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Arsenal suffered a demoralising setback against Manchester City last week but will need to pick themselves up and get back in the fight as they renew hostilities with Chelsea in the London Derby.
Chelsea have endured a tumultuous season by all accounts and while there may be no realistic relegation fears, finishing the season with less than 50 points after an outlay of over £600m is nothing short of a disaster.
A trip to the Emirates is as daunting as any but Chelsea have an opportunity to break Arsenal’s already fragile spirits while possibly turning things around for themselves.
We look at five things Chelsea boss Frank Lampard must do in order to come away with victory.
1. Drop Thiago Silva
This might sound a bit harsh but the 39-year-old is starting to look his age and despite continuing to be the best of a bad bunch, Lampard needs to have pace at the back to cope with Arsenal's speedy attackers.
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He struggled to cope in both legs against Real Madrid and offered very little protection against Brentford’s attack in last week’s 2-0 defeat.
2. Drop Cesar Azpilicueta
While there are no ready-made replacements for Reece James in the Chelsea squad, starting 33-year-old veteran Cesar Azpilicueta against Gabriel Martinelli is asking for trouble.
He does not possess the athleticism to cope with the Arsenal winger and a better option would be Trevoh Chalobah who has shown on a few occasions, he is quite adept at dealing with 1v1 battles.
3. N’Golo Kante must play vital role
Kante is at his best as a destroyer and disruptive presence, not higher up the pitch. He must be tasked with stopping the likes of Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka from finding space to break the lines.
The World Cup winner must also be entrusted with the role of breaking down play at all times because very few can deal with the Frenchman’s effervescence and constant harrying.
4. Lampard must play actual attackers
The 3-5-1-1 system needs to die a swift death. Connor Gallagher behind Raheem Sterling as an attacking combo was doomed before it even began.
Joao Felix, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling must all be allowed to start together, to give Chelsea a chance of creating something in attack.
If Gallagher must play, he should do so as a substitute as he lacks the requisite ability for a game of this magnitude.
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5. Chelsea must be wary of Arsenal’s fast start
Frank Lampard and Chelsea must be aware of Arsenal’s penchant for flying out of the blocks at the Emirates.
After the harrowing 4-1 defeat to Manchester City last week, Mikel Arteta will have his men eager to put that performance behind them and they could be doubly motivated to perform in front of the home fans.
Chelsea’s defence will have to cope with waves of pressure but if they avoid an early setback, the Blues could grow into the game.
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