The magic of Xabi Alonso's influence faded at Stamford Bridge faster than anyone expected. A promising start counted for nothing as Chelsea collapsed 3-0 at home to Brentford, a feeble defensive display that stretched their winless run in the Premier League to three matches.
They sit tenth with just 7 points and have shipped 12 goals. No defence in the Premier League has been weaker after five rounds.
That decline has drawn a flood of sharp criticism, none louder than from club legend John Terry on his YouTube channel. "The numbers are completely unacceptable for us as fans, and as a legend of the club, and we are going through an extremely difficult time," he said.
Chelsea have now failed to keep a clean sheet in 22 consecutive Premier League matches. It is the London club's longest such run since 1965.
This catastrophic opening leaves Alonso responsible for the second-worst start to a Chelsea season in the twenty-first century, bettering only Mauricio Pochettino's dismal haul of 5 points.
Terry took aim at Alonso's tactical philosophy on set pieces and zonal defending. "I'm old school and I prefer man-marking. Zonal defending makes players shirk responsibility. In the Brentford match, the opponent exploited the spaces at the far post without anyone knowing who was marking whom once the ball passed over the defenders. Players must take responsibility," he added.
Alonso, for his part, admitted the defensive flaw in his system after the match. "It's obvious we need to improve defensively. We are performing well going forward but we lack balance. It's not just about set pieces, but about one-on-one duels, building play, and controlling the tempo of the match. We don't have enough solidity to compete for the full 90 minutes at the moment, but everything needs time," he said.
Despite the difficulties, Chelsea's management continue to back the technical project of the young Spanish coach. They are counting on the international break to find quick solutions to these defensive cracks, particularly with the team out of European competition this season and free to pour all its focus into domestic football.
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