Chelsea took on Arsenal with the Blues looking to bounce back from a disappointing 4-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion last time out in the league. Lacklustre with their passing and completely toothless in attack, however, the home side found themselves on the back foot right from kick-off and rode their luck on multiple occasions in the first half. CFC’s struggles against the Gunners continued into the second half and poor defending from a corner culminated in Gabriel tapping the ball home to give AFC all three points and propel his side back up to the top of the league. Here are the lessons learnt from the 1-0 loss.
Boring, boring Chelsea
Perhaps aware of the threat that Mikel Arteta’s side would pose on the break, Graham Potter’s approach to the game was notably cautious. Content to allow Arsenal the majority of possession, the visitors promptly asserted control over the proceedings of the game straight from kick-off. 20 minutes into the game and the home side found themselves constantly penned in and unable to progress the ball upfield. Crucially, Arsenal’s high-pressing set-up had awarded them with multiple turnovers in dangerous areas and Chelsea could not even clear their lines effectively. Potter’s counter-attacking set-up was simply not working. On the rare occasions the Englishman’s side succeed in getting the ball out to Raheem Sterling or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, both players’ obvious lack of close control meant that the ball was quickly recycled back into Arsenal hands.
Further compounding matters was the lack of chemistry amongst Chelsea’s forwards. Sterling, Aubameyang and Havertz greatly struggled to string any notable passes together and generally failed to exploit any promising offensive scenarios. There was a moment in the first half when an excellent goal-kick from Edouard Mendy had found Kai Havertz in a pocket of space on the right side of the pitch. Driving the ball into an ideal crossing position, Havertz failed to notice that Aubameyang had managed to peel off his man inside the box and promptly swung in a high arching cross (which he overhit) instead of a low driven one. Considering how little of the ball the west London outfit had, the players’ inability to exploit the rare opportunities they were presented with became all the more infuriating. This was a difficult match to watch and remained largely in line with the recent, lacklustre performances that Potter’s men have turned in against the likes of Manchester United and Brighton. The World Cup break cannot come quickly enough for Graham Potter who must be in desperate need of some respite. Until then, his side have to dust themselves off and go again or risk being utterly blown away by Manchester City in the League Cup.
Thiago Silva, signs of slowing down?
At 38 years and 48 days old, Silva remains an enigma for even the most ardent Blues supporter. Despite being the oldest outfield player in the Premier League this season, Silva’s quality, professionalism and leadership has been an ever-present – even as managers and owners alike have come and gone. The Brazilian’s performances in recent matches, however, have shown signs of a player that is perhaps finally slowing down. In the previous Premier League match against Brighton, Silva had been uncharacteristically sloppy in possession. Early on in the game, his careless attempt at a pass out wide to Conor Gallagher was duly intercepted by Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian then played in Leandro Trossard who should have scored.
Just moments later, Silva attempted yet another risky pass into the midfield which was once again intercepted. Trossard, the interceptor of the ball this time round, who would go on to round Kepa and score. On Sunday against the north Londoners, Silva was arguably at fault once more for the goal that Chelsea conceded from the corner. Carrying the ball out from the back, Silva took too long on the ball, allowing Gabriel Jesus to rob him of possession and have a shot at goal. While the shot from a tight angle was saved by Mendy, Chelsea would ultimately concede from the subsequent corner in what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
This was a costly mistake and while these errors had been few and far between in seasons past, Silva has been unusually shaky this season. Perhaps this is a result of the constant chopping and changing of formations or a natural consequence of having too many games to play in too short a time period. What is undeniable, however, is that Silva’s performance have failed to hit his own high standards in recent matches. Considering just how crucial a role the 38-year-old plays at the heart of the defence, it is no surprise that his recent downturn in form has coincided with Chelsea’s inability to maintain clean sheets. Regardless of whether this is a mere blip or the start of Silva’s gradual decline, it is clear that Todd Boehly will soon have to turn to the transfer market once again to safeguard the future of the Blues backline.
Realistic expectations for this season and beyond
After an outlay in excess of £200million in the summer, fans were reasonably expectant that this season would see the gap to the top teams in the league reduced significantly. With established names such as Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly joining the club for sizeable fees, the club were clearly aiming for success in the here and now. However, Sunday’s loss leaves CFC 13 points adrift from the top of the table after just 13 matchweeks. This is a position all too familiar for many fans since the club last won the league in 2016/17. Languishing in 7th place with no wins in the last four league matches, it goes without saying that Chelsea are nowhere near where they ought to be at this point of time in the season. More disheartening perhaps, was the clear gulf in performance levels between the two teams on Sunday that was very much representative of how far the Blues have fallen behind the likes of the Gunners and Manchester City. Arsenal played with a swagger and an assertiveness that was befitting of their status as the current league leaders and one cannot help but reminisce about the “good old days” where teams used to hate coming to Stamford Bridge.
As things stand, and regardless of what Koulibaly may wish to believe about CFC’s title chances this season, the league title would once again elude the Blues this season. The Champions League win in 2020/21 seems but a distant memory now, and with Manchester City to come in the 3rd round of the League Cup on Wednesday, the FA Cup seems to be the only likely avenue for a winner’s medal this season. This is a realistic outlook at what fans should reasonably expect this season, and considering how long the respective rebuilding processes took at Liverpool and AFC, it may be years before Chelsea come anywhere close to the heights they last attained in the early 2000s. One can only hope that the board have hedged their bets correctly at the best man to take the club forward.