At the beginning of the season, Chelsea’s head coach Enzo Maresca said, “It’s a priority for me to get a new centre-back. We will see if we go for it.” This comment came after the Blues had learnt of the extent of Levi Colwill’s injury.
And after 10 games into the season, Chelsea’s defensive mistakes have only become more evident, with repeated individual errors, lapses in concentration, and poor organisation at the back leading directly to goals.
Despite the best efforts of the attack scoring goals and ensuring the Blues remain competitive in games, their defensive frailties have repeatedly undone that hard work.
Costly mistakes at the back, poor decision-making under pressure, and a lack of coordination between the defenders, with the latest error coming from Chelsea’s 19-year-old defender Jorrel Hato in the Qarabag vs Chelsea Champions League match. Fixing the leaky defence would unlock a Chelsea side struggling to find that balance that would take them to a new level.
As a Chelsea fan, it is frustrating to see a repeated pattern of careless mistakes and lapses in concentration amongst professional players who should know better. For a club of Chelsea’s stature, these are mistakes that simply shouldn’t happen. However, since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake takeover introduced a long-term model focused on signing young players and moulding them into future world-beaters, mistakes were always bound to happen along the way.
Chelsea’s Defensive Mistakes Leading to Conceded Goals in the 2025/26 Season
This season, Chelsea have played 10 Premier League matches, and have conceded 11. Overall, across all competitions, they’ve recorded 9+ defensive errors that have led to goals (two in the Premier League, three in Champions League, two in EFL Cup). Approximately 50% of goals conceded stem from individual errors.
Levi Colwill’s injury has forced Maresca’s hands into makeshift centre-back pairings, having done so on eight occasions throughout the season. The Blues have made 19 errors leading to a shot or goal this season, more than every other Premier League club. Chelsea’s defensive mistakes have been a major hindrance to their progress this season.
Take, for example, their loss to Brighton & Hove Albion – a game they were completely in control of and cruising comfortably after Enzo Fernandez had given them the lead. That all changed when Andrey Santos took a heavy touch in midfield and played a poor pass to Trevoh Chalobah, which the defender couldn’t reach.
In his attempt to recover, Chalobah mistimed his challenge and brought down the Brighton forward, earning himself a straight red card. What should have been a routine victory quickly turned into a defeat, showing how individual errors continue to cost Chelsea valuable results.
Mistakes Made in the EFL
Lincoln City vs Chelsea
With the score still goalless and the home side threatening to take the lead on several occasions, Chelsea once again self-destructed just before halftime. Enzo Fernandez’s cross-field pass that was meant for Chalobah was intercepted by a Lincoln player, who calmly found space inside the box and slotted past Robert Sanchez to give his side the advantage.
Wolves vs Chelsea
The second half of the match shouldn’t have unfolded the way it did, but Chelsea’s error-prone players made them endure a much tougher finish than necessary.
In what was a nail-biting end to the game, Chelsea who were cruising, came into the second half with a three-goal cushion and looked like they were never going to be troubled by Wolves. But a sloppy pass from Facundo Buonanotte into Hee-Chan Hwang three minutes into the restart gave Wolves a chance and was buried by Arokodare.
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Mistakes Made in the Premier League
Chelsea vs Manchester United
In the fifth minute, Robert Sanchez mistimed his run and failed to connect with the ball after United striker Sesko’s header sent Bryan Mbeumo through on goal. The Chelsea goalkeeper clattered into the former Brentford man, earning a straight red card – the Blues’ first of the season.
Chelsea vs Brighton
Chelsea’s defensive mistakes once again proved costly against Brighton. In the 49th minute of a fairly comfortable game for the Blues, Andrey Santos was dispossessed in midfield by Kaoru Mitoma but when the Brazilian tried a last ditch pass to a teammate, it unfortunately fell to Diego Gomez, who was through on goal but was clattered into by Chalobah, an embarrassing mix up at the back that saw Chelsea reduced to 10-men and eventually went on to lose the game 3-1.
Mistakes Made In the Champions League
Bayern vs Chelsea
In this match, nearly all of Bayern’s goals came from costly mistakes by their opponents – especially the final one. Bayern Munich, who have begun their season with 16 consecutive wins across all competitions, represent the standard of excellence and resilient defending that Chelsea should be striving to emulate.
The Blues were easily beaten by the German side. Chelsea’s defensive mistakes still gave a helping hand. Their first goal was an own goal by Chalobah, second was a penalty, after a rash challenge by Caicedo, and the last was a bizarre one as Malo Gusto gave a pass directly to Harry Kane – a player who has been in the form of his life – and the former Tottenham striker made no mistake from just inside the penalty area.
Qarabag vs Chelsea
This game also produced two defensive mistakes from Enzo Maresca‘s men.
Chelsea went ahead after a fine finish from one of the very best youngsters in world football today, Estevao. The 18-year-old, who deservedly won the Man of the Match, was outstanding again. His goal had put the blues in the driving seat, until mistakes from a fellow youngster, Jorrel Hato, changed the course of the game.
The equaliser for the home team came after a fine press from Camilo Duran on Hato saw the Dutchman lose possession just outside the box before skipping past Tosin and unleashing a shot that hit the post before the rebound kindly fell to Leonardo Andrade, who made no mistake from close range to level the score.
The second goal, which put the home side ahead, also stemmed from Hato’s error. The young defender was penalised after a cross hit his outstretched arm inside the box. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Marco Jankovic stepped up to calmly send Robert Sanchez the wrong way, completing the turnaround and leaving Chelsea to once again rue their defensive frailties.
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What Must Be Done To Cut Out Chelsea’s Defensive Mistakes
Moving forward, every defender at the club must make a conscious effort to reduce – or completely eradicate – their clumsiness. The same way Bayern Munich ruthlessly punished the Blues for a series of defensive lapses is exactly how other top European sides will exploit such errors.
The absence of Colwill is undoubtedly a big blow, but Chelsea’s backline must adapt quickly, show better awareness, and take responsibility if they truly aim to compete at the highest level.
Getting a quality centre-back in the January transfer window is highly unlikely, as most players and clubs prefer to negotiate and complete transfers at the end of the season. The best bet for the Blues is to maximise the potential of their current defenders, instil confidence through consistent lineups, and focus on tactical discipline.
Then, in the summer transfer window, the Sporting Directors and board should prioritise signing multiple quality centre-backs capable of elevating the club beyond its current level. Additionally, the club must find a way around the restrictive “play well–earn more” wage model, which, while performance-driven, may deter top-tier talents from joining
Conclusion
Chelsea’s defensive mistakes have dragged them far below the points they’re expected to have gotten, both in Europe and in the domestic league. Costly errors at the back have repeatedly undone their hard work, turning promising performances into disappointing results. And until Enzo Maresca’s men find a way to cut out this error they’ll continue to find themselves in difficult situations.
Chelsea’s defence must find consistency and composure. Their ambitions of competing with Europe’s elite this season and qualifying for the Champions League will remain out of reach until the players are able to stop their mistakes and form a solid unit that can be trusted under pressure and in crucial moments.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 22.10.2025
