Chelsea have won both their opening Premier League games under new manager Xabi Alonso, scoring seven goals in the process, but have also conceded five, raising questions about defensive solidity even amid a promising start. Jonathan Wilson argues that the results owe much to favourable circumstances rather than settled quality, with both matches resembling a chaotic, high-tempo "pastiche of the modern Bundesliga" rather than the controlled football Alonso favours, and that squad churn and unfamiliar systems are producing an unusually open, unpredictable Chelsea side.

Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 and then Brighton, though Brighton were missing seven first-choice players and still scored three at Stamford Bridge, while Fulham looked toothless against Sunderland days later — evidence that opponents' form is hard to read this early. Wilson contrasts Chelsea's current 32% average possession with the 59.5% Alonso's title-winning Bayer Leverkusen side averaged in 2024, when they conceded just 24 goals in 34 games, suggesting Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 shape, lacking control in midfield without a fit Moisés Caicedo, is producing goals at both ends rather than the defensive stability normally associated with the system.