Arsenal: Calum Chambers admission just the start

Calum Chambers conceded that Arsenal are working on their defensive problems. Such an admission, however, is just the start of what they must achieve.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one in the first place. This old adage is only partly true. While admitting that there is a problem is necessary if you want to address it, to actually be successful in solving it, you have to admit the right cause of problem, not just the symptoms.

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At present, Arsenal have a defensive problem. They have one c

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lean sheet all season, have made several high-profile errors leading directly to goals, and seemingly have little understanding of how to structure themselves such that they are difficult to break down.

However, simply stating that they are poor defensively does not actually help solve their defensive problems. You must dig below the surface. Is it the players? Is it the tactics? Is the midfield not protecting the defence? Can the mistakes be ironed out? These are the questions that the Gunners should be asking themselves.

After Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in which Arsenal’s defensive problems again came to the fore, Calum Chambers was asked by Football.London about how he and his teammates are going to improve. This was his response:

"“I think we recognise that, we know that and we are working on that. We are working every day at the training ground on our philosophy and the way we want to play. It was one of those where it didn’t help that we went down to 10 men today. Obviously they are going to have chances, they are going to dominate parts of the game and that happened <…> We know as a team and we know as a defensive unit that we have to be solid. That we have to shut the door and be stronger <…> We’re working every day in training and working on what we need to do and we’ll just keep going.”"

In reality, these are fairly cliche statements. ‘We’re working every day’; ‘we know… we have to be solid’; ‘we have to shut the door and be stronger’; ‘we’ll just keep going’. They do not really mean that much. Listen to the comments of any footballer after a disappointing result and you will hear very similar catchphrases.

What will actually make the difference is tangible change in how the defence is organised and comprised. That may mean personnel changes, which are expected with the gradual return of Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin. That could mean tactical alterations too, perhaps with the midfield structure altered in the process.

In the end, that will be down to Unai Emery and the players to diagnose what things need to be changed and how they will change them. But what is crucial is that they do not just admit that they are defending poorly and do not at least attempt to make genuine changes and improvements.

Because, so far this season, there have been very few changes made. The same mistakes are being made, the same weaknesses are present. And that is extremely worrying indeed. Admission is the first of many steps, and currently, I am not sure how many more steps Arsenal are taking.