Xabi Alonso: Chelsea Must Improve After Dismal Brentford Loss

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso acknowledged that his team's performance was "disappointing" following a 3-0 defeat against Brentford. Despite a competitive first half, Chelsea conceded three goals after the hour mark, with Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago, and Fabio Carvalho finding the net for the home side.

"Everything was disappointing, especially the result, but we can do better. We must do better," Alonso stated to BBC Match of the Day. "For 45 minutes we were competing well, but in the second half we dropped, and conceded the three goals. You need to be very focused, and once you concede from set-pieces, it gives them an advantage and control because once you concede the second goal it becomes much harder and we lost a little bit of our discipline when we were close to the box. We have to correct our mistakes."

The team struggled to create clear chances offensively while also appearing vulnerable defensively. Alonso noted, "First half we were around [the box] but not creating big chances. We missed the last pass, the last dribble to get shots in clear 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."

Chelsea have now conceded 12 goals in five Premier League matches, the highest in the league. "It’s everything but for sure individual and collective details will have to be better, but it’s not only defensively, with the ball there are parts where we need to do better," Alonso added.

Defender Levi Colwill echoed the need for improvement, particularly regarding set-pieces. "Not been good enough. At times we have been bullied in the box, we need to definitely improve with that," he told Sky Sports. "We have all got trust in our set-piece coach and still adjusting to new things. We do need to improve as a team." Colwill also emphasized that the team's spirit did not falter despite the scoreline, stating, "I don’t think spirit went down. It hurt and we tried to push for the equaliser and we got hit on the counter attack. I don’t think our spirit dropped."

"We still need to improve a lot," Colwill continued. "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."

For Brentford, the victory was a moment of celebration. Manager Keith Andrews expressed confidence in his team, saying, "I felt like there was something bubbling towards tonight and I have this unbelievable calm around our team because I trust them. I see a humility and hunger within the group and we can challenge each other." He added, "We have to continue to get better in this league, the money teams are spending on players but that’s just on paper, what we do every day in training is pushing boundaries, be open with each other and continue to go on this journey and I’m loving the journey." The win propelled Brentford to third place in the league standings before the remainder of the weekend's fixtures.