Alonso Wants Chelsea to Improve Their Defense

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has called on his team to defend better after a 2-2 draw with Hull in the Premier League.

The result means Chelsea has let in two or more goals in each of their first four league matches. They have now gone 20 league games without a clean sheet.

Morgan Rogers scored first for Chelsea, but Hull quickly equalized. Joao Pedro put the Blues back in front in the second half, but Mohamed Belloumi’s second goal allowed Hull to leave Stamford Bridge with a point.

Alonso admitted that Chelsea's defense was not good enough and said they got what they deserved from the game. As reported by BBC Sport on Saturday, Alonso said, "We had one or two good chances to get the winner, but you’re still open. Not happy. We can do better. We got what we deserved."

The Chelsea manager also criticized his players for letting Hull back into the game after they took control. "We need to be more solid and be more controlled," he added. "When we get the lead, you still need to be competing and not to give the chance so easily for them to come back."

Chelsea's defensive issues were again clear because of individual mistakes. Jorrel Hato misjudged a cross before Hull’s equalizer, and Belloumi’s second goal came after Chelsea failed to clear a corner.

Former defender Ashley Williams said Chelsea look weak when possession changes. "Chelsea are all over the place in transitions. When they lose the ball, they are wide open," Williams said.

"The goals they conceded are just basic errors. Both individually and as a defensive unit, they are so far off it and are shipping goals."

Chelsea has impressed going forward, with Rogers, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro among those helping their attack. But Alonso admitted the team has a big imbalance right now.

"Overall, I think that we are attacking better than defending in every part," he said.

The Spaniard insisted that his choice to use a back four against Hull was a tactical decision based on his players' qualities, not just an attempt to fix the team’s defensive issues.

"It’s about the profile of the players," Alonso explained. "You can say it was back three or four, so it’s about the choice of the players, their qualities."