Chelsea

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We asked for your views on Xabi on Alonso's playing style so far this season and whether the team are making progress under the Chelsea boss.

Here are some of your comments:

Kevin: I'm not sure we are seeing any sort of playing style. He changes formation and personnel so often there is no stability. We lose one or two players and everything changes, while other teams adapt.

John: I no longer get the style of play. At the beginning of the season we looked like a good attacking team and I didn't mind conceding goals as it was entertaining. We know we are poor at the back, but going forward at pace was good to watch. Now we have reverted back to the same dross from the last three years with some woeful performances.

Phil: It seems Alonso has no clear plan. Totally lost without Joao Pedro and obviously not sure how to replace him. Same can be said of our defence which continues to make mistakes and leak goals. The football is slow and mundane and his substitutions have little or no impact on games.

Nick: Muddled is probably the best way to describe Alonso's thinking, tactics, formation and playing style so far. But this is no surprise and supporters need to be patient. Alonso wants a fluid, changeable formation, but has been hampered by injury absences in every part of the pitch which limits his options as stand-ins may not be up to standard. He has said the team will look very different at the end of the season so comings and goings in January are very likely.

Mark: It's difficult to see what their plan is? It feels like it's to throw on a number of very talented players and hope someone will score!

Paul: People are so quick to condemn. He's got a lot of key players injured or coming back to fitness, and the idea we'll beat all-comers after 10 games is nonsense. It's about time we backed someone through the tough times, and he seems like the man to do that for me.

James: It is becoming a concern. The team looks lost without Joao Pedro. At the start I thought the front three would create havoc and score goals aplenty, but the worrying thing is the porous defence. We can't sustain a season on outscoring opponents.

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are monitoring Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 27, with the hopes of completing a move for the Spaniard in January. (Independent), external

However, Zubimendi says he is "happy" in London and surprised by the rumours about his future as he has not contacted anyone about a move. (Marca - in Spanish), external

Aston Villa are considering a move for midfielder Romeo Lavia, 22, with Unai Emery a big admirer of the Belgian. (Fussball News via Teamtalk), external

Chelsea and England defender Levi Colwill, 23, is attracting interest from Barcelona but the Blues are insisting he is not for sale. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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"It was miles away from the blistering attacking team we saw at the start of this season," says Chelsea fan Nina Hristova, after the Blues handed Sunderland their first Premier League win since August at the Stadium of Light.

Chelsea have taken nine points from their past five league games, but two defeats in three top-flight matches has left fans questioning Xabi Alonso's approach.

Hristova added: "It was a poor set-up from the manager and a woeful performance from the players.

"We were smothered from the off. We were played through so easily. We were so lacklustre going forward. We were void of ideas and creativity.

"Our performances at the start of this season led us to believe in progress and building in the right direction, yet we couldn't produce anything."

What are your thoughts on Alonso's playing style so far? How are you feeling about the team's progress?

Get in touch with your views here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea defender Malo Gusto is assessing his options before the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old is away with the France team but has increasingly become a fringe option under manager Xabi Alonso at Stamford Bridge.

Gusto has not started a Premier League match for more than two months and has increasingly lost his place to Josh Acheampong at right-back, despite captain Reece James being injured.

It is unclear what Chelsea's stance is, but they were open to selling Gusto in the summer and set a £75m asking price for potential suitors.

Manchester City, now led by former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, were among the interested clubs, although it remains unclear whether they retain an interest.

Gusto made his 100th appearance for Chelsea as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland before the international break.

He joined from Lyon in 2023 for £26.3m and remains under contract until 2030.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea fan Savage Dan wants 90 minutes of his life back after the Blues lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. He believes Xabi Alonso's side is lightweight at the back and toothless up front, telling BBC Sport: "Chelsea Football Club, congratulations, you have done it again. You have wasted 90 minutes of my time and ruined my weekend after the Sunderland result.

"What on earth was that? What was that? We have Sunderland, who nicked six points off us last season, but they're rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.

