Chelsea vs Arsenal: Preview

In what could be a table-turning match, Arsenal meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, in probably the last significant London Derby of this season. Four points separate the two teams, but Arsenal have a game in hand. A loss today will peg them back by seven points, and a risk of falling to 4th position. On the other hand, Chelsea will have to win at all costs if they have any ambition of clinching the title. With a potentially busy April to look forward to, this game will hold increased importance for Mourinho and Co.

Last week, Arsenal cruised to an easy 1-0 victory over Spurs, without actually playing much football. They will have to really turn up on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, and it has to be at the highest level. Also, given the occasion of Wenger reaching 1000 Arsenal games, there is an extra incentive for the players to give their manager a good result. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who lost to Aston Villa last week after going unbeaten for almost 3 months, will be itching to bounce back in the league and will take inspiration from the midweek victory over Galatasaray.

Team News

After a horror end to the match against Aston Villa last week, Mourinho is left without the services of 2 more players in Ramires and Willian, with the former serving a 3 match ban. Willian will return next week after a one match suspension. Ashley Cole is another player who will not be available, but only due to injury. Long term absentee Marco Van Ginkel is close to full fitness, as he prepares to get some game time with the U21?s, and hence will not be playing for the first team. David Luiz who was on the bench last week, might get a surprise nod for a start in midfield.

Arsene Wenger has a much bigger injury list in his hand compared to his title rivals. Theo Walcott is out for 5 months, Jack Wilshere a month away from full fitness, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil a week short of match fitness and Abou Diaby, Well, nobody ever knows when he gets fit. Tomas Rosicky did pass a fitness test on friday but might not be starting the match. Kim Kallstrom is yet to make his Gunners debut. On the upside, the defense department is fully fit and Wenger has good options there.

Tactical Breakdown

For the kind of game Chelsea play, Willian and Ramires together form the crux of the theory. With both the Brazilians missing out due to suspension, Mourinho will have to think out of the box, approaching the Arsenal game. Andre Schurrle is a decent deputy for Willian and has the potential to recreate the Brazilian’s energy by tracking and pressing. Ramires though, is a completely different player, who is difficult to replace, and there in lies the problem for Mourinho. He has two completely contrasting options in David Luiz and Frank Lampard, to play alongside Nemanja Matic. Both the choices bring to the fore different variations with their own tactical implications.

Digging into very recent past, Arsenal capitulated to a shambolic defeat at Anfield after a sharp and spirited Liverpool performance. Mourinho has the tools to recreate such high tempo atmosphere and hit Arsenal early in the match. Another match involving Liverpool when they played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season could provide an insight into the kind of tactics Mourinho could employ today. Liverpool lost that game 2-0, after Oscar produced one of his best nights. David Luiz played in midfield that day and was instrumental in restricting a fluid Liverpool midfield from dominating the play.

Formation Battles

Both Arsenal and Chelsea employ a 4-2-3-1 formation, albeit with different tactics and approach. The common feature though, is the defensive pairing. Both teams have the best centreback pairings in the league, and they will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of this match. Chelsea, predominantly try to play a counter-attacking brand of football, a style they have gradually embraced, producing devastating results. While the opposition has the ball, All Chelsea players except the striker and an attacking midfielder, fall back to defend in numbers. The two players who stay high up the pitch form the most crucial part of Chelsea’s counters. Both these players make it their job of staying close to the opposition centrebacks, and try to drag them out of position while playing a part in launching the counter-attack, releasing runners into space in behind.

Arsenal were torn apart by Liverpool with such counters and runs behind the defense, and they need to guard against such running from midfield. Matt Flamini will be the key player in the midfield alongside Arteta. The Frenchman must be astute in his positioning and watchful in his tackles. Andre Schurrle who is particularly adept at beating the offside trap and one on ones with the keeper, will keep leftback Gibbs on his toes, and will force Podolski to drop back. On the other flank Eden Hazard, who had a brilliant midweek will again be the focal point for Chelsea. His ability to attract players onto him and taking them on with his skill will prove a handful for Arsenal midfielders. Arteta will have to organize his midfield so as to not allow players moving out of position, dealing with Hazard’s runs, as they risk gifting pockets of space to Oscar.

Generally, Oscar and Eto’o play as the striker duo, with the former running the show with his clever movement. Wenger will be wary of the threat Oscar poses, and he will instruct Arteta to mark him all over the field. The major worry for Arsenal though, lies with their fullbacks. Sagna and Gibbs tend to venture high up, and sacrifice spaces behind them. They can’t allow that to happen, as Samuel Eto’o is a master of exploiting such areas, and frequent balls into these wide zones will not only pile up the pressure on the visitors, but could lead to numerous set play situations. Mertesacker and Koscielny were very uncomfortable with direct runners from midfield and Sturridge running behind them in the Anfield game. If Lampard plays in the midfield instead of Luiz, they will have to deal with the overloads, and occasional forward bursts from a certain Azpilicueta.

Flat Arsenal Midfield will have Jose thinking

Currently, Arsenal doesn’t have players who can play a high tempo, pressing game, with an exception of Oxlade Chamberlain. But when played on the right flank, the Englishman’s threat reduces considerably, and he is not as effective as Walcott. Podolski and Cazorla are comfortable standing their ground and maintaining their position rather than pressing high up and giving away spaces. This results in a flat attacking midfield for Arsenal, with very little creativity. This particular, dull strategy of Arsenal could put Mourinho in a dilemma. As there is not much pressure on the Chelsea midfielders, Lampard could be given a start instead of Luiz or Mikel, to add some extra bite in attack.

The choice of a Luiz-Matic combo isn’t bad either, as Luiz has a good passing range and a keen eye for the goal from distance. But, whether Mourinho will risk playing a bench-fit player instead of a well-rested Lampard will be the question to ask. The possibility of Mikel and Matic together starting in midfield is still light years away. Now, moving further deep, Cahill and Terry will be dealing with a lone Giroud, and occasionally with the direct runs of Chamberlain. Giroud will have to drop deeper to get involved in the play, and not get isolated. If he chooses to stay with the Chelsea defenders and compete aerially, Terry and Cahill will be more than happy to take part. So, Giroud will have to move better and drag players out of position, while getting involved in the play simultaneously. The Chelsea fullbacks have formed a formidable partnership with their centreback duo and Azpilicueta has been a revelation in his new position. He will facing Chamberlain on that flank, so we can expect him to stay in his own half and guarding that space between him and Terry.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the choices both managers make with their starting XI’s. Mourinho’s decision to go with Eto’o, Lampard and Schurrle will be key to Chelsea dominating the fixture, while Wenger will be turning to The Ox to provide some spark in their attacks. There is a lot at stake for both teams here, but Wenger might just be comfortable with a goalless draw, given his team his devoid of creativity and punch. Their major source of attacks will emerge from their fullbacks bombing forward. Mourinho though, will surely come out with all guns blazing and try to make it an easier April for Chelsea.