Alonso's approach looks unsustainable

There was a subdued atmosphere at the final whistle among Chelsea‘s players, staff and supporters.

They had watched the team’s free-flowing attacking football come unstuck against a Hull City side who had not conceded a Premier League goal before kick-off.

Chelsea had previously beaten Fulham 3-2, won 4-3 at home to Brighton and lost 2-1 at Arsenal. They also overcame Leeds 6-3 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Having conceded twice here, Chelsea have now gone 20 Premier League matches without a clean sheet, a run stretching back to January. They have also conceded two or more goals in every match against Premier League opposition under new manager Xabi Alonso.

Although Chelsea are the division’s top scorers with 10 goals this season, they have also conceded nine, more than all but two other Premier League sides.

The question is why, and whether the issue can be solved with the players currently at Alonso’s disposal.

There is little doubt that Alonso’s tactical changes have at times left Chelsea vulnerable and lacking control in possession.

Chelsea’s midfield options have also come under scrutiny since Monaco withdrew from a £47m deal for Lamine Camara on deadline day. While the attack has largely thrived, several defenders have struggled for consistency.

The signing of goalkeeper Martinez from Aston Villa for £7.5m to replace Robert Sanchez has not, on its own, resolved those problems.

In recent weeks, Chelsea have often been rescued by the quality of Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers. This time, however, the task proved too great.

Joao Pedro still earned Chelsea a point, finishing from Palmer’s low cross after earlier providing the assist for Rogers’ opener.

While Chelsea’s football has been entertaining, it is difficult to see how they can continue relying on this approach and consistently produce positive results.