Second Viewing 2021-22 | Arsenal vs. Chelsea

Lineup

Missing at least eight first-team players (and arguably five starters), Arsenal lined up in their base 4-2-3-1, with Gabriel Martinelli given the nod over Folarin Balogun at CF, and Cedric Soares preferred to Calum Chambers after the latter’s blinder last week.

Second half substitutes Nuno Tavares, Balogun (both enforced by injury), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did little to change the game in any meaningful way, as Arsenal were flattered by the 2-0 score line.

Minute by Minute

Time	Primary Player	Phase	Score
0:53	Lokonga	Attack	0-0
Lokonga (+1) turns Mount in midfield.
1:00	Xhaka	Attack	0-0
Xhaka (+1) loops a ball over the Chelsea midfield to Lokonga (+1), who chests down into the path of Smith Rowe (+1). Left-footed shot is comfortably saved.
1:54	Saka	Defense	0-0
Saka (+1) gets a foot in to poke the ball away in midfield.
1:56	Saka	Attack	0-0
Saka (-1) leaves his pass for Smith Rowe short.
2:08	Xhaka	Defense	0-0
Alonso beats Soares (-1) to the inside with ease, then slots back to James who smashes the ball against Xhaka (+1)'s head. Good block.
4:35		Defense	0-0
Arsenal with 10 players behind the ball. No matter. Holding (-1) drifts too far outside
5:00	Smith Rowe	Defense	0-0
Smith Rowe (+1) alert to intercept the Chelsea throw.
5:05	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-0
Smith Rowe (+1) dips a shoulder to beat Rudiger, then gets pulled down to stop the counter.
5:35	Saka	Attack	0-0
Saka (-1) tries to help the ball on to Tierney, but overhits it and turns it over.
5:45	Xhaka	Defense	0-0
Xhaka (+1) tucks inside to intercept, going to ground to head the ball on to Tierney
5:55	Xhaka	Attack	0-0
Xhaka (-1) holds onto the ball too long and gets into trouble. He tries a dive to get out of it, but referee isn't buying.
6:40	Xhaka	Defense	0-0
Xhaka (-1) chasing shadows as Chelsea the ball between him and Smith Rowe (-1). Holding (+1) steps in to intercept.
7:00	Tierney	Defense	0-0
Early warning signs of what's to come later as Chelsea break quickly from left to right. Lokonga (-1) shifts outside to pick up Havertz leaving Jorginho unmarked. Smith Rowe (-1) doesn't drop deep enough to cut off the passing lane. Xhaka (-1) trying to block off Lukaku, leaving Tierney (-1) 1v2. He can't block James's cross but Chelsea have overrun it.
8:25	Martinelli	Attack	0-0
Martinelli (-1) loses the aerial duel.
8:35	Tierney	Attack	0-0
Saka (+1) and Tierney (+1) combine down the left culminating in a Tierney cross that's between three Arsenal shirts.
9:05	Lokonga	Attack	0-0
Lokonga (+2) smashes a ball the width of the pitch directly into Tierney (+1)'s stride. His cross goes right across the six yard box and is cleared for a corner.
10:18	Tierney	Attack	0-0
Tierney (-1) panicks and kicks a bouncing ball to no one in particular. Martinelli offside.
10:50	Pepe	Attack	0-0
Pepe (+2) beats three defenders to carry the ball from his own half to the edge of the Chelsea box.
11:45	Soares	Attack	0-0
Soares (-1) hits a first time cross from 40+ yards away straight to Mendy in goal.
12:40	Xhaka	Defense	0-0
Xhaka (-1) tries to intercept and gets spun. Mari (+1) quick to step in front of the next pass to intercept.
12:50	Martinelli	Attack	0-0
Saka is off to the races if Martinelli (-1) can get a bit of lift on his give-and-go pass. He cannot.
13:20	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-0
Smith Rowe (-1) tries to head the ball on its way, but does so just too heavy and Chistensen is able to clear.
14:00	Mari	Defense	0-0
Jorginho turns Martinelli (-1) at midfield, then is free to play into Lukaku because Lokonga (-1) has pressed upfield with little effect. Xhaka (-1) and Saka (-1) caught napping infield leaving James WIDE open on the right. Mari (-2) thrown out of the way by Lukaku, who taps in. Leno (-1) fails to deal with the cross. 1-0.
15:58	Xhaka	Defense	0-1
Mount shows too much of the ball to Xhaka (+1).
16:02	Xhaka	Attack	0-1
Xhaka (-1) waits on the ball, then hits long to no one.
16:15	Martinelli	Defense	0-1
