Two clear reasons why Arsenal will be thrashed by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today
Arsenal face Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday night, and all signs lead to another defeat for the Gunners.
Arsenal have now lost three games in a row, pushing them somewhat further from fourth place on the table.
They still have a chance to overtake Spurs, but they must first beat Chelsea.
On paper, the Gunners appear to be quite weak (especially with all of their injuries), and we outline two significant reasons why they are likely to underperform against Tuchel’s team.
1. Absence of goals scoring threat
Pundit Michael Owen has put it up nicely in his forecast, suggesting that Arsenal’s January transfer of Aubameyang, combined with their inability to sign a replacement, will come back to haunt them.
He wrote for BetVictor: “Chelsea look back to their best. They had a dip in form, but the last few performances have been much better. I wouldn’t say they were at their absolute best against Palace, but they controlled the game and made it look like a routine win. I loved Mason Mount’s goal, a brilliant touch and finish inside the box.
“The pressure is mounting on Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. After Spurs dropped points earlier, to lose away to Southampton was a disaster. That’s now three defeats in a row. The glaring worry is the lack of goals, could letting Aubameyang leave in January come back to haunt them?”
Lacazette could be out due to COVID, and if that’s the case, Arsenal have no chance of beating Chelsea.
If Laca returns, their prospects rise slightly, but we still believe Arsenal’s attacking potency is insufficient to threaten Silva or Rudiger.
Aside from Bukayo Saka, none of Arsenal’s strikers have the pedigree to go head-to-head with Chelsea’s defense and come out unscathed.
2. Arsenal imbalanced midfield
The Gunners will also be without Thomas Partey, who will be sidelined for a few weeks with a muscle issue, and this is where Arsenal will most likely lose ground on Chelsea.
Mateo Kovacic is missing with an injury, but Tuchel has quality players like Kante, Jorginho, and Loftus-Cheek to draw on. Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, will have to rely on the combination of Xhaka and Lokonga.
These two will never be able to compete with Chelsea’s midfielders in terms of pace, talent, or quality, and if the Blues seize control of the midfield, Arsenal will have a difficult night. This is the same Chelsea squad that defeated Real Madrid’s midfield (in the 2nd leg).
In any case, the Gunners need all three points to keep the pressure on Spurs and Man United, but even a hard-fought draw will be a huge achievement for them.
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Two clear reasons why Arsenal will be thrashed by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today
