Arsenal v Chelsea preview: London clubs meet in “small final” for Premier League top four with cracks appearing
This season was supposed to be about fresh starts for Arsenal and Chelsea.
With new managers in place, there was renewed optimism for the future.
Unai Emery was the man to step into the void following Arsene Wenger’s long-awaited departure from Arsenal after 22 years, while Maurizio Sarri succeeded Antonio Conte to become the latest on Chelsea’s conveyer belt of bosses.
Both were big appointments which ushered in excitement and thoughts of a new era among supporters; here were two well-regarded foreign coaches who would bring a different approach after a lull in form.
Those hopes looked well founded when Arsenal shook off back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea to put together a 22-match unbeaten run and the Blues themselves managed 18 games without defeat, from August to late November.
But just past the halfway stage of the Premier League season there are cracks beginning to appear at both London clubs, with problems on and off the pitch.
Chelsea may be six points and one place better off, occupying the much sought-after fourth spot ahead of Arsenal in fifth, but the table doesn’t display the full signs of strain for both.
Ahead of their showdown at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, the two teams have been grappling with issues which, if left unsolved, could derail the remainder of their seasons.
With the two sides united by their troubles, rivalry and positions in the table, there is more than just three points at stake.
It’s no wonder, then, that Emery has placed a great deal of significance on the encounter. “This is the test,” he said. “Saturday, for us, is one small final.”
Emery’s headache
It is Emery who has the greater number of troubles. The Spaniard knew what he was getting himself into when he took the Arsenal hot-seat and many of the problems which plagued the club at the back end of Wenger’s stint are still visible.
The defence has some new faces, but remains steadfastly unreliable, keeping just two clean sheets – at home to Everton and Huddersfield – in 22 Premier League games.
But it’s not just the defence giving Emery headaches. The former Paris Saint-Germain boss has taken charge of 32 games in all competitions now and it’s still unclear just how he wants his side to play.
Formations and players have flitted around with little consistency hindering performance. The fact the Gunners have made more substitutions in the first half or at half-time than any other Premier League team suggests Emery is unsure of his tactics and unconfident with his players.
These concerns are nothing new. Even during the 22 games without defeat, Arsenal were a puzzle to deconstruct – slow to get going, prone to mishaps and lacking a coherent strategy.
Right now it’s no better off the pitch either. Highest earner Mesut Ozil started the season as one of Emery’s captains but has been bizarrely absent in recent months, while Aaron Ramsey is performing well despite being allowed to run down his contract and prepare for a move to Juventus.
When you throw in the expected departure of head of recruitment Sven Mislintat after just 14 months amid an apparent difference of ideas, it’s indicative of a wider structural problem in north London.
It’s not an easy hole to dig yourself out of. In October Gunners managing director Vinai Venkatesham spoke of the club’s “self-sustaining business model”, an idealistic vision but a problematic one for Emery, who has publicly bemoaned the lack of money to spend on transfers this month.
If Arsenal are to finish strongly and achieve a coveted top-four position for the first time in three seasons there will need to be quite a turnaround.
Chelsea’s blues
Things are less worrying at Stamford Bridge, with form holding together in the league to leave the Blues just a point behind Tottenham, but Sarri knows his side are far from coasting.
The Italian’s prime concern is up front, where Alvaro Morata’s struggles and Olivier Giroud’s limited style has prompted him to play Eden Hazard as a false No9 in recent weeks. Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain is being courted, but as yet there are no guarantees he will arrive this month.
Elsewhere, the passing style which won so many admirers early in the campaign is now beginning to grate. This issue is embodied by summer arrival Jorginho, whose death by a hundred passes modus operandi is sending the team sideways more often than forwards.
With Cesc Fabregas having left for Monaco, Sarri feels he has no other option in the deep-lying midfield position and is starting to get tetchy about it. “The club knows very well my opinion. I need a player there,” he said recently. “I am not in charge of the market.”
Unlike Arsenal, the Blues could go some way to remedying their problems in the transfer market. Should Higuain and Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Leandro Paredes arrive, Sarri might be sated.
But with Manchester United reinvigorated and breathing down their necks following six straight wins under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, both London clubs will be itching to gather momentum – starting on Saturday at the Emirates.