Chelsea's draw against Brentford might have been the clearest sign yet that this team is not ready to compete for the Premier League just yet. Of course, it would be unfair to overlook the injuries and fitness issues they have been dealing with. That being said, that is the reality of their situation and they need to find a way to win despite that. That is what champion sides do.
Chelsea might not be a million miles away from being a champion side. They showed that by coming back from a goal down to lead, thanks to brilliant strikes from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo.
But when they should have seen the game out and sealed all three points, they could not deal with a long throw-in from Brentford and ended up conceding. It was not against the run of play either. The Bees had knocked on the door a couple of times before finding the back of the net in added time.
In the aftermath, Alejandro Garnacho has been pointed out as the man who should have done better in the sequence which led to the goal. As reported by Metro, Shay Given said on BBC’s Match of the Day:
"All Garnacho has to do is mark his man and Brentford don’t score. He switches off and reacts too late. His body shape is all wrong, he’s watching the ball, he should be glued to Carvalho, man-to-man.
‘He switches off, he reacts after but it’s too late, the ball is in the back of the net. It’s poor defending, but Brentford deserve credit."
'All wrong' - Chelsea player slammed for what he did vs Brentford
That just goes on to show that even if you are not a defender, your defence can cost your team points. We are pretty sure this is something that the players will work on on the training pitch.
They do not have much time to dwell on this missed opportunity though. Their next game is against Bayern Munich, as the Blues end their two-year wait to return to the Champions League.
We would also like to point out that for the most part, Garnacho looked pretty good after coming on. His direct play gave the Brentford defenders trouble and helped create a few chances for Chelsea. With Jamie Gittens looking nowhere near the grade in his first few appearances, it would not be a surprise if the Argentine moves ahead of him in the pecking order very soon.