Three points at Craven Cottage, and a back line that leaked twice
Two goals conceded to Fulham. That is the number Xabi Alonso will have been chewing on after his first Premier League match in charge of Chelsea, even though the Blues left west London with a 3-2 win and all three points.
Talking to Sky Sports afterwards, the Spaniard went to structure before he went anywhere near the forwards. “I think, overall, the squad is balanced and we need good foundations at the back and in midfield to connect with these players, with the players who have something special,” he said. Then a line that tells you how he intends to run the place: “They need freedom, but they also need to be accountable, help the team and accept that responsibility. Once they find their rhythm, they link up well.”
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Talent was never the question
His front three is the subject everyone in England wants to discuss. Alonso got there eventually, and hedged. “We know they can create a lot of chances, they have that talent, but it’s not just about talent: they also work as a unit,” he said. The caveat followed straight away: “They started well, but we can’t rely on them alone. The whole team needs stability, control, quality and precision to put them in the best possible positions.”
Two summer signings caught the eye on the opening weekend, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix. Rogers cost 137 million euros from Aston Villa, the largest sale the Birmingham club has ever made. Chelsea have tied a serious portion of their window to that bet.
A young squad with no pecking order yet
Alonso turns up in London off the back of an unbeaten Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen and a spell at Real Madrid. What he has inherited is expensive, young, and unsettled. Nobody in that dressing room has an established place.
His next fixture will say more than his first did. Fulham exposed the same gaps his players have been living with since last season, and the head coach did not pretend otherwise in front of the cameras.
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