If Chelsea Don't Stop the Stupidity at the Back, They Will Never be Premier League Winners Again

If Chelsea Don't Stop the Stupidity at the Back, They Will Never be Premier League Winners Again

Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.” One club built a reputation on that quote. That club? Chelsea.

In 2004/05, they would do something that, to this day, still hasn’t been beaten. They conceded just 15 goals. That would set a common theme going forward. In every season the Blues won the league, they would concede under a goal per game. The most they would concede came in 2016/17, when they conceded 33 goals.

Chelsea FC - All 15 Premier League Goals Conceded in 2004-05 pic.twitter.com/f3u3qPCUU6

— Archives (@CFCRetro) November 17, 2022

However, since then, they haven’t been able to win again. The last time they looked even close to winning the league was under Thomas Tuchel. He had them drilled into the best defensive unit in the world. In his first season, like José, he would set a record. This time in Europe. Chelsea won the Champions League, conceding just four goals.

Since then, they have lost what made Chelsea, Chelsea. In the 2023/24 season under Pochettino, Chelsea saw their worst defensive season in years. They conceded 63 goals and finished the season in 6th. However, this season is on track to be worse.

Xabi Alonso has come in, and after five games, something has been noticed. The attack looks strong. They have been able to score for fun in most games. However, the defence has been absolutely abysmal.

In five games, Chelsea have conceded 12 goals. Based on the average number of goals conceded per game, after the international break, Chelsea will have conceded the same number of goals that the 2004/05 team did all season.

So, What Needs to be Fixed?

Xabi Alonso isn’t a manager who normally concedes a lot of goals. In his title-winning season with Leverkusen, they conceded 24 goals. This was 0.7 goals per game. While the Bundesliga is a weaker league than the Premier League, it is far from awful. So, what is the main difference?

Well, one is that this wasn’t Alonso’s first season. It was his first full season; however, he had experience with the side in the previous season. This allowed him to set up tactically and allow the side to know what he wanted from them. One of the key players in this system was Granit Xhaka. He allowed for massive defensive cover from the middle of the park. So far this season, Chelsea haven’t had that.

In the last two seasons, there has been one man who, time and time again, has saved Chelsea. That man is the £100 million man, Moisés Caicedo. The Ecuadorian has been the brick wall in front of the defence.

Good news to Chelsea…Caicedo is back from injury n will be available after the international break pic.twitter.com/dFzIzWoLD1

— Kevin Masagara (@kevin_masagara) September 20, 2026

So far this season, Caicedo has been injured and has barely played a minute. This has caused the midfield at Chelsea to go from the best feature to the worst. While Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Valentino Barco and Jordan Henderson can do a job, none of them are close to Caicedo when it comes to breaking up play and protecting the defence.

Therefore, is that the issue? Well, yes and no. Caicedo will help massively. He will limit the chances teams are able to create. With him breaking up the build-up before an attack can be started, Chelsea will see fewer chances conceded and, with that, fewer goals. However, there is still one massive issue. The actual defence.

Chelsea have had four different back threes this season. We have seen every defender rotated, with youngsters like Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato being put in and out. Alongside them are more established players like Maxence Lacroix, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill. This consistent chopping and changing will never help them become a unit.

It is often underappreciated just how important it is for defenders to be able to understand each other. Look at the current Premier League champions, Arsenal. Saliba and Gabriel play week in, week out together when both are fit. They have a level of understanding that has allowed them to become one of the best defences in the world. That didn’t happen overnight. It was forged after years of playing next to each other. At this rate, Chelsea will never have that.

Next, we look at the most important part of that Alonso Leverkusen team: the wing-backs. Grimaldo and Frimpong made that team click. They were solid defensively and very impactful going forward. Chelsea so far this season haven’t had the wing-backs click.

Pep Chavarría has come in from La Liga and hasn’t seen too much game time. However, when he has, he has looked comfortable in the left wing-back role. However, that is only half the story.

So far this season, the right wing-back has been the issue. Ask any Chelsea fan about Malo Gusto, and the answer will almost always be the same. He shouldn’t play again. Pedro Neto has been good going forward, but defensively, you can see he is an attacker.

Once again, we find someone who is yet to play. This time, it’s the Serie A Defender of the Year and a man Chelsea spent £50 million on in the summer: Marco Palestra. He looked solid during pre-season and looks to be another part of the puzzle that is missing.

Marco Palestra is back to training ahead of Brentford

It’s scary time for the league and Malo Gusto, he got the opportunity but misused it

pic.twitter.com/A7IFDx3miw

— CFC OBEY®️ (@_kobbyphocus) September 15, 2026

The young defender is quick, strong, tall and full of confidence. He will be someone to keep an eye on when he’s fit again. It shouldn’t be long until we see him make his debut. It might take a bit before he is a regular starter. However, once he is fit, we can expect him to take that wing-back spot.

So, Will Chelsea’s Defence Become More Solid?

Chelsea fans, there is still time. Yes, the defence isn’t strong yet. Yes, it isn’t a Chelsea side that we have gotten used to. But it is still a new side with a new manager. Alonso has been manager for seven competitive matches. In those seven matches, Caicedo has played 14 minutes and Palestra 0.

These two will come back and, hopefully, stay fit all season. This means that the midfield will become more solid, as you have one of the best defensive midfielders in the world back and a wing-back who knows when to get forward and when to stay back.

It will also take time for Alonso to learn his best starting XI. While the attack is easy enough, the rest of the team isn’t. Chelsea have made numerous signings and are playing a system that none of their managers have used.

Once the best back three has been decided upon and the midfield has been fixed, chances conceded will be reduced. With that, goals conceded will be reduced. So, there is time for the defence to be fixed. However, as it stands, we are yet to see Chelsea at 100% under Alonso.