Daily Archives: May 2, 2023

Chelsea Preview: Pile on the Lampard Losing Misery

Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium on the back of a very wretched record under Frank Lampard, and even Graham Potter before him. Chelsea’s last victory was as far back as March 2023, when they defeated Leicester on the road, but since then, they lost at home to Aston Villa, endured a boring stalemate against Liverpool, which eventually cost Potter his job. Lampard surprisingly came onboard, losing to Wolves in his comeback fixture, then followed it up with an expected loss away to Real Madrid. Brighton came to town and ran Chelsea ragged, with Kepa Arrizabalaga keeping the score line respectable, even though it was still a loss. Real Madrid visited Stamford Bridge and stamped their authority, running out as 2-0 and Chelsea’s last fixture was yet another home loss to Brentford.

In addition to the horrific losing streak, Chelsea has found scoring goals hard to come by, with just one goal scored in their last seven games, which is shocking, with the amazing amount of talent at their disposal. The Blues have lost 19 games in total this season and last lost 20 in a single campaign in 1987-88. The club has lost 11 of their 26 Premier League matches since Thomas Tuchel departed. Lampard has won just one of his last 15 Premier League games as a manager across his time as Everton and Chelsea boss, collecting just five points from a possible 45. That solitary win came at home to Crystal Palace in October 2022 (3-0).

Arsenal hasn’t also been in the best of form, with one victory, three consecutive draws and the crushing defeat to Man City that has seen their Premier League title charge falter, so tonight’s contest will be one that has a bitter taste in the mouths of everyone concerned with Arsenal. The Gunners know that its no longer in their hands, but will have to win every game and hope that Man City drops points elsewhere.

Mikel Arteta has stated that he’s not satisfied with second spot,

“Within the disappointment and the spirit around [the club], we need to do two things – recognize what a lot of people around the club have done to get us back into the Champions League, which was already a difficult thing to achieve.

“Not a lot of people were very optimistic that we had the ability to do that at the start of the season, and we need to start recognizing the good work that a lot of people have done to achieve that.

“The second thing – which I like the most – is that even achieving that with six games to go – something that hasn’t happened in more than a decade at this club – that we are still not satisfied, still upset and we want more. If we want the club to be consistently with the best, that’s the mentality we need and that’s what I’ve loved most over the last few days.

“We can still achieve the Premier League because there are five games to go and there are a lot of things that are still going to happen. What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game at home with our people for a London derby and put things right.”

Brighton’s loss to Nottingham Forest guaranteed Arsenal Champions League football, a feat that had not been achieved since the 2016/17 campaign, which is definitely a step in the right direction, and Arteta and his lads should be lauded for that milestone. However, we as fans can also understand the gaffer’s disappointment that the club’s current form has seen them drop valuable points, that has seen the title picture fade slightly away.

The Gunners will need to sort out their defense, with the way they have been shipping goals in, with 11 conceded in their last four games. Some would be expecting some shake up at the back, and I think it’s time to give Jakub Kiwior a run out ahead of Rob Holding. Leandro Trossard is another player that needs to return to the starting XI, and Gabriel Jesus might be the one to give way, but that solely rests on Mikel Arteta. Thomas Partey is someone in need of a breather, with Jorginho fired up to play his former teammates.

To team news, it seems William Saliba’s race is run for the campaign, as there have been no improvements from his back injury, while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny remain long-term absentees following their successful surgeries. Granit Xhaka recovered from his bout of illness, but his performance against Manchester City showed that he probably was still ill. However, Fabio Vieira hasn’t done enough to knock Xhaka off his perch, so I expect the Swiss midfielder to continue in midfield. Chelsea has some injury concerns especially in defense, with Kalilou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Reece James all out. Frank Lampard’s love child, Mason Mount, is also out, and Armando Broja is still recuperating from his knee injury. We could see out former captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, get a run out, but he’s more suited to staying on the bench these days.

Arsenal vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups

Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Jorginho, Odegaard; Martinelli, Trossard, Saka.

Chelsea: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Fofana, Chilwell; Fernandez, Kante, Gallagher; Felix, Havertz, Sterling

Injury / Suspension Updates

Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), William Saliba (back)

Chelsea: Kalilou Koulibaly (hamstring), Marc Cucurella (thigh), Reece James (hamstring), Mason Mount (pelvis), Armando Broja (knee)

Form Guide

Arsenal Form

Last Five Games: W D D D L
Last Result: Man City 4-1 Arsenal (De Bruyne 7′, 54′, Stones 45′, Haaland 90′ | Holding 86′)
Leading Goalscorer: Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka (15)