Ashley Young: Chelsea have strong forwards, but midfield issues force right-backs into midfield roles

According to BBC Sport, Ashley Young believes Chelsea have a strong attack but insufficient midfield depth, to the point that they need to use right-backs as midfielders.

Defending champions Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 at home on Sunday. During the match, Chelsea had Reece James and Malo Gusto, two players who began their careers as right-backs, operating in midfield positions. After Chelsea spent £349 million in this summer's transfer window, why they still found themselves in this situation became a major talking point.

When Arsenal scored the winning goal at the Emirates Stadium, it was Reece James who failed to track Odegaard. Earlier, Xabi Alonso had said James had the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world. James performed well for the rest of the match, and he spent nearly half of last season playing in midfield.

However, after Gusto replaced Lavia in the second half, Chelsea's midfield depth was still questioned. Odegaard's goal came from Chelsea's defensive lapse, while a lack of creativity from the bench also cost Chelsea, and Arteta's substitutions eventually helped Arsenal secure victory.

Ashley Young told BBC Sport: "Chelsea do not have European football this season, so they have fewer matches and can focus their energy on the Premier League. But the issue is that when you finish a game against the defending champions, you have two right-backs playing in midfield."

Ashley Young said: "Look at Lavia, he had a lot of injuries last season. The attacking players will make the whole league wary, but behind them you see a right-back occupying a midfield position. Other teams will look at this game and see Chelsea defending deeper and putting players behind the ball, but there are still gaps through the middle, and Arsenal found that."

He added: "Chelsea gave up a lot of possession and played counter-attacking football. Today they probably had only one chance, when Joao Pedro drove forward on the right and took advantage of a counter-attack opportunity."

The absence of Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is the first major issue Xabi Alonso needs to solve. Caicedo came on as a substitute against Brighton last week but was injured after playing only 11 minutes. He is expected to be out for a period of time, although the exact length of his absence is unclear.

Apart from suspension, Caicedo had missed only two matches in the previous three seasons due to one injury and one illness. Speaking about Caicedo, Xabi Alonso said: "It will not be long, but the key is assessing the risk. Last week we may have brought him back too early, and I do not want to make the same mistake again."

It remains unclear whether Chelsea had concerns about Caicedo's fitness when they pursued several midfielders on deadline day. Monaco stopped Chelsea's £47 million move for Lamine Camara at the final stage, leaving Chelsea's hierarchy very angry.

Earlier this summer, Chelsea also made a bid of up to £64 million for Bournemouth's Alex Scott, but it was rejected. After Roma manager Gasperini blocked a deal, Chelsea also failed to sign France international Khephren Kone.

Chelsea said their pursuit of Camara was due to a market opportunity, while also stating that the club was satisfied with its summer business and continued to trust the current squad. Although Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez for a Premier League record £125 million fee on deadline day, they did not sign a direct replacement.

Caicedo's absence means both he and Henderson are on the injury list. Henderson is still recovering from an arm fracture, which occurred when he fell into advertising boards while being an unused substitute during the World Cup.

Natural midfielder Valentin Barco, who joined from Strasbourg this summer, has been behind Gusto in all of Chelsea's first three Premier League matches this season. In last weekend's 4-3 win over Brighton, Chelsea played Gusto in midfield and had only 25.6% possession, their lowest figure since records began in the 2003-04 season.

If all of Chelsea's midfield options remain fit and Caicedo's injury proves to be minor, then five midfielders should be enough to handle the schedule in a season without midweek European matches. Xabi Alonso expressed a similar view before the game.

Chelsea's first three matches have mainly relied on Morgan Rogers, a returning-to-form Palmer, and Joao Pedro. The team has conceded seven goals in three games, and Xabi Alonso said: "We want to play in a more stable way."

Despite losing to Arsenal, Chelsea still had many positives. Record signing Rogers scored in the second minute, becoming the first Chelsea player since Hazard in the 2018-19 season to directly contribute to a goal in each of the club's first three Premier League matches of a season.

This was perhaps also one of Chelsea's better performances during their run of 10 consecutive matches without a win against Arsenal. Chelsea finished only 10th in the Premier League last season and still have a three-point gap to make up.

After the match, Xabi Alonso said: "We came here to win. We knew the gap was not that big, but the result went their way. It hurts, and of course we are disappointed. But this is only the first defeat, there is a long road ahead, and it will not have a major impact on our emotions and mentality."

Arsenal remain the benchmark Chelsea are chasing. Although Chelsea signed 10 first-team players this summer, failing to add a midfielder before the transfer deadline could leave a potential weakness. Earlier this week, Xabi Alonso described the summer as "the first phase". If Caicedo's return does not solve the midfield issues, Chelsea may face questions over why the club did not find a replacement for Enzo Fernandez earlier.