Martinelli (+1) tracks back and kicks the ball off Kovacic.
16:20	Saka	Attack	0-1
Arsenal's quick counter ends when Saka (-1) misses Martinelli by three yards with his first-time pass.
16:53	Xhaka	Attack	0-1
Xhaka (-1) doesn't get enough on his crossfield pass and Alonso cuts it out.
17:20	Tierney	Attack	0-1
Arsenal pass the ball around midfield six or seven times before Tierney (-1) gets impatient and hits long straight to Mendy in goal.
17:33			0-1
I don't even know what Arsenal are trying to do. Chelsea advance the ball over midfield with just two passes because Pepe is tasked with marking both Rudiger and Alonso. Xhaka (-1) dives in on Lukaku and Saka (-1) again fails to track back, which gives up the entire left side. Tierney (+1) blocks the cross.
17:55	Saka	Defense	0-1
Saka (-1) played around by James and Mount. Thankfully James's cross is straight to Leno.
18:00	Leno	Attack	0-1
Leno (-1) has the chance to spring Pepe on the counter but opts to hold the ball and let Chelsea recover.
18:07	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-1
Lokonga (+1) threads the ball between two defenders to spring Arsenal on a belated counter attack. Smith Rowe (+1) passes to Saka down the line, who holds his man off. Xhaka (-1) ignores three Arsenal players and instead passes back and resets.
18:40	Mari	Attack	0-1
Mari (-1) plays the ball over the top to no one.
19:25	Mari	Defense	0-1
Xhaka (-1) and Mari (-1) both bodied leaving Holding (+1) 1v2 on the edge of the Arsenal box. He's able to block the pass out for a corner.
20:00	Leno	Defense	0-1
Leno (+1) punches the corner clear.
20:07	Pepe	Defense	0-1
Pepe (-1) loses James at the back post, then no Arsenal player closes down Kovacic so Pepe goes himself, freeing James to cross. Lukaku outjumps Holding (-1) and Xhaka (-1) but heads over.
20:45	Pepe	Attack	0-1
Pepe (+2) nutmegs Jorginho in midfield then puts Saka (-2) 1v1 against Azpilicueta. His heavy touch allows Chelsea to clear.
21:05	Tierney	Attack	0-1
Tierney (-1)'s cross doesn't beat the first man.
21:12	Mari	Defense	0-1
Mari (+1) does just about enough to stop the counter, holding off Lukaku in the process.
22:04	Holding	Defense	0-1
Holding (+1) wins the aerial duel.
22:15	Tierney	Defense	0-1
Arsenal at a complete loss on how to defend Chelsea's build up. Havertz drops deep and receives the ball with no Arsenal player within 15 yards of him. Tierney (-1) left 1v2 again after the crossfield pass to James, recovers well to face him up, then gets turned. James lays off to Mount, who has his shot blocked by Mari (+1).
24:00	Pepe	Attack	0-1
Pepe (-2) loses the aerial duel, then can't handle Holding (-1)'s smashed ball at his chest.
24:20	Pepe	Defense	0-1
Pepe (+1) gets a foot in and forces Alonso to knock the ball out for a throw. Might have been a foul.
24:50	Pepe	Attack	0-1
Pepe (-1) miscontrols a siimple throw in and gives away possession.
26:00	Tierney	Attack	0-1
Tierney (+1) beats Jorginho to carry the ball across midfield...
26:05	Tierney	Attack	0-1
...but then he—Tierney (-1)— gives the ball away.
26:35	Mari	Defense	0-1
Mari (+1) left 1v1 with Lukaku inside the Arsenal box after Lokonga (-1) and Xhaka (-1) get too flat, but does well to stay tight and block the shot.
27:07	Xhaka	Defense	0-1
Xhaka (-1) caught between blocking the entry pass into Mount and/or Lukaku, so instead does neither.
20:20	Lokonga	Attack	0-1
Lokonga (+1)'s cross flicked on by Martinelli (+1). Xhaka (+1) beats Mount to head onto Saka. The move ends with a Lokonga shot over the bar.
29:00	Pepe	Defense	0-1
Pepe (-1) defends wrong-side of Kovacic, allowing him to spring forward and get the ball to Lukaku. Soares (-1) backs off Alonso. Holding blocks the shot right at him.
29:25	Saka	Attack	0-1
Saka (-1) takes a heavy touch that not only kills the Arsenal counter, but sends Chelsea on one of their own.
30:23	Pepe	Attack	0-1
Pepe (-1) baits Rudiger into passing right to him, then takes a heavy touch to turn it right back over.
30:35	Tierney	Defense	0-1
