The frailties of the Chelsea defence were exposed once again as they lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in a club friendly on Saturday, August 1. With that being said, not much should be taken from such friendlies, but the fact that the Chelsea defence remains vulnerable is there for everyone to see.
The Chelsea defence is not what wins the Premier League title for a club, but the Blues have made reinforcements in the backline as they bought Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace; however, he might not be enough to improve their defensive set-up.
Chelsea Defence: Improvements Needed After A Poor 2025/26 Season
The Chelsea defence let in 52 goals in 38 matches last season, which was less than only Liverpool among the elite clubs, as the Reds conceded 53 goals last season. The Blues had Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill as their central defenders last season, and right-back Reece James spent a considerable amount of time on the sidelines.
The West Londoners have brought in Lacroix recently, who has the experience of playing for Crystal Palace for the last two seasons. Lacroix is still not a proven performer at the highest level, and the job of leading the defence might prove to be too much for him as of now.
Both Colwill and Wesley Fofana have been at Chelsea for a few seasons, but their performances have not yet given the sense of assurance one tends to associate with a top centre-back. In fact, since Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva left the club, Chelsea have not had a top centre-back.
The Blues have a world-class defensive midfielder in Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia is not a bad option to have in the double-pivot either. However, it remains to be seen how far they will be able to protect the Chelsea defence in the upcoming season.
As Marc Cucurella has left the club, the options at the left-back position are not very experienced either. Jorrel Hato is moderately experienced, Malo Gusto prefers to play on the right but can play on the left, and new signing Marco Palestra has never played in the Premier League.
The Blues might decide to switch to a back-three in the upcoming season as well, with Fofana, Colwill and Lacroix as the three centre-backs, but it remains to be seen which strategy Xabi Alonso comes up with to strengthen the Chelsea defence and see them concede fewer goals than last season.
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Chelsea Defence: A New Goalkeeping Option Next Season
Robert Sanchez will be there, but the Blues will also have Mike Penders of Belgium as an option in the goal. Penders signed for the club last year, but spent the last season at Strasbourg on loan.
The Belgian is only 21 and has played for the under-21 team of his country. If Sanchez’s performance drops, the young Belgian can be tried to improve the defence of the team.
The Blues have exciting players like Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao in their attack and midfield, but their defence remains a concern. Alonso should have that in mind already and must have thought of the measures already, as Chelsea’s success next season will depend on how far the Spaniard succeeds in that endeavour.
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