Chelsea VS Arsenal has always been an important match for both sides, but this upcoming fixture on Saturday could be one of the most important ones ever for the blues.
By Connor Orchard
It’s no secret that Chelsea have had their worst start to the Premier League since 1980. After only gaining four points from five games, it is starting to look like the defending champions could be in for a long season.
A win against Arsenal, no matter the score, would give Jose Mourinho’s side a huge confidence booster and would in turn rebound the pressure onto the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Wenger is already under pressure following his team’s defeat on Wednesday night against Dinamo Zagreb in the group stage of the Champions League, and a loss against Chelsea would do nothing but make the situation worse for the Arsenal boss.
On the contrary if Arsenal do pick up a win against Chelsea, then another defeat for the blues would surely kill any hopes they have of defending their Premier League title.
The team that Arsenal put out against Dinamo Zagreb had six changes made to it, and they were very questionable. The changes saw their number one goalkeeper Petr Cech benched, as well as their most dynamic defensive midfielder in Francis Coquelin. So by the end of the game, it almost seemed like it wasn’t a surprise to some fans that Arsenal didn’t go home with the win under their belt.
The situation on Saturday will be different for both teams. Arsenal need too make sure they don’t turn up with a hangover from Wednesday night’s loss if they are to take any result from the game. On the other hand, Chelsea need to make sure they come out of the gates firing from all cylinders, and need to show other Premier League teams that they aren’t out of the title race yet.
The confidence for Chelsea will probably be the highest it has ever been this season. They are coming off of a big win on Wednesday night, where they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0. Although it can be argued that Macabbi Tel Aviv are a team who have only qualified for the Champions League thirteen times in the past, a win is a win as far as Chelsea are concerned.
It was a match where we saw just what this Chelsea team can do. Fabregas picked up a goal and an assist, Loftus-Cheek had an exceptional performance in midfield, Rahman made an impressive debut at Left-back, and Costa scored a wonder goal that will surely boost his confidence heading into Saturday.
The team news for Chelsea will be interesting to see. Will Ruben Loftus-Cheek make another appearance for the blues? Will Ivanovic return to the side along with John Terry? Or will Baba Rahman and Kurt Zouma keep their places? These are questions that I wouldn’t like to have to answer if I were Mourinho, and he needs to think carefully about his starting 11 for Saturday.
Now, if I were in Mourinho’s shoes, and I had to pick a starting 11 for the clash, it would be:
Begovic
Azpilicueta – Cahill – Terry – Rahman
Fabregas – Matic
Willian – Oscar – Hazard
Costa
People may wonder why Ivanovic isn’t included in the side; for me he just isn’t the player he was last season. He has been at fault of most of our goals conceded this season, and doesn’t deserve a place in this team, especially in a match as big as this.
One thing’s for certain; this match will no doubt be make or break for Chelsea’s Premier League season.
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