On September 19, 2024, in Round 5 of the Premier League, Chelsea suffered a 0-3 away defeat to Brentford. Following the match, Kieran Gill, Chelsea correspondent for The Daily Mail, published an analysis piece examining The Blues' current situation and his perspective on the game.

Opinion Piece

If Chelsea's defenders had clean sheet bonuses in their contracts, they likely haven't earned any recently. The team's lack of defensive resolve in preventing opposition goals is truly remarkable.

Chelsea has failed to keep a clean sheet in 21 consecutive Premier League matches. Their last clean sheet against Brentford came in January during Enzo Maresca's debut. Since then, Chelsea's defense has become an easy target for opposing teams.

The latest concession had a bitter irony: the goal came from a Brentford corner, marking the fifth set-piece goal Chelsea has conceded this season under Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea specifically brought in Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa this summer to address their chronic set-piece defense problems. He has implemented tactical adjustments—for instance, in this match, Chelsea tried a new goalkeeper kick strategy where Palmer kicked the ball long near Brentford's corner flag, ceding throw-in possession to force the opposition deep into their own half from the start.

However, so far, Chelsea's set-piece defense has shown no significant improvement under MacPhee's guidance. A Mikkel Damsgaard corner reached the far post of the six-yard box, Jannik Vestergaard headed it back across goal, and Jayden Anthony headed in unmarked—while Wesley Fofana stood on the goal line watching the ball go in.

While this goal cannot be solely blamed on Fofana, he cannot be entirely absolved either. The current displays of the 25-year-old French defender fall short of the expectations Chelsea (or more accurately, Todd Boehly) placed on him when they signed him from Leicester City for £75 million in 2022.

When Fofana was signed, Boehly held the position of interim Chelsea sporting director. Given Fofana's documented injury history, Boehly devised a special plan.

Rather than having scouts conduct the medical examination in London, he sent Fofana to New York, where the Los Angeles Lakers' medical staff—an NBA team Boehly co-owns—conducted an extensive medical assessment. The examination lasted over 10 hours, and after Fofana passed, Boehly proceeded with the signing.

Chelsea saw great potential in him, but he has yet to reach the elite standard the club demands. In fact, the entire defense has largely failed to meet this benchmark.

If Alonso wants to lead Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table, he must solve the defensive problems. The team is conceding far too many goals, and in this match, with João Félix and Danny Welbeck unavailable from the bench, Chelsea's attack could not compensate for the defense's shortcomings.

Questionable Substitution Choices

Alonso's substitution decisions have drawn scrutiny, particularly his failure to utilize Estêvão.

The talented 19-year-old Brazilian winger has demonstrated since joining Chelsea that he can create a threat whenever given the opportunity.

Undoubtedly, he deserves more playing time. Prior to this away fixture against Brentford, his Premier League appearances this season were: substituted on in the 83rd minute, did not play, substituted on in the 81st minute, and substituted on in the 86th minute.

In this match, Estêvão only came on as a substitute in the 87th minute, when Chelsea were already trailing 0-2.

Brazilian media frequently reports that the rising star is feeling frustrated, and frankly, anyone in his position would be. Estêvão's final contribution—a corner kick that sailed straight out of play—seemed a fitting metaphor for his disappointing season thus far.

Unlikely Star

Despite modest expectations, Henderson was among the few Chelsea players to stand out in this match, particularly in the first half after an extended absence—his first appearance in over three months.

The 36-year-old veteran brought experience to the team's midfield, at the very least making Chelsea's away performance appear less "fragile" than is typical of their young squad. However, whenever decisions went against them, Henderson frequently argued with referee Andrew Madley.

Had someone suggested a year or two ago, when Chelsea was fully committed to their youth-focused policy, that Henderson and Welbeck would soon become The Blues' regular starters, few would have believed it. Yet now, both not only start regularly but have raised the average age of the starting lineup to 27 years and 349 days—Chelsea's oldest starting XI since their away match against Arsenal in the Premier League in 2023.

This lineup performed well in the first half but completely collapsed in the second half after conceding a soft set-piece goal.

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