Arsenal’s Perfect Start Continues as Chelsea Faces Challenges
Arsenal’s perfect start rolls on. Chelsea’s problems are only just beginning.
At the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s side ground out a 2-1 win that said as much about their steel as their style. Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard got the goals, but it was the work without the ball that caught the eye of Jamie Carragher.
Arsenal look ruthless without Saliba
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher did not bother to hide his admiration for Arsenal’s defensive edge, all the more striking given that William Saliba has yet to kick a ball this season.
“I think the worrying thing for everybody else already is that Saliba, - who is genuinely world-class arguably probably the best centre-back in world football – has not played a minute of football so far this season. And it doesn’t look like anyone can score against them,” he said.
That is the ominous part for the rest. Arsenal are winning tight games, closing down space, and suffocating opponents without their defensive lynchpin. Havertz’s finish and Odegaard’s composure ensured the points, but the platform came from an organised, aggressive back line that rarely allowed Chelsea to breathe.
Arteta’s side have now stitched together a flawless start, and they are doing it with a control that suggests this is not a short burst of form. This looks repeatable. This looks deliberate.
Neville tears into Chelsea’s back line
On the other side of the divide, Chelsea left north London with more questions than answers. Seven goals conceded in three league games under Xabi Alonso tells its own story, and Gary Neville did not sugar-coat what he saw.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, he laid into the Blues’ defensive structure, disturbed by how disjointed they appeared at the Emirates.
“The back three, when I watch them, it's almost like their legs aren't connected to their hips and the hips aren't connected to their bodies. It's almost like they're a bit all over the place,” Neville said.
Chelsea’s shape buckled under pressure. The distances were wrong, the timing of their movements off, the coordination between the back three and the wing-backs non-existent at key moments. For a side with ambitions of climbing back to the top, it looked alarmingly makeshift.
Neville even floated the idea that Alonso might need more help from the transfer market, hinting that coaching alone may not fix the cracks quickly enough.
Belief in Alonso’s Chelsea – despite the chaos
And yet, amid the criticism, Neville struck a surprisingly upbeat note about where Chelsea are heading. He highlighted the energy and quality of wing-backs Pedro Neto and Jorrel Hato and pointed to the attacking weapons at Alonso’s disposal as reasons to stay calm.
“I think they can finish second - third is the absolute lowest I can see Chelsea finishing,” Neville insisted. “I'm as positive as I have been for three four five years about Chelsea because I think they're going in the right direction.”
So, chaos at the back. Optimism about the bigger picture. It is a strange blend, but it reflects a team that looks raw rather than broken.
Alonso himself did not hide from the obvious. He admitted his side must tighten up defensively but took encouragement from their fight and attitude in defeat. That spirit is his starting point; the structure has to follow.
What comes next
For Arsenal, the schedule now sharpens. They carry this momentum into Europe, travelling to face Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, a test of whether their defensive discipline can hold on one of the most hostile stages on the continent. After that, it is back to domestic duty away at Sunderland on Saturday, another chance to extend a perfect league run.
Chelsea’s path looks more introspective. Alonso has almost a full week on the training ground to pick apart that back line and rebuild something more coherent before Hull City visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Arsenal are already playing like a team that expects to be in the title conversation. The question is whether Chelsea can sort themselves out quickly enough to join it, or whether these early cracks become the story of their season.
