Chelsea Record Eight Goals and Two Wins in Xabi Alonso’s First Three Matches

Under new manager Xabi Alonso, Chelsea have scored eight goals and earned six points through three Premier League fixtures.

Chelsea have secured two wins from their opening three Premier League matches under new manager Xabi Alonso, scoring eight goals to tie for the league lead. The club opened the season away to Fulham, hosted Brighton, and most recently lost away to Arsenal. Despite the 2-1-0 start, Chelsea have recorded just 36.3% possession, the second-lowest mark in the division. The team has scored in the first, second, and fourth minutes of their three opening games and has led for a total of 195 minutes.

ESPN reports that Chelsea’s front three of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, and João Pedro has generated 48 shots and 93 touches inside the penalty area. The team has created 5.56 non-penalty expected goals (xG), ranking fifth in the league. However, the defensive metrics show vulnerability, as the club has conceded the second-most touches in their own penalty area and the fifth-most shots in the Premier League.

Defensively, Chelsea are allowing a league-high 18.89 passes per defensive action (PPDA). The squad is currently without midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who has been limited to 14 minutes due to injury following the summer departures of Enzo Fernández to Manchester City and Andrey Santos to Manchester United. The current midfield options include 36-year-old Jordan Henderson and Romeo Lavia, who has played 1,400 minutes over the last three seasons. Chelsea currently sits behind Arsenal, Manchester City, and Hull City in the standings.