Xabi Alonso: Chelsea Must Improve After Dismal Brentford Defeat

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso acknowledged a "disappointing" performance across the board after his team's 3-0 loss to Brentford.

Despite a solid first half, Chelsea conceded three goals after the hour mark. Jaidon Anthony opened the scoring from a corner, followed by Igor Thiago's first goal of the season, and a late tap-in from Fabio Carvalho sealed the victory for Brentford.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Alonso stated, "Everything was disappointing, especially the result. We can do better. We must do better." He noted that while the team competed well for 45 minutes, they faltered in the second half, leading to the goals. "You need to be very focused," he added. "Conceding from set-pieces gives them an advantage. Once you concede the second goal, it becomes much harder. We lost a little bit of our discipline near the box. We have to correct our mistakes."

Chelsea showed little threat in attack and appeared vulnerable defensively.

"In the first half, we were around the box but not creating big chances," Alonso explained. "We missed the last pass, the last dribble to get into clear shooting positions. But that’s one part. The other part is when you need to hold, when you need to be tight. The opponent is trying to attack you, and you need to know how to defend and stick together. Win duels and be consistent in that part."

Jaidon Anthony celebrates scoring for Brentford against Chelsea

Lack of Attacking Spark and Defensive Weakness Exposed Chelsea

Chelsea has now conceded 12 goals in five Premier League matches, the highest in the league.

Alonso commented, "It’s everything, but individual and collective details must improve. It's not only defensively; with the ball, there are parts where we need to do better."

Set-pieces continue to be a significant problem for Chelsea. England international Levi Colwill admitted the team must improve in this area to progress.

"Not been good enough," Colwill told Sky Sports. "At times we have been bullied in the box. We need to definitely improve with that. We have trust in our set-piece coach and are still adjusting to new things. We do need to improve as a team."

He also addressed the team's spirit: "I don’t think spirit went down. It hurt, and we tried to push for the equalizer, and we got hit on the counter-attack. I don’t think our spirit dropped."

"We still need to improve a lot," Colwill added. "We can’t rely on our front three to pull us out of danger. The rest of us have to help as much as possible. We definitely have a lot of room to improve."

Jordan Henderson on his first Chelsea start directs his teammates against Brentford

Brentford Enjoy Victory

While a disappointing night for Chelsea, it was a celebratory one for Brentford, who received applause from their fans at full-time.

Manager Keith Andrews expressed confidence in his team: "I felt like there was something bubbling towards tonight, and I have this unbelievable calm around our team because I trust them. I see humility and hunger within the group, and we can challenge each other."

He continued, "We have to continue to get better in this league. Money teams are spending on players, but that’s just on paper. What we do every day in training is pushing boundaries, being open with each other, and continuing to go on this journey, and I’m loving the journey."

This win moved Brentford up to third place ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures.