Chelsea vs Arsenal (3-2): Four Talking points

Gameweek 2 saw the marquee clash of two London powerhouses, locking horns with each other. Chelsea and Arsenal, both in their own way are seeing a period of transition with the new style of football under Maurizio Sarri at the former and the latter embarks on a quest of a new identity in post-Wenger era with Unai Emery.

The game started with Chelsea thoroughly outplaying Arsenal and dominating for a large portion of the first half with Pedro's opening ninth minute strike and Alvaro Morata's first strike of the new season under the 20th minute. Soon after, Gunners made a stellar comeback with two quick goals under four minutes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi, helping Arsenal level the score 2-2 at halftime.

Maurizio Sarri made double substitutions at the 60th minute as Mateo Kovacic, the loanee from Real Madrid made his first appearance for Chelsea by replacing Ross Barkley. Also, Eden Hazard replaced Willian as the Belgian continues to march on his quest to full fitness. The change came at the right time as the pair had a positive impact on the game as Chelsea looked more potent in possession for the first time in second half and again it was the Eden Hazard who set up Marcos Alonso's winner.

The win sees Chelsea bag a perfect six points from their first two fixtures of the premier league but the side look far from the finished article. Arsenal posed plenty of questions to the Blues defence which generally struggled and there is no doubt that Sarri will look to address the issues which saw Chelsea blow up a two-goal lead within five minutes. Four talking points:

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#1 Triple Spanish Delight

Pedro celebrates his opener with fellow Blues Alonso and Morata

Chelsea's three Spanish scorers on the day incidentally, are the players not universally loved by the Chelsea fanbase. Alvaro Morata's first season at Chelsea failed to inspire as the striker showed flashes of brilliance but his poor finishing and less than impressive second half of the season saw him draw ire of many Chelsea fans. With the new season underway, the Spaniard will no doubt be delighted (or relieved) as he goes off the mark for the season in a clutch early season fixture.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised as Pedro signed a 1-year contract extension in the summer. But the ex-Barcelona winger has so far justified Chelsea's faith in him as he scored his second goal of the season in as many matches. Marcos Alonso enjoyed his time under Antonio Conte as the undisputed starter at Left Wingback position but it was speculated that the lanky defender might lose his place to Emerson Palmieri. However, it looks like he might have kept his place in the starting eleven safe for the foreseeable future after scoring the winner against Arsenal.

#2 Defensive woes

Chelsea concede their second goal as Iwobi equalises for Arsenal

The season has just started and any predictions might end up looking silly as time passes by. Still, early signs indicate that Chelsea's left-hand side of defence might be slightly vulnerable. Untested against Huddersfield, Chelsea's defence led by Brazilian David Luiz failed to impress against Arsenal as they faced their first stern test. At times, the defensive structure looked disorganised and Chelsea defenders were often found isolated against the likes of Aubameyang who rarely misses an opportunity (one can ignore his glaring first-half miss in the game!).

Alonso has plenty of qualities but the pace is not one of them. Hector Bellerin ran at him whenever presented with an opportunity. It is a weakness that the opposing teams will look to expose as the way Chelsea are playing this season, the opposition will look to counterattack and Alonso might end up getting exposed. Cesar Azpilicueta, the Chelsea captain on the day also did not exactly cover himself in glory as he looked to find his feet at right back which was his natural position when he started out his professional career.

Incidentally, he has not occupied it for the last 4-5 years and his offensive contribution as a right back has scope for improvement. The good news is that such defensive lapses will disappear as the team plays more coherently and the players get accustomed to "Sarriball".

#3 Impact of the substitutions

Mateo Kovacic impressed on his Chelsea debut

It should be safe to say that the lineups Sarri has used in the first two premier league games might change as the season progresses. Eden Hazard looks the obvious choice as the left winger and would be the first name on the team sheet as he regains his full fitness. The Belgian is widely expected to have his best season as a Chelsea player as he finally gets to play in a system which suits his strengths. It was no coincidence that he set up Chelsea's winner against Arsenal, he is one of the few players in the world currently who have the ability to change the course of the match on their own.

A player whose place looks in danger is Ross Barkley. The 24-year-old has enjoyed plenty of playing time and has generally looked solid since the start of the season. Unfortunately for him, nothing more can be said about his performances so far. After he got substituted, Chelsea's midfield suddenly looked much more fluid and credit goes to his replacement, Mateo Kovacic.

The Croatian midfielder instantly changed the tempo of Chelsea's play and looked a natural fit in the midfield. His combination with Hazard was also a joy to watch and with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas also fighting for a slot in Chelsea's midfield, Chelsea's starting eleven could evolve further, especially one can expect changes in midfield combinations.

#4 The Battle of the newcomers

A tough start to the season has not helped Unai Emery's cause

Both the teams saw a change in the coaching department with Unai Emery replacing the legendary Arsene Wenger and Maurizio Sarri taking over from fellow Italian Antonio Conte. This match was eagerly awaited by fans from both sides as both fanbases wanted to see how their teams have progressed under the new management.

As of now, it looks like Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea might settle in faster than their fellow Londoners as the new Arsenal Manager oversees two successive defeats at the start of his career at the new club. One could argue that Arsenal have the toughest of schedules out of all the top six clubs in England but a slow start could cost the Gunners a champions league place. The premier league is highly competitive and any slip-ups can prove to be fatal.

Chelsea have done well to bag a perfect two wins out of two in their first fixtures in the league as Sarri's side still clearly looks far from a finished article. It would not be outrageous to think that Chelsea might struggle for a period during the season but so far, all the signs look towards Chelsea going from strength to strength and could well hit the top gear much earlier than anticipated.