The Arsenal vs Chelsea match is the first big one in the Premier League this season. The Arsenal vs Chelsea match will be played on Sunday, September 6, and both sides remain unbeaten after having won their first two matches in the league so far. For Xabi Alonso, it will be the first London derby as a manager, and it will be a stern test for him to take on the champions in their own backyard.
Here are two things his team will have to do in the Arsenal vs Chelsea match:
Arsenal vs Chelsea: Containing Riccardo Calafiori’s Attacking Threat Through The Left
Arsenal no longer have Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli in their squad. As a result, despite the presence of new signing Christos Tzolis, the Gunners are dependent on Calafiori to launch their attacks through the left. So far, the Italian full-back has done a good job for Arsenal this season, as he has a goal and two assists in three matches, and he has been a permanent attacking threat through the inside-left channel. Chelsea will probably have Reece James as their right-back in the Arsenal vs Chelsea match, and the Englishman is expected to have a good battle with Arsenal’s Italian left-back.
However, if Moises Caicedo is injured and James is forced to play as a defensive midfielder, then Marco Palestra or Malo Gusto will play as the right wing-back. It will be very important for either of them to try to be in the correct position to stop Calafiori’s lateral passes to Arsenal’s central players in the inside-left channel. It will also be Cole Palmer’s job to keep the Italian busy with his defensive duties. The Chelsea centre-backs can think of playing the ball quickly to Palmer for the latter to attack Calafiori’s side of the pitch.
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Arsenal vs Chelsea: Dealing With The Gunners’ Rapid Attacks
The Gunners have been attacking with a lot of pace this season. Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes make it a point to surge forward into the final third with a lot of pace, and it could prove to be dangerous for Chelsea as well. The key thing for Chelsea’s back-three will be to deal with those quick attacks in transition. If the wing-backs are not in their place, it will be the job of the three centre-backs to defend the entire width of the pitch. Stopping the Arsenal midfielders’ quick runs and their tendency to combine with the wide players will be very important in this regard.
The defensive midfielders of Chelsea will have to play a crucial role in that aspect too. Their job will be to slow the pace of the game down to prevent the Arsenal midfielders from running the show at their preferred tempo. The central defenders will also have to ensure that none of Arsenal’s forwards gets enough free space inside the box to make use of the passes coming from both sides in the Arsenal vs Chelsea match.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can deal with Arsenal’s threat on Sunday. It can be assumed without much doubt that the Arsenal vs Chelsea match is likely to be a fantastic battle between two rivals.
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