Chelsea beaten 2-0 by Portsmouth behind closed doors at Cobham

📰 Chelsea lost 2-0 to Portsmouth in a behind-closed-doors friendly at their Cobham training ground during the international break. 📌 Key points ⚽ Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Championship side Portsmouth. 🏟️ The game was played behind closed doors at Cobham. 🧢 Alonso focused on recovery and tactical work. 🌱 A mix of first-team and academy players appears to have featured. 📉 The issue of the league's worst defensive record is back under the spotlight. 📝 What happened 🏟️ Chelsea played a closed-doors practice match against Portsmouth at Cobham on Saturday and lost 2-0. The scorers and line-ups were not released. With many first-team players away on international duty, it was more of a training exercise than a game about the result. 🧢 According to Football.London, Xabi Alonso used the match to build up the fitness of players returning from injury and to fine-tune his tactics, while also giving youngsters a chance. Alonso has made it clear he is willing to use teenagers if needed. 🩹 The injury list is long too. Caicedo, James and Palmer are among those sidelined, and the same outlet reports that Félix has seen a specialist about a knee problem. 📉 The real worry is the defence. Chelsea have conceded 12 league goals, the most in the division, and have let in at least two in every league game. Absolute Chelsea pointed out that they are now winless in three league matches. 📊 By the numbers • Result vs Portsmouth: lost 0-2 • League goals conceded: 12 (most in the league) • Position after 5 league games: 10th (per Football.London) • Without a league win: 3 games in a row 🔭 Why it matters The friendly result itself means little, but the fact that the goals keep going in is a concern. Chelsea return to league action at home to Bournemouth on 10 October, followed by games against Everton and Tottenham. Shoring up the defence is the first step towards a revival.