Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea off to thrilling start, but defensive concerns loom ahead of Arsenal test

Xabi Alonso has made an immediate impression at Chelsea, winning his first three competitive matches in charge while scoring nine goals. The football is exciting, the fans are engaged, and the contrast with predecessor Enzo Maresca is stark. But the same attacking freedom that has unlocked Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro has also left Chelsea exposed defensively — a concern that will be tested next Sunday when they face Premier League champions Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Key facts
| Metric | Alonso’s first two league games (2026-27) | Maresca’s 2025-26 league season (38 games) |
|——–|——————————————-|——————————————–|
| Average possession | 32.4% | Not available |
| Goals scored | 7 | Not available |
| Goals conceded | 5 | Not available |
| Palmer-Joao Pedro combined league goals | 3 (in 2 games) | 2 (in 38 games) |

A new style, and a new reception

Alonso, the fifth permanent head coach hired by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium since May 2022, received a hero’s welcome at his first home Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. Fans unfurled a banner reading “Not too Xabi, Alonso is a blue” at the Shed End and sang his name on several occasions.

The reception stands in contrast to Maresca, who won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup during his 18-month tenure and returned Chelsea to the Champions League, yet never earned that level of public affection. Maresca’s possession-heavy approach was effective but did not win hearts.

Cole Palmer, speaking to Sky Sports after scoring in the season-opening 3-2 win against Fulham, indicated Alonso has given him more freedom. “He (Alonso) just said I’d have more freedom (this season) to drift about the pitch,” Palmer said. “Last season, I wouldn’t have even made that run, because it’s not a ‘safe zone’.”

Attacking output rises, defensive control drops

The numbers illustrate the shift. Palmer and Joao Pedro combined for just two Premier League goals in 38 matches last season. Through two games this campaign, they have already surpassed that mark with three.

However, the defensive trade-off is significant. Chelsea’s 4-3 win against Brighton saw them concede 74.4% possession, the highest percentage they have faced since records began in 2003-04. They completed only 146 passes in the match, their lowest total in a Premier League fixture — home or away — in that same period.

Alonso has switched to a three-man defence, and key midfielder Moises Caicedo has yet to start under him after limping off 14 minutes into a second-half substitute appearance against Brighton.

Alonso: ‘I never talk about those things’

Alonso dismissed the idea that he instructs his team to play with low possession. “It is never that approach; I don’t say today we need to have 60% or 20%,” he said after the Brighton match. “I never talk about those things. It is about how to prepare, how to be more competitive.”

He acknowledged the need to adapt, particularly with a trip to Arsenal approaching. “I want to win, whatever it takes to win, and each game can be different,” Alonso said. “So it’s not that this is going to be replicated against Arsenal.”

Arsenal test will reveal how far Chelsea have come

Chelsea have not beaten Arsenal since 2021, and the champion’s home ground presents a far sterner test than Fulham or Brighton. Alonso’s open style, which has produced end-to-end encounters reminiscent of Mauricio Pochettino’s 2023-24 campaign — when Chelsea scored 77 league goals but conceded a club-record 63 — may need to be adjusted.

For now, Chelsea fans are enjoying the ride. Whether that enthusiasm survives a trip to the Emirates will depend on whether Alonso can find a balance between the freedom that has unlocked his attack and the defensive structure required against elite opposition.

Source: The Athletic — https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7550221/2026/08/31/alonso-chelsea-entertainer-maresca/

Datos clave