It has been another difficult week for Arsenal as uncertainty has arisen off the pitch in unexpected ways, with the abrupt departure of sporting director Edu Gaspar and growing questions about their longevity in the Premier League title race.
Currently, the Gunners are 7 points behind the top team Liverpool. The season is still long, everything can still be saved, but this will be a warning bell for Arsenal.
Compared to their Premier League defeat to Newcastle, Arsenal posed more of a threat against Inter, although the final result was still a defeat. Arsenal attempted 46 passes into the opposition box, but none of their players were able to capitalise. Set-pieces, which were a strength of the Gunners, were also becoming predictable.
"The worst thing for us in this match was definitely the result, because Arsenal completely dominated one of the strongest teams in Europe right at their own stadium. The attitude and performance of the whole team was something I have never seen before.
However, we also need to review our finishing ability. If the players did better, Arsenal could have scored at least 2 goals" - Arteta said after the match.
It felt like Arteta was trying to protect his players after the loss to Inter. But on the bright side, it can be understood that Arteta still believes Arsenal are on the right track. The loss to Inter was more a matter of bad luck than a mistake.
However, there is one truth that Arteta cannot escape: too many Arsenal players are struggling to find form. Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz are no longer themselves. Criticism of the Gunners' failure to sign a striker will only grow after this defeat.
Many Arsenal fans were hoping for the return of Martin Odegaard, with the Norwegian midfielder coming on in stoppage time and by then it was too late to make a difference.
The Arsenal captain is a fantastic player who can hold a team together, but it is a big ask after almost two months of absence. If Havertz does not leave the pitch injured, Arteta is unlikely to rush to use Odegaard.
Arteta insists Arsenal will soon overcome their difficulties: "If we play the way we played, we have a good chance to win against Chelsea.
I told the players I was proud of them. I have never seen them play in Europe like they did today. And we are disappointed that we did not achieve what we wanted in this game. That is for sure."
It's now three defeats in six games, including two straight defeats for the Gunners. They need a good result at Stamford Bridge if they don't want the season to slip away.
