Why Chelsea Must Overcome Horrid Away Record To Be Treated Seriously In Any Title Race | OneFootball

Previewing Chelsea's Premier League fixture against Arsenal on September 6.

Chelsea’s first big test of the 2026/27 Premier League season takes place on Sunday afternoon as the Blues travel across London to take on current champions Arsenal.

Xabi Alonso’s start at Stamford Bridge couldn’t have gone any better: two league wins out of two and an expected second-round Carabao Cup victory over Luton Town. Alonso’s opening month has been impressive enough to see him shortlisted for the Manager of the Month award for August.

Aside from the recognition, the honeymoon phase of a new manager faces its first stumbling block with a test against a ‘Big Six’ side, a selection of fixtures in which the Blues haven’t largely impressed over the last few seasons.

If the Premier League title is ever going to return to Stamford Bridge, then Chelsea’s away record against sides from the ‘Big Six’ has to improve. That is non-negotiable. The visit to Arsenal on September 6 marks just over five years since Chelsea had any sort of joy against the Gunners. Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Reece James secured a 2-0 victory against a depleted Arsenal side back in 2021, with Thomas Tuchel at the helm.

The Emirates used to be known as ‘Chelsea’s playground’ in the early years after the stadium opened, but in recent years that narrative has completely flipped. The west London side have lost four on the bounce, conceding 11 goals in the process.

It’s not just at the Emirates that the Blues have struggled to lay down a marker in recent ‘Big Six’ away games. By the time Chelsea travel to Old Trafford in 2027 to face Manchester United, it will have been just under 14 years since Juan Mata scored the winner in a 1-0 victory back in 2013. Since then, Chelsea have gone on to win two Premier League titles, but the longer the run goes on, the more unwanted the record becomes.

If Alonso is going to get the better of former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, then, just like against Arsenal, a first victory in almost five years must be achieved.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some statistics look a little skewed. For example, Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City came behind closed doors. However, before 2021, the Blues hadn’t won at the Etihad since their 3-1 victory under Antonio Conte in 2016, a match that proved pivotal in bringing the title back to Stamford Bridge.

The same also applies to Liverpool. Despite two successive home victories over the last two seasons, the kryptonite remains the inability to win away from home. A Mason Mount goal was the difference during the 2020/21 season, once again under pandemic conditions.

One opponent from the ‘Big Six’ that the Blues have had no problem dispatching in recent years is Tottenham Hotspur. The north London side have won only once at Stamford Bridge in more than 30 years and have beaten Chelsea only once in the league since moving to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019.

Thomas Tuchel may hold all the accolades in recent years, but Alonso has the opportunity to write his own chapter. It starts on September 6, as he looks to become the first manager since Maurizio Sarri to win his opening three league matches.