Chelsea have started the 2026/27 Premier League season with a strange mix of attacking punch and defensive disorder. Xabi Alonso’s side scored freely in the opening weeks, yet Arsenal exposed how quickly that aggression can turn into broken shape when the first wave of pressure fails. Chelsea lost 2-1 at the Emirates on 6 September, then conceded twice again in a 2-2 draw with Hull City on 12 September, leaving Alonso with four league games gone and no clean sheet.
That does not mean Alonso should abandon the ideas that have made Chelsea dangerous. Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and João Pedro have given the attack speed, movement and imagination, while the side can hurt opponents in transition. The issue sits underneath that front line. Against Arsenal, Chelsea pressed with real intent, yet their distances between midfield and defence became awkward, and Arsenal repeatedly found gaps after escaping the first challenge.
For a team that wants to challenge the champions over 38 games, Alonso needs more than spectacular bursts. He needs a defensive structure that survives bad moments and an approach that can control matches rather than simply react to them.
Arsenal’s 2-1 win offered a warning because the champions did not simply overpower Chelsea through possession. The match ended 50-50 on the ball, yet Arsenal created greater threat, with 16 shots to Chelsea’s nine and an expected-goals figure of 2.57 compared with 0.53, according to Coaches’ Voice. Arsenal attacked the spaces that appeared when Chelsea’s counter-press broke, and they repeatedly manipulated the wide and central lanes around Lavia and Reece James.
Chelsea can press high and still defend well, but the players behind the press must remain close enough to cover the next pass. When those links stretch, one clean Arsenal combination can turn an aggressive shape into a race on goal.
1. Should Chelsea scrap the risky corner setup and defend the box first?
Alonso used a striking corner routine against Arsenal that left several Chelsea players around halfway, hoping to threaten an immediate counter and force Arsenal to hold bodies outside the box. The trade-off left fewer defenders ready for second balls and rebounds inside.
Hull then exposed it. After a corner, Semi Ajayi headed against the bar, and McBurnie recovered the rebound before Belloumi’s shot took a deflection and entered the net. Chelsea had failed to clear the danger, and the loose-ball phase punished them.
Alonso does not need to become conservative at every dead ball. He needs a better risk calculation. Keep one or two players high for counter-attacks, but place enough bodies around the six-yard box, penalty spot and edge of the area to attack the first ball and the second one. Chelsea cannot chase Arsenal over a full season while conceding cheap set-piece situations.
2. How can Chelsea give the midfield a tighter shield in front of the back three?
Chelsea’s 3-4-2-1 can create good attacking angles, yet it demands disciplined distances from the double pivot. Against Arsenal, Lavia and James often had to cover too much ground. Coaches’ Voice highlighted an early sequence when Arsenal combined behind the midfield pair, while another attack pulled Lavia across and then found Ødegaard arriving centrally.
It requires clearer jobs. One midfielder should stay closer to the centre-backs, screen the striker and track runners entering the inside channels. The partner can then step out, press a receiver or move laterally without leaving the middle exposed.
The club have missed Moisés Caicedo, while Enzo Fernández has left for Manchester City, and Reece James has operated in midfield during the opening weeks.
A deeper pivot would help Chelsea defend transitions because the nearest midfielder could slow the first forward pass instead of sprinting back after an opponent has already reached the back line. Lavia can anchor, James can rotate, and the attacking midfielders can press from better distances. Never let one broken challenge force three defenders to solve the same problem.
Chelsea need a midfield screen, not runners chasing the game.
3. Can Chelsea reduce the reliance on the low block and keep the team higher up the pitch?
Alonso used a 5-4-1 low block when Chelsea dropped deep against Arsenal. That shape gave the back line width and kept several bodies around the penalty area, but it came with a familiar cost: Chelsea surrendered territory and invited Arsenal to move the ball until an opening appeared. Coaches’ Voice described João Pedro screening the central pivot while Palmer and Rogers dropped alongside Lavia and James.
A low block has its place. Every title contender needs one. The problem starts when Chelsea spend too long defending near their own box and rely on the front three to produce miracles after the ball returns.
The numbers raise that concern. Before Arsenal, Sky Sports noted that Chelsea had recorded only 25 per cent possession against Brighton and 38 per cent against Fulham, low figures for a title contender. Against Hull, Chelsea controlled the ball for long periods, yet they still conceded twice from defensive errors and set-piece chaos, showing that possession alone cannot repair poor protection.
So Alonso should push Chelsea higher after turnovers instead of dropping automatically into a flat five. The centre-backs need to hold more territory, the midfield line needs to compress the pitch, and the attacking players must press with a clear route back into shape. That would reduce the distance between the front three and defence and make Chelsea harder to counter.
Chelsea have enough attacking talent to trouble Arsenal, but a title challenge demands fewer self-inflicted concessions. Alonso needn’t turn the team into a slow possession side; he needs better distances, smarter set-piece numbers and a midfield that protects the centre before the next attack. Chelsea can score from almost anywhere, yet their defensive structure still offers opponents too many openings. That has to change before the Blues can seriously threaten Arsenal.
