According to BBC Sport, Ashley Young believes Chelsea has strong attacking power but lacks midfield depth, even having to deploy right-backs in midfield.

Defending champions Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 at home on Sunday. In that match, Chelsea had Reece James and Malo Gusto, two players who began their careers as right-backs, playing in midfield. Questions about why Chelsea found itself in this situation after spending £349 million in the summer transfer window have become a focus of public attention.

When Arsenal scored the winning goal at the Emirates Stadium, it was Reece James who failed to mark Ødegaard. Previously, Xabi Alonso had stated that James has the potential to become one of the world's best midfielders. James played well for the rest of the match after spending nearly half of last season in midfield.

However, even after Gusto replaced Lavia in the second half, questions remained about Chelsea's midfield depth. Ødegaard's goal came from loose Chelsea defending, and a lack of creativity on the bench also hurt Chelsea, with Arteta's substitutions ultimately helping Arsenal secure the victory.

Ashley Young told BBC Sport: "Chelsea are not competing in European competition this season, so they have fewer matches and can focus on the Premier League. But the problem is, you end up with two right-backs playing in midfield by the end of the match against the defending champions."

Ashley Young said: "Look at Lavia, he suffered many injuries last season. The attacking players will make the whole league wary, but behind them, you see a right-back in a midfield position. Other teams will watch this match today and see that Chelsea will play deeper, putting players behind the ball, but there are still gaps in midfield, and Arsenal found them."

He also stated: "Chelsea gave up a lot of possession; they played counter-attacking football. Today they might have had only one real chance, capitalizing on a counter-attack through João Pedro's push on the right wing."

The absence of Chelsea midfielder Caicedo is a major issue that Xabi Alonso must address. Caicedo came on as a substitute against Brighton last week, playing only 11 minutes before getting injured and is expected to be sidelined for some time, though the exact duration remains unclear.

Excluding suspension, Caicedo has missed only two matches in the last three seasons due to one injury and one illness. Xabi Alonso said about Caicedo: "It won't be too long, but the key is assessing the risk. We may have brought him back too quickly last week, and I don't want to make the same mistake again."

It remains unclear whether Chelsea had concerns about Caicedo's fitness when they pursued several midfielders on the final day of the transfer window. Monaco's last-minute blocking of Chelsea's £47 million offer for Lamine Camara left Chelsea officials frustrated.

Earlier in the summer, Chelsea also made an offer of up to £64 million for Alex Scott from Bournemouth, which was rejected. Chelsea also failed to recruit French international Kouadio Koné after Roma coach Gasperini blocked the deal.

Chelsea stated that pursuing Camara was due to a market opportunity and also said the club was satisfied with its summer transfer operations and still trusts the current squad. Despite Chelsea selling Enzo Fernández for a Premier League transfer record fee of £125 million on the final day, the team did not recruit a direct replacement.

Caicedo's absence means he and Henderson are both on the injury list. Henderson is still recovering from a broken arm, which he suffered during the World Cup when he fell and hit an advertising board as an unused substitute.

Valentín Barco, a natural left-back who joined from Strasbourg this summer, lost the competition with Gusto in Chelsea's first three Premier League matches this season. In last weekend's 4-3 victory over Brighton, Chelsea fielded Gusto in midfield, and their possession rate was only 25.6%, the lowest since records began in the 2003-04 season.

If all of Chelsea's midfield options remain healthy and Caicedo's injury ultimately proves minor, five midfielders should be sufficient for a season without European midweek fixtures. Xabi Alonso expressed a similar view before the match.

In their first three matches, Chelsea have relied primarily on Morgan Rogers, in-form Palmer, and João Pedro. The team conceded seven goals in three matches, and Xabi Alonso said: "We want to play more stably."

Despite losing to Arsenal, Chelsea still has much to be positive about. Signed recruit Rogers scored in the second minute, becoming the first player since Eden Hazard in the 2018-19 season to be directly involved in a goal in each of Chelsea's first three Premier League matches of the season.

This may also be Chelsea's best performance in their last 10 matches without a win against Arsenal. Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and still have a 3-point gap to close.

Xabi Alonso said after the match: "We came here to win. We know the margin is not that big, but the result went their way. It hurts, and of course it's disappointing. But this is only our first loss; it will be a long road, and it won't greatly affect our emotions and mentality."

Arsenal remains the benchmark that Chelsea is chasing. Although Chelsea recruited 10 first-team players this summer, the team's failure to sign a midfielder on the final day of the transfer window could leave a potential weakness. Xabi Alonso described this summer as "phase one" earlier this week. If Caicedo's return still doesn't solve the midfield problem, Chelsea may face the question: why didn't the club seek a replacement for Enzo Fernández earlier?

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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