Arsenal v Chelsea Preview

by SamuelJayC Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:50 pm

Arsenal v Chelsea, Saturday 29th September, 12.45pm, Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Sky Sports 2

Arsenal v Chelsea Preview Arsenal-vs-Chelsea

Premier League

1. Chelsea Pts13
2. Man Utd Pts12
3. Everton Pts10
4. W.Brom Pts10
-------------------
5. Arsenal Pts9

Arsenal's impressive start continues against City & Coventry

The media built Arsenal's visit to Manchester City as the game. The game in which we would all "know a lot more about Arsenal" after it had finished. The results? Arsene Wenger's side passed with flying colours, but, disappointingly, the gunners only managed a draw in a game they should have won. Gervinho - starting for the second consecutive league game as the main forward - had a mixed - yet ultimately poor - day. The Ivorian's movement and dribbling remained impressive - as it did against Southampton and Montpellier - but his finishing was erratic to say the least - Wenger labeling the 25-year nervous in front of goal. Despite Gervinho's two missed chances, and Lescott's first-half header, Arsenal fought back with Laurent Koscielny's excellent finish after City failed to clear a corner.

On Wednesday evening, it was all change for the 3rd-round of the Capital One cup. Goals from Olivier Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andrey Arshavin, Ignasi Miquel and Theo Walcott (2) saw off Coventry, and the gunners' second 6-1 victory of the campaign sent Arsenal into the 4th-round, where they'll face Reading at the Madejski stadium.

Chelsea top Premier League despite uninspiring displays

It's never a bad time to be top of the Premier League, though the route in which Chelsea have found that position hasn't been inspiring. Unconvincing wins against Wigan (2-0), Reading (4-2) and Stoke (1-0) mean Chelsea's only 'convincing' victory was arguably the 2-0 win against Newcastle - even then, Alan Pardew's men were without several key players. The 4-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super cup and the 2-2 collapse against Juventus show that Roberto Di Matteo's side aren't perfect, at all. In fact, the Blues have conceded 11 goals in their 9 games in all competitions so far this season - in contrast to Arsenal, who have shipped just 4 goals.

Despite lifting the FA cup and Champions League in May, Di Matteo had to wait an entire month before being handed the Chelsea job on a full-time role, and he was also asked to alter the club's style on the field. After the successful 'Sit back, defend, then counter' tactics during March-May this year, Abramovich decided he wanted a style associated more closely to that of Barcelona and the Spanish national team - tiki taka.

The summer transfer window saw Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa, Yossi Benayoun, Raul Meireles, Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba leave Stamford Bridge - one way or another. In came players of the more ball-playing mould, namely Eden Hazard (£32m) and Oscar (£25m). Marko Marin (£7m) and Victor Moses (£9m) also arrived to give the club more quality in the wide areas, whilst young right-back Cesar Azpilicueta (£7m) came in from Marseille to provide Branislav Ivanovic with more competition.

Tuesday evening's 6-0 demolition of Wolves at Stamford Bridge in the League cup - including a goal from Fernando Torres - means both sides are in good form ahead of the London derby.

Arsenal have better of last season's meetings

October 29th 2011 was arguably Arsenal's greatest day of the 2011/12 season. It was the afternoon in which Wenger's men hammered Andre Villas-Boas' Chelsea 5-3. The reverse fixture in April ended a goalless affair, though Arsenal came much closer to claiming three points.

Theo Walcott scores at Stamford Bridge last season

Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal:
Szczesny; Djourou Koscielny Mertesacker Santos; Song Arteta; Walcott Ramsey Gervinho; Van Persie
Cech; Bosingwa Ivanovic Terry Cole; Ramires Mikel Lampard; Sturridge Torres Mata

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea:
Szczesny; Sagna Koscielny Vermaelen Gibbs; Song Ramsey; Walcott Rosicky Chamberlain; Van Persie
Cech; Bosingwa Cahill Terry Bertrand; Essien Romeu; Sturridge Malouda Kalou; Torres

Match Facts

* In the last 33 Premier League games between Chelsea and Arsenal, the Blues' record with Drogba playing is W7 D3 L1, while without him it is W0 D9 L13.

* Theo Walcott has scored in two of his last three Premier League starts against Chelsea.

* Arsenal have won just two of the last eight home Premier League games against the Blues (W2 D3 L3).

* The Gunners have scored just six goals in their last seven Premier League games at home to Chelsea.

* Only Vito Mannone (91%) has a better saves to shots ration this season than Petr Cech (88%).

* Only Norwich City (one yellow) have picked up fewer cards than Arsenal in this season’s Premier League (two yellows, no reds).

* Chelsea and Arsenal are the only teams in the Premier League yet to concede a second-half goal this season.

* The Gunners are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League games but have drawn six of those.

* Mikel Arteta has averaged 111 touches per game this season, more than any other player in the Premier League.

Team News

Arsenal

Captain Thomas Vermaelen (Illness) returns to the squad, but Wojciech Szczesny (ankle), Lukasz Fabianski (back) and Tomas Rosicky (tendon) are still unavailable. Bacary Sagna (leg) and Jack Wilshere (ankle) are back in full training, but this game comes too early for both.

