrous 2025/26 campaign, Chelsea entered the new season determined to get back on their feet and return to winning ways. That process began in May, when Xabi Alonso was announced as the club’s new head coach for the upcoming season. Since his arrival, Alonso’s influence has certainly been noticeable, particularly in the way Chelsea approach their attacking play. However, despite the changes made over the summer, several of the problems that plagued the team last season have yet to disappear.
A Busy Summer of Transfers
As the summer transfer window opened, Chelsea began bringing in players who were viewed as capable of fitting into Alonso’s system. Among the most notable arrivals were:
Morgan Rogers — £120 million from Aston Villa, becoming the club’s record signing
Maxence Lacroix — £52 million from Crystal Palace
Marco Palestra — £47 million from Atalanta
Valentín Barco — £34 million from RC Strasbourg
Danny Welbeck — £5 million from Brighton & Hove Albion
The signing of Morgan Rogers was particularly well received by supporters. After a season in which Chelsea’s attack struggled for consistency and quality, there was hope that Rogers could make the step up and become an important part of Alonso’s attacking system. His performances at Aston Villa had already shown the qualities that could make him a valuable addition to the squad.
There were also several significant departures during pre-season, including one that attracted considerable attention:
Enzo Fernández — £125 million permanent transfer to Manchester City
Nicolas Jackson — £47.5 million to Aston Villa
Liam Delap — £45 million to Nottingham Forest
Trevoh Chalobah — £31 million to Como
Fernández’s move to Manchester City did not come as a complete surprise to many Chelsea supporters following months of speculation surrounding his future. Reports had linked the midfielder with a potential move elsewhere, including interest in Real Madrid, while his relationship with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca — now at Manchester City — also added another layer to the story. The transfer was officially confirmed on September 1.
A Winning Start, But Early Warning Signs
Chelsea opened their Premier League campaign with a 3-2 victory away to Fulham. Alonso’s system immediately began to show its potential, particularly in attack, leaving plenty of supporters encouraged by the way the team created chances and moved the ball forward.
However, the result also highlighted problems at the other end of the pitch.
Chelsea conceded twice, with one of the goals coming after a costly error from Robert Sánchez. Changes were quickly made, with Sánchez subsequently joining Serie A side Como on loan for the remainder of the 2026/27 season.
Some questioned the decision to move Sánchez on after he had only played one match, but concerns surrounding his consistency had existed since the previous campaign. His mistakes had repeatedly contributed to goals being conceded, and Chelsea ultimately decided that a change was necessary.
The club responded by bringing in Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa after the Argentine had lost his starting position there. The move was viewed as a significant addition given Martínez’s experience, performances at club level and achievements with the Argentine national team. He was handed his Chelsea debut just days later against Brighton.
Brighton Exposes Chelsea’s Defensive Problems
The following league fixture, a home match against Brighton, produced another thriller as Chelsea eventually came away with a 4-3 victory.
Once again, however, the three points came alongside some serious concerns.
Chelsea’s defensive structure began to fall apart late in the match. Alonso switched to a 5-4-1 formation in an attempt to protect the lead, but the backline struggled to cope with Brighton’s pressure and repeatedly lost its shape.
The left side was particularly vulnerable, with Brighton consistently finding space to attack. Levi Colwill and the rest of the defensive unit were responsible for several costly errors, contributing to Brighton’s three goals, including an own goal.
Fortunately for Chelsea, debutant Emiliano Martínez produced several important saves to keep his side in front as Brighton continued to apply pressure.
The result once again demonstrated the contrast within Alonso’s Chelsea: an attack capable of scoring goals, but a defensive structure that remains far too vulnerable.
Defensive Concerns Continue to Grow
Since the Brighton fixture, Chelsea’s midfield and defence have continued to look shaky. Those performances have already sparked discussion surrounding potential reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window, particularly after the club failed to complete a deal for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara on deadline day.
One of the names reportedly being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, who could potentially provide additional quality and experience to a defence that has struggled to maintain its shape.
Chelsea then travelled to the Emirates Stadium to face reigning Premier League champions Arsenal. Despite taking an early lead through Morgan Rogers, the Blues were ultimately beaten 2-1 after Arsenal produced the stronger performance over the course of the match.
There was a more positive result in the EFL Cup, however, as Chelsea hosted Leeds United in the third round at Stamford Bridge. The match turned into a nine-goal thriller, with Chelsea producing an impressive comeback after falling two goals behind. The game also provided another memorable moment for new signing Valentín Barco, who scored his first goal for the club.
Another Frustrating Result Against Hull City
Chelsea’s most recent league fixture brought another frustrating result.
The Blues hosted newly promoted Hull City, who had made an impressive start to life back in the Premier League and remained unbeaten heading into the match. Chelsea were unable to secure all three points, instead settling for a 2-2 draw.
Ryan Giles and Semi Ajayi found the net for Hull, who became the first side to concede against Chelsea in the match while continuing their impressive run of form.
For Chelsea, though, the biggest concern once again came from their defensive performance.
The Blues are leaving far too much space for opponents, allowing them too many opportunities to attack and repeatedly putting themselves under unnecessary pressure. Eventually, Chelsea have paid the price for those mistakes.
Alonso was brutally honest when discussing his team's performance after the match, describing Chelsea as “soft” in the way they concede goals.
That assessment perhaps sums up the biggest concern surrounding the team at this stage of the season. The attacking football has shown plenty of promise, but Chelsea continue to make life unnecessarily difficult for themselves defensively.
What Comes Next?
Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League table and will travel to face seventh-placed Brentford on Friday, September 18. The Blues have not beaten Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium since 2021, adding another difficult challenge to an already unpredictable start to the campaign.
There are also questions surrounding the availability of key players such as João Pedro and Reece James, although nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing.
For now, Chelsea remain a team showing clear signs of progress under Alonso while simultaneously carrying many of the same weaknesses that caused problems last season.
The attacking structure has improved, new signings have made an early impact and there have been flashes of the football Alonso wants to implement. But until the defensive issues are addressed, Chelsea will continue to leave themselves vulnerable regardless of how many goals they score at the other end.
With the January transfer window still months away, Alonso will have to find solutions with the squad currently at his disposal. Whether Chelsea can stabilize their defence and build on the promising aspects of Alonso’s project — or whether the same problems will continue to haunt them — remains one of the biggest questions surrounding the club as the season progresses.