"Who did they decide to turn up against? Chelsea, of course. Whenever you need anything, a goal from your striker, or you need three points, come and play Chelsea.

"We're just so soft centred at the moment. When I look at that defensive display.

"Levi Colwill was getting dragged all over the place.

"The fact that Moises Caicedo went and played at centre-back and was the best of all our centre-backs says everything that we need to know about our defensive capabilities. As far as our attacking threat, we pose no threat.

"We could be playing until next Sunday and we would still not score. I am not sure what the performance was, but I am beginning to get a bit worried now. We have had two or three games like that this season.

"Xabi Alonso, I do trust in you, I know you need time, but I need my time back because those are 90 minutes I am going to have to chase and scurry to get back.

"That was not good enough for Chelsea Football Club."

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Sunderland and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Sunderland fans

Rusty: That's more like the Sunderland of last season, playing for each other and battling until the end. Granit Xhaka starting despite really bad form isn't right and the injury turned out to be fortuitous. He can now rest and recover. That effort has to be applied to every game going forward. It can't be a flash in the pan. We earned our place last season this way, it was no fluke.

Simon: Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor are so important, but neither are prolific, and it is the lack of goals that keeps setting us back, as well as uncharacteristically poor defending. We need a goal machine and a left-sided centre-back as good as Nordi Mukiele and Dan Ballard.

Keith: At last, the real Sunderland turned up. Really solid in defence, with great concentration. Brobbey was unplayable against a ragged Chelsea. We played with energy and worked tirelessly for each other. An enthralling game to watch.

Jeff: One of the best 90-minute performances from Sunderland in the Le Bris tenure. From kick-off to the final whistle, we were closing down opponents, chasing and winning second balls and creating chances.

Chelsea fans

Russell: Chelsea were bullied off the ball, with Sunderland showing that they weren't going to sit back and defend. Chelsea at the back were playing balls across the area and, instead of relieving the pressure, they made things worse.

Allan: Formation changes are not a good sign. Danny Welbeck might not be the quickest, but he is a number nine and should be playing in the absence of Joao Pedro. When you're 11 points behind the leaders after only 10 games, it's really not good enough.

Julian: Yet another spineless performance from the players and poor management from Xabi Alonso. We've all seen this film before under Clearlake and know how it ends.

Steve: This is the kind of spineless display against a bottom team that we have seen all too often over the last few years. There are too few leaders of men and too many little boys.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Only Tottenham (28) have made more more line-up changes than Chelsea (24) in the Premier League this season.

In the early part of the campaign, they at least had a settled and exciting front three of Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.

It was largely the reason behind the positive start to the season despite failing to keep a clean sheet against top-flight opposition until Xabi Alonso's eighth game in charge.

With Moises Caicedo injured, they suffered problems in midfield and continued to make changes from match to match, while also experimenting with personnel to fix the defence.

However, they largely looked on course to emulate the back-three system Alonso excelled with during his historic German double-winning season at Bayer Leverkusen in 2023-24.

As Caicedo returned after the international break, however, captain Reece James was injured.

Joao Pedro featured in wins against Bournemouth and Everton before sustaining a thigh injury, having already missed Brazil's international matches.

Number one goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez broke his jaw in a collision at Everton, while Maxence Lacroix, who had been a near ever-present since joining from Crystal Palace in the summer, is expected to be out until January with a hamstring injury.

Defender Jorrel Hato has also suffered a setback in recent weeks.

It has left Alonso reacting to events when selecting his starting XI, with the Spaniard saying: "There are situations. Yesterday [Saturday] Josh [Acheampong] said he was not ready to play, so we are short of options and we need to walk through this step.

"Even when we win, when we lose, we miss some players that we have injured and for sure we are waiting for them to come back because they are important."

He admitted his side were missing Joao Pedro, although supporters have also been frustrated that Estevao Willian, who came on at half-time on Sunday, has started only one league match this season.

