Alonso's 3-4-3 Blueprint? Chelsea Edges Sociedad, Questions Remain

Morgan Rogers, bless his heart, tapped one in inside ten minutes. An early edge for Chelsea. But that was about it for a while.

Real Sociedad's Jon Mikel Aramburu. What a volley. Levelled it. The hosts? Sluggish. Laboured. Robert Sanchez? He was busy. LaLiga's Sociedad kept him honest, exploiting Chelsea's weird reluctance to press. Not a great look.

Second half, a different story. For some reason, the visitors finally got going. Joao Pedro hit twice. Reece James set up the first, two minutes after the break. A composed finish later sealed the 3-1. Sky Sports saw it, too.

Alonso's been playing dress-up with formations. Started with a 4-2-3-1. Then, after that rather 'polished' 3-0 against AC Milan, it was the back three. Against Sociedad? Still fluid, mind you. Moises Caicedo dropped in. Wesley Fofana drifted. Looked like a four at times. Second half, it clicked. Higher press. Control on the halfway line. Imagine that.

But those first-half vulnerabilities? Still there. Ugly. Too deep. Gaps all over the shop. Sociedad just walked through the space. Alonso's got options in defense, sure, so a back four isn't out of the question. Expect more tinkering before Fulham shows up.

Oh, and Enzo Fernandez. Came on in the 62nd minute. The crowd? Mixed bag. Boos. Chants. All about that Manchester City bid, or lack thereof. Twenty-four hours after they missed Chelsea's self-imposed deadline. Awkward.