Xabi Alonso lamented, "You need to feel it. We're not feeling it," after Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Brentford, a loss that underscored a familiar sense of frustration within the club.
The result marked Chelsea's eleventh defeat of the calendar year – a tally that already exceeds what they will have lost by the end of next year, with three months still to play. For the fifth consecutive Premier League match under Alonso, the Blues have allowed at least two goals, and their vulnerability on set‑pieces has become a recurring theme.
Alonso himself admitted, "We dropped our consistency, our competitive mentality needed in the second half." That admission will undoubtedly sting Chelsea supporters, as the second half was handed to Brentford with alarming ease. The pattern of being out‑battled is also re‑emerging; last season the team were outrun in the majority of their league fixtures, and that trend appears to be resurfacing.
Set‑piece chaos was the first thing that came to mind when the Blues faced Brentford. Long throws, clever corners and a host of rehearsed routines were on display, yet Chelsea once again lost control, conceding a goal from a dead‑ball situation – their fourth such concession in five league games.
This brings their total set‑piece goals against them since the start of the previous season to 23, which is tied for the worst record among all Premier League clubs. The decisive moment came when a cross was delivered directly onto the back post where Emiliano Martínez was stationed.
Neither the keeper nor the surrounding defenders reacted in time, and Brentford capitalised with a goal that seemed inevitable. Vitaly Janelt later explained to Sky Sports, "We targeted the back post at half‑time. There was a big gap at the far post, and we hit that with our first corner of the second half." Despite having Austin MacPhee – widely regarded as the league's best dead‑ball coach – on staff, Chelsea's set‑piece execution remains porous. Their former set‑piece specialist, Bernardo Cueva, now occupies a different role at the club, and even he was intercepted by Brentford during the match.
Levi Colwill echoed the sentiment of frustration, telling Sky Sports, "We have not been good enough, at times we have been bullied and we need to improve at that." He added, "We trust our set‑piece coach; we are still adjusting to new ideas, but we must improve as a team." The defensive issues, however, extend far beyond dead‑ball situations. Chelsea have struggled to protect their own third, ranking among the league's worst at preventing opponents from penetrating that area. They have now gone 22 straight Premier League fixtures without keeping a clean sheet. Statistically, Chelsea concede an average of 2.2 non‑penalty goals per game.
Expected‑goals (xG) models suggest this figure is realistic, as the team is projected to allow a similar number of high‑quality shots on target. Their inability to shield the penalty box is stark – they sit in the top three for shots conceded inside the area, roughly ten per match, leaving their keepers to act as a last line of defense under relentless pressure. These defensive frailties explain why Chelsea have been unable to preserve leads in their last three league outings.
They often start brightly; this was the first Premier League match in which they failed to take the lead within the opening ten minutes, although Pedro Neto came close with a chance that was saved. Yet once they fall behind, the team frequently loses its shape, allowing the opposition to dictate play. Alonso summed it up: "We concede the first goal, you're still in the game but then we lose the shape. We were out of control." The return of Moisés Caicedo could provide some stability, but his absence has highlighted a glaring lack of solidity in the centre of the park.
Two of the summer signings, Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco, started the Brentford game, yet the Bees appeared stronger in midfield. Brentford manager Keith Andrews arguably possessed greater depth in that area, fielding a side that included record signing Mamadou Sangaré, who spent over an hour on the bench while his team secured a 3‑0 victory. At the moment, João Pedro stands out as Chelsea's most influential attacker in terms of goal contribution. The "JP Morgan" front line was broken up for the first time this season, and the Blues failed to find the net altogether – a first for them this campaign.
It is important to recognise that Alonso is still in the early stages of implementing his philosophy at Stamford Bridge. This match featured seven of the club's summer arrivals in the starting eleven, and Alonso is only the fourth manager to take charge of Chelsea in nine months. Former captain Gary Cahill reminded Sky Sports that transformation does not happen overnight: "I think with what you're saying he will be judged in the next five, six, seven weeks to get this right because you will have that time on the training ground and then we should start to see his methods coming through because we've seen him in an attacking sense." Alonso himself broadened the scope of required improvement beyond set‑pieces, stating, "In defensive duels, build‑up and controlling games." Those four facets – set‑pieces, defensive duels, build‑up play, and game control – encapsulate the majority of the work that lies ahead.
Levi Colwill added that the squad has a lot to address over the international break, a sentiment that will likely be echoed throughout the dressing room as they strive to halt the slide and restore confidence in their defensive foundation.