Chelsea were well beaten 3-0 by Brentford in west London on Saturday, and the manner of the defeat tells you everything. Xabi Alonso’s side conceded three goals, their fourth straight game failing to keep a clean sheet, and they admitted afterwards that they were bullied and out of control.
Chelsea’s current campaign keeps repeating an old narrative: they cannot stop losing matches. The issues are not new, and neither is the pattern. Under Alonso, they have let in at least two goals in each of their last five Premier League fixtures, and they have now suffered defeats 11 times this season — more than they managed in 2025.
Set-Piece Woes Repeat
When you face Brentford, the first thing on your mind is set pieces. Long throws, clever corners — all of it. Chelsea lost control of the match after conceding once more from a set-piece, the same way they had against Hull in their last game.
They have now let in four goals from set-pieces in just five league matches, and since the beginning of last season their total sits at 23, matching the worst record among all Premier League clubs.
The sequence went like this:
- Chelsea put the ball right on top of Emiliano Martinez towards the back post.
- Neither the goalkeeper nor the outfield players were able to react.
- Brentford took the goal, and they knew it was coming.
“We did target [the back post] at half-time,” said Vitaly Janelt to Sky Sports. “There was a big gap at the far post. We targeted that and I think it was our first corner of the second half.”
Austin MacPhee is widely regarded as the premier dead-ball coach in the league, and Chelsea are fortunate to have him. Bernardo Cueva, who held the set-piece coaching position prior to MacPhee and now serves in another capacity within the club, was actually lured away from Brentford by the Blues. Despite that, the issues continue to surface.
“We have not been good enough, at times we have been bullied and we need to improve at that,” said Levi Colwill to Sky. “But we trust in our set-piece coach; we are still adjusting to new things, but we do need to improve as a team.”
The Numbers Behind the Defeat
The Blues’ back line has become a real concern, with the team now having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 consecutive league matches.
The Blues give up an average of 2.2 non-penalty goals per match, and the expected goals data suggests they should be conceding that many shots on target against them. It is a pattern that keeps returning.
A weak defence of the penalty area is not doing Chelsea any favours, and it has become one of the team’s biggest problems. They sit among the league leaders for conceding shots inside their own box, with an average of around 10 per match. The goalkeeper has been used as a target rather than a protector.
Chelsea’s inability to protect a lead has been a recurring problem, with the team being pegged back in each of their last three league games. Once they fall behind, the old bad habits come flooding back.
Alonso’s Reaction
Alonso spoke plainly about the matter at hand. He said “We dropped our consistency, our competitive mentality needed in the second half,”.
He was concerned about the lack of competitive spirit his side showed when the game turned. “You need to feel it. We’re not feeling it,” he said after the match.
Brentford seized the initiative after halftime, with Chelsea losing control of the game entirely. Alonso acknowledged the shift himself, saying “We concede the first goal, you’re still in the game but then we lose the shape. We were out of control,”.
The evidence points toward a repeated problem: Chelsea routinely let opponents break through into their own penalty area, and they rank among the weakest in the league at preventing that from happening.
Midfield Struggles Against Brentford
Brentford looked more powerful in the middle of the park, despite the two summer signings of Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco starting the game. Keith Andrews’ team also appear to possess superior depth in that part of the field — they claimed the victory 3-0, with record signing Mamadou Sangare remaining on the bench for over an hour.
Chelsea are vulnerable without Moises Caicedo, and his absence has created a weakness that needs addressing. His return would offer relief for the control problems ahead, but the team remains exposed until then.
Cahill’s View From Outside
The former Chelsea skipper and centre back Gary Cahill says Alonso requires time to put his ideas into practice. The Spaniard should not be measured by current standards, according to Cahill, but rather over the next two months.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” he told Sky Sports. “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.”
Cahill’s point is that change takes time.
The Players’ Own Words
Colwill was honest about the state of play. “We’ve got a lot to work on over the international break,” he added. He can say that again.
The ‘JP Morgan’ frontline was broken up for the first time this season — and Chelsea failed to score for the first time this season. Joao Pedro looks like Chelsea’s most influential player from a goalscoring perspective.
Alonso himself pointed to areas beyond set-pieces. “It’s not just set-pieces,” he said on where Chelsea have to improve. “In defensive duels, build-up and controlling games.” There aren’t many more parts of the game besides those three.
What Chelsea Need to Fix
The Blues have a long list of things that need fixing, with set-piece troubles being the most obvious ones on display. But the deeper issues stretch far beyond those specific moments, touching nearly every part of how they play.
- Clean sheets: Chelsea have gone 22 straight Premier League games without one. That is a significant run.
- Goals conceded: They have lost 11 times this year, more than they managed in 2025.
- Midfield control: Brentford outplayed them in the middle of the park, despite sitting a record signing on the bench.
- Shape: Alonso’s side lost it when they fell behind, conceding the first goal and then losing the shape.
- Set-pieces: Four goals conceded from set-pieces in five games, the joint-worst in the league.
Across every one of these areas, the pattern holds steady: Chelsea are not winning, and the reason for that is plain — they are not defending. The cause of their defensive failings, in turn, comes down to a lack of organisation, aggression, and alertness.
The International Break
Chelsea get a fresh start during the international break. The remark from Colwill about working on things during the break carries weight — he understands the squad needs to get better, and he believes the foundation has to be laid first.
Finding an edge over rivals is what the players must do. Stopping the bullying they face is also necessary. And when they fall behind in a match, they must take back control again.
Alonso’s task is clear. He has to implement his ideas, and he has to do it fast. The results are not coming, and the questions about Alonso’s project have grown louder with each defeat.
The Blues face a lengthy journey ahead, with their set-piece troubles serving as the most obvious sign of a broader issue: a team that cannot shield itself when the stakes rise. The clean-sheet streak persists, the goals continue to arrive, and the doubts surrounding Alonso’s project endure.
| Fixture | Result |
|---|---|
| Brentford vs Chelsea | Chelsea 3-0 |
| Hull vs Chelsea | Chelsea conceded from a set-piece |
| Chelsea’s last 5 PL games | 4 goals conceded from set-pieces |
| Chelsea’s current run | 22 straight games without a clean sheet |
Right now, Chelsea keep falling short, and the causes behind their defeats are plain to see.
See the video the story is built around at Sky Sports.
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