Frank Lampard’s Chelsea staged a late dramatic turnaround at the Emirates leaving new manager Mikel Arteta with a very big task at hand. Arsenal were left in a mess as the Gunners suffered four successive home defeats for the first time in 60 years.
The Gunners squandered a one goal lead as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Blues. Aubameyang opened the scoring for the hosts as they reaped the rewards after an early, convincing swell of pressure.
Arsenal lead till the 83rd minute before Jorginho leveled the scoreline for the visitors. Tammy Abraham put the icing on the cake when he rounded off the game for the Blues in the 87th minute.
This last gasp loss to London rivals Chelsea saw the Gunners run completely out of gas. Under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners were always known for being able to compete at the highest level and tempo due to their conditioning and fitness.
Since the Frenchman’s departure and the Emery era, it’s been widely rumoured that the technical and analytical side of the game became curiously more important. Players were subjected to hours of video and data sessions and perhaps that is why Arsenal looked fairly drained at the end of the Chelsea game.
Some may offer a different explanation, that Arteta has demanded a higher level of commitment and intensity and that’s why they dropped so dramatically.
Arsenal pushed up higher during the first 45 minutes of the Chelsea game and the players did a lot of work whilst out of possession, by closing down and chasing their opponents, which the Gunners didn’t do under their previous coach.
If Arsenal delve into the transfer market for a pair of centre backs in January, the team may gain in confidence and become less worried about the vulnerabilities of the defence when venturing forward.
READ MORE:
Freddie Could be a Long-term Casualty in Arteta’s Arsenal Backroom Reshuffle
As the weeks roll by and the composition of the team takes shape, the players should be able to increase their fitness to match the demands.
If the result on Sunday against Chelsea was disappointing, at least Arsenal were beginning to look like themselves again. Perhaps, the cure is further down the line but supporters should be optimistic about the direction in which Arsenal are heading.
One thought on “The Fitness of Arsenal’s players Called Into Question After the Chelsea Game as Vulnerabilities Keep Spurring up”