Arsenal Face a Different Test

March 22, 2014- What should have been a day of celebration for Arsene Wenger ended in humiliation when Arsenal were trounced by Chelsea 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.  The Frenchman was celebrating his 1000th match in charge, and one could argue that sunny day in East London was the worst of them all.  

With Lukas Podolski and Tomas Rosicky patrolling the wings, Arsenal were stagnant and pedestrian in the face of a Chelsea thunderstorm of attacks.  To make matters worse, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took a wild swing at Eden Hazards shot heading wide, made contact, and was unjustly mistaken for Kieran Gibbs.  

Gibbs was subsequently sent off, Chelsea converted the penalty to make it 3-0 inside 17 minutes played, Laurent Koscielny was injured and subbed off at half time, and Arsenal’s three substitutions (Mathieu Flamini, Thomas Vermaelen, and Carl Jenkinson) pretty much summed up the nature of the match for the Gunners.  

Regardless, the men left on the bench included Kim Kallstrom, Yaya Sanogo, and Serge Gnabry, so glory for Wenger on his big day was never an option.  Sunday, Arsenal return to Stamford Bridge in hope of snatching a point, or perhaps even three.  

Wednesday’s 4-1 dismantling of Galatasaray gave fans a glimpse into perhaps a new formula for success at Arsenal.  Aside from the obvious lack of personnel with which they faced Chelsea last season, Arsenal were without any pace on the field, something they added in the summer by signing Danny Welbeck and Alexis.  

Together with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the pair constantly ran behind the Galatasaray defense and gave Mesut Ozil runners with which to aim his lovely passes at.  Welbeck’s hat trick grabbed the headlines, but Alexis and Ozil were almost as impressive in their all-around displays.  

Coming off such a successful outing, Arsenal fans will be inclined to ask for more of the fireworks from their Champions League outing on Wednesday.  Chelsea, however, are not Galatasaray.  This Arsenal squad is furlongs better than the one that travelled to Stamford Bridge in March, and so is Chelsea’s.  

Enough cannot be said about the impact Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have had at Stamford Bridge.  Coupled with Jose Mourinho’s flexible and pragmatic tactical approach, Chelsea have the best record in the league and are showing no signs of letting up.  

The goal creators and scorers grab the headlines, but Chelsea’s biggest strength is their defense.  John Terry’s performance on Tuesday was imperious as ever, as was Branislav Ivanovic’s.  With Nemanja Matic providing the cover that Arsenal’s back line so desperately needs, Chelsea’s foundation complements their creative attackers.  

Thus, It will be a surprise to see such a positive lineup on Sunday when Arsenal play Chelsea across London.  If Mesut Ozil and Alexis are to be relied on defensively, Chelsea will no doubt score goals.  Santi Cazorla, positioned ahead of Mathieu Flamini but behind Ozil, put in a yeoman’s display on Wednesday, but his inclusion there would surprise me.  

Jack Wilshere, so often picked in big games by Wenger, will likely start next to Mathieu Flamini in a midfield duo after a weeks rest and a quick run out against Galatasaray.  Arsenal’s hopes will lie on the shoulders of these two, who imperatively must protect the back four and stay disciplined in a hostile environment. 

Being the conservative tactician that he is, Wenger likes to stick with lineups which yield results.  Given the magnitude of Wednesday’s result, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Wenger field the exact same XI.

This is Wenger’s biggest flaw each year, since top teams adjust and know exactly what to expect when they play Arsenal.  Wenger’s stubbornness prevents him from coming out with a steely attitude of buckling down defensively, but that stubbornness is only indicative of the faith he has in his attacking players.  

It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Arsenal and Chelsea open the floodgates and take part in a free-flowing goal frenzy of a match.  Then again, Jose Mourinho will also be weary of Arsenal’s momentum after Wednesday’s win and may fancy a risk-free gameplan.  

Like Germany did to Brazil in July, Chelsea have that ability to soak up pressure and lure the opposition in, only to pounce with a quick blitzkrieg counter attack.  Regardless, Arsene Wenger should proceed with caution on Sunday, a point being a terrific result in the first of many premier league road tests this season.  

Arsenal's Turkish Test

Arsenal face an early season test in Turkey tomorrow, as they face Besiktas in the UEFA Champions League playoff which leads into the group draw.  Arsenal handled Fenerbahce nicely last year in the same playoff, but this year will likely be more difficult.  

Arsenal were far from a polished product on Saturday, albeit they won the game against a scrappy Crystal Palace side.  Arsene Wenger will take no chances in this game, since departing the competition at such an early stage would set an awful for the season.  

I expect the Frenchman to name a strong starting XI for this tie, regardless of the fact that the squad is still recuperating from World Cup duty.  None of the German trio will feature for the Gunners, while Kieran Gibbs picked up an injury against Crystal Palace and could miss several weeks.  

Nacho Monreal could help the Gunners approach, since at times Gibbs and Debuchy would both be caught well up the field.  Monreal, more of a defensive fullback than Gibbs, is a very capable deputy while the young Englishman recovers. 

Laurent Koscielny appears to have recovered from the achilles injury he picked up in training last week, but with Mertesacker still regaining fitness and Thomas Vermaelen now in Barcelona, Wenger will again turn to Calum Chambers who has proved himself to be an excellent acquisition early on.   

Mathieu Flamini should feature in the middle of the park, his tireless work ethic and energy being the reason.  Mathieu Debuchy will likely feature again, but don’t sleep on Wenger throwing Hector Bellerin into the mix in a big game, as he did with Yaya Sanogo against Bayern last year.  

Mikel Arteta’s leadership would be missed if Flamini were to start, but Aaron Ramsey is taking it upon himself to adopt a more significant leadership role and that shouldn’t be a problem.  Ramsey will likely get the nod ahead of Jack Wilshere in midfield, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain possibly earning the start. 

Olivier Giroud should be guaranteed a start after watching the first 60 minutes from the bench Saturday, while Santi Cazorla could be one of the players who won’t start consecutive games for Arsenal.  Cazorla looked rusty on Saturday, definitely not at his sharpest and lacking fitness.  To add insult to injury, the referee’s malfunctioning vanishing spray can decided to erupt like a fireman's hose in the Spaniards face.  

Alexis will likely feature in this big game for Arsenal, and although I’m not nearly as harsh as Steve Nicol in my criticisms of the Chilean after Saturday, there is definitely room for improvement from the new boy.  Alexis needs to get on a better wavelength with his new teammates, while surely the German reinforcements on their way are encouraging to the winger.  

Away from home, Arsenal were very good in the Champions League last year, but also the year before when they beat trebel-winners Bayern 2-0 at the Allianz Arena.  Mentally, Arsene Wenger will have his men ready for the early season test. 

It all seems rather routine that Arsenal would advance, but in Europe there are never such guarantees.  An away game in the Champions League is never easy, let alone in the hostile Besiktas environment.  It will be an intense contest, but I still see Arsenal earning a similar victory to last years 3-0 win at Fenerbahce.  2-0 Arsenal here.