We return to Premier League action against Chelsea on Saturday, and ahead of the game Chris Harris sat down with Arsene Wenger to preview the match.
‘DISCIPLINED, DYNAMIC, UNITED’
Tuesday night really wasn’t in the script.
The actual script went something like this: a fresh, rested Arsenal team see off Watford and, thanks to Liverpool, cut the gap on Chelsea to six points.
Approved kits
|
OP = Outfield Players |
Liverpool did their bit, but we failed to do ours. As a result, what was arguably a must-not-lose game at Stamford Bridge has become a must-win fixture.
“Look, for me it was always [a must-win game],” said Arsene Wenger, who wants that gap cut as quickly as possible. “But I think what is important is that I can say it is a must-win game but for us what is important is to respond in a very strong, united way, straightaway after what happened on Tuesday night.
“We can’t focus too much on the consequences of the game. Do we win? Do we lose? Football is like that, you can win or lose but make absolutely sure you put every ingredient in to win the game. We have shown that we can beat them in the first game, so let’s just do it again.”
Ah yes, the first game. That 3-0 victory over Chelsea in September remains the high water mark of our season - but it was a turning point for our London rivals.
Team news
| Arsenal: Ramsey (calf), Cazorla (plantaris), Elneny (international duty), Xhaka (suspended) Chelsea: None |
Antonio Conte’s team rattled off 13 straight Premier League wins after that (smashing one of our records in the process) and are now firm odds-on favourites to win the title. But we made them look ordinary at the Emirates, and that gives the boss cause for optimism.
“We did what was not special against Watford, and that is we started well in the game,” he said. “We were absolutely dynamic from the start onwards and we surprised them with our pace. That was special and that’s what made the difference, I think.
“We need a disciplined performance, a dynamic performance and a united performance,” concluded Wenger. “Against Watford we missed the start of the race and we were punished.”
The message is clear: miss the start of Saturday’s ‘race’ and that’s probably it for the title race.
‘THEO? I THINK HE’S WORTH 20’
Theo Walcott scored our last goal at Stamford Bridge, he scored in our last win at Stamford Bridge, and if he scores at Stamford Bridge on Saturday he’ll reach his Arsenal century.
Our longest-serving player returned from his recent lay-off with a FA Cup hat-trick at Southampton, but it’s those lay-offs that have cost Theo valuable game time - and goal tallies - down the years.
His strike rate is eye-catching - 99 in 233 starts - but Theo has only had one 20-goal season, mainly because he’s only had two 30-start seasons.
“[Twenty goals a season] is what you want from him,” said Wenger. “When you look at the quality of his runs, the quality of his finishes, I think he’s worth 20.
“He adds quality of runs in behind the defenders. We all know that it’s one thing to have pace, it’s another thing to use it in an intelligent way, and I think Theo Walcott combines both.
“Theo had good opportunities on Tuesday night, one or two on crosses and one or two on finishing. I’m sure that if we get the same chances against Chelsea, we’ll finish.”
‘HAZARD IS BACK TO HIS BEST NOW’
Chelsea’s tactical tweak halfway through our 3-0 win in September has served them incredibly well.
The back four that started at the Emirates was switched to a back three, and although it was too late to save that game, the results soon followed.
“They are more stable defensively and they are a team who can make results,” said Wenger. “They’ve found a balance between offence and defence. Eden Hazard is back to his best level, and Diego Costa as well.
“I believe they have found their level of confidence but if you look at the games, even against Liverpool, it’s very fragile and very even on both sides. They are a team who have found efficiency. They are good in transition and we have to stop them being efficient where they are.”
Some stats offer encouragement. For example, we’ve won three of our four London derbies this season and are the only team still unbeaten in capital contests.
Other stats are daunting. Did you know, for instance, that we’ve not done the double over Chelsea since we last landed the Premier League trophy?
Thirteen years on, we need another double to keep those title hopes flickering.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
POLL
More polls and quizzes to follow soon
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
