When Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League in late March, we ended up with our biggest defeat of the season. And after that 6-0 humbling, made even worse by the fact that it was a landmark day for Arsene Wenger and was completely ruined by his arch enemy Jose Mourinho, it was clear that our tactics had been wrong.
The Gunners had already done it before at Anfield, but we did not learn from that thrashing by Liverpool and just repeated the mistake against Chelsea. An early goal saw us throw players forward on the attack and that just opened us up to more goals at the wrong end.
I thought we would have learned our lesson by now and the fact that Arsenal are unbeaten in the league so far this season suggests that we are a tougher team to beat. We have also shown more grit and determination to come back from losing positions, which happened again against Tottenham on Saturday. So we are more confident than the last time we went to Chelsea, but it is still worrying to hear Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as reported by Sky Sports, talking about taking the game to the league leaders and not changing our usual style of play.
The Ox said, “We do understand what happened there last season. Maybe we have got a point to prove there, we know this year we have got to step up in the big games and get some results in them.
“We’re really looking forward to that game and I definitely think we can go there with confidence. We give Chelsea the respect they deserve – but, at the same time, I have belief in my team-mates and we believe in ourselves to be able to go to a place like Chelsea and set the tempo and hopefully take control of the game.
“There will be times in the game, I’m sure, when they have a spell because they are a top team.
““It’s two good sides, they are going to have their time, we are going to have ours. We just have to make sure that when we do have our chances we make them count.
“I think that’s the risk you take when you play the way we play football – we send a lot of bodies forward in a positive and attacking fashion. You do leave yourself, at times, a little bit vulnerable to the counter-attack.
“As a team we do work on trying to stop that at source. Sometimes you do get countered and I think teams maybe set up to do that against us. But, as I said, you can’t have everything. You either don’t send so many bodies forward or you do, and sometimes you can be susceptible to the counter-attack.
“It is something we have always worked on because it is an area I’m sure teams look at to try and break us down. We have got to be ready for that and we will continue to work on it.”
Personally I hope that Wenger does change our approach a bit to make us more solid. Chelsea are a better attacking side this season with Costa and Fabregas and I worry that we could be in for another hiding if we are too adventurous. What do you think Gooners?
The game against Chelsea is already feeling like one being asked to step into the ring to face a professional boxer. You know you’re definitely going to get spanked, only you don’t know in which round the lights will go out on you.
Without hope and determination we have nothing. If we go in there pissing our pants we may as well get ready for another 6-0 trashing. Why can’t get behind our players? Aren’t they the ones who are going to face them? Who cares if Chelsea are doing well? So can we. I believe in Arsenal, and somehow even in the darkest times I always have. I don’t care how patriotic this sounds. F*ck off whiners, we won’t have time for the whining when the going gets tough. We just have to grow a pair and back our players up. Hell it’s the one job we have as fans yet even we seem to be sh*tting our pants and we’re not even playing. COME ON YOU GUNNERS.
If the players go out there cool headed and confident, then I’m sure they will play their best game. Indeed, the manager has to do his homework and use the best formation possible (which means not playing certain players out of their position). Our job is to rally everyone and PAINT STAMFORD BRIDGE RED.
Again, COME ON YOU GUNNERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Lol! Reminds me of my stupid decision to fight a guy who was taller than I am and has longer arms. By the time we started fighting, I realised too late that I was in for some sh!t.
When we say Arsenal is likely to lose, it’s not becuz we are pessimists, it’s rather becuz we realistically know Wenger to be tactically shallow, and he makes silly subs.
Call me a pessimist(based on this sites ideology)but we r gonna give Chelsea a goood fcuking
No one is ‘pissing their pants’ we simply know that Chelsea has a better squad and that Mourihno has a better tactical brain than Wenger.
Simple.
You shouldn’t be calling fans whiners, we have stood by our Arsenal all through Wenger’s befuddled tampering and ridiculous transfer decisions.
Now we have a team of ballet dancers.
When I look at our players beside City’s team we look like children playing men.
What is needed to fix this team is Wenger out!
I really hope this isnt true! We have got to approach the chelsea game with a more positive attitude and believe that we can dig deep, with a fighting spiriting going to stamford brige , and getting a positive result! We are arsenal! Coyg!
Who cares how Wenger approaches the game anyway. Flamini isn’t going to be able to deal with being a DM against them and Ozil will go missing, so we’re 2 men short from the start anyway.
Mate listen to yourself. How can you be so dismissive of our team. And you call yourself a gooner? How can we even move forward if we don’t even back the players anymore.
Ridiculous. This website needs to be renamed worstarsenalfans.com
It’s so sad that we have have to admit that we’ve lost the Chelsea game even before it got started cos with our injury crisis,Wenger’s lack of tactical-know-how,players naivity and so on,even the hardest of us supporters can’t dare to dream or believe…I just pray and hope that even if we lose,we should lose RESPONSIBLY.
