Чаби Алонсогийн удирдлага дор Челси талбайдаа Халл Сити багтай 2-2-ын харьцаатай тэнцлээ.
Морган Рожерсийн гоолоор Челси тоглолтыг тэргүүлж эхэлсэн ч хамгаалалтын алдаануудаас болж тоглолтын хяналтаа алдсан юм. Халл Ситигийн гоолуудыг Мохамед Беллоуми оруулж, улмаар Челсигийн хаалгач Эми Мартинезийн алдаатай тоглолтын дараа Семи Аджайи хөндлөвч оносон аюултай цохилтыг гүйцэтгэв. Жоао Педро тоглолтын хоёрдугаар хагаст Коул Палмерийн дамжуулалтаар гоолдож, багтаа оноо авчирсан ч хамгаалалтын тогтворгүй байдал дахин илэрлээ.
Чаби Алонсо энэ тоглолтод 4-2-3-1 тактикийг сонгож, Педро Нетуг баруун жигүүрт тоглуулсан ч хамгаалалтын шугамд Пеп Чаварриа, Мало Гюсто нарыг байршуулсан нь төдийлөн үр дүнд хүрсэнгүй. Тоглолтын дараах хэвлэлийн бага хурал дээр Алонсо багийн хамгаалалт илүү нягт, анхааралтай байх шаардлагатайг онцолж, алдаа бүр нь сөрөг үр дагаварт хүргэж байгааг хүлээн зөвшөөрлөө.
Челсигийн хувьд энэ улирлын Премьер лигийн эхний дөрвөн тоглолтод хамгаалалтын шугам тогтвортой байж чадахгүй байна. Опта-гийн статистик мэдээллээс үзэхэд багийн довтолгоо тун үр дүнтэй байгаа ч хамгаалалт нь харьцангуй сул байгаа нь ирээдүйд оноо алдах гол шалтгаан болж болзошгүйг харуулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Xabi Alonso turned away from the Stamford Bridge pitch towards the Chelsea bench with a face that suggested his mind was somewhere beyond exasperation.
He had spent much of the previous two minutes — afforded by a lengthy break in play while Hull City goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis received treatment after a clash with Levi Colwill — talking animatedly to each of his defenders.
Then play resumed with a long Tzolakis kick upfield. Ollie McBurnie prevented Wesley Fofana from jumping to meet it and it bounced on towards the corner flag. Malo Gusto had prime position, but Ryan Giles easily muscled him out of the way and looped in a hopeful cross. Jorrel Hato was well placed to clear it, but inexplicably sprinted towards the dropping ball and then watched it bounce over his head, straight onto the waiting left boot of Mohamed Belloumi.
Just like that, a 1-0 lead established by a clinical early Morgan Rogers strike was extinguished, along with any semblance of Chelsea control. Hull sensed the shift in momentum, pushed forward and scored again six minutes later. Belloumi’s shot ricocheted through a thicket of defenders after Emi Martinez had come to claim a corner kick and missed it, allowing Semi Ajayi to crash a header off his crossbar.
Death, taxes and Chelsea conceding (at least) two goals. Carabao Cup second-round opponents Luton Town, of the third tier, are the only team who have failed to reach that scoring bar against Alonso’s side this season and as long as that remains the case, regular dropped points in the Premier League are inevitable.
Malo Gusto was at fault in the lead-up to Hull’s equaliser (Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images)
“We can do better, we can do better for sure,” Alonso said in his post-match press conference after the 2-2 draw. “We need to know that even when we have the lead, a very important part of the game is to hold together, to keep the distances (close), to go intense in the situations to defend. I’m sure that we can do better.
“We need to be aware that from any situation, any team in the Premier League can hurt you. (The first goal) was from a long ball, two bounces, the way it happened. You need to be very aware, very ready that the danger can come from any situation. If you are soft or if you are not prepared, you will get punished and we have been punished that way.”
Joao Pedro’s second-half strike after a brilliant Cole Palmer run and cross spared Chelsea’s blushes against the most impressive of the Premier League’s three promoted teams, but it could not obscure the chronic defensive problems which seem to transcend system or personnel.
Having favoured 3-4-2-1 for most of these early weeks, Alonso changed to 4-2-3-1 for the visit of Hull, with Pedro Neto operating as a full-time right winger and Hato and Gusto deployed on either side of the back four. The former was replaced by Pep Chavarria at half-time for what Alonso said were “tactical” reasons, while the latter became the lightning rod for Chelsea supporters’ frustrations before coming off for Danny Welbeck in the 78th minute as the home side chased a winner.
Maxence Lacroix and Josh Acheampong were benched, and both might have been useful to counter the speed and physicality of Hull’s attackers. Moises Caicedo was missed in midfield, where Reece James and Romeo Lavia struggle to cover large spaces and track opposing runners for the full duration of games. Alonso does not want to risk bringing the Ecuador star back too early, but that equation will change if Chelsea keep conceding at this rate.
The first four Premier League games have yielded no convincing alignment or combination. Chelsea’s press is inconsistent, their midfield coverage is incomplete and their defence appears incapable of withstanding targeted opposition pressure. Behind them, Martinez has made a concerning start as Robert Sanchez’s replacement. Watching his numerous spillages against Hull, it was impossible not to think about the right ring finger he fractured during Aston Villa’s warm-up for the Europa League final in May. Is it still bothering him?
Emi Martinez has made a rocky start to his Chelsea career (Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images)
Chelsea’s defensive record has scope for natural improvement. They have conceded nine goals from chances with a cumulative expected goals (xG) value of 6.2, according to Opta. The problem is the data suggests their prolific attack is primed for regression; they have scored 10 goals from chances with a cumulative xG of 6.4.
Perhaps the front three simply are this good. Rogers and Joao Pedro scored brilliant goals despite spending the rest of the game struggling to find their best rhythm, and Palmer looks back in the physical and mental state to consistently make good things happen in the final third.
But right now, Chelsea’s defending is leaving their red-hot attackers no margin to cool off. Being on track to score 95 goals in a Premier League season — a total that would be the club’s best return since Carlo Ancelotti’s swashbuckling team of stars won the title in 2009-10 — is less of a guarantee of success when you happen to be on course to concede 86.
“Yeah, it’s all maybe entertaining, but I hope that one day you say it was a boring game and we win and we don’t give these entertaining moments,” Alonso said.
Match-going Chelsea supporters spent much of the Enzo Maresca era longing to be entertained. This brand of football is much more to their taste, but the frustration with this team’s startling fragility is becoming more audible by the week. The only style of football that offers lasting satisfaction is one that delivers regular, convincing wins.
Alonso has the benefit of plenty of training time at Cobham to work on Chelsea’s myriad defensive issues. Hull provided the latest reminder that he very much needs it.
