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Arsenal Can Snatch A Victory At Stamford Bridge
The last time Arsenal faced the Blues in a competitive match, Arsene Wenger earned his first victory over Jose Mourinho in a dozen attempts. At that time, Mourinho’s team had just come off a dominant league campaign and were tipped to defend their title in 2015-16.
Things are very different now.
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The Blues have taken two heavy losses in their first five games, and have only beaten West Bromwich Albion so far. At the moment, Manchester City are in total control of the title race, and the Blues look out of the picture already.
Arsenal’s start to the season has been slow as well, but they righted the ship somewhat with a 2-0 win over Stoke City this past weekend. Their form is a lot better than The Blues’ at the moment, but neither team looks ready to step up and win the league.
Champions League match day 1 might bring about a change in form for Chelsea, especially since they have a home tie with Maccabi Tel Aviv as their first game. They should be able to secure victory at Stamford Bridge in mid-week, but Arsenal brings about another challenge.
There are different tactical philosophies that can be considered for this match, but Arsenal must adopt a new set of ideas if they are to secure their first victory at the Bridge in recent memory. The match between Liverpool and Manchester United has lessons that can be taken from it, in fact.
Brendan Rodgers uses quite an attacking style, but the Welsh tactician opted for a more defensive outlook for the game against the Red Devils. Manchester United dominated possession without effect in the first half, but eventually Liverpool’s defense was undone three different times during the game.
The Gunners could make the mistake of doing what Liverpool did against Chelsea, but that may not work the way it is supposed to. There can be no room for defensive lapses in concentration, or else the Blues may record another resounding win like some of the blowout victories in the past.
The Gunners instead must look to the statistics concerning the amount of away matches won by teams in the Premier League so far this season. They must absolutely take the game to Chelsea, no matter how much energy it takes.
Alan Pardew gave the attacking play style a go at The Bridge with a less talented side, and he came away with a 2-1 away victory in a brilliant game. He utilized his wide players brilliantly and hit Chelsea where it hurts – right in the Ivanovic.
Arsenal must play with their wide players and make sure they do not crowd the middle, because Chelsea can easily remain compact and stay solid while a team like Arsenal tries to pass their way through.
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- 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
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The counter attacks must be quick and direct, and players like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez must get the required service. If Ozil and Ramsey spend too much time of the ball, Matic will stymie the German and make Arsenal look out of ideas.
Key Player For Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Alexis Sanchez
It may not be much of a surprise to Arsenal fans that Alexis is the key player in this huge match. These are a different set of circumstances to the usual, however, due to the fact that the Chilean is not on great form so far.
The one advantage Sanchez has going into this game is that he is not the only player not in top form. His opponent for the Chelsea game, Branislav Ivanovic, will also be hoping he can regain his caliber of play from last season and cut out the mistakes he has been making so far.
Sanchez could have an absolute field day running at Ivanovic, and if he does…the damage could be too much for Mourinho to come back from.
The stage is set.
Next: Alexis Sanchez's Slow Start Not a Cause For Concern