“You’re nothing special, we lose every week,” was the chant from one Chelsea supporter in the direction of Brentford fans after the game on Saturday evening. That hasn’t been the case recently, though, but against teams that do what Brentford did, it definitely is the case.
The Bees were outplayed by Chelsea in the first-half at Stamford Bridge. The Blues looked brilliant; creating chances at will through Cole Palmer, who was finding so much space in between the visitors’ defence and midfield.
Chelsea, however, were unable to find the back of the net as we went into the half-time break. Whatever Thomas Frank said to his players during the 15-minute stoppage, it worked absolutely wonders. As for Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino’s team talk did the opposite.
To say the Blues were slow coming out for the second period would be a huge understatement. Brentford could sense this and they pounced on the lacklustre hosts on the 58-minute mark, with Ethan Pinnock heading the ball past Robert Sanchez at the far post.
For Brentford then, their game plan became clear: try and frustrate Chelsea as much as possible. Make the middle of the pitch crowded and force the Blues out wide. It is something several teams have done at Stamford Bridge already this season and each time it has stumped the Blues.
In truth, Chelsea created very little in the second period when they needed to the most. Palmer was not as impactful in the second-half, with Brentford learning how to deal with the 21-year-old attacker a bit more – especially in comparison to the opening 45 minutes.
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Nicolas Jackson struggled to get involved which caused some frustration amongst the Chelsea fans. The Senegal international was coming short at times to get the ball but was unable to penetrate Brentford’s defence in behind.
With Chelsea pushing strongly for a late equaliser, goalkeeper Sanchez went forward for a corner. Brentford, though, managed to clear, leaving Neal Maupay with an open goal. The Frenchman, though, was unselfish and passed it to Bryan Mbeumo, who tapped the ball into an empty net.
For Pochettino, it’s a game he has seen a number of times already in the early days of his tenure at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, for all of their attacking talent – who, let’s not forget, have been excellent in recent matches – are unable to effectively play against teams that put a lot of men behind the ball after going 1-0 up.
Up next in the Premier League is a trip to leaders Tottenham next Monday. Bizarrely, that is the sort of match that suits Chelsea so much more than someone like Brentford at home.
Spurs, who are flying under new boss Ange Postecoglou, will come out and attack their London rivals, which will leave them more open at the back for possible counter-attacks from the visitors. Of course, Tottenham have more attacking talent than the likes of Brentford, so it is a risky game to play.
But at the moment it looks like this Chelsea team, like we saw against Arsenal and Liverpool already this season, absolutely thrive when playing against teams that come and attack them. It may mean there are a lot of goals in the game, like the Gunners draw last weekend, but this sort of match seems to be the one Pochettino and his men look forward to more.
In the second period against the Bees, especially in the last 10-or-so minutes, Chelsea were not patient enough. They were just aimlessly looping crosses into the box in stoppage time and it was far too easy and straightforward for Brentford to deal with.
Pochettino needs to instil more patience in his player’s head because, for all of Chelsea’s improvement in recent games, Saturday’s defeat to Brentford shows they are still easy to play when the opposition sets up in a certain style. And that is not on.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