I keep hammering Xhaka (-1) and Lokonga (-1) for being AWOL defensively, but it probably should read: Arteta (-5) fails to properly set up the team. Havertz picks up the ball at midfield and isn't met by a defender until he's carried the ball into the Arsenal third. Tierney (-1) not close enough to James to stop the cross. Soares (-1) lets the ball run and gives Mount the chance to recover it on the back side.
31:03	Xhaka	Attack	0-1
Xhaka (-1) overhits Martinelli down the left channel.
32:10	Holding	Defense	0-1
Holding (+1) puts an arm in Lukaku's back to push him off balance and force the errant header.
32:38	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-1
Smith Rowe (+1) and Soares (+1) combine down the right to get Smith Rowe into crossing position inside the box. Blocked.
33:01	Lokonga	Attack	0-1
Lokonga (-1) tries to squeeze the ball into Saka but it has no chance.
33:45	Tierney	Defense	0-1
Lokonga (-1) loses Havertz in midfield, then Soares (-2) comes to double team and whiffs, leaving Alonso in the process. Xhaka (-1) slow to recover on Alonso's pass infield. Tierney (-2) overshifts. Saka (-1) fails to track back. James wide open at the back post to fire home. 2-0.
35:20	Soares	Attack	0-2
Soares (-1) bombs the ball forward, easily headed back to Mendy by the Chelsea back line.
37:23	Holding	Attack	0-2
Holding (-1) tries for Martinelli over the top, but instead hits the ball straight out of bounds.
38:08	Saka	Attack	0-2
Saka (+1) heads Tierney's blocked cross just out of reach for the probably-offside Smith Rowe.
38:39	Mari	Defense	0-2
Havertz again drops deep and is allowed to carry the ball a quarter of the pitch before being closed down. Mari (-1) turned inside out by Mount, but the cross just misses Havertz and Lukaku.
39:20	Saka	Attack	0-2
Saka (-1) picks up the ball in midfield then has his pass to Pepe cut out.
40:00	Saka	Attack	0-2
Pepe (+1) slides the ball into Saka (+1), who's made a terrific run to get the better of James. He's taken out inside the box. No penalty. Refs -3.
42:00	Martinelli	Attack	0-2
Saka (+1) just about squeezes the ball into Martinelli (-1), but the slight deflection forces Martinelli to spin and his resulting touch is too heavy.
42:45	Tierney	Attack	0-2
Tierney (-1) telegraphs his pass to Smith Rowe and it's easily intercepted.
43:45	Soares	Attack	0-2
Soares (+1)'s cross finds Mari (+1), whose header back to Holding is just behind him.
45:15	Tierney	Attack	0-2
Tierney (+1) curls a ball into Saka (+1) down the left channel, who helps it onto Xhaka. His cross is blocked out for a corner.
46:00	Pepe	Attack	0-2
Pepe (-1) underhits the corner. Martinelli (-1) flicks it all the way out to the sideline, where Pepe races back to prevent the throw in, but is whistled for offside.
46:50	Mari	Defense	0-2
Mari (-1) bodies Mount out of the way on an aerial ball, then whiffs his clearance.
2nd Half
Time	Primary Player	Phase	Score
45:38	Saka	Defense	0-2
Saka (-1) too narrow again, giving James space to carry from midfield to the edge of the Arsenal box.
46:28	Mari	Defense	0-2
Mari (+1) tackles Mount as he runs off Lukaku's flick on.
46:40	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lukaku dribbles past Xhaka (-1) and Mari (-1), but Lokonga (+1) is there to back up and clear momentarily.
48:15	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (+1) chasing and eventually gets his foot on the ball to win back for Arsenal.
48:45	Soares	Attack	0-2
Soares (-1) throws the ball into Lokonga, gets it back, then loses it.
48:55	Mari	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) switches off defensively and allows the entry pass into Lukaku. Mari (+1) stays with him and blocks the shot.
49:05	Smith Rowe	Defense	0-2
Smith Rowe (-1) defending inside the Arsenal box is not ideal. He's turned and gives up the shot, but Holding (+1) out quickly to block.
50:06	Mari	Defense	0-2
Mari (+1) steps in front of Lukaku to intercept Mendy's clearance.
50:10	Holding	Attack	0-2
Holding (-1)'s pass for Pepe is intercepted.
50:15	Soares	Defense	0-2
Soares (+1) tight to Kovacic and knocks the ball to Smith Rowe, who beats Jorginho then is taken out. No foul. Refs -1.
50:45	Tierney	Attack	0-2
