Soccer
Maxence Lacroix expects Chelsea to learn from Arsenal defeat
Maxence Lacroix believes Chelsea deserved more from Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal which left the players “hurting”.
The Blues’ bright start to life under Xabi Alonso looked like getting better when Morgan Rogers volleyed them into the lead at the Emirates Stadium after only 77 seconds, before a lesson followed in how much work is still to do for the new manager and his squad.
Kai Havertz met with too little resistance in running the ball in from the flank and finishing inside Emiliano Martinez’s near post, then Reece James let go the run of Martin Odegaard who strode onto Christos Tzolis’s pass to hit the winner.
“I think it was a good start but once they scored it got more and more difficult,” said Lacroix. “But we showed that we also had good actions and good attacks, so the defeat hurts a little bit. We gave our best.
“I think we deserved more. Luck was not by our side, but we have to accept it. The desire to score, the attitude was clear. We showed good character until the very end. We deserved the 2-2, but we learned for next time.”
Chelsea remain a riddle under Alonso. The front three of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers again suggested they could help the club challenge for the title, but their general shape out of possession was loose and easily exploited by Arsenal, who ought to have won by more.
They had chances to add to Rogers’ goal, most notably when Pedro Neto stuck the post late in the first half then again when David Raya produced a superb 89th-minute save to deny substitute Estevao.
Defensively they were vulnerable. Havertz found it too easy to make space for the equaliser, his shot going between the legs of Lacroix before beating Martinez too easily at his near post.
The space found by Odegaard for the winner, albeit the product of a wonderful dummy from Havertz to leave Chelsea flatfooted, will also be of concern.
It meant a first defeat under Alonso, whose side face newly-promoted Hull at Stamford Bridge in their next league outing on Saturday.
“We are a little bit unhappy after losing but I believe that we did well,” said Lacroix. “We just have to adjust some points. I think it’s not easy to play there but we did good.
“We accept the loss but we want to learn from it. I think it’s good to learn about the mistakes and all the wrong parts. We have to go forward and go again.”
