Xabi Alonso did not hide his frustration after Chelsea’s latest outing, describing his own side as “soft” as familiar defensive problems again came into focus.

Speaking after the game, he made clear that the issue is not simply about entertainment or open football, but about how Chelsea manage key moments when they are in control. “It’s all maybe entertaining,” Alonso said after the game. “But I hope that one day you say it was a boring game and we win, and we don’t give these entertaining moments, but for sure, it kind of repeats some patterns that we are making.

“It will take time to, or it will take moments to, fix them when we get the lead, and you still need to be competing and not to give the chance so easily for them to come back, especially in the first goal, we can do much better.

“It was too soft to give them this hope because until then we were controlling, we were creating chances, but that momentum that we had changed the mood and the score of the game, and it’s something that we need to be talking about, we address and we will get better, but it’s having an impact on our performances at the moment.”

Chelsea have now conceded 12 goals in six games across all competitions to start the season. Across three matches in six days last week, Arsenal, Leeds United and Hull scored seven times against a defence that has repeatedly looked vulnerable.

The problems have gone beyond isolated errors. Poor organisation, lapses in judgment and a lack of defensive authority have become recurring features at Stamford Bridge. That was reflected again when Alonso was asked whether he could see a real desire to defend from his players.

“We can do better, we can do better for sure,” Alonso admitted. “We need to know that even when we have the lead, a very important part of the game is to hold together, to keep the distances, to go intense in the situations to defend. I’m sure that we can do better.”

“We need to be aware that from any situation, any team in the Premier League can hurt you. Today it was from a long ball, two bounces, the way it happened. You need to be very aware, very ready that the danger can come from any situation. If you are soft or if you are not prepared, you will get punished, and we have been punished that way.”

There is still the argument that Chelsea are adapting to Alonso’s approach. The back three with wingbacks has been the main structure this season, although he has also used a back four in some matches, including against Hull.

Even so, several players are also underperforming. Levi Colwill has found the return from an ACL injury difficult, Jorrel Hato has been inconsistent, and his failure to deal with the ball before Hull’s second goal was costly. Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix, Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong have also been involved in a defence that remains far from secure.

Robert Sánchez was eventually replaced after making one error too many, with Emiliano Martínez brought in to steady things. But the two-time goalkeeper of the year award-winner has also made a mistake-ridden start to his Stamford Bridge spell.

The 2026 Yashin Trophy race has taken shape, with 10 men and five women named on the latest shortlists for football’s top goalkeeping honour.

There will be a new men’s winner this year after Gianluigi Donnarumma, who led the rankings in 2025, was not included among the nominees. That opens the door for a wide-open contest featuring several familiar figures and a few first-time entrants.

Thibaut Courtois is again in the mix, underlining the standing he has built over several years. Barcelona’s Joan García has also earned a first nomination after a season that put him firmly among the leading candidates. Arsenal’s David Raya, last season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner, is on the list too, while Emiliano Martínez returns to the spotlight after being nominated for his work with former employers Aston Villa and later joining Chelsea this summer.

The men’s shortlist also includes Matvey Safonov and Gregor Kobel, plus the Saudi Arabia-based pair of Yassine Bounou and Édouard Mendy. Unai Simón is recognised after helping Spain to World Cup glory, while Vozinha completes the lineup after another notable campaign at 40 years old.

Courtois and Martínez have both lifted the prize before, with Martínez a two-time winner in 2023 and 2024.

On the women’s side, Hannah Hampton is back after becoming the first winner of the Women’s Yashin Trophy last year. She is joined by Ann-Katrin Berger and Cata Coll, who finished second and third in the inaugural edition. Manchester City’s Ayaka Yamashita and Kansas City Current’s Lorena complete the women’s shortlist.

The full lists confirm a competition that mixes proven pedigree with new challengers, and the final outcome now depends on which goalkeeper can turn nomination into the highest honour.

Emiliano Martínez’s formal arrival at Chelsea has immediately altered the picture in goal at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Sánchez now facing an uncertain future.

The Guardian reported that the Spanish goalkeeper has already attracted interest from clubs in England, Europe and Saudi Arabia, with an exit now expected by many to be close. Mike Penders, meanwhile, is tipped to stay as the club’s second-choice option.

That leaves Sánchez in a difficult position. Earlier this month, Xabi Alonso said he was “very happy with Rob.” But unless an exit is arranged before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, he would now appear to be Chelsea’s third goalkeeper.

Martínez’s registration came quickly enough for him to be in line to make his debut against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, according to the Daily Mail’s Kieran Gill. Whether he is thrown straight in remains to be seen, but the arrival of a new No. 1 naturally changes the hierarchy at the position more sharply than in any other area of the team.

Chelsea’s next league match after that is against Martínez’s former club Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, Sept. 6, adding another layer to an already intriguing start.

Speaking to Chelsea’s in-house media team, Martínez made clear why he joined and what he expects to deliver. “I’m delighted to be at this football club,” the serial winner told Chelsea ’s in-house media team. “Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I’m just over the moon—I can’t wait to get started.

“I want to be successful here. I’m someone who wants to win at everything I do and I want to bring that here to this football club because it’s a football club that wins titles, so I think it’s a good match.

“I’m all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100% every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud.”

Martínez arrives with an impressive record. After breaking into Arsenal’s first team during their 2020 FA Cup run, he has since won the Europa League with Aston Villa, two Copas América with Argentina and the 2022 World Cup. Argentina fell short again in North America this summer, though Martínez still made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the history of a World Cup final, despite playing with a fractured finger.

Chelsea have searched for a dependable No. 1 since Thibaut Courtois left for Real Madrid in 2018, and Sánchez’s latest display against Fulham underlined why the search never really stopped.