Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Hanging onto Eden Hazard’s coattails

Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Saturday evening, hoping to recover from last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City. They will have to contend with one Eden Hazard. Hanging onto his coattails will not be easy whatsoever.

After hosting the champions last weekend, Arsenal now travel to the champions of the previous season. It is far from the easiest start to the season. And for Unai Emery, I am sure it is not the two fixtures that he would have chosen to open his tenure in north London. But that is what the fixture gods conjured up. The Gunners must simply get on with it.

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Their opponents on Saturday, Chelsea, are also in a state of flux. Maurizio Sarri replaced Antonio Conte in the summer, the elder statesmen of the previous era are being eased out of the team, and there, like their visitors, is a fresh feeling around the club.

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But as Emery prepares his side for the difficult trip to Stamford Bridge, it is the same foe that they must look to contain. Yes, Eden Hazard is still there and the brilliant Belgian will once again be terrorising any defences that dare stand up to him, including Arsenal’s. And Hazard has enjoyed quite the run against his north London rivals.

In 10 Premier League games against them in his career, he has scored five goals, including a brilliant run — shrugging off Francis Coquelin and swerving around Laurent Koscielny in the process — and chip a few years ago, and recorded one assist. Perhaps more impressively, Hazard has completed more than 50 total take-ons in his career against Arsenal. That is the most of any opposition in his career in all competitions, with no other team topping 50.

Emery and his players will need to have a plan of action to at least try and contain the slippery, slithery attacker. They may not succeed, such is his quality, but there needs to be a plan in place. Otherwise, Hazard will repeatedly singlehandedly waltz through them untouched. Thankfully, Emery may have the perfect player to give a man-to-man job on Hazard to.

When Lucas Torreira was signed for £26 million, he was deemed to be the snappy, tough-tackling, game-breaking midfielder that this team has sorely lacked for over a decade. Quick across the ground, dogged and determined, committed to his task, positionally disciplined and extremely awkward to play against, he is the perfect individual to task with marking Hazard in the final third.

Torreira has the agility and quickness to pressure Hazard’s first touch without the threat of being turned and dragged out of position. He has the intelligence to know when to drop off the Belgian and stay compact, as well as the ability to nick the ball away from him in challenges and interceptions.

In the past, Hazard has ripped through Arsenal with painful ease. He has been a constant and sharp thorn in their side. Hanging onto his coattails will not be easy. But in Torreira, Emery at least has a countering weapon that could help contain one of the best attackers in world football.