{"id":1487316,"date":"2026-09-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1487316"},"modified":"2026-10-08T09:27:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:27:37","slug":"tactical-analysis-chelsea-defensive-problems","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-chelsea-defensive-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea have some defensive problems to resolve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite winning two of their opening three games of the Premier League<\/a> season, Chelsea<\/a> have one of the worst defences in the top-flight.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of the talk in the early stages of Xabi Alonso’s tenure has been around Chelsea’s low possession numbers. The Blues have averaged 36.3% possession across their opening three fixtures, with only Hull City<\/a> having less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Blues have conceded seven times across their three matches, the joint-third worst in the Premier League. They’ve averaged 15 shots conceded per 90 minutes, with only five teams facing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what exactly is leading to Chelsea’s defensive issues? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll cover<\/h2>