Worrying signs for Arsene

From the point of view of Arsene Wenger, there were several worrying things about Arsenal’s defeat by Chelsea on Saturday.

There was the sudden defensive ineptitude that allowed Chelsea to score two soft goals from set-pieces. There was the flatness of a midfield unit that failed to put Chelsea under real pressure, and the disheartening sight of Abou Diaby coming off injured. And there was the failure of Lukas Podolski to contribute anything meaningful to the cause for the second big game in a row. The German was substituted at the Etihad Stadium after barely getting a kick against Manchester City and it was more of the same on Saturday. Wenger’s sides have always relied on intelligence and creativity from front players. With Podolski in this form, no wonder Theo Walcott is unhappy.