If only Fabregas scores and celebrates by running to the Arsenal bench and kissing the Chelsea badge before doing the calm down celebration to the gooners. Followed by a post match interview that consists of him asking Wenger if he still thinks Ozil and Wilshere are better options than he is.

don't forget an interview w/ Claude on gooner tv - I am sure he will be bitter that Cesc is w/ us & Wilshere is a little sh*t

This is his second article now about Arsenal beating Chelsea, the man's desperate:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/9815126/arsenal-can-beat-chelsea-at-their-own-game-says-charlie-nicholas

This is his second article now about Arsenal beating Chelsea, the man's desperate:http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/9815126/arsenal-can-beat-chelsea-at-their-own-game-says-charlie-nicholas

Desperate is not the word! Nicholas is no Jose! Ha, you've got to laugh.

IF (if if if if if if) we win the league I'm pretty confident we would get the trophy presented to us against Sunderland. Still, long way off though.

This is his second article now about Arsenal beating Chelsea, the man's desperate:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/9815126/arsenal-can-beat-chelsea-at-their-own-game-says-charlie-nicholas

 

I'm not usually one to get on the back of a pundit/presenter, but he absolutely drives me crazy when covering an Arsenal game on Soccer Saturday.  No matter who Jeff is talking to elsewhere, you can always hear him going mental, whether it's Arsenal scoring, going close, or getting a free kick etc...

 

Honestly, I'd possibly take Phil Thompson over him.........maybe.

Edited April 21, 201511 yr by Seven Times

I'm not usually one to get on the back of a pundit/presenter, but he absolutely drives me crazy when covering an Arsenal game on Soccer Saturday. No matter who Jeff is talking to elsewhere, you can always hear him going mental, whether it's Arsenal scoring, going close, or getting a free kick etc...

Honestly, I'd possibly take Phil Thompson over him.........maybe.

Not even maybe I would take Thompson over him. At least Thompson is quite good when it doesn't involve Liverpool.

Yep, cannot argue with that.

This is his second article now about Arsenal beating Chelsea, the man's desperate:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/9815126/arsenal-can-beat-chelsea-at-their-own-game-says-charlie-nicholas

 

Don't quite see the desperation but I disagree with what he's saying. I don't think Arsenal need two holding midfielders because I expect us to hand them the initiative and put the onus on them to break us down. They are in remarkable form so I'd be happy for us to park the bus and get the draw. 

 

The movement of Sanchez is what worries me the most though, especially cutting in from the left. I'd almost be inclined to get Zouma man-marking him.

Don't quite see the desperation but I disagree with what he's saying. I don't think Arsenal need two holding midfielders because I expect us to hand them the initiative and put the onus on them to break us down. They are in remarkable form so I'd be happy for us to park the bus and get the draw. 

 

The movement of Sanchez is what worries me the most though, especially cutting in from the left. I'd almost be inclined to get Zouma man-marking him.

 

I don't see Nicholas' logic. 

 

If you're expecting Chelsea to sit deep with two holding midfield players, why counter that by playing two holding players yourself... That would mean there are 12 outfield players with defensive roles, 4 defenders and two holding players on each team. 

 

Considering we are 10 points clear and a draw suits us just fine, Arsenal setting themselves up for a stalemate would suit us just fine. 

 

Surely the better counter to us potentially playing two holding players would be for Arsenal to pack midfield and press our holding players high up the pitch so they are unable to retain possession and lack an out ball? 

IF (if if if if if if) we win the league I'm pretty confident we would get the trophy presented to us against Sunderland. Still, long way off though.

WILL, (will, will, will, will, will, will). ;)

Yesterday's Times had interesting stats, can't remember all of them (wish I could), but the one that stuck is we could win with a 12 point lead!

We are getting 3 points here. I spoke with mystic meg and she confirmed it. Honestly, i don't see anything other than a win for us at the emirates, i just think we have their number and no matter what they do, wenger is not beating mourinho. 

I don't see Nicholas' logic. 

 

If you're expecting Chelsea to sit deep with two holding midfield players, why counter that by playing two holding players yourself... That would mean there are 12 outfield players with defensive roles, 4 defenders and two holding players on each team. 

 

Considering we are 10 points clear and a draw suits us just fine, Arsenal setting themselves up for a stalemate would suit us just fine. 

 

Surely the better counter to us potentially playing two holding players would be for Arsenal to pack midfield and press our holding players high up the pitch so they are unable to retain possession and lack an out ball? 

 

Exactly. This is one of those occasions where I'd just say they should have a real go at us. Push up, overload our right-hand side and play Sanchez, Giroud, Cazorla, Ozil and possibly Welbeck as a front five.

