Chelsea drew 2-2 with Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
A much-changed team struggled as manager Enzo Maresca rotated the team to keep his Blues fresh for their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Unfortunately, the lack of cohesion was evident when Brentford took the lead via a ruthless finish by Kevin Schade.
Even when big hitters Cole Palmer and Reece James came on to change the game, turning the scoreline on its head, the Blues still looked susceptible.
Chelsea conceded a late goal in the 93rd minute after atrocious defending from a long throw.
The Blues were denied three points, even though many people would argue they didn’t deserve it.
Maresca highlighted Chelsea’s inability to deal with transitions, set-pieces and manage the game as a reason for the draw.
The Italian tactician said (via the BBC): “It’s a shame because we conceded in 93/94 minutes and we could have managed better at that moment.
“You have to be able to avoid transitions and set pieces – they scored from transitions and set pieces.
“It’s something we deal quite well with during the game, but in the end, we concede, and it’s a shame.”
Considering Brentford’s reputation in transition and the fact that manager Keith Andrews was a former set-piece coach, Chelsea should have done better.
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo had a bad day. Jorrel Hato struggled to find his groove while Wesley Fofana was understandably rusty, leaving Chelsea weak at the back.
The lack of understanding in defensive positioning by new signings Jamie Gittens and Facundo Buonanotte also didn’t help.
Chelsea will hope to bounce back when they take on Bayern in mid-week, but that’ll be a tall order based on this showing.
