The best clubs in the world are not rocked by a singular injury. If they are, then they haven't recruited well enough, which immediately makes them a poorly run club.
Last night against Brentford, Chelsea looked like a fraction of the team they've been since the start of the season. The Bees ran rings around them, and to be frank, Chelsea deserved everything that came their way.
The problem was not Danny Welbeck, nor was the problem that Joao Pedro was out injured. To point the blame at those two realities is to make excuses, which is something no Xabi Alonso team of the past has done.
Xabi Alonso spits the cold, hard Joao Pedro truth
Speaking after the game, Xabi Alonso addressed Joao Pedro's absence, sending a message that the narrative should not be here.
“João Pedro out? No excuses," said Xabi Alonso. "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”.
Of course, Pedro is a pivotal player in Alonso's system. In fact, he's the most pivotal player; it is not an exaggeration to say that. Only behind Erling Haaland, he is the second-best striker in the Premier League.
If Chelsea cannot function when he's not in the team, that's not Pedro's fault; it's Chelsea's. They were naturally going to be a little less fluid without him on the frontline, but Danny Welbeck is more than capable of slotting into a good system.
The fact that Welbeck was absent was not his fault. Again, it was Chelsea's fault. If a striker of his experience struggles to slot into a system, then the system is bad.
A great system is not reliant on players; it is reliant on the system itself. Chelsea have learned this the hard way, but Alonso needs to learn these things sooner rather than later.
Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have carried a large weight for the Blues this season. Many expect that it's not sustainable to set up in such a way that flourishes in attack but leaves gaps in defence, and the cracks are starting to show now.
That said, there is absolutely no need to overreact. There is a need, though, to react. By the sound of Alonso's comments, he is already in stage one of reacting, and that is to take accountability. It is certainly more than what can be said of Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham, but hey, that's a story for another day.
Add us as a preferred source on Google