EditorialsEPL
Five things we learnt from Chelsea v Arsenal game
Revenge they say is better served cold and Chelsea enjoyed a good one over their London rivals, Arsenal on Saturday afternoon winning by 3 goals to 1.
The gunners got the better of the blues in the earlier fixture in September with a 3 nil win, but Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard, and Cesc Fabregas’ goals were good enough for the blues to avenge, and close in on the title.
Below are the five things we(Sportsration) Learnt from the game
1. Wenger’s Tactical Change Boomeranged and did not pay off:
For a manager not always known for his tactical ingenuity, Arsene Wenger surprised the fans giving up his favoured 4-2-3-1 for a 4-3-3 in the first half. It was meant to provide more stability in the
middle, with Alex Iwobi alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in front of Francis Coquelin.
middle, with Alex Iwobi alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in front of Francis Coquelin.
It worked up to a point, with Arsenal stable in the game aside from when the opening goal of the game came. But in the second half Wenger wanted to make Mesut Ozil more central, so he abandoned it and went back to 4-2-3-1, opening his team up and conceding the second goal.
2. Bellerin was not fit:
Hector Bellerin was not fit enough to start against Watford on Tuesday night but Wenger decided to take a risk today and he played the young right-back. But Bellerin, who is still struggling with an ankle injury, never looked ready for the match.
It wasn’t too much of a surprise when he failed to jump high enough and got off balance, jumping badly for the second ball after Diego Costa’s header hit the bar, and he was beaten to it by Marcos Alonso, an incident in which Bellerin was injured and had to go off.
3. Ozil lacked interest and desire/ Always hiding in Big matches:
On a day when Arsenal were outclassed by Chelsea’s superior strength and desire, no-one encapsulated the difference between the two teams better than Mesut Ozil.
A brilliant player on his day, he never got in the game, showed lackluster performance and did not always look as if he was trying to get into the game at all.
Ozil barely won a single 50-50, showing no real desire to win the ball or even to make things difficult for Chelsea. He eschewed challenges, did not jump for headers and, when he found himself in wide areas, did not try to stop crosses.
Defending is not his natural game though,but top players take responsibility and that is what Ozil has been failing to do for months.
4. Kante is a Machine:
It is very correct to say 25% of Stamford Bridge today was covered by everyone but the rest by Kante. What more can be said about N’Golo Kante? This was yet another masterclass of his brilliant skills, power, running, football intelligence, well-visioned accurate passes, and his
mastery of the whole midfield.
mastery of the whole midfield.
He looks like he is going to win another EPL trophy after last season triumph with Leicester.
When Arsenal switched to three in middle, Kante and Nemanja Matic dominated the area. This was probably Matic’s best game this season, too, and he won every loose ball.
For Chelsea to be stopped next season, opponents will have to find a way to overpower that phenomenal pair. It will not be easy.
5. Sanchez is not a Striker:
The Chilean attacker had a frustrating game playing as the front man, he barely got into the opponents 18 yard box, had no single shot on target in the first half, failed to unlock the Chelsea’s defense aeirally and on the ground, and that shows Wenger that he is a good player but doesn’t suit the no 9 role.
It all looks like Chelsea are champions already, as they continue to cruise and they remain 9 points clear 2nd placed Tottenham.