But then again since records are made to be broken,who said Wenger can’t break the Mourhino hoodoo? #COYG
Mourinho will prepare a special tactic and strategy
but Wenger will stick to the same old plan and expect it to work….
Same old shit every season
Exactly! Wenger keeps doing things same way all the time and expecting different outcome each time…he’s lost it but I’m sorry the board don’t see it cos he keeps adding to their pockets and wallets
Exactly…
same shit every season…..
whats the excuse next?
another bad day at the office?
injuries?
poor ref?
should be a penalty?
We have not lost to Chelsea yet! But we are looking weaker than them at the moment that is for sure. Can we beat them? sure any team can beat any team in the EPL. Do we have the squad to be favorites here? Heck no. Unfortunately we also do not have the squad that sits back really compact and counter attacks. So it will be a long day at the office.
same thing mention before the chelsea game for the last 10 years
_________Szczesny
Bellerin Merts Chambers Gibbs
_______Flamini Wilshere
______OX Ozil Sanchez
________Welbeck
vs
_____Costa
__Hazard Cesc Schürrle
___Ramires Matic
Azpilicueta Terry Cahill Ivanovic
____Courtois
Welbeck
Sanchez OX Walcott
Diaby Coquelin
Pure pace
everyone fav PAce Pace and more PACE
if we lose against Chelsea it should not be blamed on injuries, everyone knows that Arsenal has an injury prone squad, it happens every season, the manager who earns more than 7 mln should have a solution to that by now.
Wenger’s mistakes
1. Tactics and player placements (ie nor placing Ozil in central attack role)
2. Not getting more defenders after selling Vermaelen, Sagna and loaning Jenkinson (Chambers and Debuchy are great but still light in defense)
3. Not signing top striker and DM
1 can be remedied now
2 and 3 can be remedied in January
I don’t know if you have seen Jenkinson playing this season but if he goes like that from now on I believe we will sell him.
Chamberlain is lazy. He only played good the other day when we were losing, otherwise playing casual football.
I think Chelsea have a very simple philosophy – win every game outside the top 4, and don’t get beat in the top games-
Its a simple, and potentially EPL winning strategy. A strategy that has worked everywhere Marinho’s gone.
I think there team is ideally built to punish Arsenal, good fast players, that Mertesacker (PLEASE REPLACE HIM HIM WITH SOMEONE WHO CAN RUN) cannot handle, if we push up high with both our fullbacks then we are asking for trouble.
I know it won’t happen, but I’d play Bellerine at right back, and replace Mert with Chambers-
Only then will we have speed in our back line to cope with Chelsea’s counter attacks. This way we can still play our attacking game, and in the main still be able to survive the Chelsea threat. Play with Mert and we will leak goals – simple as that.
Need Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck Ox etc to have a great game- if we gonna win – but I believe we can. But Chelsea are a very well drilled team, and its gonna be hard
We played good football at the weekend we have galatasaray on Wednesday in preparation for chelsea i believe this time around we will be ready for them but that’s on Sunday
Irrespective of the present injury crisis, if Wenger dare losses the upcoming match to Mourhino once again, and for the umpteenth time, then I will conclude that Wenger is actually technically deficient and highly irresponsible! Afterall, other managers do take 3 points off Mourhino at one time or the other. He is never been invincible like Wenger is making him appear.
What if Arsenal shocks the world and hands Chelsea their first lost? Not saying it will happen, but what will you all say then? I’m backing our players and Wenger COYG!
Let’s wait till it happens,if at all it ever happens…If it does then Wenger will have redeemed himself from Mourhino’s lashing.
The highest we can come out with is a draw & that’s totally impossible.
Some idiots here, say we should get behind the team & hope. That’s never gonna change anything cos, we did that for years, but wenger puts his foolishness in the Arsenal squad and sells our advice to other clubs. I was against us Winning the FA CUP and Qualifying for the UCL bcos wenger wouldn’t want to go. Wenger is confused and hopless. Ferguson got 32 trophies in 27 years at Manu… Guardiola got 13+ in 4years at barca…. Mourinho got 3+ at chelsea in 5years….. While you stupid wenger got 8 in 18years. WENGER MUST GO…. TIME UP.
We need a SIMEONE that can GUARDIOLA some football into our club so that we can KLOPP.
I will only support the players and not Wenger,I would prefer he calls in sick during the Second half of the Galatasary match and stay ill till next week Monday,that’s my advice to Wenger. When a manager can’t motivate his team on a landmark game for him,that’s too bad. I hardly hear an Arsenal player say “we did this for our manager” “this is what the manager wanted us to do” and I don’t blame them,when a team is a goal down and playing badly,a manager would sit on the Bench,with legs crossed like he’s a guest,that can’t motivate a team. I just hope someone gets my advice to him.
PARK THE BUS!
COYG