The London is Blue after the Chelsea blue’s defeated the Gunners at home in the London Derby by 0-2. Lukaku hit the ground up and running in the Premier League with his debut goal against Arsenal.
Lukaku made the switch from Inter Milan to Chelsea for a hefty fee of £97 million and boy he delivered in his first game. In the game, the Belgian star put Chelsea ahead early on the 15th-minute mark and then James doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 35th minute.
From then on Arsenal did try to turn the game in their favour but Thomas Tuchel’s well-drilled Chelsea side were in a better sync and on top of their game as they held onto their lead at the end of 90 minutes of the game. It was clearly Men vs Boys and it seemed like Mikel Arteta was out of depth and ideas against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side.
Here are the five things we learned from the game.
- 1. Romelu Lukaku is the missing link that Chelsea needed
Though it may seem that goal that Lukaku scored was a simple tap-in but it meant more to the player. Lukaku said, “That was the best one for me, the best of the lot.” The Belgian forward was a constant threat to the Arsenal backline and Pablo Mari struggled to keep up with Lukaku, though he wasn’t at his best a mere sign of the potential he brings to this Chelsea side.
His hold up play, his switching of the passes and Arial abilities all were at a display against Arsenal, and if it was not for Leno’s goalkeeping heroics, Lukaku could’ve had a double on his debut for Chelsea. Surely Thomas Tuchel must be plotting his game-plans and tactics around Lukaku and why not when you have such an influential player who is at the peak of his powers. Premier League defenders surely will have a tough time dealing with him and he is just starting to get back into his best form.
- 2. There’s too much pressure on Arsenal youngsters
Arsenal have young talented superstars at their disposal, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Sambi Lokonga were all at display in the London Derby, but it felt like there’s too much reliance on the young shoulders and they are in a dire need of leaders on the pitch. Xhaka was named in the starting Eleven but he could only do much to inspire as he himself was having a hard time in the game.
Aubameyang did feature in the second half but he was not fully fit. In a game where Gunners were outclassed by Chelsea on every tactical front, they themselves needed players like Azpilicueta and Jorginho which was not the case for Arsenal. Though the arrivals of Martin Odegaard and Ramsdale may ignite the needed boost to the squad.
- Arsenal still lack substantially in the defensive department
In the defeat against their city rivals Chelsea, one thing was certain that Gunners have not learned from their mistakes in past as they crumble every season due to their leaky defence. They do have world-class forwards in Aubameyang, Lacazette, Saka and Pepe but the same cannot be said for their defensive line.
Pablo Mari & Rob Holding, Arsenal surely could do better than this. Of course Ben White & Gabriel missed out on the game due to injuries but they are not the answer to Arsenal’s defensive problems. Ramsdale does provide a good backup to Leno which is a positive but clearly, Arteta needs to sort out the defensive mess soon. In their 2 games, they have conceded 4 and scored none. And Mikel Arteta will have cast a magical spell on his players to get a positive result in their next game which is against Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
- Gunners have a lot of ground to cover to reach the top 6 six this season
Arsenal finished 8th last season in the Premier League and the start of the season has indicated that the Arsenal supporter are in for a rough ride with a lot if twists and turns along the way. 0 points out of 6 available is a worrying stat for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal which has prompted many fans to already questioning his position at the club.
Despite being the highest spending with £129 million spent so far in the transfer window they do not look like a team that can carve their way into the top 6 of the Premier League table this season. Tactically they are below standards, Chelsea, Spurs, City, Leicester, United and Liverpool have all they need in their tanks to sustain themselves at their peak of the league table but the same cannot be said for Arsenal as of now.
Though a few good signings before the window closes will help them in a big way, also Arteta needs to start acting as things are now heated and he would not want to see himself on a brink of being sacked.
- Right now is not the time for Arteta- Out
It would be too harsh on Mikel Arteta if he is asked to step down from his position just after 2 bad results, it’s still early days and there is time to judge the manager. Bear in mind they were without Ben White, Lacazette and Gabriel, their captain too well out of shape and not fit to play for the game but still he did.
This was not the best starting 11 by Arteta for sure as he is yet to put together a team with his new arrivals and team synergy needs a little time to build. It’s understandable a defeat to your city rivals is a tough pill to swallow but the reality is Arsenal project is still in progress and now is not the time to judge Mikel Arteta.
Though it will be interesting to see Arteta incorporates the new arrivals this summer and make the team more balanced in order to achieve their season’s goals, but the fact remains that he will be under pressure no matter what, the only way for him to gain back supporters trust is results and boy he needs positive results soon.
