Brentford 3–0 Chelsea, and the numbers are just as ugly
Three games without a win. Chelsea's Friday trip to Brentford ended 3–0 to the hosts, and it was the performance that stung as much as the result (1) (2).
Your xG sits at 7.3, which puts you below mid-table (1) (2). Exceptional attackers have been carrying this team, and the defending has been bad all season (1).
You are 10th on 7 points from 5 games, with a goal difference of minus two.
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Alonso and Colwill did not sugarcoat it
Xabi Alonso questioned his squad's mentality after the Brentford defeat (1) (2).
Levi Colwill went further. "Some of the most damning quotes after the game came from Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who admitted his team were sometimes getting bullied by the opposition" (1). It is not often a senior defender says that out loud.
Verlaney lost it over Neto
Pedro Neto's shift at right wing back has a pundit raging. "I almost think he needs to play as a left wing back moving forward, because if I have to see him shift the ball from his right foot, where he clearly doesn't want to pass it, I'm going to lose it," Nick Verlaney said (2).
Palmer out of England duty, and that is fine by you
Cole Palmer was one of five England players withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel's squad for the Nations League fixtures. Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford also dropped out, with James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White called up (11) (12) (14).
Palmer has been your best player this season, so the rest helps (7). One pundit has questioned whether he actually wants to play for England (8).
Camara again, and Liverpool are circling
Gianluca Di Marzio is clear on Lamine Camara: "Chelsea will come back for Camara, and Liverpool is also there looking at him" (9).
Denis Zakaria, who played for Chelsea, says he told Camara to stay put. "Chelsea? I told him that it was good but that it is better here" (10) (3).
Chelsea Women open Europe on Wednesday
Chelsea Women face Austria Wien W in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday (5).
No game until Bournemouth on 10 October
You do not play again until Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 10 October (4). The run after that is demanding, with Liverpool's date now confirmed (4).
One name to file away: Chelsea are monitoring Conrad Harder's progress at Strasbourg through the BlueCo connection (6).
Fan reactions
The tactical debate around Alonso is the main thread right now, with fans picking apart how much variety this Chelsea side actually has in its setup. One thread on r/soccer digs into exactly that. Elsewhere, the talk has drifted to Liam Delap and whether he can ever be England's answer up front.