Don't quite see the desperation but I disagree with what he's saying. I don't think Arsenal need two holding midfielders because I expect us to hand them the initiative and put the onus on them to break us down. They are in remarkable form so I'd be happy for us to park the bus and get the draw.

The movement of Sanchez is what worries me the most though, especially cutting in from the left. I'd almost be inclined to get Zouma man-marking him.

Desperation is that he's been going on about it for weeks and the fact he's done two articles on it in the past few weeks says it all.

Keown having his say now:

http://m.skysports.com/article/sports//9815930

My favourite part:

There is a freshness about Arsenal and Chelsea will want to keep his foot on them because I feel they can be real challengers next season.

“There is much more belief among Arsenal this season, there is an internal competition and I think the Arsenal players can’t wait to take on Chelsea.”

Isn't there always belief there?

Edited April 21, 201511 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

Keown having his say now:http://m.skysports.com/article/sports//9815930

My favourite part:

There is a freshness about Arsenal and Chelsea will want to keep his foot on them because I feel they can be real challengers next season.

“There is much more belief among Arsenal this season, there is an internal competition and I think the Arsenal players can’t wait to take on Chelsea.”

Isn't there always belief there?

That's why we're ahead and they're not then?!

Arsenal certainly seem like a different beast since the turn of the year so this will be a massive test for them. There's a pragmatism to Wenger that is a little bit worrying to be honest and they are the form team in the league. We need to put a marker down for next season at the weekend.

I'm already wound up for this one grrrr!

I have to do what i normally do....Predict what i think and it wont happen........I predicted draws with QP and MU and as always, they were nicely wrong.....Im carrying on the trend of wrong predictions...ARSENAL 2 CHAMPIONS OF ENNNNGGLLLAAANNDD 1...............Hurry up saturday...Come on come on

I disagree about his distribution. That's one of the things that surprised me about him, especially from centre-back but I'd go with him over Mikel because I think he's not just good, he can get much better. The development of talent is something I obviously care a lot about. I think there's much more to be gained from giving the likes of Zouma and Loftus-Cheek minutes than there is from utilising Mikel, even if that means using Zouma in midfield.

 

I think it would be tough to use Loftus-Cheek alongside Mikel, unless it's against weak opposition. The beauty of having such a good spine now is that we can bring in youngsters and give them a bit more protection - Mikel doesn't provide that in my opinion.

 

I don't view him as a brick wall. I don't think he's ever been that and needs players around him to provide defensive stability. I also don't think there's anything to be gained from Willian or Oscar in playing Mikel. I tend to think Fabregas's defensive abilities are underestimated and I think he's a far more savvy defensive player than Mikel. Funnily enough his defensive stats dwarf Mikel's....and not just this season when Mikel has been somewhat injury-plagued, but also compared to last season.

 

I think Zouma can get plenty of minutes in aid of his development (as he has this season) at centre back. Against Man Utd Zouma had practically no responsibility on the ball whatsoever (although I very much enjoyed that excellent run to the corner flag after he had essentially wrestled Fellaini to the floor).

 

There was an interesting bit in Richard Jolly's recent article about the Man Utd game on ESPN:

 

"Perhaps the most significant selection of the match was Mourinho's choice of Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman completed only 18 passes, an absurdly low number for a midfielder; except, of course, that Zouma is not a midfielder. He is a centre-back who was incorporated into a recalibrated team in a defensive rethink.

Zouma's touch map shows how rarely he was in possession; he is not accustomed to midfielder's tasks like showing for the ball, finding a few yards to take it and give it to a colleague. Yet his primary task was defensive: He almost had a man-marking role on Marouane Fellaini, one strong, physical figure pitted against another."

 

I would love to see youngsters getting gametime as well, but not if it means shoehorning them into positions they are clearly not cut out to play, and which might be to the detriment of the team. I think Zouma's contribution on the ball is what needs the most work, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a young centre back, as physicality and natural defensive instincts can't be taught - passing certainly can.

 

Loftus-Cheek, for the time being at least, is only going to be selected against weak opposition anyway, unless it's as a token time-wasting sub like the home game against City. I think him and Mikel can form a more effective partnership than Mikel and Ramires did, as I think RLC has more quality on the ball (or at least provides it more consistently) and is a better passer. I am far from convinced that Mourinho is paying anything more than lip service to his planned youth contribution next season, but it would certainly be nice to see.

 

Fabregas puts in more of a defensive shift than I expected, but possesses no defensive 'savvy' whatsoever. He is still comfortably the weak point in our midfield, including players who are stationed further forward. He is quite obviously not a better defensive player than Mikel, his positioning is immeasurably worse and while he is proactive in trying to win the ball back, he sadly isn't particularly good at it. A few people on here have described him as a defensive 'turnstile' - I think that is spot-on.

