Five Questions: Chelsea vs. Arsenal 1. Will Arsenal be able to cope with Chelseas potency? Arsenals defensive record so far this season isnt dreadful -- theyve conceded seven goals in six games (the same as their opponents on Sunday) but also one more than Sunderland, who are fourth- bottom of the table. Its a small sample size so not a huge amount can be reliably gleaned from those numbers, but simple subjective observation tells us that even though their first-choice centre-back pairing is strong and Kieran Gibbs is a fine left-back when fit, the other elements to Arsenals defence are brittle, to say the least. Wojciech Szczesny displayed on Wednesday night the rushes of irresponsibility that form part of the reason hell never be a world-class goalkeeper, Calum Chambers is talented but still raw and has looked like the inexperienced 19-year-old he is when faced with top-notch opposition, and then theres defensive midfield. Mathieu Flamini is at best a squad player for a team who are in theory title challengers, but he will form the last line of midfield defence against the most potent attack (and perhaps attacking midfield) in the Premier League on Sunday, which is enough to cause some disquiet in the bellies of Gunners everywhere. Chelsea have averaged a little over three goals a game this term -- a faintly ludicrous number only slightly inflated by the bonkers 6-3 win over Everton -- and while Diego Costa has been responsible for scoring eight of those goals, most of their strength lies in the creativity of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and friends. Chelsea create so many chances it would be tricky for Costa not to score with flamboyant abandon, so the job of the midfield spoiler becomes even more important than it would against most teams. With Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta out and Jack Wilshere fit enough only for the bench against Galatasaray, Flamini has a pretty huge job on his hands on Sunday. Unless, of course, Arsene Wenger tries out his madcap scheme to make Abou Diaby his holding midfielder ... 2. How will Wenger try to approach the game? As James Dall wrote in his Weekend Spotlight, now is probably the time for Wenger to alter his approach in games like this, because whatever hes been trying before doesnt seem to be working. - 50-50 Challenge: Chelsea vs. Arsenal - Lythell: Expect Fabregas to be the story - FC TV: Wenger vs. Henry - WhoScored: Welbecks better than Balotelli - Jolly: Matic is the player Wenger should have bought It goes against his nature and carries its own risks, but this is the time for caution, to ensure there is no repeat of last seasons 6-0 humiliation rather than an admirable if misguided attacking approach. The problem there is that, in terms of personnel at least, there isnt much Wenger can do to make his side more difficult to play against, partly because of how he has constructed his squad and partly because of injuries. Assuming Wilshere will be OK to start, he will almost certainly play alongside Flamini with three of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, Tomas Rosicky, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez in front of them. Wenger does have some alternatives though, even if they are a little left field. He could, for example, try a central midfield three and bring Oxlade-Chamberlain -- who from a young age has predicted he will end up playing in the centre eventually -- inside to provide a little more running and dynamism to the middle of the park. Oxlade-Chamberlain will have to play in a disciplined manner and choose his attacking runs carefully, but he could very well help out. Also, though quite a gamble, Wenger could put Diaby in a similar midfield three since the midfielder is theoretically fit after starting in the League Cup against Southampton. It would be, to say the least, something of a Hail Mary selection for Wenger to hope that Diaby can put in a performance like he did against Liverpool a couple of years ago, the sort of showing that reminded everyone what could have been. These alternatives are likely to remain in the realms of the theoretical, but you never know: Wenger does occasionally spring the odd surprise. 3. Will Diego Costa be fit to play, and how effectively? Jose Mourinho might not think that Diego Costa can play three games in a week, but the man himself is adopting a positive mental attitude. He said this week: Every day I feel better. There are a few niggles that are annoying me and ideally I would be training every day but I am working to treat the problem during the week and every day I feel closer. Things are improving. Normally I try to forget it during the games so it does not inhibit my performance. It does not enter my head. If Costa is fully healthy and firing in the way he has been for his first few games in a Chelsea shirt, then Arsenal will be in a fair amount of bother. While its true that he should be scoring goals given the service he gets, eight in six games is a pretty impressive start by anyones standards. Wenger called him a killer on Friday, the Arsenal manager not being able to recall a player who has settled into the Premier League so quickly. However, if he is a little off colour, then Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are certainly good enough to shackle him between them, particularly as Costas game doesnt really rely on pace. Still, at least Didier Drogba, a name that presumably brings Wenger out into a cold sweat, is out injured, so thats something for Arsenal to cling to. 4. Will Danny Welbeck be able to continue his form? The fears of Arsenal fans about Danny Welbeck were allayed for 90 minutes in the Champions League in midweek as the striker notched a mighty impressive hat trick against an admittedly agreeable Galatasaray defence. The most impressive thing about Welbecks treble was the range of terrific finishes, suggesting that if he continues such form, he could genuinely be the forward to lead Arsenal to something brighter than what they have come to expect recently. But, of course, therein lies the rub. Welbeck must do this sort of thing consistently if he is to back up his own claim that he will score goals if played in the correct position, as he said after the Galatasaray game. Nobody can really criticise my finishing because they dont really see me playing in a forward position too often, he said. Now I am getting into these positions I want to be sticking the ball in the back of the net. Obviously people can say Ive not scored enough goals, but you stick the best strikers on the wing in a four-man midfield and see if they score goals. Welbeck scored an excellent hat trick against a poor opponent, but if he is to be the forward Arsenal need, he must score in games they traditionally struggle in, starting on Sunday. 5. How will Cesc Fabregas react to facing Arsenal? According to Arsene Wenger -- and by reading not very hard between the lines of his own statements after returning to England -- Cesc Fabregas would probably rather be wearing red this Sunday. However, presumably because he had his eye on Alexis Sanchez, Wenger turned down the chance to re-sign his former protege, who now wears blue. Arsenal fans would presumably have made their peace with the idea of Fabregas playing for his boyhood club Barcelona, but to see him in a Chelsea shirt is a different matter. And if he continues his form of the opening weeks of this season, they could see him tear their team apart too, which might be just a little too much to bear for watching Gunners. And if Fabregas has the chance to score, then his reaction might make Frank Lampards upon scoring against Chelsea look like Emmanuel Adebayors length-of- the-pitch knee-slide, on the muted celebration scale. When he left we bought Ozil to buy an offensive player, said Wenger on Friday when asked if he wanted to bring Fabregas back. While the German is a fine player and his performances have been improving, one wonders how many Arsenal fans will be happy about who is pulling the strings for them on Sunday.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 05:30:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015