London rivals go head-to-head (Arsenal vs Chelsea) this Sunday at the Emirates and you don’t want to miss it. Here’s why
The past matches: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Although Chelsea won the last match when these two sides met, Arsenal have had the better of them in the early years of the rivalry. In terms of goals scored in the last 10 matches between the two sides, Arsenal boast scoring 16 goals against the Blues(14) goals. Since the first four meetings between the two sides we’ve seen plenty more action on the pitch so let’s focus on what happened post 2018: Arsenal beat Chelsea 5 times, drew 2 times and lost just 3; there were 30 goals scored. Chelsea scored 18 goals vs Arsenal during this period, while Arsenal netted 12 goals.
The recent times
Although arsenal have won 2 games out of 4 past Premier League fixtures between the two sides, Chelsea have been on a solid run lately. We must admit arsenal’s form recently has not been as good as they would’ve hoped for. It is worth noting that arsenal beat Chelsea last season both home and away, taking the double from Tuchel’s side. During the first leg, Lampard was still Chelsea’s coach where as in the second leg he had been replaced by the German coach Thomas Tuchel.
Last season Arsenal won 3-1 and proceeded to take 3 more points at Stamford Bridge winning 1-0 against Tuchel’s side. An early goal from Emile Smithe Rowe sealed the fate for the Champion League winners. Arsenal went on to finish in 8th place as Chelsea finished 4th, qualifying for a Champions League spot.
The Belgian who dominated the London derby
Eden Hazard was a popular name during Arsenal vs Chelsea fixtures in the past before he left Chelsea to join Real Madrid. Chanting of his name was a normal occurrence during past London derbies due to his prowess in giving Arsenal’s defence a hard time. [Jesse Lingard, Heung Min Son, and Eden Hazard, are some of the names that cause some discomfort for the Arsenal defense].
Current Form: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Chelsea has been a more stable side of late compared to their London rivals. However, Arsenal has a good record against the Blues and should not be rules out just yet. Chelsea, under Tuchel, beat Manchester City in the Champion’s League final, 1- 0. This marked their second Champions League trophy; Arsenal has none as per the time of this writing. Their endeavor to collect trophies did not stop their, since they went ahead to bag the UEFA Supercup trophy after beating Villarreal, the UEFA Europa winners, on penalties. Two trophies for Tuchel in a span of months.
Arsenal on the other hand have not bagged any trophy of late other than the FA Cup which they won in the 2019/20 season and a ceremonial Community Shield.
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Contrast Premier League opener matches for the London rivals
The most recent fixtures saw Chelsea easily beat Crystal Palace 3-0 to mark the start of the season, and a possible Premier League trophy pursuit. Marcos Alonso gave the Blues an early lead from a free kick. The Spaniard fired the ball right past Vicente Guaita making it 1:0. The Crystal Palace keeper was supposedly caught unawares in this case. In the 40th minute Pulisic poached a rebounce ball from Guaita to make it 2:0, generally a tap-in. Several minutes after the break, Trevor Chalobah grabbed a debut goal, scoring from outside the box right past Guaita to make it 3:0 for the hosts. Intrestingly, the fans had prior urged Chalobah to shoot, and voila, a perfect strike to mark a debut.
A Gunner side lacking character and verve
Arsenal on the other hand had a very rough start to their campaign this season. The team lacked any attacking verve as they possessed the ball largely against newly promoted Brentford. Sergi Cannos fired a strike that went past Arsenal’s defence, right past Bernd Leno, making it 1-0 for the hosts – their first Premier League goal ever.
In the 73rd minute, Christian Nørgaard headed the ball into Arsenal’s net following a long deep throw into Arsenal’s box. That marked the second goal of the night. Aubamayeng and Lacazette were missing from the squad due to an illness. Whether they would have helped better the state of the Gunners is something that is not certain at the moment.
Aubamayeng has of late not scored for the Gunners. This is a rather worrying scenario for Arteta since in past seasons, the former Dortmund striker has been scoring almost half of Arsenal’s goals. On the other hand, Arsenal have being rumoured to make a move for Inter’s Lautaro Martinez to bolster their attack and rake in the goals.
The presence of yet another Belgian
Going into the weekend, it is not certain whether Lacazette and Aubameyang will be available to face the Blues. Lukaku on the other hand will be available to debut for his boyhood club, following his re-signing from Inter Milan. Will Romelu Lukaku wage war against Arsenal like his fellow Belgian team mate Hazard? Mason Mount has being on form for his side creating several chances for his side, a crucial midfielder indeed. Its not certain whether Tuchel will start Kai Havertz, however if the German starts, he may pivotal to Chelsea. The German scored the only goal in a past friendly against the Gunners.
Also Read
- How good was Arsene Wenger?
- Sam Allardyce (Big Sam): The sweet and sour chronicles of sit-back-and-defend coaches.
- Mason Mount is proving he deserves his place in Chelsea’s starting lineup.
The London derby face off between Arsenal and Chelsea
As we head into the London derby, Arsenal have history in their favour as Chelsea have form in their favour. Let’s see who will win as these two battle it out at the Emirates.
