I hate to say it, but I saw this one coming from a mile away. Chelsea now has just four wins in the last 16 matches against Arsenal. The Blues proved incapable of doing the league double over the Gunners for a sixth consecutive season on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta’s youngsters capitalized on numerous mistakes from a makeshift back line from the home side to come away victorious on the evening. It’s a massive three points for the visitors, who have seen their chances at securing a top four spot rise from the ashes. Meanwhile, Chelsea now must do everything in its power to maintain a healthy lead in third place and avoid the dreaded top four scrap in the coming weeks.
Thomas Tuchel was without a number of key players (notably Mateo Kovacic and Antonio Rudiger) after a win in the FA Cup semifinal at the weekend. He fielded a largely inexperienced back line that consisted of Reece James at right centerback, Andreas Christensen in the middle and Malang Sarr at left centerback. The youngsters—mainly Christensen and Sarr—made Tuchel look like a fool for resting Thiago Silva as they failed to show any defensive awareness against Arsenal. The Blues’ defense was abysmal and they got what they deserved in the end, zero points.
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Here are three lessons we learnt in Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal:
1. Malang Sarr: Hero to zero
Sarr’s first season within the senior team ranks at Stamford Bridge has been a rollercoaster ride. The young French defender began the campaign without an official squad number, but his impressive performances in preseason camp earned him a place in the team. Now sporting the No. 31 shirt, Sarr began the year mostly amongst the reserves or on the bench. He was then given his first opportunities against Brentford and Manchester City in the Premier League. Although those matches were played three months apart, Sarr was excellent in both appearances.
The 23-year-old’s importance to the team grew as the season went on, especially following the season-ending injury suffered by Ben Chilwell. Sarr began to play semi-frequently as Tuchel deployed him as a centerback, a left back and a left wingback. Unfortunately, Chelsea fans were reminded that most fairytales are simply too good to be true as his form began to dip. There was no way the former Nice defender was going to become an integral part of the reigning Champions of Europe’s squad just two years removed from a free transfer . . . right?
Regardless of Sarr’s dip in form over the last few months, he was a warm body on Wednesday night, which was apparently one of the requirements to start against Arsenal. He wasn’t the most criticized defender in the side following a comedy of errors from Christensen in the first half, but it was eventually Sarr’s brainless pass right into the feet of Eddie Nketiah that sealed the deal for the Gunners. There was no way back for the Blues following that mistake as it’s simply too much to ask of an attack to come back from a losing position three times in one night. Sarr has now reached an all-time low in his career after looking like a solid utility man just three months ago.
2. The past always catches up with Chelsea
Chelsea transfer guru Marina Granovskaia has gotten a lot of things right over the last few years. The Blues’ Director is largely responsible for assembling the team that’s managed to win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup over the course of two seasons. Alas, nobody has ever accused Granovskaia of having the Midas touch. She’s made her fair share of poor transfer decisions during her time with the team and they all came to the surface at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening.
Romelu Lukaku was handed his first Premier League start in two months and it was obvious. The Belgian No. 9 and club record signing looked like a deer in headlights against Arsenal. It was a complete juxtaposition of his performance against the Gunners during his second debut for the club just a few months ago. Lukaku didn’t manage a shot on target and he had fewer touches during his hour on the pitch than Thiago Silva had mustered up during the opening 20 minutes of his night. All signs point toward the former Inter Milan striker departing this summer as the expensive experiment has not gone according to plan.
Furthermore, the Blues were punished once again for Granovskaia’s reluctance to sign another centerback in the summer transfer window. Jules Kounde came close to signing with Chelsea on numerous occasions last year, but it was ultimately decided that Trevoh Chalobah, Christensen and Sarr provided enough cover at the back for the time being. Fast forward to Wednesday. Chalobah is rotting away on the bench as he receives the Fikayo Tomori treatment, unable to get game time for no reason other than a few mistakes this season. Christensen already looks to be sporting the navy and maroon stripes of Barcelona and Sarr isn’t starting quality just yet, if at all. Suffice it to say, the Blues could’ve used someone like Kounde against Arsenal.
Granovskaia’s blunders in the transfer market—along with the ownership situation—have created a lot of uncertainty at the club going forward. The past caught up to the Blues on Wednesday night and it’s just sped up the tough discussions that need to be had in the summer.
3. Chelsea needs midfield reinforcements
I have kept my mouth closed long enough. Every time someone says that N’Golo Kante is past his prime, I have to remind myself of his brilliant outings in the Champions League last season and bite my tongue. While I still do not believe this to be fully true, we’ve reached a point where Chelsea can no longer rely on the midfielder’s world class performances on a regular basis. He looks a shell of his former self. There is still an incredible player tucked away somewhere under that No. 7 shirt, fans just won’t be treated to frequent displays of excellence any longer.
For what it’s worth, I believe Kante should be given an extension or at least the option of one. He’s a luxury when at his best these days—as he showed last season—in one-off matches. Kante may not have the consistency or tireless legs that he did when he first came to west London, but that’s not to be expected at his age either. The 31-year-old has looked rather pedestrian this season though, especially compared to his old super-human self.
The same can be said for Jorginho, who has largely failed to replicate the form that earned him a third-place finish in the 2021 Ballon d’Or voting. The Italian has found himself on the bench more often than not recently. This is concerning given Tuchel’s reliance on the maestro just 12 months ago. However, it’s understandable given his niche. Jorginho is a unique player who doesn’t always fit the description of a midfielder in the German manager’s high-intensity system.
The decline—it sounds harsh, but it’s true—of the pair has led to question marks in the middle of the pitch as both players come up on one-year remaining on their contracts. The performance of Kante against the Gunners only served to highlight these quandaries ahead of the summer transfer window. The Frenchman was incredibly poor alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek as he failed to put a stop to many Arsenal advances on the evening.
The weak showing from the midfield on Wednesday drove home the point that Chelsea is going to need a handful of midfield reinforcements in a few months’ time. If we’ve learned anything from the last slide, Conor Gallagher alone won’t be enough to cover up the cracks. The Blues will need to spend big to allow Tuchel to mold the midfield to his liking. It’s now turned into a matter of wanting Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni, as opposed to one or the other.
What are some of the lessons you learnt in the match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and on Twitter!