10 hours ago
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A frustrated Xabi Alonso accused his Chelsea players of dropping their 'competitive mentality' in the second-half of their 3-0 drubbing by Brentford.
Alonso's Blues shipped three goals in a dire second 45 display and they are now winless in three games as they go into the three-week international break.
It was their first defeat at their west London neighbours' ground since the Bees' promotion to the Premier League in 2021.
In a sluggish first-half, both teams managed just two shots on target but Brentford were invigorated after the break and took the game to Chelsea.
Alonso's side, meanwhile, failed to test Caoimhin Kelleher in the second-half as they failed to score for the first time this season.
Speaking post-match, Blues boss Alonso admitted he has a tough job on his hands and bemoaned the second-half drop-off.
Xabi Alonso hit out at his Chelsea players for dropping their 'competitive mentality' in their 3-0 defeat by Brentford
The Blues go into the international break on the back of no win in three and were second best in west London
'We dropped our consistency and competitive mentality in the second half,' said Alonso. 'The small details can be decisive.
'You don't have to give advantage in these kind of games where they do with little, they get a lot and credit to them.
'It's about 90 minutes and we have not been able to keep that level throughout these few games at the start of the season. It's something we have to do better.
'It's a process and it's still five games in a competitive Premier League where each game is really hard. We knew it was going to be hard, so (the job) is not going to be easy at all.'
Brentford boss Keith Andrews, meanwhile, went through it all.
Andrews has led the Bees to third in the Premier League standings as he looks to build on a successful campaign last season, which saw the club narrowly miss out on qualification for Europe.
'I feel like I have played,' Andrews told BBC Match of the Day. 'It's important that you enjoy evenings like this because you work so hard and there are so many tough days in this game.
'When you play against a west London rival, and you build up to a game and you go on a bit of a journey with the team, there are always bumps along the way, but we were in a really good place and it's nice to see it come to fruition tonight.'
He added: 'I felt there was a performance bubbling. I just could see that in the players' eyes last couple of days.
'The approach has been really focused and I thought in the second-half in particular we showed exactly what we are.'
