**Reece James** reflected on a **2-1 loss** for **Chelsea** against **Arsenal**.
The _Blues_ banked another early advantage with a strike from **Morgan Rogers** after only **77 seconds**, but they were on the backfoot for large stretches of the Sunday showdown at the **Emirates Stadium**.
·**‘It’s been two months working with the new manager’**
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**Kai Havertz** and **Martin Odegaard** deservedly grabbed goals for the _Gunners_, whose trust in [trust in **Mikel Arteta**](https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2026/09/04/arsenal/1270098-arteta-appreciates-beautiful-connection-with-alonso.html) has built firm foundations to take them clear of their London rivals. James hopes that time will allow his own club to get back towards their old standards under the leadership of **Kai Havertz**.
_“We didn’t get the result we wanted and we are not happy about that, but there were positives._
_“We started the game really well. Even when we went behind, we showed character to try and get back in the game. We ran out of time in the end. Football at this level is a game of moments. It’s one or two things that change the scoreline, and that gets overplayed a bit._
_“It was a tough game and we have to review and take the learnings. We have another game against Leeds in a few days and we have to get ready for that._
·**Adapting to the new manager**
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_“It’s been two months working with the new manager and his staff and we’re enjoying it so far. We try and adapt as fast as possible. We’re still getting to know him and the way he wants us to play, and that comes with time. We’re dedicated to what he wants and the way he wants us to play._
_“We’ve had two wins from three in the league. It’s a small bump in the road but we’ll be back. We have to focus on ourselves and not let other teams distract us. It’s game week three; we have 35 more to go. With time, patience and hard work we will be in and around it.”_
·**‘We accept the loss but we want to learn from it’**
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_“We are a little bit unhappy, of course, after losing, but I believe that we did well to be honest. 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._
_“I think it was a good start but once they scored it got more and more difficult. But we showed that we also had good actions and good attacks, so the defeat hurts a little bit. We gave our best. 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.”_