Chelsea manager, Xabi Alonso, has played down claims that his side’s attack is becoming impossible to stop ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Hull City at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have scored 16 goals in Alonso’s first five competitive matches in charge, including six in the second half of their EFL Cup victory over Leeds United on Wednesday.
The impressive scoring run came despite August Premier League Player of the Month Joao Pedro not featuring in the second half.
However, Alonso rejected suggestions that Chelsea’s attacking threat makes them impossible to defend against, insisting that such descriptions are excessive.
The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss said, “Let’s not talk about those big words.
“Impossible in football is too big a word. We face tomorrow’s game with the same respect we did last week against Arsenal.
“They are seven points, no goals conceded. They will be hard to beat. They have their weapons as well, with transitions and set pieces.
“They have the belief that the coach is doing a great job. So it’s going to be hard and we’ll have to be at our best to beat Hull tomorrow.”
Hull, managed by Sergej Jakirovic, have made a strong defensive start to their Premier League campaign, keeping clean sheets against Manchester United, Coventry City and Aston Villa.
Their defensive consistency also stretches back to last season, with the Tigers having avoided conceding more than twice in a competitive match since their 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion on March 14.
Hull have since gone 16 competitive matches without conceding more than two goals in a game, while they have kept six clean sheets in their last eight matches dating back to the Championship playoffs.
They conceded just once in each of their EFL Cup defeats by Stoke City and Sunderland.
Chelsea will therefore face a Hull side with a strong defensive record, making Saturday’s encounter a test of whether Alonso’s prolific attack can break down one of the league’s more stubborn defences.
