Talking Tactics: How Blues can bounce back from Arsenal mauling

Chelsea will be desperate to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they host BK Hacken in the Women's Champions League this evening.

Emma Hayes' side were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal last Sunday in front of a record Women's Super League crowd at the Emirates.

The Blues remain top of the table on goal difference but their manager, due to depart at the end of the season for America, will know an immediate return to winning ways is crucial. 

We take a closer look at a wounded Chelsea side ahead of the match at Stamford Bridge.

Scathing assessment

Hayes, 47, did not hold back with her assessment of Chelsea's performance in North London, claiming they were "bullied" by Jonas Eidevall's in-form Gunners.

She said: "That's as bad as I've seen us for a long time.

"The better team won by a country mile. They bullied us. They dominated in the duels, all phases of our play were poor.

"That's not us at our best, that's probably us at our very worst."

Chelsea had 52% of the possession at the Emirates and mustered six shots on target but were left wanting defensively, with Arsenal scoring three times in the first half through Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt and Alessia Russo

Look on the Bright side

A key reason behind Chelsea's pragmatic struggles is the absence of influential captain Millie Bright, who is not expected to return to action this year.

It is no coincidence that since the England star picked up a knee injury last month, the WSL champions have failed to keep a clean sheet — and a solution to the problem needs to be found.

Maren Mjelde had done well in Bright's absence prior to the Arsenal game, when she was hooked at half-time.

As such, Hayes may need to change things up against a talented Hacken side who currently top Group D with two wins from two against Paris FC and Real Madrid.

With centre-back Aniek Nouwen unavailable after suffering an ACL injury on international duty, Kadeisha Buchanan is a potential answer after her impressive cameo at the Emirates alongside Jess Carter.

Another option would be to switch to a back three of Buchanan, Carter and Ashley Lawrence, a formula which worked to good effect in the 4-1 victory over Paris FC.

Kirby recall

Looking at the attacking department, tonight's match is crying out for the reintroduction of Fran Kirby from the start.

Chelsea's all-time record scorer is being carefully managed after returning from a serious injury but the Blues are a far more complete outfit with the 30-year-old playmaker on the pitch.

As well as having forged a strong relationship with star striker Sam Kerr in recent years, Kirby brings leadership to the team with her experience — something noticeably missing against Arsenal.

And her ability to both dictate play and create chances provides the perfect platform for Lauren James to thrive.

James, 22, could not get to grips with her defensive duties at the Emirates and let her frustration get the better of her when she stamped on Lia Walti.

But with Kirby pulling the strings, the mercurial winger can be freed up to wreak havoc on the Hacken defence and potentially add to her six goals for the season.