Arsene Wenger is well aware that he has not beaten Jose Mourinho as Chelsea boss in eleven games with Arsenal, but he believes that he now has a team capable of shocking the League leaders at Stamford Bridge. Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 6-0 rout over the Gunners, but Wenger is only looking forward. Wenger told Arsenal.com: “If football was just a repeat of the past then you wouldn’t play at all because it would be too predictable,”
“We have an opportunity to put things right on Sunday, so let’s take it. This team has made history because they won a trophy last year against all the odds and we have an opportunity to do it again in a big game against Chelsea.”
Wenger admits that Chelsea are even better than last season, but Wednesdays destruction of Galatasary showed that Arsenal may be meeting them at a high point. The manager continued: “They are certainly a bit more mature and they have more killing edge than last season but they were still a strong side last year,”
“We are not going to focus too much on Chelsea, we want to focus on us and our desire. We want to show character and huge determination to do well on Sunday. That’s why I expect a big performance from my team.
“Chelsea have always been a good team – no matter which year you go there, they have a good team. It’s not too much about them, it’s about what we will do, how much we are ready to put the work rate, effort and togetherness in to get the result. That’s what will make it.”
“I don’t deny that the history is against us with Chelsea,” Wenger concluded. “The thing about top teams is that they make history and they change history. We’re the two unbeaten teams in the Premier League and Chelsea have one advantage on us because they have more wins.
“They are the team to chase because they are top of the league at the moment. They will be one of the teams who will go for the Premier League title this season and we want to be one of them as well. That’s why the confrontation on Sunday will be so important.”
An Arsenal win at the Bridge will mean that we are the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League and will put us bang back into the title race. I will certainly be praying to all the footballing gods on Sunday morning to please, please make this happen.
COYG!