In a post on Truth Social, he said the US "will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland". He added: "This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special." In a statement, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said both Denmark and Greenland expect to sign an agreement with the US next week to strengthen security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region. Mr Trump previously called on Denmark to sell the island to the US, and repeatedly insisted that Greenland is crucial for US security. Denmark and Greenland have both consistently asserted that the island is not for sale. However, Mr Trump suggested in his social media post that an understanding may have been reached. He went on: "We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land. We will be very protective of it!" Parliamentary action by the Danish and Greenland governments will be required before the deal can be enforced. Ms Frederiksen said: "I am pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the kingdom of Denmark and the US. "An agreement that strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area and is therefore also good for NATO and Europe. "And an agreement that at the same time recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination." Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said it would "ensure and strengthen" the security of Greenland, Denmark, the US, and the Western alliance - calling it "to the benefit of us all". More from Sky News:Explainer: Trump's deal with Denmark over Greenland'Millisecond' software error caused air traffic outage US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the deal "permanently and completely" addressed Washington's national security concerns with respect to the island. "Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defence area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area," he added. Sky's US correspondent James Matthews said that conversations over the territory had centred around US security concerns. Reacting to the news, he said: "Discussions focused on Greenland territory being used for the golden dome - the defence shield to guard against missiles being fired over the Arctic region from the likes, potentially, of China and Russia. "There have also been American concerns about Chinese influence over Greenland and the US - it's been keen to ringfence its interests there."

He first gained public attention when he beat established US stars 50 Cent and The Game to the MOBO prize, going on to appear in TV shows including Top Boy and The Chase. His death was announced by the MOBO Awards, who shared a video on social media of Sway accepting best hip-hop act in 2005, calling his win "a huge moment for UK hip hop" They wrote: "We're deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sway. In 2005, he made MOBO history, beating global heavyweights including 50 Cent and The Game to win Best Hip-Hop Act - a huge moment for Sway and UK Hip Hop. Proud to have him as part of our history. Our love goes out to his family, loved ones and fans." So far, no cause of death has officially been given, but he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010. Influencer KSI paid tribute, writing on social media: "Ah man, this is a lot. Sway, Derek, thank you for everything you've done for me. "You believed in me when many didn't. You gave me a chance when many didn't." Crediting Sway as helping him grow as an artist, he added: "You were one of a kind man. I wish you were still here." Top Boy star Kadeem Ramsay paid tribute, writing: "Rest Up Legend." Singer Lemar wrote: "Your talent knew no bounds. Blessed to have shared the stage with you. Wish we'd have been able to have one more sit down. One more life discussion. But hey… we will one day. Until then. Rest in peace my friend. Love, love and more love." Kidulthood and Adulthood actor Adam Deacon also wrote: "We never did get to have that linkup. But I know he's looking down, giving me guidance in his own way." Collaborations with stars including Ed Sheeran and Riz Ahmed Born Derek Safo, Sway was born in Hornsey, north London, to Ghanaian parents, later becoming known professionally as Sway Dasafo. He broke the UK Top 40 in 2006 with songs from his debut album This Is My Demo, which was met with critical acclaim. The album was also nominated for the Mercury Prize, but lost out to the Arctic Monkeys' debut. He later signed with Akon's label, Konvict Music, alongside the likes of Lady Gaga and T-Pain, collaborating with stars including Ed Sheeran, Riz Ahmed, Tinchy Stryder and Kaiser Chiefs. Read more:British woman 'rescued' in Malawi'Bail granted' to Briton held in India In 2010, Sway was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma after discovering a lump on his neck. He described his feelings on receiving the diagnosis as like being "dropped in the middle of the sea with no lifejacket, no boat - no equipment to help me." He wrote about his experience for charity Lymphoma Action, and later recorded a song about it called The Sea. In 2011, he appeared in the first two episodes of Top Boy as the character Ross Rosten, and went on to take small roles in films The Grind and The Chase. He created his own record label, Dcypha Productions, in 2013, nurturing new artists at the start of their careers. Marrying his wife Helen in the same year, they had four children - Jalil, AJ, Inaya and Imara. In a recent social media post, sharing images of him with his children, he described himself as a single father. His most recent album, Verses From The Vault 2, was released in 2018. The rapper celebrated his 44th birthday earlier this month, sharing a picture of himself on Instagram standing alone in the sunshine, and captioned: "Chapter 44".

