Arsenal faces more questions than answers in Chelsea loss

It was the first match at the Emirates since March 2020, and what a letdown for the fans. A dominant match from Chelsea showed how they're the champions of Europe and how far off Arsenal is from the top four and potentially the top six. A 2-0 defeat at home will now bring the questions of what Arsenal needs to do to improve, and with only a little over a week left in the transfer window, can those problems find realistic solutions?

The first point that has to be addressed is the defensive pairings. While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is dealing with massive blows to his starting 11 defensively (Gabriel Magalhaes out with a knee injury, Ben White testing positive COVID-19, no replacement for Hector Bellerin), the fact of the matter is that Pablo Marí and Rob Holding playing together in the center-back roles is unacceptable. Arteta is very much like Pep Guardiola; he will rarely change his formation made for the matchup and will stay consistent in his defensive pairings. Due to squad selection, Arteta is genuinely forced to play these two together; however, he will need to address a possible change in the formation so he doesn't have to play these two players side by side. It was a welcome back match for Romelo Lukaku, scoring in the 15th minute after a dominant run inside of the box against Marí. Lukaku should've had a brace after a superb header in the second half, but Bernd Leno made a tremendous one-handed save to keep it out.

The thing that truly stands out from that match is how stationary Marí and Holding are together. The passes in behind from the likes of Havertz, Mount, and even Kovacic, was staggering. The reactions from Arsenal's center-backs are unacceptable for a club that wants to achieve top four. The pace of the Premier League is too great for these two, especially Marí. When Arsenal has Gabriel and White available in the future, it'll significantly help Arsenal, but these are the supposed back-ups for Arsenal. The defensive pairing was so extremely poor that left-back Kieran Tierney was on an island the entire time he was on the pitch. It allowed Reece James and even Lukaku at points to run utterly free on that left flank. It appeared that Tierney was almost "cheating" on the inside flank during the match because he knew Marí was bound to make a defensive mistake. Cedric Soares was just nowhere to be found on the right side of the pitch in today's match. Defensively, he was better than Callum Chambers (who was obliterated last week by a newly promoted Brentford side). Still, his passing vision was relatively poor and left Nicholas Pepe alone in the attacking third. Arsenal has already addressed that they NEED a new right-back, but who will come in, and will it be in time before the window closes? At this point in the season, Arsenal's entire right side of the defense is susceptible to conceding a goal per match. It's a position that must be addressed, or else Arsenal may play behind in every match they play this season.

The most frustrating takeaway from the match against Chelsea is the lack of stability in possession. Of course, Thomas Partey is out, every Arsenal fan understands that, but the fact remains that Arsenal was only able to muster up three shots against a three-man back today. Chelsea was caught in the neutral third for an Arsenal counter-attack on multiple occasions, but Arsenal could not execute. Today was the first time Arsenal fans got to see Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in action this season, but Arsenal was already down 2-0 and couldn't provide many opportunities for the striker. There was one bright spot when Albert Sambi Lokonga provided a beautiful counter-attack through ball to Aubameyang, but it was read by Chelsea's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. It feels that no matter who is up top for Arsenal in the attack, they can't get past the neutral third. The forward passes aren't consistent enough for the Gunners; Lokonga had flashes in today's match, but to put that pressure on a new signing is too much. Granit Xhaka and others must get better in the attack. Xhaka had moments in today's match, but he allowed Chelsea to spread a massive gap between him and Lokonga in front of the Arsenal defense. The lineup seems disjointed right now; rather than play as a team, they're playing individual battles. When the total starters are back, it'll undoubtedly help; however, it's concerning in the two-match sample size.

Arsenal urgently needs to find its identity. They can win their individual battles all season long, but that'll never end in positive results. Once Aubameyang is back in full form, and if the board can bring in a couple more players into the team selection, there'll be positive momentum. Unfortunately, right now, there is no spark or hope that gives Arsenal fans the optimism to cheer on their squad. The team looks to be holding on to an idea that will never be executed if they keep the same guys in the team. The leadership within the locker room must rise and demand more from the back-ups because they are the current starters and could set up a positive opportunity for the injured players down the line.

Do not hit the panic button for Arsenal, YET. There was a controversial chance for Arsenal in the 40th minute that could've cut the deficit to 2-1 at the half. Bukayo Saka beat Chelsea defender Reece James inside Chelsea's 18-yard box, and a collision between the two players followed. Head referee Paul Tierney deemed it as no penalty, and VAR confirmed the decision. After watching the replay over and analyzing how penalties are given in recent matches, it was a penalty in my eyes. Regardless of my opinion, Arsenal didn't earn the penalty and did not score a goal for the rest of the match. Arsenal was strong in the second half and could hang with Chelsea, but Chelsea was already up 2-0, so it came across as "pulling up" their attack in the second half. Lukaku had the dangerous chance, but other than that, Chelsea just focused on keeping possession and keeping Arsenal from posing as a counter-attacking threat.

While the initial reaction is disappointing and worrisome, Arsenal needs their pivotal players back before fans can pass judgment on the squad. By bringing back a fully fit Aubameyang, Ben White, Gabriel, Ødegaard, and possibly a new right-back, Arsenal will have what's necessary to judge them after the fact. If the Gunners are still just as dreadful in attack and abysmal in defense, then the panic button can be hit. Until then, Arsenal fans will have to suffer in watching the likes of Marí and Holding try to hold back the top strikers in the league, and expect a positive result.

Fans will have to be patient and support the players in this starting squad, whether or not that's justified, because there's no other choice. Fans have the absolute right to complain about the way players perform, just like Marí and Holding performing today against Chelsea, but to badger them week in and week out will only create a toxic environment in all aspects. Arsenal will have a "bounce back" opportunity on Wednesday, Aug 25, as they take on West Bromwich Albion in the second round of the Carabao Cup. Then the season gets more demanding as they take on Premier League champions, Manchester City, at the Ethiad. By the time they play Pep Guardiola's squad, there will only be three days left in the summer transfer window, and hopefully, more movement will be completed by then to improve this Arsenal squad.