Chelsea manager admits squad failed to defend or attack in 1-0 loss
Xabi Alonso accepted full responsibility for the defeat at Sunderland, criticizing his team's lack of creativity and defensive structure despite a controversial penalty decision.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Xabi Alonso accepted that his Chelsea side did not defend or attack well enough after falling 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon. The result left the Blues with no points from the trip to face Sunderland, a team that entered the match sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table with a single win in their previous nine games.
The only goal of the match came from an Enzo Le Fee penalty. The decision sparked debate, as referee officials called for Levi Colwill to have hauled down Brian Brobbey. Video replays suggested both players were pulling at each other's shirts during the challenge.
Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders voiced his disagreement with the call on Sky Sports. He stated, 'For me it wasn't a penalty. He barely touched him, I think it was the other way round. He grabbed him.' In contrast, Alonso told the BBC that he had not reviewed the footage and saw no reason to criticize the referee. 'It is something that is our fault. We could have done better,' he said.
Alonso focused his criticism on his defenders' handling of Brobbey. He noted that the Dutchman created opportunities from transitions and secured the penalty. 'He is not unstoppable. He is stoppable but when you defend better than we did today,' Alonso added. He believed his back line could have managed the physical threat more effectively.
The manager also expressed frustration with his forwards. He told the BBC that Chelsea did not produce enough to win. 'We were against a low block we missed a bit of patience, a bit of quality, a bit of creativity on the last third to create more chances, you need to be more consistent to move the ball from one side to the other that we didn't do good enough,' he said.
When asked if Sunderland bullied Chelsea physically, Alonso rejected the idea. He argued that his team had situations where they could have defended better and held better advantages in attack. 'Not bullied. There’s situations that we could have defended better. Situations that we could have had better advantages in attack,' he stated.
The defeat left Chelsea in fifth place in the Premier League standings. Sunderland moved up to 18th position following the win.
