Arsenal return to the Emirates to host another massive London derby fresh off a decisive win at Spurs in the North London Derb, hosting face Chelsea in another important tilt ahead of a major month of fixtures.
They say that winning cures all, and Arsenal will certainly feel vastly more confident in their quest for the Premier League title following their dismantling of Spurs away from home on Sunday. The last week has been a tough one following a toothless draw against Wolves. In the wake of increased
criticism, the Gunners answered the bell emphatically ahead of their first week off in what feels like months.
One test is behind them, but another looms large as Chelsea come to town on Sunday. The Blues are pushing to secure a European spot and wouldn’t mind exacting a little revenge after getting dumped out of the Carabao Cup semifinals at the hands of Arteta’s Arsenal. With a pivotal series of four away days starting Sunday for Chelsea, they will be desperate to start it on right foot.
March looks to be a decisive month with seven key matches for the Gunners. Three league ties, the FA Cup 6th round, and the Champions League Round of 16 are all capped off by the Carabao Cup final at the end of the month. An historic quadruple is still in play, but that’s very much a pipe dream until it isn’t. The Gunners have done an excellent job of keeping blinders on and taking the season one match at a time. On the heels of a huge derby win and a week of rest, can they shut out the noise, keep their heads on, and continue taking care of business?
Here are 3 talking points ahead of Sunday’s match:
Know the Enemy
Chelsea enter Sunday’s tie in 5th place with 45 points from a record of 12W/9D/6L.
The early Liam Rosenior era has continued in fairly fine form for Chelsea. In his nearly 2 months at the helm, Chelsea have still yet to lose in the Premier League after 7 league matches under his charge. The only blemishes so far came at the hand of the league leaders when the Gunners dumped Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup semifinals, winning both matches against the Blues. Like Arsenal, they are into the 5th round of the FA Cup and earned a bye in the knockout phase of the Champions League with a top 8 league phase finish.
Their recent PL results also paint a parallel to Arsenal – just not a favorable one. Like the Gunners in recent fixtures, they have let leads slip, with Leeds and Burnley both fighting back from deficits to earn draws. It’s part of a worrying trend for the Blues, who have dropped 19 points from winning positions, with 17 of those dropped points occurring at Stamford Bridge.
A worse trend is their disciplinary record. Chelsea just cannot manage to keep 11 men on the pitch. 6 red cards and 60 yellow cards have them top of ESPN’s disciplinary standings with 78 points. Wesley Fofana added to the tally when he picked up two yellow cards against Burnley, which means he misses Sunday’s match. They are a young side, which surely plays some part in that, but sometimes the combination of aggressive play style and an unshakeable bozo gene is just too strong. If anyone can understand that, it’s Arsenal.
Chelsea’s strength is in the attack, where they lead the league in xG with 52.30 and are in the top 5 in every major attacking category including goals (4th), shots (5th), conversion % (4th), and xG per shot (2nd). Even when you take penalties out of the equation, which they lead the league in with 7 scored, they are still a potent attacking threat. Summer signing João Pedro has hit form with 11 goals in the league, while Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández have added 8 apiece. In another similarity to the Gunners, they like to spread the goals around, with 10 different goal scorers in PL play.
In recent trips to the Emirates, though, their attack has gone silent. Since August of 2021, Chelsea have only managed one goal against the Gunners on the road across all competitions. That loan goal scorer? Current Gunner Noni Madueke. Past outcomes don’t always indicate future performances, but it certainly puts pressure on Chelsea to perform.
Their defense has been good this season, but it’s hard to reach an elite level when you struggle to keep players on the pitch. They don’t give up many goals (31), but have been bolstered by over-performing their xG against (37.37) by 6 goals. They are solid enough to force you to work for your goals.
Chelsea come to the Emirates with up to 9 players out through injury or suspension. Besides Fofana, the defense will be without human chia pet Marc Cucurella, who is recovering from a thigh injury, meaning someone else will be tasked with kicking Saka’s ankles and remonstrating wildly to the ref. Promising young attacker Estevao could possibly miss out with a hamstring strain.
Injuries & Suspensions
The North London Derby saw the Gunners emerge largely unscathed. Bukayo Saka was subbed off and there have been unsubstantiated rumors about him picking up a knock that requires scans. Considering his recent history of injuries, it’s not a “nothing” rumor. With a week off, hopefully he has been given plenty of time to recover.
OUT: Mikel Merino (foot)
DOUBT: Kai Havertz (muscle)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Trossard, Gyökeres, Saka
Run it back. Arsenal’s front three looked worlds better against Spurs than they did against Wolves, and they look like the strongest combination at the moment. Viktor Gyökeres had his best performance of the season and smashed the ball with conviction. His ball striking was superb, overshadowing his much improved hold up play. Leandro Trossard had a bit of a quiet night, but he is tactically sound and rarely takes unnecessary risks that leave his teammates in the lurch. Bukayo Saka was a bit unlucky not to find the net, but he was sharp and had a hand in two of the goals, even if he didn’t get credited with an assist.
Midfield: Rice, Zubimendi, Eze
The midfield had its share of ups and downs against Spurs, most notably Declan Rice’s errors that led to the hosts goal and the effort that Raya swatted off the line. Thankfully, those mistakes didn’t prove to be fatal, but it was a stark reminder of the mental fatigue that has led to a rise in head-scratching errors from the Gunners. Hopefully, a week’s rest and the boost from beating their rivals puts those issues behind them. Martin Zubimendi was good, but once again there was no sight of Christian Nørgaard to spell him. Ebereche Eze was electric and hopefully has found his spark. Arteta indicated that he needs to do more to get the best out of him, and his relationship with Gyökeres looks like it is beginning to finally blossom.
Defense: Hincapie, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber
Arsenal’s defense looked a lot more like their usual selves on Sunday. Sure, it was “only” Spurs, but they still had to step up in a hostile environment. Gabriel and William Saliba were sound, though Gabi should consider himself fortunate that the refs gave a foul for the push that led to Spurs’ disallowed goal. Piero Hincapie may have usurped Riccardo Calafiorio’s spot on the left for the time being with some really solid performances in recent weeks. Jurrien Timber looked much better and bagged the assist for Gyökeres’ first goal, bouncing back after a needless yellow in the first half. Cristhian Mosquera came on in relief and reminded us all once again that he has so much to offer after a faultless cameo.
Keeper: Raya
David Raya, take a bow. His goal line save was another for his growing highlight reel of “how did he save THAT?!” moments. There was little he could do after being hung out to dry for the first goal, but he was commanding in the air, which was a relief after the ending of the Wolves match.
Arsenal’s inability to strike when the hammer is hot has cost them in the early stages of the calendar year. Whether or not Sunday’s performance against Spurs was an anomaly or a harbinger of a shift back toward their steady selves remains to be seen, but channeling that into a strong performance at home against another rival would be a strong step toward the latter with the run-in just around the corner.
WHO: Arsenal vs Chelsea
WHAT: Premier League match day 29
WHEN: Sunday, March 1st, 11:30am EST/8:30am PST/4:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on the Peacock app
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