According to a report by Metro on Monday, September 14, 2026, Paul Merson has warned Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso that the club’s defensive uncertainty is becoming a serious concern after the Blues conceded twice in their disappointing 2-2 draw with Hull City.
Chelsea went into the new season with plenty of optimism after changing their recruitment approach. Morgan Rogers arrived for a club-record £117 million, while Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson brought experience to the squad.
The Blues also made a change in goal, replacing Robert Sanchez with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez. After starting the campaign with wins over Fulham and Brighton, Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal before dropping points at home against newly promoted Hull.
The draw left Alonso’s side without a Premier League clean sheet after four matches.
Merson believes the manager is still struggling to settle on his strongest defensive setup, despite already having played four league games and two cup matches.
The former Arsenal and England midfielder says Alonso must decide whether he wants to play with three, four or five defenders and then stick with that system consistently.
Merson also questioned the decision to leave Maxence Lacroix out of the starting lineup against Hull. Although the defender was introduced late in the match, Merson believes Chelsea need to settle on a reliable back three if Alonso intends to continue using a three-centre-back system.
He urged the manager to give his preferred defensive combination several matches together rather than constantly changing it.
Merson also warned that Chelsea cannot afford to allow the situation to continue until December. The Blues currently sit fourth in the Premier League, five points behind Arsenal and Manchester City, and will face Brentford on Friday after the Bees drew their previous three matches.
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