So much for Chelsea’s bus. Manchester City battered it, and even though they didn’t win, Swansea and West Brom gave it a good bashing too. In fact, Chelsea have now conceded seven goals in three games, almost half the total (15) they conceded in 2004/05, Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge.

Chelsea have been bad, defensively. So bad, in fact, that it’s hard to pinpoint the problem. Is it because Mourinho is trying to play a more expansive game? It is because John Terry is suddenly past it? Is it simply a lack of form?

I don’t feel that Chelsea have done too much differently this season. The season before last they were hideously defensive. Last season they were just mildly defensive. They tried to attack, and the inclusion of Fabregas and Costa really gave them an attacking flair that they didn’t have before. They were able to control games as well as play on the counter, but the defense was still solid.

But why they have conceded so many goals in their first three games is hard to say. Red cards have played their part. Courtois in the first game and Terry himself in the third. But it’s important to remember that they’d already conceded in these games before the red cards.

Swansea were looking dangerous even before Courtois was red carded. Jefferson Montero was giving Ivanovic a hard time even before Chelsea had to deal with him and the rest of the Swansea attack a man light. West Brom had already scored one through James Morrison, but could have had another had he scored his penalty earlier in the game.

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Against City, John Terry was sacrificed for Kurt Zouma at half time, against West Brom, Gary Cahill was left out completely for Zouma to take his place.

After the City game, the focus was on Terry - it was the first time that Mourinho had ever subbed Terry, so understandably the press read into that. They read that Terry was past it and Mourinho was looking for a replacement. John Stones perhaps. But after the West Brom game, surely we need to reevaluate that - it was, this time, Gary Cahill who was left out of the team.

After seven goals conceded, a heavy defeat to a title rival, a couple of defensive reshuffles, it now looks like Jose Mourinho has hit the panic button somewhat. He’s changing things, and this isn’t a manager who changes things. Last season, Mourinho complained that his team were tired in the build-up to the PSG game where they were eventually knocked out of the Champions League. Yet Chelsea played with the same team as they fielded all season. Mourinho trusted his 11 players so much that he played them game in and game out without exception other than injuries.

Now he’s a manager who is changing his defence on a regular basis. The addition of Pedro now means that he has a choice up front too, Oscar made way for the Spaniard last weekend, will it be Willian next weekend?

There’s nothing wrong with having options, and especially after the effort it took Chelsea to win the title last season. Chelsea’s players deserve a bit of a rest and they deserve to have quality additions to the squad who can lighten the load all this season. It’s not a bad thing that Mourinho is chopping and changing. But what is worrying is that he doesn’t seem to be doing it to give players a rest. He seems to be doing it out of some kind of early season panic, and that’s not good.

Chelsea are rattled, they were so dominant last season, and coming up against it so early on in this campaign is not what they had in mind. Mourinho has a week of the transfer window left in which to fix it, if Stones is the answer. And luckily he has the rest of the season to fix it tactically, too.

There’s still a long way to go, and Chelsea aren’t out of it, but they’ll need to sort things out at the back if they’re to have any hope of fending off the chasing pack come May.

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