John Terry has urged caution ahead of Chelsea’s game against Arsenal next weekend (Picture: John Terry YouTube) John Terry hopes Xabi Alonso uses his time on the training pitch wisely this week after another patchy defensive display against Brighton. The Blues continued their 100% start to the new season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Seagulls. Chelsea’s star studded attack again offered a tantalising glimpse of the threat they will offer over the course of the next nine months. Cole Palmer looks somewhere near back to his best and has struck up an instant rapport with Morgan Rogers, while Joao Pedro finally appears to have ended the club’s search for a dependable No.9. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. At the other end, however, the defensive frailty that has plagued Chelsea over the past couple of seasons was again in evidence, despite the presence of new goalkeeper Emi Martinez who was making his debut following a move from Aston Villa. With five goals conceded in two matches, Terry acknowledges that level of defensive generosity is unsustainable and improvements are required ahead of Sunday’s meeting with title rivals Arsenal. The former Chelsea captain told his YouTube channel: ‘As good as the attacking play was I think we have to look at the defence and I’m sure the manager will in the next few days. Emi Martinez conceded three goals on his Chelsea debut (Picture: Getty) ‘Five goals conceded in two games not good enough really, I think we need to tighten that up for sure and I think that will happen for sure with Martinez coming in. ‘Again, when the manager has got time and space to work within these weeks I’m sure this is something he’s going to look to improve. ‘Also, as a back three or four, whatever it may be, a back five at times, he hasn’t really had much time with players away at the World Cup. ‘I’m sure the manager is really going to look to get into those defensive sessions and how we can improve. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Alonso doesn't want to talk about the Chelsea goalkeeper situation until he's addressed the players","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/08\/28\/5973446237838490050\/480x270_MP4_5973446237838490050.mp4","description":"Will Sanchez be starting in goal when Chelsea play Brighton at the weekend?","duration":"T9M43S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/08\/28\/14\/110908679-0-image-a-1_1787922258551.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-08-28T14:09:11+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘We have a big game coming up away to the champions Arsenal, that’s going to be a big game and a huge test. ‘The manager has got time and space within those five days to work on us defensively because they’ve shown last year and early this year they’ve got goals in their team and they’re a very good side. ‘They’re big favourites for the Premier League for me Arsenal so it’s going to be a tough game.’ Robert Sanchez, whose blunders in Monday’s win over Fulham prompted the club to go after Martinez, was not in squad, with his future at the club now in serious doubt. Robert Sanchez wasn’t in the Chelsea squad against Brighton (Picture: AFP) The goalkeeper position had been see
Casemiro filled Lionel Messi with praise after the four goals scored and the assist delivered in Inter Miami's game against CF Montreal: "He's still the best." Lionel Messi proved to be the decisive catalyst in leading Inter Miami back to the winning column, delivering a four-goal masterclass and an assist in a blowout victory over CF Montreal. Following the dominant display, star midfielder Casemiro offered high praise for the Argentine icon, declaring, “He’s still the best.“ Inter Miami had been mired in one of their most difficult stretches of the season, dropping four matches and drawing once over a five-game slide that featured an early exit from the Leagues Cup and lost ground in the 2026 Supporters’ Shield race. However, as he has done since arriving in South Florida, Messi provided the spark to jumpstart the Herons. Although Casemiro opened the scoring with a 20th-minute header, Fabian Herbers quickly answered with an equalizer to create early tension at Nu Stadium. Starting with a set-piece strike in the 40th minute, Messi took complete control of the match, adding goals in the 52nd, 83rd, and 90+6 minutes while setting up Luis Suarez in the 80th to seal a 7-1 rout for the hosts over Montreal. Speaking to Apple TV post-match, Casemiro reflected on the team’s bounce-back effort and pivoted immediately to Messi’s brilliance: “We played well, we put in a good match. This is what having Messi on your team is all about. You have to enjoy these moments, because he is a person… a player who makes history.” ❤️🇧🇷🇦🇷 Casemiro, para Lionel Messi:“Esto es lo que es tener a Messi en tu equipo. Hay que disfrutar estos momentos, porque es una persona… un jugador que marca historia.Lo que hemos visto hoy tenemos que disfrutarlo. Seguir apoyándolo y seguir compitiendo con él, porque…— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) August 30, 2026 Messi set a franchise benchmark on the night, becoming the first player in Inter Miami history to score four goals in a single match. “What we saw today, we have to enjoy it. Keep supporting him and keep competing with him, because he is still the best and he proved it in the World Cup. We have to enjoy being with him because with him we are much stronger,” Casemiro concluded. Inter Miami experienced an emotional slump following the passing of Messi’s father in early August, during which the forward’s production temporarily dipped below his standard form. Casemiro’s public show of support highlights a unified locker room rallying around their captain as they pursue hardware in the final stretch of 2026. Messi continues to rewrite the MLS record book Netting two of his four goals directly from free kicks elevated Messi into a tie for second place on soccer’s all-time set-piece scoring list, adding another milestone to his legendary career. At the same time, the performance established yet another landmark within Major League Soccer. By scoring four goals on Saturday, Lionel Messi became the fastest player in MLS history to record 20 multi-goal games, reaching the milestone in just 72 matches. The Argentine surpassed the previous standard held by former teammate Josef Martinez, who reached 20 multi-goal games in 100 matches, while outpacing iconic figures like Robbie Keane (124), Bradley Wright-Phillips (149), and Landon Donovan (178).
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