Chelsea

Frank Lampard (ankle) is doubtful, whilst Daniel Sturridge (hamstring) is unlikely to be fit in time. John Terry has 14 days to appeal a suspension, meaning he is available to play against Arsenal.

Arsenal subs - Martinez, Koscielny, Santos, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Giroud

Chelsea subs - Turnball, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Bertrand, Lampard, Marin, Moses

Pre-match views

Arsene Wenger

“Eden Hazard has been voted best player of the French league for two consecutive years. You need some quality to do that at his age. I’m not surprised at all that he goes to Chelsea and straight away is one of their stars because everybody knew about him. Let’s not forget that all the big budgets in England were after him. I don’t know how much Chelsea miss Drogba, but we don't miss him! He did a lot of damage against us in every game. I feel that last year he had an average season in the Premier League but in the cups he was absolutely influential and decisive."

"We will know more about us on Saturday afternoon, but much more about us after 10 or 15 games. If we do well at home against the strong teams it will have a big impact on our chances."

Olivier Giroud

“The start of the season has been very positive - we need to build on that. I feel the players are serene. We’re not getting carried away, we know it’s just the start of the season and everything goes very quick in football. We are still unbeaten and it’s very good. We are not conceding many goals and we score a lot so it’s very good. We will face a big team on Saturday, Chelsea, after a very good performance at Man City."

(Chelsea to follow after Di Matteo press conference on Friday)

Thumbs up

by Lex Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:48 am

I'd start Poldi upfront. This isn't a game where a Gervinho blunder can go unpunished. We need to finish each and every chance we get

by VendettaRed07 Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:04 am

Id even go with Walcott upfront. Anyone other than Gervinho.

by Emaharg Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:35 am

Walcott has improved his finishing a lot over the past few seasons wouldn't mind him getting a chance through the middle.
I think we will win this match but someone from Chelsea will pick up a red card.

by Sina Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:38 am

Great work as always Sam

i doubt Di Matteo Would start all Mata-Hazard and Oscar for this match
he will probably go with more conservative approach and start either of Ramires/Bertrand in one flank
think they will try to block any space behind defence and play deep like last meeting
so as Lex says we should take our chances and be efficient
but Godolski show continue his role comin in from left he is best there

what worries me for this one is whether we can avoid conceding penalty or not
if we do then big chance to keep CS as well Cool

Hazard is second most fouled player in the league and even freaking Ivanovic tried to win penalty vs stoke

expect us to have more possession (with Aaron starting again) but find it hard to penetrate

should introduce Giroud for last 20 mins or so

by Gil Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:56 am

You'll have more of the ball. We'll score the goals.

by Raptorgunner Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:34 am

Gil wrote:You'll have more of the ball. We'll score the goals.

Arsenal v Chelsea Preview Tumblr_m9mi12Bi281qfj1xoo1_500

by Eman Fri Sep 28, 2012 4:59 am

Theo has done quite well against Cashley in recent times, so I'd start with him on the right wing, with Podolski on the left since this is where he has done best so far. Giroud would offer a presence in the centre, but Gervinho's pace could really prove valuable there, so I'll trust Arsene with that call, but I'm leaning towards Giroud with Gervinho being the 'super-sub.' As for the other positions, I'd generally go with what we've been doing thus far with maybe 1 or 2 surprises. No idea who Wenger will opt for at CB either.

A draw wouldn't be bad, but for all their new technical players, we're Arsenal, we're at the Emirates, and we've been more impressive in our results. I'm expecting 3 points :coffee:

by Wilson37 Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:56 am

Great preview Samuel..
So many changes in both teams both in players and tactics..
They have an awesome midfield may be better on paper unlike in the past.. But probably they are gonna come here and park the bus like they usually do and try to hit us on the counter..
Probably again Wenger will start the extra central midfielder to win the midfield, should be Ramsey (or even Coquelin will do) instead of a wide player.. Not sure about Gervinho starting upfront.. We cant afford his misses.. We should trust Giroud.. Big game player Walcott interests me but to try it for the first time in such a match..
And against players like Hazard, Mata and Torres ( Laughing

) it should be Kos and the Verminator...

by Kwame2u Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:19 am

I know Ramsey did well against City but I'm completly confident in the mid trio to dominate and control the middle of the pitch.
Being an away game as well, Chelski will b conservative so we should have the middle control.
We should therefore play a lopsided formation with Poldi falling back to defend if needed, as he's been doing already. We then play Gervais and Theo upfront. They should then interchange positions with their runs to confuse the F outta Terry, Luiz and Cashley. We already know that trio of defenders will suffer with the pace of those 2 so why not exploit it to the max

by Rev Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:40 am

Great preview Sam. Really informative.
We shouldn't underestimate Chelsea. With the likes of Hazard and possibly Oscar lining up against us, we'll have work cut out for us defensively.

