---
title: "Chelsea's Unusual Start Under Xabi Alonso | ESPN Soccer"
description: "Via ESPN Soccer: Ryan O'Hanlon Sep 11, 2026, 04:12 AM ET Close Ryan O'Hanlon is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He's also the author of \"Net Gains: Inside the B..."
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### Chelsea's Unusual Start Under Xabi Alonso

ESPN Soccer • September 11, 2026 at 6:01 AM ET

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Ryan O'Hanlon Sep 11, 2026, 04:12 AM ET Close Ryan O'Hanlon is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He's also the author of "Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution."If Chelsea keep it up, they're headed for a successful season. Through new manager Xabi Alonso's first three matches, they have the fourth-most points in the Premier League -- only behind the trio of preseason title favorites: Arsenal, Manchester City, and, uh, Hull City.

They're tied for the league lead in goals. With two wins from three, they're also on pace for a 76-point haul -- good enough for third or fourth place in each of the last three seasons. And they've done it against one of the trickier schedules in the league, starting away to Fulham, then hosting upstarts Brighton, and most recently losing away to Arsenal in what is the toughest fixture they'll face all year.

Per Opta's power rankings, only Coventry City have faced a harder slate of opponents. Chelsea spent a lot of money this summer to acquire Morgan Rogers, and he looks fantastic. Cole Palmer, too, seems like he might be back to his best.

And João Pedro seems like he's officially become one of the best strikers in the world. That front three has been electric. Given that Chelsea finished 10th last season and cycled through three different managers, it appears that Alonso has them headed toward competence.

After a chaotic half-decade of upheaval under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, Chelsea seem like they're one of the few Premier League clubs on an upward trajectory. That is all true -- unless you've actually watched their games. Although they've scored lots of goals and ripped off some respectable results, Chelsea's first three matches have been absolutely out of control.

Why we've never seen a team like Xabi Alonso's Chelsea Through three matches, Chelsea have been one of the best attacking teams in the Premier League. They've scored eight goals (tied for first), created 5.56 non-penalty expected goals (fifth), attempted 48 shots (sixth), and generated 93 touches inside the penalty area (seventh).

[Read original article](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49886118/chelsea-xabi-alonso-unlike-anything-premier-league-seen-before)

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