The headline polling numbers give one cause for concern. The Liberal Democrats are polling lower now than a year ago with every pollster. On average, the party are down over two percentage points from 12.7% to just over 10.3%, substantially below their vote share in the last general election (12.6% GB wide). There is some evidence that a resurgent Labour are squeezing the Lib Dems. The party's poll numbers are notably weaker since Andy Burnham became prime minister. But the Lib Dems were already on the slide when Burnham arrived - they regularly posted shares above 15% in 2025 YouGov polls but have not hit this level with the pollster since early January 2026. Leader approval In September 2025, an average of 22% of those polled approved of Davey's leadership, and 28% disapproved, giving a solid but unspectacular net approval of -6. A year later, those figures have barely moved: 21% approve, 28% disapprove, -6 net approval on average. These figures can be viewed two ways. The optimist's take is that voters have not turned against Davey, even as voter approvals of three other leaders - Sir Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage, and Zack Polanski - have slumped. Yet while Davey hasn't annoyed voters, he hasn't impressed them either. Low and flat approvals and high "don't knows" suggest a leader who is failing to cut through. Davey gets positive marks from just a fifth of voters. That's not great. And after more than six years as party leader, nearly half of voters are unable even to offer a view on Davey. That's not great either. Liberal Democrat leaders typically struggle for a hearing at mid-term, squeezed out by bigger, louder parties. The task may be even harder now in a more fragmented and polarised media and political environment. And a lack of definition can be a plus, giving a leader a chance to (re)introduce himself to voters when the general election arrives. Past Lib Dem leaders Paddy Ashdown, Charles Kennedy and Nick Clegg all made big gains during the short campaign. This happened to Davey too in 2024. Davey's current lack of definition may work in his favour once voters begin comparing him with more divisive alternatives in a short campaign. Davey does not, however, do brilliantly in straight comparisons with other leaders. YouGov has occasionally asked which of various pairs of leaders they would prefer as prime minister. Davey does well against radicals. His lead over Reform leader Nigel Farage and Green leader Zack Polanski on this question has grown over the past year or so. But Davey struggles in matchups against the current leaders of the traditional governing parties. He does much worse against the new Labour leader Andy Burnham than he did against Sir Keir Starmer a year ago. Davey trailed Starmer by just seven points on the best PM question; he now polls 35 points behind Burnham. Davey beat Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch by eight points in "best PM" matchups a year ago. He now trails the Tory leader by a similar margin. It is the decline in Davey's ratings versus Badenoch which will most worry Liberal Democrat strategists. The Conservatives are the main competitor to the Lib Dems in most of the seats the party currently holds or is targeting. A year ago, the Lib Dem leader was a clear campaigning asset. His value added is less obvious today. Election performance This was a good year once again for the Lib Dems in local elections. The party made a net gain of over 150 council seats and made a net gain of three councils, with both of the newly created unitary authorities governing Surrey, where they have several target seats, among those gains. The Lib Dems have made gains in every set of local elections held since Davey took over as leader. This six-year advance has clawed back almost all the ground the Lib Dems lost in their post-Coalition collapse. The Lib Dems now have more councillors, and a higher share of all councillors, than in any year since 2010. Local by-elections provide further evidence that the Lib Dem campaigning machine is now in rude health, with substantial net gains between the 2025 and 2026 local elections, and again since the 2026 local elections. This long, strong run of success in council contests will be encouraging for a party which has long used local government as a springboard to Westminster success. The Scottish Parliament election was another bright spot. The Lib Dems won seven constituency seats and three list seats, and their resulting ten MSPs is their biggest Holyrood cohort since 2007. The Lib Dems regained three seats with historical sympathies to the party: Caithness, Sutherland & Ross; Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch and Edinburgh Northern. More remarkably, they came from fourth place to win Strathkelvin & Bearsden, a constituency where the party had never previously finished in the top two. The Welsh Senedd elections were more disappointing. The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds remains the only Lib Dem in the Senedd. Her party was unable to profit either from an expanded Senedd using a more proportional regional list PR electoral system, or from the decline of the hitherto dominant Welsh Labour party. The Lib Dems' overall vote barely rose, and they didn't come close to the threshold for representation in any of the other six seat Senedd constituencies. Outflanked on the nationalist left by Plaid Cymru and the unionist right by Reform UK, the Lib Dems remain confined to the margins of politics in Wales, once a bastion of Liberal support. In the last Parliament, Sir Ed Davey benefitted from a series of Westminster by-elections