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Chelsea’s recent record against the other members of the ‘Big Six’ leaves much to be desired. Do they stand a chance against Mikel Arteta’s Premier League-contending Arsenal at Stamford Bridge?
The international break possibly came at the worst time for Chelsea, who were starting to build momentum before the hiatus.
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22:32 - 07.10.2023
Burnley 1-4 Chelsea: 3 things that have happened since the Blues last scored 4 goals in a Premier League match
Chelsea beat Burnley 4-1, making it the first time the Blues last scored more than three goals in one Premier League game in almost two years and a lot has changed since then.
Chelsea’s improvement before the international break
Mauricio Pochettino’s side claimed a 4-1 win at Burnley to secure their third consecutive victory in all competitions under the Argentinian boss. It was the first time Chelsea have picked up as many wins on the trot since March 2023, but Pochettino will hope the Blues avoid the nine-game winless drought (seven defeats) that followed.
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Only one more victory was secured in the concluding weeks of a dismal and forgettable 2022-23 — a 3-1 win at Bournemouth — as the two-time Champions League winners ended 12th in the Premier League table, their worst finish in 29 years.
While Pochettino’s team currently sit one place above last year’s final position, the improved performances in 2023-24 suggest European contention could be a possibility. Chelsea’s seemingly soft start to the season offers some mitigation, with observers suggesting more points should have been accrued by the West Londoners.
For observers who hold that belief, they dread the prospects of Pochettino’s men heading into the club’s run over the next gameweeks.
Chelsea’s demanding fixtures before Christmas
Round nine begins a challenging run for Chelsea, which could demonstrate green shoots of this side’s potential or provoke disenchantment like last season.
The West London club have back-to-back home games against Arsenal and Brentford in the next two Premier League games, but recent history suggests Stamford Bridge is not the fortress it used to be.
Indeed, the Blues lost the corresponding fixtures against both clubs last season, immediately casting doubts for a club whose only league victory at home came against Luton Town two months ago.
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Following both London derbies is a meeting with Ange Postecoglou’s high-flying Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs seeking another home success over their capital rivals.
The subsequent four fixtures are Manchester City (h), Newcastle United (a), Brighton & Hove Albion (h) and Manchester United (a). Last season, Chelsea picked up two points in fixtures against those clubs.
Throw in home and away encounters with their aforementioned London rivals, and the tally is doubled to four points from a possible 42, underscoring the wretched year for the West London side who failed to get the better of any side above them in last year’s Premier League table.
Facing Arsenal may be coming at the right time for in-form Chelsea, but it is also well-timed for Mikel Arteta’s men after an uplifting 1-0 over Man City before the hiatus.
READ MORE - Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Spurs: Is the Premier League set for a four-way battle?
Chelsea’s Arsenal hoodoo at Stamford Bridge
Just as Arteta’s side overcame a 12-game losing run at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s City, Chelsea look to turn the tide against their cross-town rivals.
A long time has passed since Romelu Lukaku inspired a 2-0 triumph at the Emirates Stadium at the start of the 2021-22 season, where Thomas Tuchel’s Blues were tipped for title contention while Arteta’s team desired a Champions League return.
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21:59 - 11.10.2023
Romelu Lukaku promises bombshell revelation on mysterious Chelsea exit
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A role reversal has occurred in London. A power shift over the intervening 24 months is without doubt, with Arteta’s troops expected to compete for the Premier League crown, whereas Chelsea are outsiders for a top-four (or possibly top-five) berth.
The Blues’ hoodoo is incomparable to Man City’s dominance of Arsenal, but losing the last three against the Gunners has jarred compared to the broader supremacy Chelsea enjoyed under Jose Mourinho and the subsequent head coaches after the Portuguese.
Arteta has made the North Londoners the side to beat in the capital again, with the Blues playing catch-up.
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The Spaniard is unbeaten in four visits to Stamford Bridge, initially relying on counter-attacking to eke out a 2-2 draw in 2019-20 before leaning on his side’s ability to produce one-off defensively astute performances to win 1-0 the following season.
A chaotic 4-2 victory in Tuchel’s only full season at the club followed in 2022-23 before Arsenal dominated the Blues 1-0 in last term’s encounter at the Bridge — one of a series of top performances at grounds that previously hurt the Gunners.
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20:30 - 08.04.2023
PREMIER LEAGUE Anfield jungle? Arteta’s Arsenal are ready to end Liverpool hoodoo
The Spaniard's quirky preparation for last season’s 4-0 defeat was derided but this iteration’s fierce mentality gives the Premier League leaders their best chance to end an 11-year wait for a league win on Merseyside.
Chelsea’s recent record against Arsenal suggests that power has changed hands in London, but possibly more worrying for the Blues is their record against the Premier League’s other big six sides.
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Chelsea's woeful results against the top sides
The previous argument that victories against teams of an identical technical level only meant something for bragging rights hardly holds water these days, with the competitiveness at an all-time high in England’s top division.
Chelsea held an outstanding record against the Premier League’s best sides in the 2000s — then referred to as the ‘big-four clubs’ — but their status as a slightly diminished force is underscored by the number of victories recorded against the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham since the 2018-19 season.
Except for Spurs, the Blues have been unable to get the better of their rivals consistently enough in recent years.
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The West London club have lost the last four league fixtures against Guardiola’s side without scoring, picked up one triumph over Liverpool in the previous five seasons (a victory that came amid Jurgen Klopp’s team losing six on the trot at Anfield), have failed to get the better of the Red Devils since Alvaro Morata’s header at Stamford Bridge in 2017-18, and three wins in 10 against Arsenal does not make for good reading.
This contrasts the broad success they enjoyed against these same clubs in the five years leading up to 2018-19, where Chelsea enjoyed more victories over the other members of the Big Six except City, with whom they tied four wins apiece.
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The marked inferiority against teams they compete with has diminished confidence going into those games, a far cry from an era of dominance over most of their rivals.
An opening-day opportunity to turn things around against Liverpool was missed, with both clubs playing out a 1-1 draw in West London for the fourth consecutive Premier League tie in that fixture.
Arsenal are unbeaten in eight fixtures and ending that streak at the ninth attempt will be what the doctor ordered.
Whether Chelsea have the requisite mentality and belief is anyone’s guess.
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