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Club Focus – Arsenal – Pressing game leaves Chelsea feeling blue
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Arsene Wenger has been hailed as a genius in the transfer market and has revolutionised the way English clubs play and train, but question marks have arisen over his tactical awareness, particularly in light of his side’s recent record against the top sides. Monday night was a chance to put that right, and Le Professeur didn’t disappoint, laying on a tactical master class as his choice of tactics and personnel ensured a comprehensive victory for the Gunners.
In recent times Arsenal have been overpowered by the Blues, a fact evidenced by Didier Drogba’s impressive scoring record, having netted 13 goals in 13 games against the Gunners heading into Monday’s encounter. To deal with this, the manager brought in the 6ft 4in Johan Djourou to partner Laurent Koscielny at centre back. Following a prolonged absence through injury, the Swiss international has been in impressive form this season and his height and muscularity stopped the home side being bullied by the pace and power of Drogba, and he made timely interceptions as the returning Frank Lampard tried to release the Ivorian. Djourou’s key contribution however, was his aerial dominance which ensured Chelsea did not have an ‘out ball’ in the face of Arsenal’s pressing.
Having taken measures to nullify Chelsea’s principal threat, Wenger also targeted the supply line. Ashley Cole has experienced significant joy when playing against his former side and his dangerous deliveries from the left flank have created key openings in recent encounters. Dropping the enigmatic Andrey Arshavin in favour of the pace of Theo Walcott had a pronounced effect upon Cole’s marauding runs. Firstly, Walcott diligently tracked the runs of Chelsea’s left back, and on several occasions his raw pace and willingness to work for the team halted the away side in their tracks. Frequently Cole had to turn inside or play the ball back to his centre halves due to Walcott’s pressure, ensuring a relatively comfortable night for Bakary Sagna. Secondly, Walcott’s pace and attacking threat reduced Cole’s opportunities to get forward, and with the defender unwilling to leave himself vulnerable to the youngster’s pace, this again alleviated potential pressure on Arsenal. Finally, in his post-match interview, Walcott referred to the focus on pressing the opposition, and he led the charge in this respect, most notably dispossessing Florent Malouda before notching the third.
The performance was a stark contrast to the disappointing showing against Manchester United in which Arsenal appeared pre-occupied with shedding perceptions of their mentality and style of play. This time they focused on their strengths of passing and attacking with pace; maximising the potential to do this by pressing Chelsea into yielding possession cheaply. Monday’s game came two weeks after the side’s last fixture, but the Gunners’ next comes just two days later as they face Wigan on Wednesday evening. With victory over Chelsea, Arsenal underlined their title credentials - following this up with victory over Wigan will prove they are genuine contenders.
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