Towards the end of the Unai Emery era the most frustrating thing about Arsenal was their lack of a clear style of play.
From week to week the Gunners switched from system to system as they aimed to counteract the opposition's strengths instead of accentuating their own.
The resulting Jekyll and Hyde performances that came from this approach would ultimately prove to be Emery's demise.
Mikel Arteta though was supposed to be the antidote to this issue.
"My first task will be to get to know the players better and get them playing the kind of fast flowing attacking football that Arsenal supporters around the world want to see," he said in his first interview as manager.
20 months into his time in charge at the Emirates though, it seems that is still one he is yet to overcome.
Before going too overboard, all criticism must be tempered by the fact that Arsenal were missing several key players for their defeat to Chelsea.
Both of their first choice centre back pairing were absent, their best midfielder was injured, their new number 10 wasn't registered in time and their captain was only fit enough for the bench after a battle with COVID-19.
When the team news was announced even the most naive of Gooners probably wouldn't have realistically been expecting a victory against the European champions.
For their reputation of irrationality though, Arsenal fans are, for the most part, a fair bunch.
The vast majority appreciate that, while the club have spent more than anyone else in the Premier League, the five signings they have made have been with the future in mind and that it will be a while before they're able to compete for the same honours as their rivals in West London.
But for all the talk of a long-term project supporters do need something to hold on to and right now Arteta's Arsenal simply aren't giving it to them.
Sunday's display was another abject one where the Gunners' looked clueless as to how to stop Chelsea.
It didn't take much expertise to know that Romelu Lukaku was going to be the focal point to the Blues' play.
Going toe-to-toe with him once he gets the ball with his back to goal - as Pablo Mari found out - is near on impossible due to his strength, so stopping the supply line to the Belgian was going to be crucial.
Yet for most of the game Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic were given free reign to dictate the play from deep.
For the first goal this is on full display as the Croatian is allowed to turn in the centre circle and play a ball straight into Lukaku's feet amid a non-existent press from Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe as shown in the picture below (image from Wyscout).
The 28-year-old then shrugs off the attention of Mari and the ball is eventually worked wide to Reece James.
After that Lukaku bursts forward beyond the flailing Mari to tap in what probably be the easiest goal of the second spell at Chelsea.
Yes, Gabriel would probably have dealt with the physical challenge posed by the Belgian if he had been available, but this was a goal that was stoppable at source.
When Arteta took over he had designs on turning Arsenal into a high pressing side similar to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City but that seems to have faded with time.
On Sunday the Gunners weak attempts to win the ball back high up the pitch were painfully exposed as Chelsea constantly found easy balls along the floor straight through the midfield.
Going forward Arsenal looked equally unsure showing no real improvement on the opening day defeat to Brentford.
Gabriel Martinelli, like Flo Balogun, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before him was isolated in the number nine role.
The Brazilian has shown against this very opposition that his strength lies in providing a threat in behind when his team are in transition, but he was instead constantly instructed to go deep to receive the ball. As a result the game was played in front of Chelsea's experienced back three giving them a comfortable afternoon.
There were just two occasions were the Gunners looked to cause problems by going in behind. The first was a quick ball from Bernd Leno to Martinelli over the top that yielded a corner, while the second was an instinctive progressive pass by Albert Sambi Lokonga to Aubameyang that was only cut out by some smart sweeping from Edouard Mendy.
Rather than being a clear part of the game plan though these seemed to be moments of individual excellence from the Gunners side.
When attacks were borne out through careful construction the familiar pattern of play of getting it out to Kieran Tierney in the hope that his delivery could create chances was on full display once again.
After the Scottish international was forced off through injury you genuinely wonder what Arsenal's plan is to fashion any opportunities for their forward line if he's out for a long time.
Arteta was adamant in post-match that it would have been a different outcome if more of his first choice XI had been available.
"Hopefully things will get better," he said. "In the moment when the players are back – and they will need some time to get back still because they have lost a lot of football – things will be completely different.
"Hopefully we will see a different squad and a different level in the way we can play and hopefully different results. The story can change."
To buy into this narrative though is to entirely absolve the Spaniard of any blame for the display against Chelsea.
Any team would struggle with Arsenal's current absentee list, but these problems, in particular the offensive ones, are nothing new.
Arteta will have to hope that his prophecy is proved right once more players are back after the international break, or the pressure that is already on him, could build to even more intense levels.
