Chelsea FC lost away to Brentford before the international break, marking their first home defeat since 1938. The Athletic has published an analysis of the urgent issues new manager Enzo Maresca must address.

The arrival of Chelsea's new manager brought great hopes, but just 7 points from their opening five Premier League matches falls well short of expectations. With a long season ahead, what are the key issues Maresca must prioritize?

Strengthen the defense

This is the most pressing concern. Chelsea have conceded more goals than any other Premier League team, with 12 so far. They've conceded at least 2 goals in every match and haven't kept a clean sheet in 21 consecutive Premier League games. Maresca has tried changing personnel and formations—experimenting with both three and four-man defenses—but to no avail.

It's understandable that summer signings Levi Colwill and goalkeeper Enzo Martinez are still building understanding. Colwill, a key defender, is readjusting to regular playing time after missing most of last season with a serious ACL injury, and Maresca has frequently deployed him in an unfamiliar left-back role. Injuries have also played a part.

Chelsea's possession average was just 32.4% when they won their first two league games. This rose to 47.4% in their last three matches, indicating more possession but yielding only 1 point. This suggests opponents are being more cautious about attacking Chelsea but also more resilient, knowing Maresca's defense will eventually make mistakes. Brentford is a clear example: on Friday, they had less than 34% possession in the second half but scored all three goals.

Get key players back to full fitness

While Maresca has made clear he won't use injuries as an excuse, they remain a significant factor in the team's early struggles. The absence of midfielder Moisés Caicedo is particularly severe. The Ecuador international has played only 14 minutes due to a calf injury suffered in preseason. Summer signing Estêvão, Chelsea's standout player in preseason, hasn't made his debut due to a quadriceps injury. Estêvão brings the height and pace essential for the wing-back role.

Both are expected to return when the Premier League resumes next month. Forward Thiago Silva (knee injury) and captain Reece James (achilles) should also soon be available. Although they were sorely missed in the Brentford match, the timing of their injuries meant most of their recovery has occurred during Chelsea's break.

Reduce over-reliance on front three

Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and Thiago Silva's performances have been the standout bright spots. These three have been involved in 8 of Chelsea's 10 league goals and 6 of 9 assists. Injuries or poor form for any of them could significantly impact the team, and the Brentford match was a reminder of this reality. Thiago Silva was unavailable, Rogers had his quietest game since joining the club, and while Palmer was involved in Chelsea's best attacking move, his threat gradually faded as the second half progressed.

Chelsea need other players to step up. Only Pedro Neto and Romeo Lavia have scored in the league among other attackers, while Maldini Malo and Lacroix have provided 2 and 1 assist respectively. Palmer, Rogers and Thiago Silva are still expected to be Chelsea's primary attacking threats, but Maresca must be careful not to fall into a situation where opponents believe that "shutting down these three is shutting down Chelsea."

Address midfield depth issues

The midfield appeared a weakness the moment the summer transfer window closed—and it has proven to be so. Selling Enzo Fernández and André Santos for a combined £175 million made financial sense, while Dário Iśúko was loaned to Strasbourg for regular first-team opportunities. But with Moisés Caicedo and new summer signing J. Henderson missing most of the season through injury, the midfield looks understaffed.

Romeo Lavia and James McCarthy have fitness concerns from previous seasons. They've started three of five games, but as a pairing they remain unreliable, and Romeo Lavia has never completed a full 90 minutes since joining from Southampton in 2023. Maresca has tried other combinations—Maldini Malo and Romeo Lavia against Brighton, and Valentín Barco partnered with J. Henderson against Brentford. He's still searching for answers. The ease with which opponents penetrate Chelsea's midfield is partly responsible for the high goal concessions. The midfield simply isn't providing enough defensive cover.

Moisés Caicedo's return will help significantly. Chelsea attempted to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco but were unsuccessful. They're expected to explore midfield options when the January window opens, but Maresca needs to find a solid partnership in the meantime.

Make better use of the bench

Some of Maresca's substitutions have been surprising. The quality of Palmer, Rogers and Thiago Silva means you want them on the pitch as much as possible, but that doesn't mean attacking substitutes should wait too long to come on. Take Estêvão: he's come off the bench four times in the Premier League, entering at the 83rd minute (Fulham), 81st (Arsenal), 86th (Hull City) and 87th (Brentford). It's difficult to make an impact with so little time, even for the most talented players. In his last three appearances, he's been replaced by Pedro Neto, who drops deeper to help defensively but has minimal involvement in the final third.

Against Arsenal, when trailing 2-1, Maresca sent on Chalobah and Maldini Malo at the 60th minute before introducing attackers Welbeck and Estêvão in the 87th to chase an equalizer. A similar scenario occurred against Hull City when chasing a winner at 2-2 (Welbeck came on at 78 and Estêvão was one of only two attackers among five substitutes). When trying to turn around the Brentford match, 20-year-old Josh Acheampong was the oldest of four substitutes, while 16-year-old prospect Nicolò Yazici was thrown into an extremely difficult situation.

Maresca made four halftime substitutions in the Carabao Cup against Leeds United, overturning a 1-0 deficit to win 6-3, which proves he can make an impact with bold changes. He needs to demonstrate this approach in the Premier League as well.

Fix set-piece defending

Brentford took the lead from a simple corner. Chelsea have now conceded 5 goals from set-pieces, placing them dead last in the Premier League. Set-piece coach Austin MacPhee was brought in from Aston Villa over the summer to improve this—last season they conceded 17, with only three teams worse—yet there's been no improvement. This may reflect the early season and players adjusting to new demands, but that doesn't excuse the league's worst set-piece record. (By contrast, Chelsea's goals from set-pieces are level with the league's fourth-highest total of 4.)

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