Chelsea are a shell of past glories as serious questions must be asked

Chelsea used to either chase after wins or spoil other teams’ parties in past seasons. But not tonight.

They suffered a rough 5-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium, putting pressure back on Mauricio Pochettino. Their chances of making it to Europe again are now uncertain.

Before the game even started, there were worries. Young player Alfie Gilchrist and Benoit Badiashile, who hasn’t been in top form, were in the starting lineup. And within just four minutes, Leandro Trossard took advantage of Gilchrist’s lack of experience and scored.

From the beginning, Gilchrist and Marc Cucurella struggled, with wingers Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke not providing much help against continuous attacks. They won’t succeed at this level unless they improve their defensive skills.

Ben White scored after a corner, while Badiashile and Axel Disasi had trouble controlling their area and seemed overwhelmed.

Arsenal’s midfield, led by Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, dominated Chelsea’s midfield, which was clearly a tactic by Mikel Arteta to exploit the team’s defensive vulnerabilities.

The trio of Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, and Moises Caicedo didn’t contribute much, and Kai Havertz scored a third goal after a long ball from Martin Odegaard. Enzo, in particular, was ineffective and was substituted after 66 minutes, along with the tactically weak Mudryk.

Havertz scored a fourth goal, taking advantage of more defensive errors from Cucurella and Badiashile, while White’s cross found the net as Arsenal dominated the game.

This loss puts Chelsea 30 points behind Arsenal, who are at the top of the table, in ninth place, and significantly damages their goal difference.

One major flaw in Chelsea’s game this season is their inability to build a solid defense. It’s their worst defensive season in the Premier League era, conceding a record 57 goals with six games still to play.

Despite showing promise in recent games against Everton and Manchester City, Chelsea seem to take one step forward and one step back. Their upcoming matches against Aston Villa and Tottenham won’t be any easier.

Chelsea, a club used to dominating London football, now seem far behind their city rivals. All they could do in this game was give Arsenal the confidence-boosting victory they desired.