According to BBC Sport, Ashley Young believes Chelsea's attack is very strong, but their midfield lacks depth, to the point where right-backs have had to play out of position 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, deployed in midfield. The fact that Chelsea still found itself in this situation after spending £349 million in summer transfers has become a major talking point.

When Arsenal scored the winning goal at Emirates Stadium, it was Reece James who failed to mark Odegaard. Previously, Xavi Alonso had said that James has the potential to become one of the world's best midfielders. James performed well for the remainder of the match, having spent nearly half of last season playing in midfield.

However, even after Gusto replaced Lavia in the second half, Chelsea's midfield depth remained questionable. Odegaard's goal stemmed from loose defending by Chelsea, and the lack of creativity from the substitutes also cost Chelsea dear, with Arteta's tactical changes ultimately helping Arsenal secure 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 a match against the defending champions with two right-backs playing in midfield."

Young added: "Look at Lavia—he suffered multiple injuries last season. The attacking players will make the entire league take notice, but behind them, you see right-backs playing in midfield. Other teams will watch today's match and see that Chelsea will sit deep with plenty of defensive cover, but there are still gaps in the middle of the pitch, and Arsenal exploited that."

He also said: "Chelsea surrendered a lot of possession; they played a counter-attacking style of football. Today they probably only had one real opportunity, pushing the ball down the right wing to João Félix, and trying to capitalize on a counter-attack."

The absence of Chelsea midfielder Caicedo is the main issue Xavi Alonso needs to address. Caicedo came on as a substitute against Brighton last week, played only 11 minutes before sustaining an injury, and is expected to miss significant time, although the exact duration remains unclear.

Apart from suspensions, Caicedo has only missed two matches in the past three seasons due to injury and illness. Xavi Alonso said of Caicedo: "It won't be too long, but it's important to assess the risk. We may have brought him back too soon last week, and I don't want to make the same mistake again."

It remains unclear whether Chelsea's concerns about Caicedo's fitness prevented them from pursuing multiple midfielders on the final day of the transfer window. Monaco's last-minute rejection of Chelsea's £47 million offer for Lamine Camara angered the club's leadership.

Chelsea had also made a bid of up to £64 million for Bournemouth's Alex Scott earlier in the summer, but it was rejected. After Roma manager Gasperini blocked a move, Chelsea also failed to sign French international Kouadio Koné.

Chelsea stated that the pursuit of Camara was due to a market opportunity, and maintained that the club was satisfied with summer activity and retained faith in the current squad. Despite Chelsea selling Enzo Fernández for a record Premier League transfer fee of £125 million on the final day, the club failed to bring in a direct replacement.

Caicedo's absence means both he and Henderson are on the injury list. Henderson is still recovering from a broken arm, an injury he sustained after falling into an advertising board as an unused substitute during the World Cup.

Valentín Barco, a natural left-back who joined from Strasbourg in the summer, has been overshadowed by Gusto in Chelsea's first three Premier League matches this season. In last weekend's 4-3 victory over Brighton, Chelsea deployed Gusto in midfield with a possession rate of just 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 to handle the fixture list in a season without midweek European competition. Xavi Alonso expressed similar sentiments before the match.

Chelsea's first three matches have relied heavily on Morgan Rogers, an in-form Cole Palmer, and João Félix. The team conceded seven goals in three matches, with Xavi Alonso stating: "We want to play more consistently."

Despite the loss to Arsenal, Chelsea has positives to take. The club's record signing, Rogers, scored in the second minute, becoming the first player since Eden Hazard in the 2018-19 season to directly contribute to a goal in all three of Chelsea's opening Premier League matches of the season.

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

Xavi Alonso said after the match: "We came to win. We know the gap isn't huge, but the result went their way. It's painful, and of course disappointing. But this is only our first loss—it will be a long season, and it won't affect our mood and mentality too much."

Arsenal remain the benchmark Chelsea are chasing. Despite Chelsea signing 10 first-team players in the summer, their failure to bring in a midfielder on the final day of the transfer window may have left a potential weakness. Xavi Alonso described this summer as "phase one" earlier this week. If Caicedo's return still doesn't address the midfield issues, Chelsea may face questions about why the club didn't seek a replacement for Enzo Fernández sooner.

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