Prior to Sunday's game, Chelsea were averaging just 46% possession. They then dominated the ball at Sunderland (with 68.7% possession) but without creating many significant chances.

Meanwhile, only Crystal Palace have conceded more shots on target than Chelsea's 50, while the Blues top the league with 53 shots on target - meaning there have been plenty of chances at both ends during their matches.

Alonso can still be pleased with Chelsea having collected five more points than they managed from the equivalent fixtures last season, with the club on course to qualify for the Champions League while sitting fifth in the table.

However, that is a low bar after a dismal campaign last season, when Chelsea finished 10th.

Going into the November international break, Alonso remains a long way from establishing a style of play, or an identity capable of bringing consistency - although he promised promising in an interview last week that Chelsea would be "different" and "better" by the end of the season.

Read more here

Chelsea, Inter Milan and Al-Hilal have all put Aston Villa's Boubacar Kamara on their watchlist after the 26-year-old France midfielder's return from injury. (Fussball News - in German), external

Chelsea, Brentford, Fulham, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham are among a number of sides monitoring 21-year-old French defender Ismaelo Ganiou, who plays for Lens. (Teamtalk), external

Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea head a list of Premier League clubs monitoring the form of AC Milan's Belgium centre-back Koni de Winter, 24. (Caught Offside), external

The Blues, Everton, United and Spurs have all been in contact with the representatives of former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque, 21, with the Brazil international valued at £42m by Palmeiras. (Bolavip via Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Inconsistency seems to be the main issue with Chelsea this season.

The Blues were unable to build on last week's convincing 2-0 win over Manchester United, which came after a poor loss to Tottenham seven days before.

The visitors are still missing forward Joao Pedro through a thigh injury while Cole Palmer, who was not named in Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad, and Morgan Rogers did not have their best games.

With the scoreline goalless in the first period Rogers had a free header in the area which he nodded narrowly wide.

Palmer was also convinced his side should have had a penalty in the 25th minute when he was bought down by Luke O'Nien on the edge of the area.

The referee initially waved play on but the Video Assistant Referee reviewed the incident and judged there had been a foul by the Sunderland defender, but that it happened outside of the penalty area before Palmer fell into the box.

Chelsea, who had 10 shots but created few clear-cut chances, are two points off the top four following their defeat.

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "The game has been really tight, really competitive, not many chances. The goal came from that penalty.

"We were not creating enough chances in the final third against the low block. We were not controlling and sustaining the attack there.

"You can do it, we spoke and worked. We didn't do good enough but we worked during the week to control his powers. For sure in a few situations we didn't do well.

"Today was going to be tough, a really close game. This team give you so much space and so much of the ball we need to be more precise and patient."

On the penalty decision: "I haven't seen it back. Nothing to comment on the referee. It is something that is our fault. We could have done better."

Did you know?

• Chelsea have lost three of their first five away matches of a Premier League campaign for the first time since 2015-16 under Jose Mourinho.

• Jordan Henderson made the 700th appearance of his club career – his debut 18 years and seven days ago was for Sunderland in a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League.

Chelsea starting XI:

Mike Penders: There was talk of number one Emiliano Martinez returning, but the young number two kept his place. The Belgian was sent the wrong way for the penalty and could do little to prevent the goal, but made a great save from Isador to keep it at 1-0. 6

Marco Palestra: Having suffered injury setbacks and still appearing to adapt to the league, the young Italian put in a positive attacking display and could have earned an assist with a cross midway through the first half. 6

Wesley Fofana: A stable performance after a shaky one last week at home to Manchester United. 6

Levi Colwill: Had a difficult afternoon and failed to deal with Brian Brobbey, who caught him out for a chance midway through the half before winning the penalty. Although it appeared a harsh decision, Colwill could have handled the situation better. He was then taken off at half-time having also been booked. 4

Pep Chavarria: An excellent early block prevented what looked a near-certain goal. He also delivered a dangerous cross, but nobody attacked it. 6

