Chelsea signed a striker from Brighton for the 2nd successive summer, bringing successful Welbeck to reunite him with Joao Pedro and supply enactment successful attack.
Welbeck, 35, was tidy successful possession but, with small service, managed lone 17 touches earlier being substituted successful the 71st minute.
Unlike Joao Pedro, who is susceptible of creating chances for himself, Welbeck recovered it hard to power the crippled successful the aforesaid way.
Joao Pedro came into the play with the astir extremity involvements successful the Premier League, having scored 3 and provided 3 assists successful 4 appearances this season.
His interaction extends beyond goals and assists, with the Brazilian linking good with Palmer and Rogers. Against Brentford, however, Rogers arguably produced his quietest show since arriving from Aston Villa successful the summer.
Rogers yet moved up beforehand with chap striker Emmanuel Emegha sidelined done wounded and inactive waiting to marque his Chelsea debut.
Before Brentford's opener, it was a intimately contested lucifer that appeared apt to beryllium decided by the archetypal goal. Chelsea, however, made triumph a certainty for the hosts with a melodramatic collapse.
Alonso has not managed to cure Chelsea's set-piece weaknesses. They person conceded 23 goals from set-pieces since the commencement of past play - nary Premier League broadside has fto successful more. And Anthony's elemental header from a country took this season's full to five.
Set-piece defending was an country Chelsea sought to code erstwhile they appointed Bernardo Cueva from Brentford 2 years ago. This summer, helium was replaced by different highly regarded specializer successful Austin MacPhee.
Asked astir Chelsea's defending from set-pieces, stand-in skipper Levi Colwill told Sky Sports: "Not bully enough. At times we person been bullied successful the container and we decidedly request to improve.
"We person afloat spot successful our set-piece manager and are inactive adjusting to caller ideas, but we request to amended arsenic a team."
Like galore of his predecessors, Alonso has been attempting to instil a stronger competitory borderline wrong his squad and amended the mentality of his players.
That contented has often been linked to the comparatively young property illustration of the squad, but Chelsea fielded their oldest starting XI since May 2023. Henderson, successful making his debut connected Friday, lined up alongside chap over-30s Welbeck and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
"I would accidental that we person dropped our consistency and our competitory mentality successful the 2nd half. We cognize that tiny details tin beryllium decisive," Alonso said aft Brentford added 2 precocious goals.
It is besides just to accidental Alonso is inactive experimenting with systems and personnel, and has yet to settee connected a benignant of play that gives his broadside power passim a match.
"It's not astir looking for excuses," the Spaniard told Sky Sports. "We request to look astatine each different and cognize that we person to enactment and amended due to the fact that determination is inactive a agelong mode to go."
After the archetypal excitement - and victories - provided by Alonso's attacking football, Chelsea caput into the planetary interruption with superior questions to answer.
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