Xabi Alonso was presented with a real tactical quandary by Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Friday. A well-drilled, coherent first-half blueprint quickly unravelled after the break, and three second-half goals condemned the Blues to a third successive Premier League game without victory.
Alonso set his team up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill in the back three. Pedro Neto and Pep Chavarria were the wing-backs on either side of the Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco midfield. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers were in the half-spaces behind Danny Welbeck, who led the line in the absence of Joao Pedro.
Keith Andrews countered with a 4-2-3-1 that relied on directness, aerial battles and clinical transition play. The contest, in the end, was a lesson in contrasting philosophies as Brentford’s efficiency repeatedly turned Chelsea’s control on its head.
What Alonso Got Right
The experienced spine Alonso introduced worked admirably before the break, giving Chelsea a composure that has often been absent in recent weeks. Henderson was tasked with tracking Mikkel Damsgaard, and he did that job well. Damsgaard is Brentford’s main creative player, but for the most part, he was peripheral until the opener, which hampered the hosts’ ability to progress through the middle areas.
Defensive organisation improved significantly, and Brentford were forced to settle mostly for set-pieces and long throws. The visitors fought hard for second balls and were not physically intimidated by a side famed for its directness. The stats reflect that defensive industry, with Chelsea recording a 74% tackle success rate to Brentford’s 57%. Brentford had seven interceptions compared to the Blues’ 13, with the pressing structure being energetic and well-coordinated.
Palmer’s work off the ball was particularly eye-catching, with the England international pressing with obvious commitment. Barco complemented him well, harrying Brentford’s midfielders and interrupting their attempts to build play in an orderly fashion.
Alonso’s asymmetry of width was generating Chelsea’s most promising sequences of the evening on the ball. Chavarria’s high starting position on the left provided constant width, pulling Brentford’s back four around and creating space for others. Rogers floated infield from the left half-space to link up with Palmer, overloading central areas and upsetting Brentford’s defensive shape. That rotation brought a goal-bound Rogers effort that was blocked by Jannik Schuster and a few promising entries into the penalty area.
Where Alonso Failed
As the game wore on, the attacking methodology became predictably monotonous, Chelsea repeatedly relying on aerial deliveries. Twelve corners produced little against a Brentford defence that thrived on the aerial battle.
That reliance on crosses was especially strange considering that there was no dominant aerial presence in Chelsea’s forward line. Despite his experience, Welbeck didn’t have the mobility to trouble Brentford’s centre-backs or stretch their defensive line. Not one of Chelsea’s shots on target arrived after the 30th minute – a damning indictment of their attacking structure.
Brentford took their second-half chances with clear intent, and the Blues’ set-piece defending was a glaring weakness. Anthony scored from close range unmarked, and Schuster was given the freedom to win the opening header from Damsgaard’s corner. Alonso’s side have invested in specialist coaching but have still conceded five goals from dead-ball situations this season.
The changes also require some scrutiny, with Josh Acheampong and Geovany Quenda replacing Fofana and Welbeck in the 71st minute. Fofana had been one of Chelsea’s most reliable defenders, and his absence coincided with a noticeable drop in defensive cohesion. Brentford had already doubled their lead by the time Estevao was brought on in the 87th minute.
Chelsea’s need to find an equaliser left them structurally overextended and acutely vulnerable to Brentford’s fast transitions. The second goal, a breakaway for Schade, showed that naivety exactly, with Chelsea’s defence caught hopelessly out of shape. In a similar vein, Alonso lamented that his side lost its shape when it fell behind and then went out of control. Rogers finished the game at centre-forward, a move that thinned out Chelsea’s creative threat in between the lines. Brentford, meanwhile, brought on Fabio Carvalho with three minutes remaining, and he scored in stoppage time.