Xabi Alonso admitted Chelsea must improve significantly after the Blues suffered a 3–0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night.
Chelsea were competitive during the opening 45 minutes, but their performance dropped sharply after the interval. Jaidon Anthony opened the scoring just after the hour mark before Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho added two late goals to complete a convincing victory for Brentford.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the final whistle, Alonso expressed his disappointment with both the result and Chelsea's second-half performance.
> “Everything was disappointing, especially the result, but we can do better. We must do better.”
The Chelsea head coach felt his team competed well during the first half but failed to maintain the necessary level after the break.
> “45 minutes we were competing well, but in the second half we dropped, and conceded the three goals.”
Alonso identified concentration and set-piece defending as key areas that cost Chelsea during the match. He explained that conceding the opening goal gave Brentford greater control, while the second goal made the situation considerably more difficult.
The Spaniard also acknowledged that Chelsea lost some discipline around the edge of their own penalty area and said the team must correct those mistakes.
## Chelsea lacked a cutting edge
Although Chelsea had periods of possession and territory in the first half, Alonso admitted that his side did not create enough clear opportunities.
He pointed to mistakes in the final pass and final dribble as reasons Chelsea struggled to turn their possession into shots from dangerous positions.
However, Alonso stressed that the problem was not simply about attacking.
Chelsea also needed to become more compact when Brentford attacked, win their individual duels and remain together defensively.
## “It’s everything” — Alonso on what Chelsea need to improve
Asked what Chelsea need to improve during the international break, Alonso gave a wide-ranging answer.
He said improvements are required in the individual and collective details of the team's game, while also stressing that Chelsea need to become better with the ball.
> “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.”
In his post-match press conference, Alonso similarly said Chelsea had failed to maintain the competitive mentality required across the full 90 minutes.
He described the defeat as another indication that the team must become more consistent throughout matches rather than performing at a high level for only part of the game.
## Alonso refuses to make excuses
Chelsea were without captain Reece James and João Pedro for the trip to Brentford, but Alonso refused to use their absences as an explanation for the defeat.
The manager said the team must take responsibility, assess what went wrong and work to improve.
> “It’s not about talking or looking for excuses. We need to look at each other and know we have to work and improve.”
Alonso added that there is still a long way to go but admitted there are “many things” Chelsea need to examine.
The defeat leaves Chelsea with **seven points from their opening five Premier League matches**, while they have conceded **12 goals** during that period. Brentford, meanwhile, maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign with the victory.
For Alonso, the immediate task is clear: use the international break to address Chelsea's defensive problems, improve their consistency and ensure the team can compete at the required level for the entire match.