Chelsea’s Bournemouth win offers early evidence of Alonso’s reset
BBC football reporter Nizaar Kinsella believes Chelsea may have benefited more than any Premier League side from the extended break, with the Bournemouth win an early, limited sign.
Extra time helped Alonso adjust Chelsea
Chelsea’s 5-1 victory over Bournemouth was the first league match after the unusually long pause, and a welcome result after a 3-0 defeat at Brentford. Kinsella’s BBC analysis, published on 14 October, argues that the break may have arrived at a particularly useful moment for Xabi Alonso’s side, while stressing that one match is only a small sample.
Before the pause, Alonso was still searching for answers after switching to a back three. Chelsea had conceded 12 league goals, the most in the division at that point, and the Brentford loss underlined the need for a more convincing defensive approach.
Against Bournemouth, Chelsea defended deeper, changed their pressing shape and adjusted their build-up. The squad also had more players available for training than several rivals: 10 Chelsea players were away on international duty, compared with 18 from Manchester City and 17 from Arsenal.
About 16 senior players trained together, with academy prospects also involved. The club’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Portsmouth was used for coaching and tactical work as well as giving returning players minutes; the Portsmouth training match offered a chance to work before competitive football resumed.
Returning players offered another boost
Moises Caicedo’s return was especially significant. After a recurrence of a calf injury, he had managed only 14 minutes as a substitute before the Bournemouth match, where his ability to keep possession and win the ball back strengthened Chelsea’s midfield. His earlier absence from Ecuador duty also gave him time to recover, as covered in the report on Caicedo’s international omission.
Joao Pedro also returned and scored twice. At the time of Kinsella’s report, he had eight Premier League goal involvements: five goals and three assists. Cole Palmer, who withdrew from England duty, completed an individual rehabilitation programme and played the full 90 minutes against Bournemouth.
Alonso used the pause for tactical analysis, opponent preparation, recovery work and training. The fifth goal against Bournemouth, finished by Jordan Henderson, came from a free-kick routine devised by set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.
There were costs, too: Jamie Gittens suffered an ankle injury on England Under-21 duty and was expected to miss several weeks. Other Chelsea internationals, including Valentin Barco, Estevao Willian, Jorrel Hato and Geovany Quenda, may have gained from their additional minutes with national teams.
The Bournemouth performance is encouraging, not proof that the break caused Chelsea’s improvement. Alonso called the pause too long but said the club had used its time properly; the next league fixtures will show whether the tactical changes last.
In other news…
Chelsea’s attack also had players returning from international duty with goals and confidence. Their international goals provided another positive note from the window.