Unreal pass from Tierney (+2) gets the ball to Pepe in the corner.
51:20	Pepe	Attack	0-2
Pepe (-1)'s cross doesn't beat the first man.
51:40	Saka	Attack	0-2
Saka (+1)'s shot from distance takes a slight deflection and is tipped over the bar by Mendy.
52:10	Saka	Attack	0-2
Saka (-1) dribbles himself into the corner then loses the ball out for a goal kick.
52:45	Xhaka	Defense	0-2
Mount shields off Xhaka (-1), letting the ball bypass them both to reach Lukaku.
54:25	Holding	Defense	0-2
Holding (-1) is tight as to Lukaku, but somehow still can't block the cross and gets fortunate that the shot bounces off of him.
55:25	Soares	Defense	0-2
Soares (+1) stands his ground 1v1 vs. Havertz and wins the ball back for Arsenal.
55:50	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) goes tearing off after Azpilicueta, vacating center midfield in the process. Jorginho overhits his pass to Lukaku to let him off the hook.
56:20	Pepe	Attack	0-2
Leno (+1) puts the ball right on Pepe (-1)'s foot 60+ yards up the field, but he's allowed himself to stray offside.
56:30	Tierney	Defense	0-2
One pass is all it takes to put James and Mount 2v1 vs. Tierney. Saka (-1) high and inside; no where to be found. Lokonga (-1) loses Mount, whose shot goes just wide.
57:10	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lokonga (+1) with the nice entry pass into Martinelli, who's fouled.
57:35	Soares	Attack	0-2
Soares (-2) dribbles around aimlessly and then loses the ball to Kovacic as if he's purposely laying it off to him.
58:20	Leno	Attack	0-2
Leno (+1) plays over the top to Martinelli, who momentarily has the step on Chistensen before giving it up and letting him head out for a corner.
59:00	Holding	Attack	0-2
Mari (+1) heads the corner back to Holding (-2), who heads wide despite being wide open and only seven yards out.
59:35	Tierney	Defense	0-2
Tierney (+1) blocks James's clearance and Chelsea can only smash forward. Holding (-1) loses the aeriel duel to Havertz.
59:50	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lokonga (+1) gets his body between Havertz and the ball and draws the foul.
61:07	Aubameyang	Attack	0-2
Aubameyang (-1) bodied off the entry pass by Christensen.
61:55	Holding	Defense	0-2
Lukaku tries to shield Holding (+1) and fails.
62:00	Martinelli	Attack	0-2
Martinelli (-1) can't squeeze the ball into Aubameyang on the first try, but does on the second after Chelsea recovers. His off-balance shot is straight at Mendy.
62:30	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) late to press which allows Chelsea to break. Mari (-1) poorly positioned to allow the entry pass into Lukaku. Holding (+1) recovers.
63:10	Tierney	Attack	0-2
Tierney (-1) can't deal with the bouncing ball and turns it over.
63:35	Aubameyang	Defense	0-2
Aubameyang (+1) tracks back to win the ball for Arsenal.
63:40	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lokonga (+1) slips Aubameyang through, but Mendy alert off his line to clear.
65:45	Holding	Attack	0-2
Soares (-1) hangs onto the ball too long before finally passing back to Holding (-1), who smashes it deep to no one.
66:10	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Welcome to the Premier League, Lokonga (-1). Lukaku spins him then gets dragged down. Yellow card.
67:10	Holding	Defense	0-2
Lukaku outjumps Holding (-1) at the back post.
67:30	Aubameyang	Attack	0-2
Lokonga puts the ball right on Aubameyang (-1)'s head, but he can't direct it into Martinelli's path and Chelsea take over.
68:30	Soares	Attack	0-2
Pepe finds Soares (+1) down in the right corner, and his cross is inch-perfect. Unfortunately, Smith Rowe (-1)'s touch is not, and Chelsea clear.
69:25	Mari	Defense	0-2
Lukaku spins Mari (-1). Soares (-1) gives up the inside. Lokonga (+1) sags a bit deep initially, but recovers well to block.
70:10	Martinelli	Defense	0-2
Martinelli (-1) doesn't get enough on the corner to clear, instead flicking on to the back post. Kovacic smashes over.
70:35	Holding	Attack	0-2
Holding (-1) easily dispossessed by Havertz.
71:40	Tavares	Attack	0-2
