Arsenal are to make the trip across London this Saturday, as they take on city rivals Chelsea. It’ll be the Gunners’ fifth match of the league campaign, and the second time they’ll have faced Chelsea this season.
The Gunners have had an inconsistent start to the season. Despite beating Chelsea in the Community Shield curtain-raiser, they’ve won three out of five on the league front, and lost their first UEFA Champions League match of the 2015/16 season, losing 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. There have been some high points, but evidence of previous frailties appear to be still evident.
Focusing on the performance last Wednesday, it was a deject and frankly poor showing by a side looking to comfortably claim three points. Arsenal were shifted onto the flanks and overran down the middle by a very well-run Zagreb side, the result of which made for some poor distribution from the defence and even the usually suave Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla, both of whom were passengers throughout the game. Schoolboy errors resulted in clear chances, and the flanks were in disarray. Zagreb set up strongly and were rewarded for the Gunners’ incompetence to counter-act different tactics to what they are used to. It was an unconvincing performance following a host of changes, but with a first choice eleven ready to be picked for the game against Chelsea, a good result is not out of the question.
Looking to the opposition, they’ve had a dismal start to the season. After a below-par pre-season and a loss in the Community Shield, they’ve only won one of their first five league games, not having registered a clean sheet so far in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho has come under fire for how his team have lost an edge in aspects, particularly in the defence and base of the midfield. However, last Wednesday they opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv, not being challenged in their box at all, as this graphic by BBC Sport shows.
Jose Mourinho rested more experienced players like Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Nemanja Matic and John Terry in favour of younger, hungrier talent like Kurt Zouma, new signing Baba Rahman, academy graduate Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Loic Remy. A much-needed Oscar, who offers a great balance on both the defensive and offensive side of the game, also returned. Whilst it might be just to rest players ahead of such an important game on Saturday, these changes resulted in Chelsea’s best result of the season so far – giving Jose food for thought.
A player Chelsea will want to look out for is Alexis Sanchez. Ivanovic has been capitalised upon all season by tricky wingers – he was a main part to focus on in the tactics Manchester City employed in their recent 3-0 win – with Jefferson Montero, Wilfried Zaha, Brendan Galloway and Raheem Sterling all taking advantage of the Serbian’s frankly shocking start to the season. Alexis’ pace and ball control could result in a similar situation, and Ivanovic may be the chink in the armour Arsenal need to focus on if they want the three points.
On the other hand, a player Arsenal will want to keep an eye on is Oscar. The Brazilian likes to help defend and will be an extra man for the Arsenal side to try and get past. Quick on the counter and fantastic at holding up possession in the final third, he’ll be a handful to deal with across the board on Saturday. Definitely someone you’d expect to pop up as Arsenal are tiring.
Saturday will also mark the return of Petr Cech at Stamford Bridge, after he left for Arsenal earlier this summer. He’s had a largely positive time in north London so far, and kept a clean sheet in a good performance on his Gunners debut, against Chelsea at Wembley. He’ll be looking to replicate such a feat at the weekend.
The last time these two met was a little over a month ago, at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 Community Shield, and Arsenal came away with a 1-0 win, in a very tight game where Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal made the difference on the afternoon. It looks to be just as tight this time around and will be a case of stamina and perseverance. A near-impossible game to call, and one that will rest on a knife-edge.
Team News:
The usual at London Colney. Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere will both be out until Christmas and beyond with knee and ankle injuries respectively – both undergoing surgery in the last week. Tomas Rosicky is still out for another month with a knee problem.
For the Blues, Oscar returns for team selection, but a major blow has been dealt on the flanks. Both Pedro and WIllian have been ruled out of the game with muscular injuries – really taking out a lot of the high-energy, width and fast play out of the game. Oscar and Ramires could both fill in on that right side for Saturday’s game.
Predicted XIs:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Ramires, Oscar, Hazard; Costa.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis; Walcott.
Prediction:
A 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. It looks to be a tight affair with not much space given, and both teams will settle for a draw as both look to get their season firmly back on track. Gabriel will notch the first goal from Arsenal, most likely from a set-piece, but Diego Costa will equalise to keep the match all square.
