Three Things: Chelsea vs. Arsenal By Kevin Palmer | March 22, 2014 10:53:36 AM PDT LONDON -- Three conclusions from Chelseas emphatic but also controversial 6-0 win over Premier League rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. 1. Chelseas big-match mentality While many teams head into games of this magnitude with hope rather than expectation in their hearts, Chelsea exude the latter when confronted with a direct rival. The presence of a manager in Jose Mourinho whose winning mentality has carried him so far in the game and a captain in John Terry whose dogged determination appears to drag those in blue to fresh heights when the stakes are raised. From the moment Samuel Etoo curled Chelsea into the lead in this game, the result was not in doubt and that may be why the London team wearing blue shirts and not their rivals sporting a red jersey have been collecting trophies during a period when Arsene Wengers Gunners have been content to settle for second best. Evidence of Chelseas killer mentality was displayed as they continued to go for the throat of their rivals when they had them at their mercy. Second-half goals continued to flow, with the celebrations from Mourinho on the touchline as exuberant as they might have been if his side had just opened the scoring. The difference between a winner and a wannabe? Or is that too harsh? A winning mentality is just as important to any team with trophy ambitions as quality players and with Arsenals title hopes now distant at best, their fragile winning mentality will be put to the test when they take on Wigan in what has become a potentially season-saving FA Cup semifinal at Wembley next month. For all the adulation Wenger has received in recent days for reaching 1,000 games in charge of Arsenal, he needs a couple of Wembley wins to finish off this season or the goodwill he attracts from so many in the game may evaporate. 2. Arsenals holes in defence While the Kieran Gibbs red card controversy may steal a bulk of the postmatch headlines in a London derby that will live long in the memory for so many reasons, the error of referee Andre Marriner should not disguise a grim reality that Arsenal fluffed their lines once again when opportunity knocked for them in this unpredictable title race. Gibbs was being cruelly exposed by Andre Schuerrle long before he was unwittingly involved in the handball incident that led to Chelseas third goal, with the gaping chasm on the left side of Arsenals defensive line providing the home side with opportunities aplenty to storm forward. In addition, Arsenals noted ability to hang onto the ball for long periods was missing in the opening quarter of an hour, with their lack of midfield control hardly helped by not starting Mathieu Flamini, in a game when his combative presence could have been so useful. That is a decision Gunners boss Wenger needs to explain. Arsenal looked nervous in the opening exchanges of a game that had the potential to make or break their title bid and it is not the first time they have shown signs of edginess when confronted with a huge match against classy opponents. It may seem cruel to criticise Wenger on a day when he was rightly lauded for reaching the 1,000-game mark as Arsenal manager, but the buck has to stop with the tactician whose record in the games against his chief rivals has been alarmingly poor in recent years. Can Arsenal recover from this? Few would now expect a title-winning party will be staged at Emirates Stadium on the second weekend of May, with the clubs supporters the best to judge whether winning the FA Cup would be suitable compensation for a missed opportunity this season. 3. The red card mystery It was evident from the moment Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain produced what can only be described as a miraculous save -- although the shot may not have been on target -- to try and avert a third Chelsea goal after 16 minutes that referee Andre Marriner had missed the incident, with the extravagant reaction from Chelseas players and Mourinho on the touchline alerting the official to the incident. Then the confusion reached new, unfathomable levels for the befuddled referee. Kieran Gibbs was standing close to Oxlade-Chamberlain after his wonder-save, with a melee of bodies masking the view of Marriner and adding to his confusion as he attempted to untangle himself from the web he was suddenly caught in. The referee seemed received information from one of his assistants in his earpiece before ordering Gibbs from the field, much to the bemusement of the understandably irate Arsenal full-back. His injustice was complete, but did it really need to be left as thus? In an era when fourth officials have access to TV screens to see instant replays of key incidents, Marriners embarrassment could have been removed had Gibbs been allowed to return to the field once the error had been identified? Oxlade-Chamberlain did his bit to try and save the referee from what is likely to be a harsh postmatch report as he tried to remedy the situation with a simple admission to referee Marriner: It was me, he pleaded as Gibbs made his way down the Stamford Bridge tunnel. In the end, the decision stood and while it may not have mattered in the grand scheme of the game which Arsenal player was banished from the field, but incidents of mistaken identity do not need to happen in a modern game that should assist referees when errors are made rather than leave them to stand.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 15:38:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015