Tavares (+1) wins the aerial duel. Aubameyang (-1)'s touch is too heavy and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
74:00	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lokonga (+1) picks up the clearance and dinks the ball to Soares (+1) at the back post, whose header is just out of reach for Holding at the edge of the Chelsea six.
74:20	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) gets drawn to the playside giving up the entry pass into Lukaku. Mari (-1) has an opportunity to tackle but misses. Chelsea retain possession.
74:55	Tavares	Defense	0-2
Xhaka passes off Havertz to Tavares (+1), who realizes late but is able to recover and block the cross.
76:15	Pepe	Attack	0-2
Pepe (-1) tries to dummy Holding's pass into him, but can't catch up to the ball before Rudiger slide tackles it away.
76:20	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) overshifts, giving up Havertz in the middle. Martinelli (-1) doesn't track back on James, leaving Tavares 1v2.
7:35	Leno	Defense	0-2
Mari forced to chase James wide left, leaving Lukaku between Lokonga (-1) and Holding (-1), neither of whom get over in time. Leno (+2) pushes Lukaku's header against the crossbar.
79:02	Holding	Defense	0-2
Holding (+1) bravely wins the header. Lokonga (+1) blocks the shot at the back post.
79:08	Balogun	Attack	0-2
Balogun (-1) tries to spring Lokonga on the attack, but can't direct the bouncing ball anywhere but to a Chelsea player.
79:25	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lonkonga (+2) plays a 60+ diagonal to Tavares, but Chelsea are able to clear his first-time cross
79:50	Tavares	Attack	0-2
Tavares (-1) tries to beat his man off th dribble—and nearly does—before James comes in with a sliding tackle to dispossess.
79:55	Xhaka	Defense	0-2
Xhaka (+1) alert to the outlet and tackles back for Arsenal.
80:00	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-2
Smith Rowe (+1) takes the ball in stride and dribbles into the box, where his cutback is cleared.
80:42	Mari	Defense	0-2
Mari (-2) unsuccessfully tries to play Lukaku offside, catches him, then gets beat 1v1. Tavares (-1) loses his man over his right shoulder. Leno (+1) saves.
81:05	Lokonga	Attack	0-2
Lokonga (-1) slips as he tries to play Aubameyang down the right channel.
83:15	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-2
Smith Rowe picks up the loose ball at midfield and drives into the Chelsea third, eventually playing Pepe (-1) into the box. His first touch lets him down and James is able to knock out for a throw in.
83:40	Tavares	Attack	0-2
Tavares (+1) beats his man then plays the ball into Balogun (-1) inside the box. His touch, like many others', lets him down and Chelsea clear.
84:25	Mari	Defense	0-2
Mari (-2) loses Ziyech in behind, then gets beat 1v1 inside the box. Soares (+1) alert to clear.
84:35	Xhaka	Defense	0-2
Xhaka (-1) tries to tackle Kante and fails.
84:40	Xhaka	Defense	0-2
Xhaka (+1) recovers to block James's cross.
85:35	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-2
Smith Rowe (+1) heads on to Balogun (-1), who leaves Aubameyang short.
85:45	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (-1) gets sucks in again and gives up the vertical pass into Havertz. Tavares (-2) is in position to cut out the cross but lets the ball roll under his foot, then fails to deal with the overlap allowing Chelsea to shoot. Leno (+1) saves.
86:19	Pepe	Attack	0-2
Pepe (-1) almost leaves Holding short on a pass back, but Holding is just about able to get there in time.
87:05	Smith Rowe	Attack	0-2
A comical giveaway from Smith Rowe (-1) in which he trips over the ball while attempting a stepover and loses it to Jorginho.
87:15	Lokonga	Defense	0-2
Lokonga (+1) hauls back to block Ziyech's shot.
88:35	Leno	Defense	0-2
Leno (+1) punches the corner clear.
90:00	Tavares	Defense	0-2
Tavares (+1) kicks the ball off Kante to win the throw in.
92:35	Tavares	Defense	0-2
Tavares (-1) goes for the tackle on Kante and misses.
92:45	Balogun	Attack	0-2
Aubameyang tries to combine with Balogun (-1), but his return pass goes straight to Chelsea.

