Xabi Alonso warned that it takes time to fix Chelsea’s defensive problems, after his team settled for a 2-2 draw with Hull City at Stamford Bridge, in a match that once again revealed the fragility of the team’s back line.
According to “ESPN”, Chelsea quickly took the lead through Morgan Rogers in the seventh minute, but Hull took advantage of the hosts’ defensive confusion and turned the score around before the break with two goals scored by Mohamed Belloumi.
In the second half, Joao Pedro brought Chelsea back into the match with an equalizer in the 65th minute, before both teams had chances to settle the match. Muhammad Ali Shaw almost gave Hull the win, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez blocked his attempt, so the confrontation ended in a draw.
Chelsea are now without a clean sheet in their last 20 Premier League matches, and have conceded 9 goals in the first 4 matches of the season, which Alonso admitted was a clear source of concern.
The Spanish coach said: “I hope that one day you will appreciate a boring match that we win.” He added that the team repeats some mistakes, and that correcting these moments will take time, stressing the need not to give opponents easy opportunities to recover the result.
Alonso continued: “I think we attack better than we defend. This is a big issue for us. I don’t like this dynamic, and we have to be much better in open play, set pieces, long balls, toughness, and competitive sense.”
When asked whether Chelsea needed a greater desire to defend, he replied: “We can do better. Even when we advance, it is important that we remain cohesive, maintain distances, and defend more strongly.”
On the other hand, Hull City, the newly promoted club, continued its remarkable start without loss. It beat Manchester United and Coventry City, and drew with Aston Villa and Chelsea.
His coach, Sergei Yakerovich, said that the draw point in London was very important for his team, considering that his players played a good match, and were organized and aggressive at the right moments. He added: “At 2-2, the match could have gone in any direction. I think it is a fair result.”
Despite the strong start, Jakirovic stressed that Hull’s goal this season has not changed, which is to remain in the league and collect the largest possible number of points.