triggered in Conservative seats where the Liberal Democrats were well placed to challenge the incumbent. He has had no such luck this Parliament. There have so far been no by-elections in seats where a Lib Dem challenge might be credible. Lib Dem performance in the contests we have had has been uniformly dismal. The Lib Dems lost their deposit in three of the four seats they contested over the last year, including a record low 0.4% in the Makerfield by-election. The same tactical voting motivations which buoy the Liberal Democrats where they are in the running also severely squeeze the party in seats where they are not. Conclusion - glass half full or glass half empty? How we judge Liberal Democrat performance depends on what we emphasise. If we focus on national polls and views of the leader, it has been a poor year. The Lib Dems are down substantially with all pollsters, falling below their showing at the last general election. Davey sets few hearts racing, and has fallen behind the resurgent Conservative leader Badenoch, his most important competitor given the geography of Lib Dem support. The picture is rosier if we focus on election results. Despite flagging polling and a forgotten leader, the Liberal Democrats advanced yet again in council elections and in the Scottish Parliament. The party are now a formidable force in town halls across the South of England shires where they are most competitive in Westminster contests. The Lib Dems have a choice to make. They can cement their position as a (mostly) South of England party, concentrating on the broad arc around London where they usually are the strongest progressive opposition to the Conservatives and Reform. Or they can try to seize the opportunities provided by a more volatile electoral context to compete on a broader front, for example by mobilising progressive opposition to Labour in the big cities. It may not be possible to ride both horses. Today's moderate, unthreatening Liberal Democrats do not excite young urban radicals. But a more strident approach could alarm the comfortable middle class voters the party relies on in the seats it now holds. Which way the Liberal Democrats go may depend on how they read the current situation. Glass half full or glass half empty? Sir Ed Davey's fate as leader, and the direction of his party, may depend on the answer. This is the second in a series of posts reviewing the polling and electoral performance of the parties as they gather for their annual conferences

Littler, who has won every major tournament this year, reacted to effectively an away crowd twice in a dramatic contest to beat Noppert 6-4 and keep his hopes of an unprecedented clean sweep alive. It sparked memories of several nights at this year's Premier League Darts when Littler faced whistles and jeers throughout the series on his way to winning the title, revealing afterwards he wanted to quit the invitational event. World Series of Darts Finals: Schedule and ResultsLatest Sky Sports deals or stream no contractListen to Sky Sports' Love the Darts podcast Noppert capitalised on a slow start by Littler to break in the third leg and held a 3-1 lead but the key moment came when he made a mess of a 44 checkout in the sixth leg which allowed Littler to break back and make it 3-3. After winning that leg, Littler let out a huge roar and put his hands to his ears, asking the crowd for more noise as they booed him loudly. Noppert missed two darts to restore his break advantage in the next leg and Littler punished him, then the teenager took out a superb 95 checkout with tops-tops to move 5-4 ahead and broke his opponent to win the match. "Coming back from a losing position to win is always a great feeling," said Littler, who won the World Series of Darts Finals in 2024. "I'm not putting pressure on myself. I am just focusing on round by round." Should Littler win this weekend and win the following two tournaments, the World Grand Prix and European Championship, he would become the first player to hold every major darts title at the same time. He would then set about trying to complete a remarkable clean sweep in November at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship finals, but he's taking things one match at a time and will next face Nathan Aspinall in the second round of this week's competition. "Nathan always throws everything at me. He produces his best, I perform at my best, and hopefully it's another great game tomorrow," said Littler. "It would be one of the best darts achievements if I could pull it off [the clean sweep], but it's still a very long way away." A night of close matches Unlike the first night when Michael van Gerwen was stunned by Daryl Gurney, there were no major surprises as the first round came to a conclusion on Friday. Former world champion Gerwyn Price raced into a 5-0 lead against Brody Klinge but the Australian fought back to 5-4 before Price stumbled over the line. It was a similar story for his compatriot Jonny Clayton as he was 4-0 up before missing several match darts on his way to a 6-3 win over Maik Kuivenhoven, who was called up as a late replacement for Lourence Ilagan after the Philippines player withdrew due to visa issues. James Wade edged out Damon Heta 6-5 after the latter missed a match dart in their deciding leg, while Aspinall fought back from 4-2 down to defeat Raymond Smith 6-4. Having won six Players Championship events this year, Wessel Nijman is looking to turn that great form into something big on the televised stage and he started off his World Series of Darts campaign with a 6-4 win over veteran Simon Whitlock. And there were 6-5 narrow wins for Canada's