Chelsea 1-4 Brentford: Three lessons learnt in frustrating defeat
3. One of those days
On the back of the last slide, it goes without saying there were no good performances against Brentford. Thomas Frank’s high press irritated Chelsea from the opening whistle and the home side was never able to settle into the match. It was largely thought to be a near-full strength starting XI from Tuchel as he kept one eye on Real Madrid, who comes to London on Wednesday. The positions he opted to rotate in exposed the flaws within the Blues’ game though.
There are going to be a lot of negative reactions from the Chelsea faithful following this contest. It’s easy to get upset about football, and while I didn’t like what I saw from Tuchel’s team on Saturday, it’s not something to sweat over. There has been a precedent set by the Blues following this type of performance. Last season, they were beaten 5-2 at home by soon-to-be relegated West Brom. What did the team do afterward? Chelsea went on to secure top four, reach an FA Cup final and win the bloody Champions League.
The reality of the situation is that these things happen in sports. It feels unfair to call this contest a fluke because Brentford genuinely played an excellent match, but that’s what it was for all intents and purposes. This match was one of those where the Blues should simply slap the Benny Hill theme music on the game film and watch it back sped up before turning their attention to the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal contest.
As odd as it sounds, it’s almost a blessing that Chelsea was humbled at home by Brentford following a lengthy unbeaten run. The Club World Cup Champions were bound to lose at some point. The defeat puts pressure on the team as Arsenal can now move within two points of third with a win on Monday, sure, that’s where the Blues thrive though. Tuchel and his squad will be well aware that they still control their own destiny with games against the Gunners and Manchester United upcoming. Furthermore, a win on Wednesday over Carlo Ancelotti and visiting Los Blancos will see fans forget about this loss without a second thought.
At the end of the day, it just wasn’t Chelsea’s day. There is nothing wrong with admitting that either, so long as the Blues right their wrongs during the remainder of the month with wins in a handful of massive fixtures.
Next. The next man up for Chelsea: Centerback Levi Colwill. dark
What are three lessons you learnt in the Blues’ embarrassing defeat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!