Chelsea's problem was once again defending.
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problem → defend → ?
But with striker Joao Pedro ruled out through injury, scoring goals also became an issue at Brentford on Friday.
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scoring → rule → Friday
The Brazilian striker's absence with a knee injury disrupted new manager Xabi Alonso's previously free-scoring attack, which featured Cole Palmer and club record £117m signing Morgan Rogers.
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which → disrupt → Palmer
Danny Welbeck replaced the forward, but was unable to make an impact.
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Welbeck → replace → impact
At Brentford, it was an even contest until Jaidon Anthony gave the hosts a 61st-minute lead - then Chelsea collapsed to a 3-0 defeat.
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Chelsea → give → defeat
Early on this season, Chelsea were outscoring teams through the individual brilliance of their attack.
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Chelsea → outscore → attack
And they have conceded 12 goals, more than any other side in the Premier League, albeit having played a game more than every other team.
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they → concede → team
Alonso is only the sixth manager to concede two or more goals in each of his first five Premier League matches in charge.
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Alonso → concede → charge
There is one conclusion to draw from that statistic: It is becoming increasingly urgent for Alonso to stop Chelsea from conceding.
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Alonso → be → Chelsea
Some of his team's problems are inherited, but the new manager has not built any kind of tactical coherence in the opening weeks of the campaign.
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manager → inherit → campaign
Alonso has experimented with different systems, giving 11 debuts, including two on Friday - one for midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, the first 16-year-old to play for Chelsea in the Premier League, and one for new signing Jordan Henderson, 36, against his former club.
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Alonso → experiment → club
Ultimately, it was a tale of Chelsea's attack not firing, and the team then falling apart after Brentford got their noses in front.
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Brentford → fire → front
With the extended international break coming up, they have three weeks to stew on this latest defeat.
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they → come → defeat
Lack of cutting edge caused a defensive collapse
Chelsea signed a striker from Brighton for the second successive summer, bringing in Welbeck to reunite him with Joao Pedro and provide support in attack.
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Chelsea → cut → attack
Welbeck, 35, was tidy in possession but, with little service, managed only 17 touches before being substituted in the 71st minute.
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Welbeck → manage → minute
Unlike Joao Pedro, who is capable of creating chances for himself, Welbeck found it difficult to influence the game in the same way.
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it → create → way
Joao Pedro came into the weekend with the most goal involvements in the Premier League, having scored three and provided three assists in four appearances this season.
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Pedro → come → appearances
His impact extends beyond goals and assists, with the Brazilian linking well with Palmer and Rogers.
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Brazilian → extend → Palmer
Against Brentford, however, Rogers arguably produced his quietest performance since arriving from Aston Villa in the summer.
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Rogers → produce → summer
Rogers eventually moved up front with fellow striker Emmanuel Emegha sidelined through injury and still waiting to make his Chelsea debut.
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Emegha → move → debut
Before Brentford's opener, it was a closely contested match that appeared likely to be decided by the first goal.
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that → contest → goal
Chelsea, however, made victory a certainty for the hosts with a dramatic collapse.
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victory → make → collapse
Alonso has not managed to cure Chelsea's set-piece weaknesses.
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Alonso → manage → weaknesses
They have conceded 23 goals from set-pieces since the start of last season - no Premier League side has let in more.
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side → concede → more
And Anthony's simple header from a corner took this season's total to five.
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header → take → five
Set-piece defending was an area Chelsea sought to address when they appointed Bernardo Cueva from Brentford two years ago.
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they → seek → Brentford
This summer, he was replaced by another highly regarded specialist in Austin MacPhee.
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he → replace → MacPhee
Asked about Chelsea's defending from set-pieces, stand-in captain Levi Colwill told Sky Sports: "Not good enough.
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Colwill → ask → Sports
At times we have been bullied in the box and we definitely need to improve.
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we → bully → box
"We have full trust in our set-piece coach and are still adjusting to new ideas, but we need to improve as a team.
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we → have → team
Like many of his predecessors, Alonso has been attempting to instil a stronger competitive edge within his squad and improve the mentality of his players.
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Alonso → attempt → players
That issue has often been linked to the relatively young age profile of the squad, but Chelsea fielded their oldest starting XI since May 2023.
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Chelsea → link → May
Henderson, in making his debut on Friday, lined up alongside fellow over-30s Welbeck and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
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Henderson → make → Welbeck
"I would say that we have dropped our consistency and our competitive mentality in the second half.
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we → say → half
We know that small details can be decisive," Alonso said after Brentford added two late goals.
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Brentford → know → goals
It is also fair to say Alonso is still experimenting with systems and personnel, and has yet to settle on a style of play that gives his side control throughout a match.
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that → say → match
"It's not about looking for excuses," the Spaniard told Sky Sports.
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Spaniard → look → Sports
"We need to look at each other and know that we have to work and improve because there is still a long way to go."
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we → need → other
After the initial excitement - and victories - provided by Alonso's attacking football, Chelsea head into the international break with serious questions to answer.
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Chelsea → provide → questions
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