Why this is Xabi Alonso's most crucial week yet as Chelsea manager

Xabi Alonso had just four minutes to review Chelsea’s latest disappointment with members of the press, but he used that time efficiently.

The Blues’ 2-2 draw with Hull City on Saturday has left him with a headache, albeit a pre-existing one. Seven minutes of first-half defensive calamity threatened to ratchet it up to migraine levels.

A comedy of errors preceded Mohamed Belloumi’s equaliser, which came 20 minutes after Morgan Rogers’ well-taken opener. Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato’s crime scene fingerprints are well-documented for the equaliser, while the Algerian’s second was the product of Emi Martinez’s flapping claim at a corner and two unfortunate deflections.

Reviewing the draw in that terse post-match press conference, Alonso blasted his defenders as “soft” before making the worrying admission: “We have been punished. [This result] repeats patterns we are making. It will take time to fix them.”

Xabi Alonso

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Chelsea’s repeated failure to control matches is glaring - their defeats of Fulham and Brighton came despite giving up early leads, as did the loss at Arsenal.

While the attack continues to do the business, the rest of the spine is not. An overwhelmed midfield, error-strewn defending and Martinez’s poor start to life at the club were all on show at the weekend.

Asked last week how he felt his Chelsea side is developing, Alonso complained injuries had prevented him from building the team in his image: “We will develop when important players are joining and they are able to play.”

He did not mention Moises Caicedo by name, but it does not require much imagination to fill in the blank. The Ecuadorian’s absence this season has been beyond conspicuous. His hard tackling and composure in possession are sorely missed. His pending comeback will be significant.

Moises Caicedo is back in training

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All three, though, are in line to make their comebacks as Chelsea face another challenging away day, this time visiting local rivals Brentford.

The Gtech Community Stadium has proven a bogey ground for the Blues in recent years - they have not won there since 2021 - but Alonso will be desperate for a statement result.

Public perception is everything for a manager, and the happenings in Hounslow will define the narrative around Alonso’s Chelsea throughout the coming international break. Dropped points will leave a dark cloud hanging over the club for three long weeks.

A Friday night trip to the neighbours, then, is arguably one of the most important matches of his nascent tenure. Now is the time to patch the holes.

Alonso has made clear he understands where Chelsea’s problems lie. He must now put his money where his mouth is.

Jordan Henderson has been bought for his experience

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Shoring up that porous back line, now without a clean sheet for 20 league matches, is top of the to-do list, but improving the side’s mentality will also be vital. A lapse in concentration following a break in play led to Saturday’s equaliser, and the frustration clearly lingered.

If Hull were able to capitalise on the confusion, Brentford will have no problems. Keith Andrews has all the necessary weapons to exploit Chelsea’s weaknesses - a powerful midfield and a physical striker in Igor Thiago who will happily bully an unconfident defence.

Alonso is still in the early days of his Chelsea tenure, but growing pains must be left behind sooner rather than later. With one last week on the training ground at his disposal before his players jet off for international duty, now is the time to get down to brass tacks.