Jim Long over Australia's Adam Leek, plus Alexandra Palace cult hero Motomu Sakai against Callan Rydz. 2026 World Series of Darts Finals - Friday's results Friday September 18Round One x8Adam Leek 5-6 Jim LongMotomu Sakai 6-5 Callan RydzWessel Nijman 6-4 Simon WhitlockNathan Aspinall 6-4 Raymond SmithJames Wade 6-5 Damon HetaGerwyn Price 6-4 Brody KlingeLuke Littler 6-4 Danny NoppertJonny Clayton 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven 2026 World Series of Darts Finals - Second Round Schedule Saturday September 19Afternoon Session - From 12pmJosh Rock vs Ryan SearleDaryl Gurney vs Ross SmithGian van Veen vs Karel SedlacekLuke Humphries vs Dirk van DuijvenbodeGian van Veen vs Karel Sedlacek Evening Session - From 6pmJonny Clayton vs Motomu SakaiGerwyn Price vs Jim LongJames Wade vs Wessel NijmanLuke Littler vs Nathan Aspinall Watch the World Grand Prix live on Sky Sports from September 28 to October 4. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

The allegations were made in the book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail - and is due to be published next week. In an excerpt from the book about the events following his sister's deadly car crash in 1997, the earl claims that the King told him "we'll forget her soon enough", which Buckingham Palace responded to with an unusually punchy public statement. In an interview published on Friday, Earl Spencer insisted, however, that he was "telling the truth" about the phone call. "I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said," Earl Spencer told the BBC, adding he had only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles. "I was hyper alert to what he was saying and those are precisely the words that he said and I promise that to you now," the earl said. "Genuinely, that is what he said. I don't hear him saying he didn't say that." Royals latest: Diana's brother's new claims Earl Spencer also shared new details from the call, saying the King went "ballistic" and accused his family of lacking a sense of duty after the earl insisted Prince William and Prince Harry should not walk behind their mother's coffin during the funeral procession. The King then "stopped", the earl added, which made him think he was going to "pull himself together and say something more appropriate". But it was then that the King said Diana would be forgotten "soon enough", according to the earl. Earl Spencer added: "I really was so stunned, and I just, after a stunned silence, I said, 'I cannot believe you just said that', and I hung up on him." On Wednesday, after the first excerpts were published, the Palace said in a statement: "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss." Regarding the King's reaction, the earl said: "Is he furious or is he embarrassed?" "They've sort of smudged that one, haven't they?" he said. "They've said that recollections may vary." Asked whether he has "evidence" of the King's comments, the earl said: "I told friends and family straight away, close friends and family, about what had been said, because it was so monstrous." Read more from Sky NewsThe Palace denies Charles said Diana would be forgotten "soon enough"Father of Noah Woods, 3, pays tribute to his boy In an excerpt from the memoir published on Friday, the earl revealed he was "concerned" over the well-being of his nephew during and after Diana's funeral. The princess's brother said he worried about the "lack of obvious care" for the then 12-year-old Prince Harry who, he said, "needed Diana's hugs... and they would forever be denied him". Instead, the prince was "allowed to spin out of control", Earl Spencer added, writing that "a more caring hand" might have helped him cope while growing up. "I could not get over how tiny, and slight, and bereft, Harry looked," the earl said. "Too small to be doing this, I thought, and wondered how on earth this heartbroken child could bear the ordeal of that moment, or how he could possibly be expected to deal with the agony that the day ahead would insist upon." Diana's brother also shared what he said was the late Queen's first reaction to Diana's traffic accident in Paris: "When the Queen had heard the first news of Diana's being in a traffic accident, she had asked, 'What is she up to now?' "This, before the seriousness of it all became clear." After Diana's death, Queen Elizabeth had, however, offered via her private secretary to give Diana her HRH style back, the earl adds, in a part that was reported before the publication of the full excerpt. Sky News has asked the Palace for a response to the full excerpt. Five days after Diana's death in Paris on 31 August 1997, the Queen paid tribute to her in a live television broadcast, saying no one who knew the princess would ever forget her. Earl Spencer's revelations have, however, been questioned. "Those comments just do not, and I promise you, do not add up. It absolutely does not make sense," Grant Harrold, who was Charles's butler while he was the Prince of Wales, told Sky News. Mr Harrold said, in his opinion, the claims have "more to do with selling books". Sky News' royal correspondent Laura Bundock said the revelations pose a greater risk to the King than Earl Spencer at a time when the Royal Family has come under increased scrutiny. Bundock said the claims constituted "blistering broadsides" and may "reignite one of the most traumatic and damaging episodes in recent royal history". Since Harry and his wife, Meghan, returned to the UK last month, they have been involved in a public feud with the Palace about their status. Their children have moved schools after issues were raised by their security team.

