Chelsea appear to have put their indifferent form of September behind them and, after three wins on the spin, are now in second place in the Premier League table. They are still six points behind impressive leaders Arsenal, but after five wins in six league games, could the Blues now be viewed as the Gunners’ main challengers for the title this season?
As the festive fixture frenzy approaches, Chelsea’s squad depth will be tested, but they are better equipped than many in the Premier League. Can Enzo Maresca’s men mount a sustained challenge in the weeks and months ahead, or are Arsenal simply too good?
Resurgent Blues Take Advantage of Rivals’ Slips
After yet another defeat at the weekend, Arne Slot’s Liverpool are effectively out of the title race, and their chances of defending their crown have slipped to highly improbable, at best. Manchester City, meanwhile, had appeared to have rediscovered their form and were widely touted as Arsenal’s main rivals. But Pep Guardiola’s men have lost two of their last four league matches (away to both Aston Villa and Newcastle United).
They are now seven points behind the leaders, which is far from insurmountable, but with four league defeats already and an over-reliance on Erling Haaland, an injury to the Norwegian could spell disaster for the Cityzens. Chelsea, meanwhile, have been quietly picking up points and have put in some excellent performances too.
There are no prizes for second place, as they say. But, in the Premier League, a second-place finish is significantly better than fifth on the basis that only the top four are guaranteed to qualify for the league phase of next season’s Champions League. But after finishing fourth last term, and also qualifying for Europe’s top club competition, Maresca will want to show progress, and a runners-up spot would certainly prove his side is on the right track. Of course, Blues fans would dearly love to see their side put up a real fight for the title and – in an ideal world – pip Arsenal to the crown. But is that realistic?
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been exceptional this season. They have reduced opponents to few (sometimes no) shots on target and rarely concede. They have lost only one game in all competitions all season, and that defeat, at Anfield to champions Liverpool, was only 1-0. But the Gunners are not invincible, and, crucially, the north London side visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Victory in that one for the Blues would smash Arsenal’s belief while simultaneously maintaining Chelsea’s current momentum.
How Chelsea Can Defeat Arsenal
Chelsea have shown in recent times that they can overcome the best. And not just the best in England, the best on the planet. It wasn’t so long ago that Maresca led his men to FIFA Club World Cup glory, hammering European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final in New Jersey. In that match, PSG enjoyed the lion’s share of possession (66.5%), but the Blues were clinical as they converted three of their five shots on target.
If they are to get the better of Arsenal on Sunday, they will need to be similarly clinical, given that the Gunners don’t give away many chances. A lot might depend on whether Cole Palmer has recovered from his latest injury setback in time to feature against the current table-toppers. Palmer was instrumental in Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph, and if he’s absent, it would be a big boost to the visitors.
That’s not to say the Blues don’t have high-quality attacking options. After all, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, and João Pedro have each netted four league goals this term. But Palmer adds the kind of incisive play that could make all the difference against a defence as mean as Arsenal’s.
Maresca will no doubt have studied the last match in which Arsenal dropped points: their 2-2 draw at Sunderland on 8th November. The Black Cats did what sides had failed to do in the previous eight matches and scored against Arteta’s side. And though Arsenal had almost 65% of the ball, Sunderland shrewdly limited the number of set play opportunities Arsenal got, thus nullifying one of the Gunners’ major goalscoring threats. Of course, that is easier said than done, but Chelsea will certainly try to avoid giving away any cheap free kicks or corners. They might even copy Sunderland’s tactics of moving in the advertising hoardings to limit the chance of Arsenal taking long throws.
Other than that, it will be a matter of the home side creating and taking as many chances as possible. They will also need to be aggressive and try to disrupt the visitors’ flow, without crossing the line and incurring bookings and potential dismissals. It will be a tough ask, but if Maresca’s side can pull off victory on Sunday, they would be very much in the title race, and might even unsettle the Gunners enough to provoke a slump in form from the north Londoners.