Moises Caicedo: Largely anonymous in midfield before moving to become a makeshift centre-back in the second half. 5

Romeo Lavia: Operated as a deep-lying playmaker but saw a long-range effort fail to trouble the goalkeeper. 6

Jordan Henderson: Returned to the starting line-up in a decent but unremarkable display at his former club. 5

Cole Palmer: Palmer's brilliant first touch and drive into the penalty area could have won a spot-kick when he was brought down by Luke O'Nien, but the incident was deemed to have taken place outside the box. 6

Morgan Rogers: Headed a good opportunity wide midway through the first half and was largely peripheral. 5

Pedro Neto: Neto was ineffective up front and taken off in the 62nd minute. 5

Chelsea substitutes:

Estevao Willian (on 45, Colwill): The Brazilian showed threat after coming on. 6

Danny Welbeck (on 45, Neto): Added presence in the box, highlighted by a glancing header going wide moments after coming on. 6

Malo Gusto (on 62, Palestra): A quiet display in his 100th Premier League appearance. 6

Geovany Quenda (on 79, Chavarria)

Subs not used: Sharman-Lowe, Anselmino, Nicoll-Jazuli, Barco, Emegha.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Brentford - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Bournemouth - live on BBC Sport website and app

• Sunderland v Chelsea - live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Manchester United v Aston Villa (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated.

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I keep hearing how Sunderland boss Regis le Bris is under pressure. Really? After finishing seventh and getting a promoted side into Europe last season, it seems crazy that his job is at risk now.

Still, Le Bris has plenty of problems to solve, while his squad is being stretched by the Europa League.

The Black Cats won this fixture on the final day of the last campaign, but their home record is nothing like as strong this time around.

They are also conceding an average of almost two goals a game in the Premier League, compared with 2025-26 when only three teams had a better defensive record.

Add that to their problems scoring - Nottingham Forest are the only team with fewer goals so far - and you can see why they are bottom of the table.

I am still not sure how to judge Chelsea yet - yes, they beat Manchester United last week, but everyone beats Manchester United. However, I just don't see the Black Cats keeping them out.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match (14:00 GMT), with bottom side Sunderland hosting in-form Chelsea.

Black Cats in the firing line

Sunday marks 168 days since Sunderland beat Chelsea on the final day of the season, securing European qualification for the first time in 53 years, but the Wearsiders' fortunes have declined dramatically since then.

Last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Coventry City kept the Black Cats bottom of the table and increased the pressure on head coach Regis le Bris. However, club sources have since told BBC Sport the Frenchman will be given more time to halt the slide.

Le Bris' side spectacularly exceeded expectations by finishing seventh last term but this season have been profligate in attack and vulnerable at the back.

While Sunderland rank 10th for expected goals, they have underperformed their xG by six, making them the Premier League's second most wasteful finishers.

At the other end, they have gone from allowing the second-lowest xG per shot last season to the second highest in the current campaign. They are not conceding notably more attempts, but opponents are being afforded the time and space to shoot from more dangerous positions.

That helps explain why Robin Roefs has saved fewer than half of the 33 shots on target he has faced in the Premier League this season - the lowest rate of any goalkeeper to have played more than once.

Blues duo in perfect harmony

Chelsea's defeat at the Stadium of Light in May ended their hopes of qualifying for Europe, but the Blues look well set to return to continental competition after an encouraging start under Xabi Alonso. The west London side have won three of their past four Premier League games - as many victories as in their previous 14 matches combined.

Alonso's side rode their luck at times during the first half against Manchester United last weekend, but took control after the break through goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.

Rogers has scored six goals since joining from Aston Villa this summer, one more than Palmer. The two players became friends during their time together in Manchester City's academy and have taken little time to rekindle their on-pitch chemistry.

The pair have created 14 chances for each other in the Premier League this season, with Rogers providing 10 shooting opportunities for Palmer, who has returned the favour on four occasions. No other pairing combined for more than nine shots going into this set of fixtures.