Chelsea Fans Slam 'Fraud' Austin MacPhee After 3-0 Brentford Loss

· GiveMeSport

Angry Chelsea fans have already turned on 'fraud' summer arrival after 3-0 Brentford loss.

The main area in which Chelsea need to improve is clear. Xabi Alonso's side have the weakest defence in the Premier League, having conceded 12 goals in the competition so far this season.

Emiliano Martinez was signed as an upgrade on Robert Sanchez, but has let in 10 goals in his first four games. Three of those came as the Blues lost 3-0 away at Brentford on Friday night in their final outing before the extended international break.

That loss means Chelsea have not won in the league since beating Brighton 4-3 in August, losing to Arsenal and drawing with Hull City in their two games before this most recent defeat vs the Bees. Many players have come in for criticism over the past few weeks, but one different sort of summer arrival has also been the target of some rage.

In the modern era, set-piece coaches are more valuable than ever. Arsenal won the Premier League last term, partly due to their strength from corners, with Nicolas Jover earning plenty of praise for his role in that along the way.

Adding to that, Brentford boss Keith Andrews was initially the club's set-piece coach before replacing Thomas Frank in 2025. But it was the man in the opposite dugout who drew attention on Friday night.

During the summer, Chelsea paid an undisclosed fee to bring Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge. The Villans scored 29 set-piece goals last season, which was the joint-most across Europe alongside Arsenal.

With all that in mind, big things were expected of the Scottish coach. However, the early stages of his time in West London are yet to yield any results. In fact, things appear to have got even worse in a defensive sense.

Per WhoScored, Chelsea have conceded five set-piece goals in five games so far. This is the most of any team in the Premier League. There were issues again against Brentford, as Jaidon Anthony headed home the opener on the hour mark, prompting Jordan Henderson to berate goalkeeper Martinez over his positioning from the corner.

New boss Alonso wasn't happy either, remarking after the game: "Once you concede from set pieces, it gives them an advantage." Summing up the discontent, MacPhee was visibly annoyed when Pedro Neto chipped a free-kick straight into Caoimhin Kelleher's hands when trying to cross the ball into the box.

Despite being just five games into his job with Chelsea, some fans have already turned on MacPhee. After the game, there was anger online, with one supporter saying:

> "Austin McPhee is on fraud watch. How many corners and free kicks did we have with no return? And we concede from a corner too. Pointless appointment."

Another said: "Hilarious set-piece defending. I'm resigning tomorrow if I'm Austin MacPhee." While someone added: "Austin MacPhee is a fraud."

A fourth demanded: "Austin MacPhee should f walk. Sabotage of the highest level." And another wrote: "We need to have a serious conversation about Austin MacPhee."

Someone else noted: "Austin MacPhee is doing next to nothing with our set pieces." While a final fan stated: "If the job of a set piece coach is to create chances using set pieces and to defend set pieces, which it is, then this guy Austin MacPhee is doing a poor job."

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