Under Xabi Alonso, Chelsea have been quite inconsistent in the Premier League this season.

Last weekend, the Blues lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The weekend before that, they beat Manchester United 2-0.

In total, Chelsea have won five Premier League matches, lost four and drawn one. They are currently fifth place in the table, sitting on 16 points.

Once again, fifth place may be enough to secure Champions League qualification. If not, the good news is that, for now, they are not too far away from Liverpool. Andoni Iraola’s side sit above Chelsea in fourth but are only two points ahead of them.

Compared to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, Chelsea are a young and inexperienced team. Nevertheless, the club are still expecting Alonso to deliver Champions League football.

Discussing Chelsea’s expectations in a Q&A on football.london, journalist Bobby Vincent said: Chelsea want Champions League football again with a top-four/five finish. If Xabi Alonso can’t achieve that, though, it seems unlikely he’d lose his job. Unless, of course, there was a complete capitulation. Chelsea, though, are confident they can achieve their goals this season.”

If Alonso is to achieve his main objective this season, the Spaniard is likely to need reinforcements in January. In recent weeks, the centre-forward position has become a huge problem for the Blues.

Joao Pedro is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. However, he is currently out injured and the team have really struggled in his absence.

While Chelsea were able to beat United without him, they lost their two other games against Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea were also without Pedro when they were defeated 3-0 by Brentford earlier in the season.

In the loss to Sunderland, Alonso tried to use Pedro Neto as a false 9, but it brought no success. Not trusting Danny Welbeck or Emmanuel Emegha, it means Chelsea may have to go out and buy a new No.9 in the January transfer window.

There is no guarantee that happens, as the club are thought to have a lot of belief in Emegha’s long-term potential, even if Alonso does not. But Chelsea do look set to sign a new midfielder.

Chelsea are still in for Alex Scott after failing to land the Bournemouth and England star during the summer transfer window.