Premier League Preview: Arsenal Vs Chelsea
There has not been enough football in the Barclays Premier League in the last two weeks because of poor weather conditions. The match between Chelsea and Manchester United was also delayed and is most likely to be postponed till March of next year. Therefore, Chelsea has an opportunity now to revitalize their energies and get their season on the right track. With the threat of facing Manchester United removed, Chelsea would not have hoped for a better opponent than their neighbours Arsenal.
Cesc Fabregas, the captain of Arsenal, recently said that the Gunners are suffering because of a fear of losing against big teams. This statement is backed by historical proof as Arsenal has not scored against Chelsea in their last three games and won their last game in the November of 2008. This record is similar against Manchester United, which is a clear indication that Arsenal is psychologically way behind Chelsea in this match as well.
However, Chelsea is not having a great season as well. In the last two months, there has been only a single occasion when Chelsea bagged all three points in a match. Apart from that victory, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 has only produced losses and draws, even against the smaller teams. Right now, Chelsea is in fourth place in the table, while Arsenal rests in second place, with a difference of a single point. All these things suggest that the Gunners should not be losing this match where they have a clear upper hand.
But, there are a few things that would not help Arsenal as they go against Chelsea. First, the match is going to be played at Emirates Stadium and Arsenal is more likely to lose at home than away, as suggested by their abysmal home record this season. Second, Chelsea has already won their first leg of league match against the Gunners, which would be enough for Chelsea to have a mental superiority. Third, Didier Drogba has a great record against the Gunners as the prolific striker has scored 13 goals in 13 matches against them.
Once again, Arsenal would be relying heavily upon http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Nasri-c32360 to produce the results. Nasri has scored 8 goals for the Gunners this season and is looking quite impressive in the midfield as well. The young Frenchman has shown a lot of quality and skill, along with great composure, in the attack of Arsenal. With his strength and pace, he would prove a real threat for Chelsea’s defenders who are also struggling in the past few weeks.
The major difference in the game would be made by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Laurent-Koscielny-c21742 and Sebastien Squillaci have struggled in the defensive duties. Therefore, the strength and speed of Drogba, which has been threatening Arsenal in the past, is going to be the key once again, and might well prove to be the deciding factor.
Although the most important job for Arsenal would be carried out by their centre-halves, with the duty of covering Drogba, the right hand side carries immense significance as well. Chelsea has http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bacary-Sagna-c7148 to cover. Sagna is a quality full-back for Arsenal and he will have to do the job for Arsene Wenger once again.
This is the match between two sides who are title contenders but are not being consistent enough in their pursuit. Therefore, a victory would help both sides in getting things on the right track. However, Arsenal is suffering from a big-match phobia and it is more important for Arsene Wenger to get a victory. If he fails once again, the psychological stress would be too much for the young Gunners to handle. The loss against Chelsea might end Arsenal’s title challenge prematurely.
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