Chelsea suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the “Gtech Community Stadium” and remained winless in the Premier League for a third consecutive game. Jadon Anthony, Igor Thiago, and Fabio Carvalho sealed the victory for Keith Andrews’s team, with Chabi Alonso looking for positives amid a difficult night.
The Spanish coach focused primarily on the debut of Jordan Henderson, who returned to action after his wrist injury. “He had a very positive impact on the team,” Alonso said initially, adding: “I’m happy with his performance, with the way he took on responsibilities and connected with the rest of the players. It was probably the most positive aspect of today’s game.”
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Alonso was also asked about Levi Colwill’s statement that the Chelsea players were “intimidated” by Brentford during the match. “We need to be better, not just on set pieces. In defense, in one-on-one situations, in building play, in controlling the game,” he emphasized, going on to explain what didn’t work: “We conceded the first goal, but we were still in the game. But when you lose your shape, you lose control. We conceded a goal on the counterattack against a team that excels at it—in situations we’d specifically worked on.”
At the same time, the Chelsea manager made it clear that his team needs time to gain greater maturity on the field. “We need to be able to understand the game and know what it takes to stay competitive until the end,” he noted. “It’s a process. It takes time for the players to get a feel for it, and right now we haven’t fully mastered it to the point where we can compete with the same intensity throughout the entire game.”
*Photo source: AP
