Chelsea vs Arsenal: 3 vital player partnerships

Granit Xhaka & Sambi Lokonga

It will be interesting to see how aggressively Arteta sets his team up. The defeat on the south coast saw a return to midfield for Xhaka, and although he was higher up the pitch than Sambi, who dropped in between the central defenders early on, it was still not the marauding No. 8 occupying one of the five lanes we’ve seen previously.

One would imagine it won’t be the same again here.

Chelsea’s setup will see them have two central midfielders and two No. 10’s in front. Getting their creative players between the lines and drawing Arsenal’s central midfielders out of position helps them create overloads either side and as much as Xhaka has shown his worth high up the pitch, he’ll be needed further back.

Primarily because Sambi is going to have a job on his hands.

He’ll still be central as a No. 6 with Xhaka pushing on in possession, but he will require the support and, crucially, the passing options either side if he is to avoid being suffocated in possession and being forced into unwelcome turnovers.

How these two link together in this match will be crucial. If they lose absolute control of the midfield and Jorginho can distribute through the lines then Arsenal will be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Continued on next page…