589 passes, 0.55 expected goals and a 1-0 defeat: Chelsea have the ball under Alonso, but not the answers
Chelsea go into the international break fifth in the Premier League, 11 points behind Arsenal, and the defeat at Sunderland showed exactly why. Xabi Alonso’s side had the ball for most of the afternoon and still lost 1-0 to a team that started the day near the bottom.
Chelsea completed 589 accurate passes at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland managed 204. Yet the home side created the better chances, and Chelsea finished with an expected goals figure of just 0.55. It was their fourth league defeat of the season, after five wins and a draw, and the third in their first five away games.
That last number is a warning sign. According to BBC Sport, it is the first time since 2015-16 that Chelsea have lost three of their opening five away league games.
What is going wrong for Chelsea away from home?
Alonso was honest afterwards. He did not blame the officials, and said his side lacked the patience and creativity to break down a low block. That is the right diagnosis, and it is not new.
Chelsea are built to control games, and at Stamford Bridge that often works, as it did in the 5-1 win over Bournemouth. Away from home, opponents are happy to give them the ball, sit deep and wait. Chelsea then pass sideways around the edge of the box, and the moment they lose it, they are exposed to the counter. Sunderland did exactly that, and Brian Brobbey’s strength against Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana caused problems all day before he won the penalty Enzo Le Fée scored.
The missing striker
The biggest gap is up front. Joao Pedro has been out for several weeks with a thigh injury, and without him Chelsea have nobody who can turn in tight spaces and drag centre-backs around. Pedro Neto has been used through the middle at times, which takes one of their best wide threats away from where he hurts teams most.
Without a focal point, even good possession becomes predictable. Cole Palmer drops deeper and deeper to get on the ball, which leaves fewer bodies in the box when the cross finally comes.
Is the injury list to blame?
Partly. Alonso has been without Reece James, who is not expected back in 2026 after knee surgery, Maxence Lacroix, who has a serious hamstring tear, and Emiliano Martinez, whose broken jaw handed the gloves to Mike Penders. Jamie Gittens has also been out. That is a lot of experience missing from one squad.
But injuries do not explain a side with 589 passes and barely half an expected goal. That is a problem of ideas, and it is Alonso’s job to solve it. At Leverkusen, his teams were brilliant at breaking down deep defences because they had runners beyond the striker and full-backs who attacked the box. Chelsea have not found that balance yet, and the right-back position is in flux, with Malo Gusto open to a January exit.
The positives
It is not all bad. Moises Caicedo was the best player on the pitch at Sunderland, even after moving back into central defence at half-time. Romeo Lavia has been one of Chelsea’s best performers this autumn, and Penders has grown into the goalkeeper role. Chelsea also beat Manchester United 2-0 a week earlier, so the quality is there.
Verdict: Chelsea need a plan B, not just more of the ball
Fifth after ten games is not a crisis, and the league is more open than it has been for years. But Chelsea will not catch Arsenal by having more of the ball than everyone else. They need a way to win the games where the opponent does not want it.
That means a fit Joao Pedro, more runners from midfield and a willingness to go direct when the patient approach is not working. Alonso is a clever coach, and the break gives him time to work on it. The away record says he needs to. You can relive the afternoon in our Sunderland 1-0 Chelsea report, and see how we expected Alonso to line up in our Chelsea predicted lineup vs Sunderland.