Can The Gunners Shoot Down High Flying Chelsea?

Chelsea vs. Arsenal Match Preview - Premier League 05.08.2014

After a rousing romp over Galatasaray midweek, we come down to Earth just a bit as we stare a trip to Stamford Bridge, site of that 0-6 spanking, square in the face. It's a sobering moment, to be sure, made all the more so by Chelsea's flying start to the season. Scratch that—it's a blistering start that includes 19 goals scored in six matches; only two draws indicate any slackening of that pace.

Still, let's not make too much of that nor of the shellacking from March. Without brushing it under the rug, it's worth remembering that we played 83 minutes of that match without Oxlade-Cham—er, Gibbs, having been sent off for a handball in the area that led to Chelsea's third goal in the 17th minute. Who knows what if anything might have turned out differently had we been at full strength? Could we have staunched the bleeding at 2-0?

The point isn't to travel back in time to alter its course but to keep it in perspective. On its face, 6-0 is an ugly scoreline, the kind one might see in, say, hockey. We were hapless and helpless, traits that might come to the fore on Sunday. After all, we won't see Eto'o or Torres leading the line, it will be summer-signing Diego Costa, scorer of eight goals, fed by none other than Cesc Fabregas, who has seven assists. 

I realize I'm not reassuring anyone by bringing these sorts of things up, but it's not like we can avoid them. Still, by the time we had come to Stamford Bridge in March, we had already suffered the 6-3 and 5-1 losses to Man City and Liverpool, seemingly setting in stone a pattern of horrific away form followed by the 3-0 defeat to Everton. While we can't point to any inspiring away-wins to contradict that pattern, it is a new season, after all. If nothing else, the players if not the manager will have learned from and should remember those matches—and play more defensively. I'm not saying that we park the bus (although it might be a nice bit of satire at Mourinho's expense to keep eight or nine in the box). I am asking that we adapt. Knowing that Chelsea like to hit from counters, and knowing that this is a weakness of ours, I hope we see a stingier, stouter approach to the match, one that concedes less space in behind the back four, if only to start things off.

Chelsea might be off to a running start, but they're not invincible. If anything, they've shown a more-aggressive side that suggests that they can be hit on the break, and with Welbeck up top, and Alexis and and Ox on the wings, we have the pace to strike. They've hardly been the stalwart defense we might expect, and there might be enough in this for us to surprise a few fans.

LAST THREE MEETINGS

• Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal (22.03.2014)
• Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea (23.12.2013)
• Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea (29.08.2013)

FACTFILE

• Chelsea have won 25 of their last 30 home matches in the Premier League.
• Arsenal are undefeated in our last eleven Premier League matches.
• Chelsea have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three home matches.

INJURIES

We will be without Gnabry, Giroud, Walcott, Debuchy, Monreal, Sanogo, Arteta, and Ramsey. Wilshere faces a late fitness test but it seems like he'll be ready.

POSSIBLE STARTING XI

Szcesny; Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Chambers; Flamini, Wilshere; Alexis, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Welbeck.

With our injuries (and insecurities), it would be easy to write this one off as another cakewalk for Chelsea. I see a chance to nick a point.

GOONERSPHERE PREDICTION

Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal

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