Paul Merson believes Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso's continued inability to establish a stable defensive line is "concerning", and if he doesn't address the problem soon, it could become a major "headache".

Alonso's side won their opening two Premier League matches, beating Fulham and Brighton, but then suffered a disappointing result away to Arsenal, going down to an early lead before losing 2-1.

Last weekend, The Blues suffered another disappointing result, drawing 2-2 at home against newly promoted Hull City. Chelsea have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season.

Merson said: "The issue is that after four league matches and two cup matches, he still hasn't found his ideal defensive shape. He's unsure whether to use a three, five or four-man defence."

"This is a potential danger, and he needs to sort it out.

Maxence Lacroix didn't start in the Hull City match and only came on as a substitute late in the game. If Alonso intends to play with a three-centre-back system, he needs to establish a solid back three."

"Once this back three is selected, they should play consistently for 4-5 matches."

Merson believes that if Alonso wants to bring Chelsea back to the top of English football, he must nail down a "solid" defensive partnership.

"Things won't get worse indefinitely; they won't concede two goals every match," he added.

"The defence needs to be stable. Chelsea certainly don't want to wait until December while people are still talking about whether Alonso has found his optimal three or four-man defence.

This is genuinely concerning, and they need to sort it out as soon as possible."

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