It's been nearly three decades since the UK last held the glass microphone trophy aloft, with Sam Ryder coming the closest to a win since, finishing in second place with Spaceman in 2022. This year's Eurovision entry Sam Battle, who performs as Look Mum No Computer, finished in last place, receiving just a single point for his song Eins, Zwei, Drei. The musician swiftly released a T-shirt with the slogan "Look Mum No Point" - joking that it was technically "Eins" point. In both 2024 and 2025, acts Olly Alexander and Remember Monday received points from the jury but no points from the public. Mae Muller finished second from bottom in 2023, and James Newman finished last with "nul points" in 2021. In 2009, Jade Ewan came in fifth place with It's My Time. MPs on the Digital, Media and Sport Committee will hold a state of play inquiry into the selection of the UK's entry following a callout for ideas earlier this year. Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage told BBC News: "We want to get to the bottom of who chooses our entrant, on what basis and whether our dismal record of achievement in recent years (Sam Ryder to one side) is the result of bad song choice, weak performance… or something else. "This application interested us because of the UK's reputation for scoring 'nul points', coming bottom, or close to bottom, in recent years at Eurovision, despite having world-class songwriters and musicians." The UK has won Eurovision five times, most recently in 1997 with Love Shine A Light by Katrina And The Waves. It has ranked in second place a record 16 times, but since 2000 finishes have been considerably lower. Sweden and Ireland hold a joint record for the most Eurovision wins with seven each. Next year's competition will take place in Bulgaria, following singer Dara's first-time victory for the country in May. Despite being an apolitical contest in name, Eurovision has become mired in controversy in recent years, with five countries pulling out of the competition last year in protest over Israel's participation amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Earlier this week, Ireland announced it would boycott the contest for a second year in a row due to the "ongoing loss of lives in Gaza". Last month, Danish broadcaster AvroTros confirmed it too would be boycotting Eurovision 2027, saying the contest is no longer consistent with "trustworthiness, independence and humanity".

The prime minister is under pressure to make a decision on new North Sea drilling and a consultation on Jackdaw - located 150 miles northeast of Aberdeen - closed last month. The site and the Rosebank oil field were both approved by the last Conservative government, but the decisions were quashed by a court after a legal challenge from Greenpeace. Andy Burnham's government must now decide whether to give the green light to the project. Asked if he would back a decision to approve Jackdaw, Sir Ed told the Press Association: "Jackdaw, I personally have always felt made sense because we're going to need a lot of gas in the transition. "And when I was secretary for energy and climate change, I was very strong on the need to have some gas because we're going to need a lot of it. "I would prefer to have gas produced in the North Sea from a place like Jackdaw if it passes the climate test, which it looks like it will, rather than importing gas that we know we're going to need from the other side of the world in LNG (liquefied natural gas), which uses a lot more energy and has a higher carbon footprint." Climate campaigners are urging the prime minister to block the new developments, while oil and gas industry figures argue that they would create thousands of jobs and cut bills. Sir Ed was speaking ahead of the annual Lib Dem party conference which begins on Saturday. It will put health and the economy at the centre of the party's agenda before the next general election, due to be held in 2029. Read more from Sky News:The Lib Dems - still delivering or should they change course?All government departments to refresh war plans20 women had unnecessary mastectomies, says NHS trust Sir Ed insisted that his party was a "really strong force now" following YouGov polling in which just over half of respondents described the Lib Dems as "weak". He said: "We got our best result for 100 years at the last election. "Since then, we keep winning at local elections and building up, and I think we'll go into the next election the strongest we've ever been, or at least for over 100 years."

