GET INNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

The Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea begins with a win, and how good does it feel? It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day, 3 points are 3 points, and we are taking them all the way to the bank.

It felt even better to secure the win after watching some of our Premier League competitors get battered in their respective opening fixtures. Or should I say ‘mauled by the tigers’ and ‘stung by the bees’…

There are endless takeaways from the win, but I have narrowed it down to just six numbers that tell the story of Chelsea’s opening week victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

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32

The number of seconds it took for João Pedro to score Chelsea’s first goal of the season.

That’s right, seconds, not minutes. I have been at the helm of the João Pedro hype train all preseason, and it took him just 32 seconds of the new Premier League campaign to score his first of many.

A disorganised Fulham defence, a perfectly weighted Palmer pass, and once João Pedro was one-on-one with the keeper, I was already celebrating. Another delicate, composed finish, one that we have come to expect from him.

I recently wrote that this was the season for him to finally cement himself as a world-class striker, and to make sure he can never be left off a Brazil team sheet again. Well, he has started well, to say the least.

Erling Haaland has just lost all his hair, and he may have to prepare to lose the Premier League Golden Boot next…

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5

The combined goal contributions from Chelsea’s new front three.

JP. Cole. Morgan. Premier League, watch out.

A goal and an assist for both João Pedro and Cole Palmer, as well as a Chelsea debut goal for Morgan Rogers. The front three feasted, and it is just a sign of what is to come.

They all have the individual talent to create moments of brilliance, but they also seem to already be gelling well together after just one game. Their chemistry is only going to get better.

Each of them has such a versatile skill set that allows for this impressive fluidity going forward that we saw. They were responsible for basically all of Chelsea’s attacking creation this game. Between them, they managed 12 shots and created 10 chances. Special shoutout to Rogers, who created 5 chances himself, the most of any player in the Premier League so far.

I can’t wait to watch these three play together every single week.

16

The number of sprints Cole Palmer completed.

I know what you are thinking. In a game where Palmer picked up a goal and an assist and led the game in shots, successful dribbles, and touches in the opposition box, why on earth would I single out his number of sprints? Because I think it perfectly represents the mentality I saw from him in this game.

Cole Palmer is officially back. I think I speak for all Chelsea fans when I say that is the best we have seen him play in a long, long time. He really did look back to his best out there, weaving around defenders, picking up lethal attacking positions, and creating chances for his teammates. This performance really had it all.

But for me, what was more impressive than it all was the hunger I saw from Palmer on that field. People wondered whether he would be out with a point to prove after missing the World Cup, and I think we may already have our answer.

16 sprints in this game. One of them was for his goal, where he sprinted for a good 30m, making the overlapping run into space. It wasn’t just in attack, though. He brought the same intensity to his man-to-man pressing, which was highly effective as well. In fact, he ended up with 2 tackles and 7 recoveries for the game. Speaking of defensive contributions…

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The combined defensive contributions between Lacroix and Acheampong.

In a game where Colwill looked off the pace, Lacroix and Acheampong were the ones to stand up. Lacroix, especially, I thought, was exceptional in his Chelsea debut. Not to mention his insane fake shot, dribble to the byline, and accurate cross to set up Rogers’ goal.

Defensively, he was a brick wall. Using his physicality and composure to his advantage, he made 5 tackles, including 2 crucial last-man tackles. His elite positioning in the middle of a back three was also on display, as he recorded 2 interceptions and 4 clearances to add to his tally.

I thought Josh Acheampong was also impressive. Yes, he had a few moments where he was caught out, but overall I think it was definitely a positive performance, where his physicality once again shone.

He picked up 15 defensive contributions, a game-high, which included a crucial sliding block. A performance to build on for sure.

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0.03

The xGOT of the first goal Sánchez conceded.

In case you aren’t familiar with xGOT, I will put this in different terms for you. The goal that Josh King scored is expected to be saved by the goalkeeper 97% of the time.

I hate to talk negatively about Chelsea players, but wow, Sánchez does make it hard for me. This issue has been lingering for so long now, with many people in the media claiming Chelsea can not win with Sánchez in goal. Unfortunately, today was just more proof of that point.

It is the same problem that it has always been. He is too prone to mistakes. Mistakes that, at this level, are just unacceptable, as they are game-changing.

Obviously, there was the mistake for the first goal. It looked like he was expecting a cross and was slightly out of position, but even so, he still got a hand to it, and you just can’t be getting beaten on your near post that easily.

Even outside of that, he looked shaky, though. He let a back pass roll over the line for a corner and got caught in no-man’s land, which led to a massive chance for Fulham late on.

Mike Penders may be getting a start sooner than expected.

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38

Chelsea’s percentage of possession in the game.

I don’t know about you, but watching the game, I did not realise possession had been this one-sided until I saw the stat. But then again, it is quite believable. For me, this possession number represents two things.

One, that Chelsea were missing our two best midfielders, Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández. Yes, credit to Reece James and Romeo Lavia for slotting in there and doing a job, but you could tell they had no control of the game at times. Defensively as well, Caicedo is so crucial to Chelsea with his elite ball-winning ability and continuous running, which was lacking in the midfield today.

Two, it appeared to be part of the game plan to sit back a bit. Gusto and Hato playing as the wingbacks were the first sign of this. I think Alonso identified that if he could get his front three in space, they could create chances against this Fulham defence, and it worked out.

I don’t expect to see this every week, but it shows Alonso isn’t overly worried about his team dominating possession, as he knows how lethal his attacking players can be on the counter.

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100

Chelsea’s Premier League win percentage under Xabi Alonso.

1/1 for Chelsea under Xabi Alonso so far. Plenty to work on, but definitely a positive to kickstart the campaign. Attention for Chelsea now turns to a midweek Carabao Cup fixture against Luton Town, followed by their Premier League home opener on the weekend against Brighton.

Come on you Chels