How Xabi Alonso can respond to challenge Levi Colwill has issued Chelsea
Levi Colwill has been quite vocal following Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday.
After the game, Colwill was very critical of Chelsea’s defence, which is not too much of a surprise. Defensively, the Blues have been shambolic this season.
In just five games, they have already conceded 12 goals, more than any other side in the Premier League. For Colwill, though, the team as a whole have to improve, not just the backline.
“Hopefully, we will come out the other side flying, pick up our play, and become a better team,” the 23-year-old was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official club website. So, how can Xabi Alonso respond to Colwill’s demand for improvement?
Change formation
First, Alonso has to switch formation. At one stage, it looked as though Chelsea could compete in their 3-4-2-1 shape. They looked like a more serious outfit and went toe-to-toe with Arsenal.
What should Xabi Alonso do with Levi Colwill after the international break?
However, they are conceding far too many goals. At this point, you have to question whether it is worth having an extra centre-back on the pitch. Alonso’s side are conceding three goals a game; defending with another centre-half and in a back five is doing very little.
Alonso may as well use a 4-2-3-1 and get another attacker on the pitch, but we will get to that later.
Stop using defenders in midfield
Alonso also needs to stop with this Reece James and Malo Gusto in midfield nonsense. James has had good games in midfield in the past, and Chelsea have had a lot of problems in that area of the pitch this season. Using him as a stopgap makes sense, but this cannot be a long-term solution.
As for Gusto, the less said the better. This is a player who should not be anywhere near the engine room.
Integrate Estevao Willian into the team
Chelsea often find themselves facing low blocks, which has been a huge problem in the past. The individual quality of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers has really aided them this season, but they could not break down Brentford on Friday.
It was a surprise that Estevao Willian only managed to play four minutes, especially with Pedro missing and the type of fixture this was.
It is a bit worrying for Estevao, but hopefully Alonso starts to give him more opportunities after the international break. There are plenty of games where it would probably be better to have Estevao, Palmer, Pedro and Rogers all starting in a 4-2-3-1 instead of only deploying three of those names in a 3-4-2-1.
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