Another defeat, their 11th of the calendar year - more than they had in 2025, with three months of this year to go. At least two goals conceded for the fifth straight Premier League game under Alonso. More set-piece woe. "We dropped our consistency, our competitive mentality needed in the second half," said Alonso. That will concern Chelsea fans the most. It was way too easy for Brentford to take over that second half. And there's another continuing trend: Chelsea being outbattled in a match. Remember, they were outrun in the vast majority of their Premier League matches last season. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Chelsea news & transfers🔵Chelsea fixtures & scores | FREE Chelsea highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 The first thing you think about when you come up against Brentford is set pieces. Long throws, smart corners - the lot. And just like against Hull in their previous game, Chelsea lost control of the match by conceding once again from a set-piece. This was the fourth goal they have conceded from a set-piece in five Premier League games - taking their overall tally since the start of last season to 23, the joint-worst out of any Premier League side. Once again, the ball was put right on top of Emiliano Martinez towards the back post and neither the goalkeeper nor the outfield players were able to react. And the worst part of it for Chelsea? Brentford saw it coming a mile off. "We did target [the back post] at half-time," said Vitaly Janelt to Sky Sports. "There was a big gap at the far post. We targeted that and I think it was our first corner of the second half." And Chelsea are suffering from all these set-piece woes despite now having the best dead-ball coach in the league in Austin MacPhee. Bernardo Cueva, who was their set-piece coach before MacPhee and now has a different role at the club, was even pinched from Brentford by the Blues. "We have not been good enough, at times we have been bullied and we need to improve at that," said Levi Colwill to Sky. "But we trust in our set-piece coach; we are still adjusting to new things, but we do need to improve as a team." It is not the only area where Chelsea need to improve defensively. The way they allow teams to penetrate their defensive third is among the worst in the division - they have gone 22 straight Premier League games without a clean sheet. On average, Chelsea concede 2.2 non-penalty goals per game. And they deserve to, because the xG numbers say they are expected to allow that same number of shots on target on their goal. What doesn't help is a clear inability to protect the penalty area. Chelsea are also in the top three this season for conceding shots in their own penalty area on average, allowing around 10 per game. Their goalkeepers get used as a battering ram. With defensive numbers like these, it's no wonder Chelsea have been unable to hold onto a lead in their last three league games. They explode out of the blocks so quickly - this was the first Premier League game where they failed to take the lead in the opening 10 minutes of the game, but they nearly did when Pedro Neto had a good chance saved. And then when Chelsea fall behind, they have been pegged back so many times that the bad habits kick in. "It's about everything. It's about the mentality, the football and the tactical things that we need to keep improving," said Alonso. "We concede the first goal, you're still in the game but then we lose the shape. We were out of control." That control could be eased in the future when Moises Caicedo returns, but the lack of solidity they have without the Ecuadorian is a concern. Two summer recruits in Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco started the Brentford game, but it was the Bees who looked stronger in midfield. Keith Andrews' side arguably have the better squad depth in that area of the pitch as well - they won the match 3-0 with record signing Mamadou Sangare sat on the bench for over an hour. Right now, Joao Pedro looks like Chelsea's most influential player from a goalscoring perspective. The 'JP Morgan' frontline was broken up for the first time this season - and Chelsea failed to score for the first time this season. Of course, it was always going to take time for Alonso to implement his ideas at Stamford Bridge. This was a Chelsea team with seven summer signings in its starting line-up, with the Spaniard the fourth manager to take charge of the club in nine months. "It doesn't happen overnight," former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill told Sky Sports. "I think with what you're saying he will be judged in the next five, six, seven weeks to get this right because you will have that time on the training ground and then we should start to see his methods coming through because we've seen him in an attacking sense." "It's not just set-pieces," said Alonso on where Chelsea have to improve. "In defensive duels, build-up and controlling games." That being said, there aren't many more parts of the game besides those four. "We've got a lot to work on over the international break," added Colwill. He can say that again.