It looked promising for Chelsea as they took the lead against Arsenal while playing with 10 men. However, with Moises Caicedo off the field, it was always going to be difficult, and Mikel Merino got the equaliser. In the end, the Blues were fortunate to get a point as the Gunners squandered promising attacks.
Chelsea, being the Club World Cup champions, and given the amount they spent on their roster, should be title challengers. However, Enzo Maresca's side are now six points off the Premier League leaders, Arsenal.
The Blues have tremendous attacking talent, with Estevao now being regarded as one of the best young forwards in the world. Their midfield is immense, providing the best defensive midfielder in soccer stays on the field. However, they have lacked a top center-back partnership this season.
It has not helped that Levi Colwill has been injured with a cruciate ligament tear. However, the Blues have used seven different center-back partnerships this season. Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah appear to be Maresca's favored current pair. They did well against the Gunners, with Chalobah scoring from Reece James' corner.
Who could solve Chelsea's center-back crisis?
One of the differences between Chelsea and Arsenal is that the Gunners have a very solid back line. Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, and Riccardo Calafiori have been outstanding this season. Piero Hincapié has now stood in well with Gabriel injured.
The Blues could look into the transfer market to get their defense as good as the Premier League leaders. One player they could look to sign in January is Dayot Upamecano of Bayern Munich. He has been recently linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Chelsea has a historic interest in the defender.
Upamecano has helped Bayern claim top spot in the Bundesliga this season. He has won the German top flight three times in his career. The center-back has also earned 35 caps for France and was a key part of their side that got to the World Cup final in 2022.
He may not have had the best game against Arsenal in the Champions League this week, as the Gunners won 3-1. However, facing Mikel Arteta's side is a much more daunting task to the Bundesliga attackers than he is used to going up against.
Competing against Premier League sides will be something that Upamecano will have to get used to if he is to join Chelsea. However, he is experienced at 27 years of age, but young enough to still learn new tricks.