Alonso explains reasons for heavy defeat against Brentford

Xabi Alonso, the manager of Chelsea, spoke about the defeat his team suffered, losing 3-0 to Brentford, in the match held at Gtech Community Stadium, as part of the fifth round of the Premier League.

Alonso said in statements to the MOTD program: "Everything was disappointing, especially the result, but we can perform better. We must do that. During 45 minutes we were competing well, but we dropped off in the second half and conceded three goals."

He added: "You have to be at the highest level of concentration, and once you concede a goal from set pieces, it gives the opponent an advantage and control, because conceding a second goal makes things much more difficult, and we lost some discipline as we approached the penalty area. We need to correct that; it was our mistakes."

Regarding Chelsea's inability to create opportunities, he explained: "In the 1st half we were present in the match, but we didn't create big chances. We made mistakes in the final pass and the last dribble to get shots in clear situations, but that's just one part. The other part is about needing to stand firm when you need to, and to be cohesive, as the opponent tries to attack you, and you have to know how to defend and stay solid. We need to win duels and be more stable in that aspect."

Speaking about Chelsea's need to improve their defensive side after the international break, Alonso said: "It's about everything, but certainly individual and collective details need to be better. However, it's not just about defending; there are also aspects when we have the ball that we need to improve."

Regarding the international break, Alonso concluded his statements by saying: "This is the reality. Now we will have some time with some players, but we cannot change that."