John Terry tells Xabi Alonso to rethink Chelsea’s set-piece defending

John Terry has urged Xabi Alonso to reconsider Chelsea’s zonal marking system after another worrying defensive display in the 3-0 defeat against Brentford.

Chelsea enter the international break tenth in the Premier League with seven points from five matches. They are without a victory in their last three league games and are still waiting for their first clean sheet of the season.

Their problems defending set-pieces were exposed again at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Jaidon Anthony opened the scoring from a Mikkel Damsgaard corner before Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho completed a convincing Brentford victory.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Terry argued that Chelsea should move towards man-to-man marking rather than relying so heavily on zones.

“I’m a little bit old school, I like man for man,” the former Chelsea captain said. “I don’t like this zonal marking.”

Terry believes Brentford recognised Chelsea were vulnerable at the back post, particularly when smaller players were left competing against significantly stronger aerial opponents.

He specifically questioned Valentin Barco being placed in situations where he was expected to challenge players such as Jannik Schuster.

For Terry, the biggest issue with zonal defending is accountability. He believes defenders should have clearly assigned opponents, making responsibility obvious when a set-piece is lost.

“I prefer our biggest and best headerers competing at the back post, winning those headers, dominating our penalty box,” he added.

The wider defensive numbers underline Terry’s concerns.

Chelsea have now gone 21 Premier League matches without keeping a clean sheet and have faced 72 shots across their opening five league games this season.

“It’s really not good enough,” Terry said, describing those numbers as “unacceptable”.

The international break provides Alonso with time to assess the problem, although many members of his squad will be away representing their countries.

Terry believes simplifying Chelsea’s defensive responsibilities could provide part of the solution, particularly when dealing with first contacts from corners and free-kicks.

After conceding three at Brentford, Chelsea return knowing defensive improvement is becoming increasingly important if their difficult start is to be reversed.

Alonso has three weeks before Chelsea return against Bournemouth on October 10, giving his staff time to examine a defence that has struggled both from set-pieces and open play.

With Chelsea and Bournemouth having each conceded 23 Premier League set-piece goals since the beginning of last season, defending dead-ball situations will be an obvious area for improvement before that meeting.