Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 by Brentford on Friday (Photo: Getty) Steve Nicol believes one of Xabi Alonso’s summer signings is ‘not ready’ to start for Chelsea following a poor performance in the 3-0 loss at Brentford. Chelsea were humiliated by their west London rivals on Friday night, failing to score for the first time this season while their defensive woes continued. The Blues have now conceded 12 goals in five games, more than any other Premier League side, and some have suggested their lack of midfield grit is the problem. With Enzo Fernandez sold and not replaced, Reece James and Moises Caicedo injured and Romeo Lavia only fit enough for the bench, Alonso fielded Valentin Barco and debutant Jordan Henderson against Brentford. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. While Alonso praised Henderson’s impact, Nicol was unimpressed with Barco’s anonymous performance and is ‘concerned’ about Chelsea’s midfield options. ‘When you lose a goal, the guts of your team are the ones that have to go around everybody, particularly Henderson,’ the Liverpool legend said on ESPN after the match. ‘And unfortunately, it looks as though Barco isn’t ready quite yet to be starting in that midfield because I don’t really remember him particularly impressing on any part of the game. Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco started the defeat at Brentford (Photo: Reuters) ‘His passing wasn’t incredible. He certainly doesn’t scare you physically. I don’t know how quick he gets around the ground because it didn’t look today as though he was quick. ‘So, I’m not sure what his strength is. Certainly, I never saw any strength today. Henderson did okay, but when I’m looking for a response, I want the middle of the field to be as strong as any other part. ‘And the middle of the field for me is the part of the team that has to drive everybody forward, whether it’s getting the ball or stopping the opposition and I didn’t really see that, certainly in the second-half I didn’t. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Chelsea boss admits side must improve after being 'bullied' in defeat","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/19\/6193480281778600131\/480x270_MP4_6193480281778600131.mp4","description":"Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso speaks to the media after his side lost 3-0 away at Brentford in the Premier League on Friday night.","duration":"T2M29S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/19\/09\/111345953-0-image-m-5_1789806041765.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-19T09:24:02+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'); } }); ‘Barco is only young, he’s only 22. But when we watch the game, we can only go on that. We can’t give everybody a pass. At the end of the day, none of that was there.’ Chelsea signed Barco from fellow BlueCo owned club Strasbourg for £34million after he helped Argentina reach the final of 2026 World Cup. This was the 22-year-old’s first start for the Blues in the Premier League having recently impressed in the Carabao Cup, getting a goal and an assist against Leeds United. Barco helped Argentina reach the World Cup final last summer (Photo: Getty) Contrary to Nicol, former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf b
