The Arsenal Players Who Stood Out and Struggled in the Game Against Chelsea

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Before this game started, I was optimistic that Arsenal would have a chance against Chelsea. Like Arsenal, Chelsea too was starting out with a new coach that wanted to craft the team to his style of play. Both coaches had about the same amount of time to work with their squad, however, Arsenal fell short. Prior to this game, Arsenal have not won a Premier league game at Stamford Bridge for 7 years and unfortunately they are going to have to try again next year. Arsenal made numerous defensive mistakes and could not capitalize on the many chances they were given which resulted in Chelsea beating Arsenal 3–2. Arsenal did well to come back from being down 2–0, but they still came up short. Listed below are 3 players that I thought played well and 3/4 players that had a really poor game.

Winners:

1. Petr Cech: In my previous piece, I listed Cech as someone who should have been switched out with Leno for this Chelsea game. His ability to play out of the back was shaky in the Man City game, but there was no denying the amount of amazing saves he made. If it were not for these saves, Arsenal could have given up more than just two goals. After yesterday’s game, I am glad he was chosen in the starting squad against Chelsea. Once again he showed everyone what a great shot stopper that he is. Numerous times throughout the game he was asked to come up with big saves and he did. He still lacks confidence with his feet and playing the ball out of the back, but if he continues to make big saves, then I believe Emery has no choice but to keep him in the starting squad.
2. Alex Iwobi: One thing that Arsenal has been missing since Alexis Sanchez left is a true quality winger. I believe Arsenal have a future one in Reiss Nelson, but he still has some time before I believe he is ready for the first team. Our next options are Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi. In the game against Chelsea, it was Iwobi that got the nod. Constantly throughout the game he generated great runs, was extremely strong on the ball, got back and supported Monreal in defense, and was able to score (even though he should have had 2 goals, but missed a sitter). Out of all the players who played against Chelsea, I think he had the best game. I think he is a much better option than Ozil or Mikhitarian out wide because he has the ability to contribute on defense. He works hard and can run forever so I think he fits perfectly within the Emery system. He also doesn’t mind getting back on defense which is something Arsenal need in order to balance out the team. I really hope next week he starts against West Ham.
3. Matteo Guendouzi: I think it took a lot of people by surprise when the 19 year old was chosen in the starting squad against City. I imagine it surprised people even more when he was chosen again in the starting squad for Chelsea. However, despite some little errors, Guendouzi has been our best player in these past two games. His ability to play a penetrating pass to cut apart the opposing midfield and defense is quite impressive. He is so calm and collected despite barely playing any first team football. Sure there were times when he was caught too long on the ball or missed a tackle, but I thought he had a pretty solid game once again. His post game stats were: 94% passing accuracy, 82% of duels won (9 of 11), 8 recoveries, 4 interceptions, and 1 block. These are pretty incredible numbers considering the midfield he played against — Jorginho, Kante, and Kovacic. I believe he will continue to start and I think Arsenal have a future star in Guendouzi. He plays as if he does not fear any player and that is quite amazing since most young players would be reserved when playing against City and Chelsea. I believe he still has a way to go, but it is nice to see such a young player making a big difference.

Losers:

1. Henrikh Mkhitaryan: In the city game, it was apparent that our outside backs were left with no help when Mkhitaryan and Ozil were playing as wingers. With both these players on the outside, we constantly got burned on the wings and it left our defense wide open. Once again, it happened against Chelsea and it ultimately resulted in Chelsea punishing Arsenal. For the first goal, Mkhitaryan was incredibly lazy and allowed Alonso to make an overlapping run where he was then able to pass it across the box for a Pedro tap-in. Constantly throughout the game Mkhitaryan provided no cover for Bellerin and it left Arsenal super susceptible to the counterattack. Sure Mkhitaryan scored (he also missed a sitter which could have resulted in him getting a brace), but going forward I think Arsenal need someone who can contribute on defense. Mkhitaryan playing out wide doesn’t keep our team balanced and this is a huge part of our game. He is either going to have to play defense and cover Bellerin or be satisfied with sitting on the bench.
2. Mesut Ozil: In the previous game against City, Ozil had a pretty poor game. He had trouble in the final third completing passes, his first touch was off, and just really struggled on both sides of the field. One could say it was because he was not in his natural position — the number 10 role — however, against Chelsea, he was able to play in his favored role. Playing as the CAM, I had concerns defensively. Ozil isn’t the strongest defensively, and Chelsea’s biggest strength is probably their center midfield with players such as: Jorginho, Kante, and Kovacic to just name a few. This concern came to fruition. Ozil worked hard on defense, but still it wasn’t enough as Chelsea was constantly able to build their attack in the center of the pitch. For our biggest games, we need our biggest players to show up such as Ozil. Our team needs to be balanced defensively in order for our press to work, and unfortunately at this time, Ozil isn’t helping us. Hopefully Emery can help him improve this aspect of his game.
3. Sokratis and Mustafi: Where do I start with these two? Sokratis was supposed to come in and help reinforce our defense and help us improve, however, he has yet to do this. I know it’s hard to say this since we have played two very good teams in Chelsea and City, but I just can’t help but feel the defense hasn’t improved. For Chelsea’s second goal, Sokratis did not anticipate or even see that Morata was making a run right behind him. Mustafi did, but recognized it too late and was beat easily by Morata. Neither really instill confidence into me and I am sure the rest of the team feels the same way. Sadly, we really don’t have anyone who can come and replace them or compete with them when they aren’t playing well. Our next best option was loaned out to Fulham before the end of the window and Koscielny is injured and out of his prime. Emery is really going to have to work hard with these two and improve our defense. I know they at times don’t have the best protection in front of them, but I really expect them to do better.

All in all, I was really disappointed with Arsenal. They probably played some of the worst football I have seen them play in the first 25 minutes of the game. However, if they actually took their chances the rest of the first half, it could have been 5–2. Aubameyang missed some super easy shots and I am looking for him to step up next week against a struggling West Ham. I hope Emery will start Iwobi next week because I was really impressed with his showing against Chelsea. Furthermore, I hope Emery focuses more on improving the team balance. Until this is actually dealt with, Arsenal will continue to have defensive issues.

Also, I loved the tweets saying, “Arsene Wenger never lost his first two games of the season as Arsenal manager” I don’t think he ever had to play two very good teams in a row like Emery has. Hopefully these irrational fans can step back from the metaphorical ledge and give Emery a chance.