Xabi Alonso maintained his perfect start at Chelsea on Sunday, but while his attack looks excellent, defensive flaws remain.
Here are our Scout Notes from Stamford Bridge.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 2: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus + DefCon points
- MATCH STATS: Chelsea v Brighton and Hove Albion stats in our Match Centre
PEDRO SCORES AGAIN…
If their two matches so far are anything to go by, Chelsea games are going to be a lot of fun this season.
The Blues looked like they could score every time they went forward on Sunday, as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 33 minutes, thanks to goals from Romeo Lavia (£5.0m), Pedro Neto (£6.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.6m).
Pedro was by far the best player on the pitch, and could easily have scored a hat-trick.
An easy chance was put wide in the first-half, for example:
But even an own goal against his former club could not deter him, as he subsequently redeemed himself by supplying the assist for Chelsea’s fourth.
“He has been terrific in all the games he has played this season and also the pre-season. He has the desire to play each game 100% and have a terrific season. We need to help him but it’s important he has this hunger to do it.” – Xabi Alonso on Joao Pedro
In truth, the front three all looked electric on the counter-attack (Brighton had 73.9% possession!), with more returns for Cole Palmer (£9.6m) and Morgan Rogers (£7.5m).
Palmer netted a superb solo goal for his second strike of the season.
Rogers added an assist, too – he’s created more chances than any other player in the first two Gameweeks, with nine.
… BUT DEFENSIVE FLAWS REMAIN
It was job done for Alonso and Chelsea, but there are still question marks about their defence.
Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) was handed his debut in between the sticks after completing a £7.5m move from Aston Villa, while Wesley Fofana (£5.0m) returned from a ban to replace Josh Acheampong (£4.5m) in the back three.
However, Brighton were able to exploit both flanks with ease, a concern for Alonso with Arsenal coming up.
Above: Chelsea’s chances created conceded map v Brighton
Chelsea have now failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 18 Premier League games.
Alonso still expressed satisfaction with his new goalkeepers’ impact.
“Even today, while a goalkeeper wants to keep a clean sheet, I am happy with his impact. He has been in the building just 48 hours, so now we will have a whole week to prepare for the next one. Day by day, we will feel this presence because he has this charisma, this aura to influence and have a very positive connection with the rest of the team.” – Xabi Alonso on Emiliano Martinez
CAICEDO INJURY BLOW
The issues in midfield for Chelsea partly explain Sunday’s defensive display.
Enzo Fernandez (£6.9m) wasn’t available for selection amid a potential move to Manchester City. Moises Caicedo (£5.4m) was only fit enough for a place on the bench.
Reece James (£5.5m) was named among the substitutes, too, having played for 67 minutes against Luton Town in midweek.
Malo Gusto (£5.0m) subsequently joined Lavia in a surprising midfield pair, with Neto deployed as a right wing-back.
Caicedo was introduced from the bench midway through the second-half. However, 13 minutes after coming on, he was forced off.
“He was cautious to stop and say his feeling wasn’t the best. We need to assess during the week, but it wasn’t something new.” – Xabi Alonso on Moises Caicedo
£4.5M MIDFIELDER PRAISE
Brighton came back into this game really well. They’ve now scored seven goals in two matches, the joint-most of any team.
Here, injuries to Yasin Ayari (£5.5m), Jack Hinshelwood (£6.0m) and Georginio Rutter (£5.5m) forced Fabian Hurzeler into a reshuffle.
Malick Yalcouye (£4.5m) came into the side as a No 10, with Olivier Boscagli (£4.5m) playing ‘out-of-position’ in front of the back four.
Yalcouye made it 3-1 before half-time on his debut. He hit a superb volley off the woodwork and into the back of the net.
“I know that Malick has this desire to score. He can be very good at attacking the box but also defending the box. He can run a lot and I think he showed today that it’s not only a goal that he scored, it’s also that afterwards he had a chance after a cross. He was always in a dangerous zone for Chelsea, I think it was difficult for them to handle and manage him.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Malick Yalcouye, via The Argus
In Rutter’s absence, Charalampos Kostoulas (£5.5m) led the line and supplied a Fantasy assist after his shot was saved.
Other Brighton assets stepped up from an attacking perspective, too.
Pascal Gross (£5.5m) recorded a somewhat unlikely 13-point haul, with his late header beating Martinez with the last touch of the game. Prior to that, he’d forced the Pedro own goal.
Also, a quick word on Diego Gomez (£5.0m). He took up some really dangerous positions and could have scored a brace of goals, having racked up five shots in the box (see below), including two big chances.
He did at least claim a Fantasy assist when his flick-on was headed away from goal towards Gross for his late effort.
The only Brighton attacker who failed to return was Maxim De Cuyper (£4.6m), Gameweek 2’s most-transferred in player. He was much quieter here and didn’t offer much attacking threat, with one shot, one chance created and only 0.08 expected goal involvement (xGI).