We have a habit of being complacent when things go our way.
So let's buckle down and hope for the best. Thumbs up

by djoe26 Fri Sep 28, 2012 7:58 am

VendettaRed07 wrote:Id even go with Walcott upfront. Anyone other than Gervinho.

same here. i think walcott will do better than gervinho coz his finishing is better than gervinho. And he have always played good against chelsea(he did even score his first goal against chelsea for arsenal if i remember correctly).

by urbaNRoots Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:41 am

I would start this:

Mannone
Jenkinson Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Arteta Diaby
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Gervinho

Koscielny because of Torres. Always does well against him.

Diaby because of Oscar/Mata/Hazard they all like to cut-in and we need Diaby and Arteta to shut them down.

Walcott because he always does well against Chelsea and had a mixed performance vs Coventry.

Gervinho at home is a good pick, he's fast, tricky and can run behind Terry/Luiz quite easily. I think we'll create more chances than against City so his finishing wont be a problem.

by SamuelJayC Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:02 am

Thanks for compliments as always, greatly appreciated.

The line up I posted, as ever, is the one I think we will see, not what I'd go with.

Personally, I'd start Walcott ahead of Ramsey on the right, but Gervinho has done well finishing aside, his movement and link up play has been impressive. Harsh to drop him I think.

by Highburied Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:14 am

This match is the most important for the 1st part of the season.

We are playing current table toppers and title contenders, etc.

Some days ago I said our players disappeared in most important games in recent season.

Now is the time to prove that things have changed and new faces are stronger in terms of big game mentality.

Im confident with current starting lineup with one exception and hes Gervinho. I hope he doesnt disappoint because we have many options on the wings.

One player who is eager to come back in starting eleven is Arshavin, so Walcott and Gervinho beware.

Since we are playing at home, Id love to see the repeat of tactics vs Soton.

Podolski, Gervinho and Walcott upfront... roating with each other, confusing defenders and banging goals.

Midfield trio of Arteta, Cazorla and Diaby stays as it is.

In defense, as we discussed, current partnership with Per and Verm is working well and no reason to change it, sorry Kosc.

Its a big game and I cannot wait.

Title winning confidence boost Very Happy

or back to usual Sad

...

by SamuelJayC Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:16 am

Two more stats:

Chelsea have taken just 3 of a possible 30 points in their last 10 away league games to #mufc #mcfc #afc #thfc and #lfc - #Stat #CFC

Those 3 points came via two 1-1 draws at Spurs, and last season's 0-0 at Arsenal.

&

Chelsea haven't beaten a top 5 side away from home in the league since April 3rd 2010 (2-1 win at Man Utd).

Thumbs up

by aleumdance Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:20 pm

Gil wrote:You'll have more of the ball. We'll score the goals.

says teh dude, whose team has attempted parking the bus last 2 times we played

by aleumdance Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:28 pm

for Gil, comments from Chelsea fc forum

to be honest, i think we have a big chance of getting raped by arsenal! Lets hope RDM finds a good line up and all the players are motivated to the bone

by Raptorgunner Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:08 pm

Great preview Sam.

I go with this line up, I think we will dominate Chelsea, they might try to play us at our own game and I dont think they are ready for that yet. I would start Walcott, he scored 2 great goals and would love to start him up front to cause some havoc for Chelsea defense.

2-1 or 1-0 is my prediction.

-------------------------------Mannone-----------------

Jenkinson-----------------Vermaelen---------- Koscielny--------------- Gibbs

------------------Diaby-----------Arteta---------------------- Cazorla -

Oxlade--------------------- -----------------------------------Podolski

-----------------------------Walcott-------------------------

by VendettaRed07 Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:47 pm

^ yeah thats the line up Id go with

Except, I would start Mertesacker... His reading of the ball last weak was unreal. Had like 8 interceptions or something like that.

by Amar Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:49 pm

Great stuff Sam Thumbs up

4-0 win for us.

Routine win imo.

by Raptorgunner Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:51 pm

Terry suspension will work in our favor if he plays, the game will be about Terry not Arsenal vs Chelsea.

I dont want to see Gervinho up front, Walcott or Giroud should play up front.

Walcott has played well against Chelsea in the past few games, his pace vs Chelsea will be unstoppable imo.

Its Walcott who stops Walcott. eco smile

by aleumdance Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:54 pm

Amar wrote:Great stuff sam

4-0 win for us.

Routine win imo.

am i being over optimistic if I believe we would win big?

by Raptorgunner Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:02 pm

aleumdance wrote:
Amar wrote:Great stuff RG

4-0 win for us.

Routine win imo.

am i being over optimistic if I believe we would win big?

No you being realistic. eco smile

by Raptorgunner Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:03 pm

"I don't mind scoring against Chelsea," Walcott told the Daily Star.

"I've done well against them - they must probably hate me, to be honest. "I don't mind playing against Ashley either. I like playing against him.

"He is one of the best left-backs in the world and we have some very good battles against each other - in training as well for England.

"Maybe in the past few years I have had the edge on him. So I am sure when he sees all this he will be frustrated and he will probably want to kick the hell out of me, which is fine!

"He is doing fantastic at the moment and to be that great for so long is an incredible achievement and it is a great honour to play with him."

Let the games began. :bow:

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