The Technical Area…Drogba Gives Arsene the Blues

Didier Drogba’s penchant for Wenger-bashing continued yesterday as his double sent Chelsea back to the top of the Premiership. For the second week in a row Arsenal were downed by a big-name rival in a critical game that has consequently all but ended the Gunners title hopes this season. Here’s some key areas in the game…

Possession Means Nothing

It’s all good and well having the ball, but as Phil Brown recently remarked, Chelsea’s Achilles heel is defending set-pieces. Arsenal has so much possession yesterday, but with Ancelotti’s team so organised, done nothing with it.

This chalkboard comparison says it all, really; Hull identified the Blues weakness and came away with a draw, despite making less than half the amount of passes than Arsenal yesterday.

Big Men, Little Men

Once ahead, Chelsea’s defending always had a sense of surety about it, as a combination of their sheer physical size and experience meant the Gunners huffed and puffed without ever going anywhere. As these chalkboards show, Chelsea had to make twice the number of clearances as Arsenal, and double the number of interceptions (almost all within their defensive third of the pitch), but this was more an exercise in containment, as opposed to a team under siege.

Mikel Immaculate

Chelsea’s returning African contingent may well have saw Drogba grab the headlines, but yesterday, John Obi Mikel slotted seamlessly back into the side with the minimum of fuss. With Arsenal’s width up front stifling the attacking nature of Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic from full back areas, more of the Blues play went through the middle, and, sitting in front of the back four, Mikel (as this chalkboard shows) saw more of the ball than anyone else in Ancelotti’s team, with only two stray passes all afternoon.

As this chalkboard, Mikel also won all his tackles and made five vital interceptions around the penalty area, as a disciplined performance added steel to the Chelsea midfield, helping repel Arsenal time and again.

Déjà Vu (Again)

A failure to deal with a fast breakway, an inability to close down opponents, and the ball ends up in the back of the net. Sound familiar?

Man Utd’s second goal at the Emirates last week mirrored last season’s Champions League semi at the same ground, and yesterday, the same scenario ensued, as Chelsea broke from their own penalty box, Lampard fed Drogba, and the big man turn the Gunners defence inside out before “battering” (to use a fellow-Scot’s phrase) the ball beyond Almunia.

This, on top of Arsenal’s poor defending on the first Drogba goal, highlighted a naivety that, time and again, is being taken advantage of by quality opponents. Lesser opposition, perhaps, let them get away with it, but top class strikers like Drogba and Wayne Rooney punish Wenger‘s side when it really matters.

Post-match, the Arsenal boss stressed he felt his side were the better team, and warned “we will fight till the last day of the season.” With Arsenal hosting Liverpool this midweek knowing a win would take their visitors to within two points of the Gunners in third place, the battle is very much on.