Analysis

Unlike last May when Arsenal matched Chelsea’s 3-4-3, Mikel Arteta leaned into a back four with the full weight of North London expectations. Things did not go swimmingly.

Martinelli led the line, and for all his running touched the ball only 12 times—and only six in the Chelsea half.

The 2-0 scoreline more than flattered the Gunners. The hosts were run off the pitch by a well-drilled Chelsea side that used the same sequence to slice them open over and over again. The Athletic’s Michael Cox:

Arsenal’s main problem in midfield, though, was that they didn’t seem sure how to shut down Chelsea’s two holding midfielders. They wanted to press in the middle of the pitch but Emile Smith Rowe couldn’t deal with Jorginho and Kovacic alone, Gabriel Martinelli focused more on Chelsea’s centre-backs, and wide players Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka moved narrow to congest the play without ever really pressuring Kovacic and Jorginho. This often meant one of Arsenal’s holding midfielders moving up the pitch to get involved — and getting bypassed.

Chelsea’s 3-4-3 was more 3-6-1, and Arsenal’s approach—asking Lokonga and Xhaka to shield the centerbacks without also asking Saka / Pépé to track back on the Chelsea wingbacks—seems like suicide in retrospect.

The chart below assigns a lot of the blame to the players involved because that’s the nature of Second Viewing. In reality, the game was lost before it started based on the tactics Arteta asked his Arsenal team to play. He’s a young manager learning on the job, but was well and truly out of his depth in this one.

For the sake of all of us, hopefully he learns quicker.

