Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has publicly criticized young forward Alejandro Garnacho following Chelsea’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on September 13, 2025. The Premier League encounter saw Chelsea miss the chance to move top of the table as Brentford scored a stoppage-time equalizer through Fabio Carvalho.
Despite Chelsea taking the lead late in the match with a stunning goal from Moises Caicedo in the 85th minute, Brentford’s resilience paid off when substitute Carvalho bundled in a last-gasp equalizer in the 93rd minute. The result left Chelsea sitting fifth in the standings instead of first.
Zola pointed to Garnacho committing “the same mistake” repeatedly during the game, impacting Chelsea’s defensive stability. The young winger was caught out defensively on several occasions, including in the lead-up to Brentford’s late goal when his positioning allowed Carvalho to score from a long throw-in.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made a triple substitution at halftime in a bid to spark the team’s sluggish first-half performance, bringing on Garnacho along with Reece James and Marc Cucurella. Although the changes injected energy and led to a comeback goal from Cole Palmer, the defensive lapses persisted.
Zola urged Garnacho to learn from this and improve his concentration and decision-making. “He’s a very talented player, but you cannot keep making the same errors,” Zola said in post-match analysis, emphasizing the importance of growth in such a competitive league.
Chelsea fans will be hoping Garnacho addresses these shortcomings as the team continues to push for a top-four Premier League finish and a strong showing in Europe.
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