For the second summer in a row, Chelsea recruited a forward from Brighton, signing Welbeck to join forces with Joao Pedro again and strengthen their attacking options.
The 35-year-old Welbeck used the ball efficiently, but limited service restricted him to only 17 touches before he was taken off in the 71st minute.
While Joao Pedro can often fashion opportunities on his own, Welbeck struggled to make a similar impression on the contest.
Joao Pedro began the weekend as the Premier League’s leading player for combined goals and assists, recording three of each across four appearances this season.
The Brazilian contributes more than goals and assists, developing an effective understanding with Palmer and Rogers. However, Rogers delivered perhaps his least influential display since moving from Aston Villa during the summer.
Rogers was eventually pushed into the central attacking role because fellow forward Emmanuel Emegha remains unavailable through injury and has yet to make his Chelsea debut.
The contest had been evenly balanced before Brentford broke the deadlock, with the opening goal looking likely to prove decisive. Chelsea then suffered a dramatic collapse that effectively handed the hosts victory.
Alonso has so far been unable to resolve Chelsea’s problems at set pieces. Since the beginning of last season, they have conceded 23 goals from such situations, the highest total in the Premier League. Anthony’s straightforward header from a corner raised this season’s tally to five.
Chelsea attempted to improve this part of their game by hiring Bernardo Cueva from Brentford two years ago. He departed this summer and was succeeded by another respected set-piece expert, Austin MacPhee.
Discussing Chelsea’s set-piece defending, temporary captain Levi Colwill told Sky Sports: “It has not been good enough. There have been moments when opponents have overpowered us inside the penalty area, and we clearly must get better.
“We completely believe in our set-piece coach and are continuing to adapt to his methods, but the entire team has to improve.”
As several Chelsea managers have done before him, Alonso is trying to make the squad more competitive and strengthen the players’ mentality.
The concern has regularly been attributed to the youthfulness of the squad, although Chelsea selected their oldest starting line-up since May 2023. Henderson made his debut on Friday and started alongside Welbeck and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who are also over 30.
“Our consistency and competitive attitude declined during the second half. We understand that minor details can determine the outcome,” Alonso said after Brentford scored twice in the closing stages.
Alonso is also continuing to test different formations and combinations of players, having not yet identified a playing approach that allows Chelsea to remain in control for an entire match.
“This is not about making excuses,” the Spanish coach told Sky Sports. “We must take responsibility and recognise that more work and improvement are required because we still have a considerable distance to cover.”
Following the early enthusiasm and positive results generated by Alonso’s attacking approach, Chelsea enter the international break facing a number of important concerns.
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