Chart

	Att	Att	Att		Def	Def	Def
Goalkeeper	+	-	+/-	Goalkeeper	+	-	+/-	Total	Minutes
Bernd Leno	2	1	1	Bernd Leno	6	1	5	6	90
Defenders	+	-	+/-	Defenders	+	-	+/-	Total	Minutes
Kieran Tierney	6	5	1	Kieran Tierney	2	5	-3	-2	66
Pablo Mari	2	1	1	Pablo Mari	7	13	-6	-5	90
Rob Holding	0	7	-7	Rob Holding	7	7	0	-7	90
Cedric Soares	4	6	-2	Cedric Soares	3	4	-1	-3	90
Nuno Tavares	2	1	1	Nuno Tavares	2	4	-2	-1	24
Midfielders	+	-	+/-	Midfielders	+	-	+/-	Total	Minutes
Granit Xhaka	2	5	-3	Granit Xhaka	5	14	-9	-12	90
Albert Sambi Lokonga	10	2	8	Albert Sambi Lokonga	5	13	-8	0	90
Attackers	+	-	+/-	Attackers	+	-	+/-	Total	Minutes
Emile Smith Rowe	6	3	3	Emile Smith Rowe	1	3	-2	1	90
Gabriel Martinelli	1	5	-4	Gabriel Martinelli	1	3	-2	-6	79
Nicolas Pepe	5	10	-5	Nicolas Pepe	1	2	-1	-6	90
Bukayo Saka	6	8	-2	Bukayo Saka	1	6	-5	-7	61
Folarin Balogun	0	4	-4	Folarin Balogun	0	0	0	-4	11
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	0	3	-3	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	1	0	1	-2	29
Total	46	61	-15	Total	42	75	-33	-48	990

Player Ratings

Granit Xhaka [-3 Att | -9 Def | -12 Ovr | 90 Mins]

Arsenal put up a staggering -48 overall, led by Granit Xhaka’s -12. The first Chelsea goal was indicative of his entire day:

I gave him -1 for this. He easily could have earned -3.

Not that it’s entirely his fault. For all the fan sentiment against him, he has his strengths. Covering the width of the pitch defensively is not it. That he was repeatedly asked to do so represents a failure of tactics more than anything else.

Xhaka more than anyone else would have benefitted from matching Chelsea’s formation.

Albert Sambi Lokonga [+8 Att | -8 Def | 0 Ovr | 90 Mins]

The other CM, Lokonga was just as liable for Arsenal’s shambolic defense as Xhaka. Unlike Xhaka however, he made up for it offensively, to the tune of a +8 attacking score.

His defensive issues were the opposite of Xhaka: He’s able to cover ground, but has no idea the principles of defending central space. Look at him go tearing off after Azpilicueta (one of Chelsea’s CENTERbacks) here:

That he’s continuing to make the same error in the 56th minute of the game isn’t a failure on a 21-year-old making his second Premier League appearance. Instead, it’s a failure of the 39-year-old manager who, even after a halftime team talk, didn’t given him clear and proper instruction for how he wanted him to defend.

Lokonga required no such instruction with the ball. This was the best pass of the game, by either team:

Later, only terrific goalkeeping from Mendy prevented him from sending Aubameyang through on goal:

And he again showed a calmness on the ball few other Arsenal players did:

When Thomas Partey comes back next month, Xhaka, not Lokonga, should make way for him.

Pablo Marí [+1 Att | -6 Def | -5 Ovr | 90 Mins]

We’ve all seen the images of him getting bullied by Lukaku all game. He’s also not very good at defending 1v1 in space:

He’s among the slowest defenders in the league, but that was supposed to be okay because of his size and technical ability. Through two games we’ve seen neither:

I know he’s been pressed into action due to Covid protocols and injury, and Lukaku is going to be a handful for any Premier League defender this year. Still, the sooner Gabriel can come back, the better.

Bukayo Saka [-2 Att | -5 Def | -7 Ovr | 61 Mins]

Let’s be clear: I’m not concerned. Saka’s earned a free pass or two after what he did for the team last season, and what he did for England over the summer. But he was not good in this one.

He accumulated -7 overall—tied for second worst on the team—in just 61 minutes, a surprise given how effective he was as a substitute last weekend against Brentford. I thought he was Arsenal’s worst player on the day.

This is not the Bukayo Saka we know:

He looked unsure of himself for the first time, maybe ever, in an Arsenal shirt, and gave the ball away anytime he attempted a pass or dribble longer than five yards.

Live I was upset Arteta only gave him an hour. On rewatch, I totally understand.

Looking Ahead – Matchday 3: Manchester City

Prepare thy buttholes.

Prediction: Manchester City 4 – 1 Arsenal