According to The Daily Telegraph, Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in only one of their last 19 league matches, and Enzo Fernández must address the team's defensive issues as soon as possible.

Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Ipswich are not teams Chelsea aspire to be compared with this season, yet these three clubs currently have similar defensive records to Enzo's side.

Seven goals conceded in three Premier League matches suggest that Enzo is still struggling to find the right balance between attack and defence. However, the fact that the team has kept a clean sheet in only one of their last 19 league matches indicates that underlying squad issues may persist.

Centre-back Levi Colwill transferred from Crystal Palace for £52 million this summer, and his early performances suggest he could prove to be a successful signing, while goalkeeper Álvaro Fernández replaced Robert Sánchez.

However, Chelsea conceded 52 goals last season, and it remains to be seen whether the team has sufficiently addressed their defensive and midfield vulnerabilities heading into this campaign.

Chelsea manager Enzo Fernández said: "My primary objective is to win matches, and generally speaking, winning becomes easier when you don't concede too many goals. So this is definitely something we need to fix. We want to play better, defend more compactly, be more decisive in key moments, and maintain a better balance between attack and defence. But that takes time."

Wesley Fofana bore some responsibility for Bukayo Saka's winning goal against Arsenal on Sunday, and his occasional lapses in concentration at critical moments persist. Twenty-year-old prospect Josh Acheampong is still gaining experience, and Colwill, who missed last season through injury, also needs time to regain match fitness.

Fernández should have been an improvement over Sánchez, but he will likely be disappointed with himself for allowing Havertz's shot to slip past him at the near post. This is the type of goal Sánchez would have been criticised for, and Fernández knows that since Sánchez was dropped, Chelsea have conceded five goals in two league matches.

Moisés Caicedo has played only 14 minutes as a substitute this season due to injury, and Chelsea's failure to replace Enzo Fernández with Romain Faivre from Monaco before the transfer window closed has left the team short in midfield defensively.

Enzo needs Caicedo back as soon as possible, but he also knows he cannot risk long-term absence by rushing the Ecuadorian back too early in the season. Caicedo was forced off as a substitute shortly after coming on in the previous match against Brighton.

Enzo said: "The main thing is to assess the risk. We may have brought him back too soon last week, and I don't want to make the same mistake."

Colwill watched the Arsenal match from the bench due to a minor physical issue. Enzo added: "It's easy to talk about missing players after a defeat, but I won't do that. I'm happy with the players I have. Of course, we have to deal with injuries. Of course, Mikel Arteta has to deal with injuries too. All managers have to cope with suspensions and injuries. It's impossible to have every player available for every game. But we need Caicedo and Colwill because they are top players. With them, we'll be a better team."

Enzo once said that captain Reece James could be one of the best right-backs in the world, but like Fofana, he was also poorly positioned defensively when Saka scored. He has not yet shown the same defensive instincts as Rice.

An early chance for Morgan Rogers was one of the few opportunities Arsenal conceded this season; Manchester City have conceded only two. These are the teams Chelsea are trying to catch up with, not recently promoted Ipswich or Crystal Palace, who currently have worse defensive records than Enzo's side. Fulham have also conceded seven goals.

In Colwill's absence, Enzo experimented with a back four against Arsenal, with Josh Acheampong at right-back. However, Chelsea's defensive problems appear to stem less from the formation and more from the mentality of the players and the team.

Arsenal's new signings may prove more effective than Chelsea's

Chelsea have more attacking options this season than Arsenal, signing Morgan Rogers to form a strong attacking trio with João Félix and Cole Palmer. However, early Premier League performances suggest that Arsenal's additions of Riccardo Calafiori and João Neves to an already strong defence and midfield could have greater impact.

An important last-ditch block by Calafiori on Morgan Rogers earned roaring applause from Arsenal fans. Arteta, meanwhile, could afford to leave Neves on the bench as he recovers his best form, while deploying midfielder Martín Ødegaard to help secure a 2-1 victory.

By contrast, Romeo Lavia's effectiveness had waned by around the 60-minute mark, and Chelsea then moved right-back Gusto into midfield, which raised concerns.

If Chelsea want to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City, they must leave the defensive records of Ipswich, Crystal Palace, and Fulham far behind.

Переведено ИИ.

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