 

For particularly defensive displays in which we sit deep and allow the opposition to have the majority of the ball, there are few players who are better suited to play in the holding midfield role than Mikel. His deep positioning is sublime and his reading of the game is excellent and the stats are there to show that he is effective in helping us hold onto a lead (although bizarrely there are those who wrongly claim otherwise).

 

And let's not forget the time he played that exact role to perfection in helping the worst Chelsea side in a decade (featuring defensive stalwarts such as Jose Bosingwa, David Luiz and Ramires at right back) overcome arguably the best club side of my lifetime, and go on to win the Champions League while playing the exact role I described. Which interestingly, none of Makélélé, Essien or Matic (yet) have ever managed to pull off in a blue shirt.

 

But yes, I think we probably have a good idea of each other's opinions on the issue!

I think Zouma can get plenty of minutes in aid of his development (as he has this season) at centre back. Against Man Utd Zouma had practically no responsibility on the ball whatsoever (although I very much enjoyed that excellent run to the corner flag after he had essentially wrestled Fellaini to the floor).

 

 

I think he'll benefit from being used in a number of positions, as do a few of the coaches at Chelsea, and I also think the team will. If he can cover a coupe of positions off the bench then that's ideal.

 

 

 

 

I would love to see youngsters getting gametime as well, but not if it means shoehorning them into positions they are clearly not cut out to play, and which might be to the detriment of the team. I think Zouma's contribution on the ball is what needs the most work, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a young centre back, as physicality and natural defensive instincts can't be taught - passing certainly can.

 

Loftus-Cheek, for the time being at least, is only going to be selected against weak opposition anyway, unless it's as a token time-wasting sub like the home game against City. I think him and Mikel can form a more effective partnership than Mikel and Ramires did, as I think RLC has more quality on the ball (or at least provides it more consistently) and is a better passer. I am far from convinced that Mourinho is paying anything more than lip service to his planned youth contribution next season, but it would certainly be nice to see.

 

 

I agree with some of that, but I don't really see a Loftus-Cheek midfield being selected in anything other than League Cup matches, and even in the one against Shrewsbury we had to replace Mikel (not Ake) when we went chasing the game.

 

 

Fabregas puts in more of a defensive shift than I expected, but possesses no defensive 'savvy' whatsoever. He is still comfortably the weak point in our midfield, including players who are stationed further forward. He is quite obviously not a better defensive player than Mikel, his positioning is immeasurably worse and while he is proactive in trying to win the ball back, he sadly isn't particularly good at it. A few people on here have described him as a defensive 'turnstile' - I think that is spot-on.

 

I've seen him described as that on here as well. Doesn't make it remotely true.

 

 

For particularly defensive displays in which we sit deep and allow the opposition to have the majority of the ball, there are few players who are better suited to play in the holding midfield role than Mikel. His deep positioning is sublime and his reading of the game is excellent and the stats are there to show that he is effective in helping us hold onto a lead (although bizarrely there are those who wrongly claim otherwise).

 

 

How many times are we actually going to see 'particularly defensive displays' though? 6 times a season? In those instances I'd be more than comfortable using Zouma. You would obviously feel more comfortable using Mikel. That's fine, we don't have to agree.

 

 

And let's not forget the time he played that exact role to perfection in helping the worst Chelsea side in a decade (featuring defensive stalwarts such as Jose Bosingwa, David Luiz and Ramires at right back) overcome arguably the best club side of my lifetime, and go on to win the Champions League while playing the exact role I described. Which interestingly, none of Makélélé, Essien or Matic (yet) have ever managed to pull off in a blue shirt.

 

 

So you're using a game where we were massively lucky and restricted Barcelona to 23 attempts on goal including a missed penalty as evidence of us requiring Mikel going next season? 

 

If your aim is 6th in the league and relying on once in a lifetime fortune then I agree with you wholeheartedly. And yes, I think we have a very good idea of where one another is coming from. 

May I just say that it's nice to see a big discussion like this being held in a non offensive civilized way. We've all seen it's not always like this. Kudos to you two.

6 games to go

 

who cares about tactics, formations, what Arse gonna do on Saturday

 

6 games to win 8 points, season average to date is 2.4 points a game so purely on that Chelsea look like a shoe in

 

after United result there is wriggle room to chill a little, IF the gooners are somehow magically  transformed into Barca on steroids

and thwart the TSO's game plan by winning it don't matter, they will still require another 8 points more than any points

haul Chelsea take from their last 5, aint gonna happen.

 

So the pressure is off, just impatience now as we all watch the points requirement to win the title get less and less until May 24th, 2015. 

 

Clap along if you feel that Happiness is for you

6 games to go

who cares about tactics, formations, what Arse gonna do on Saturday

6 games to win 8 points, season average to date is 2.4 points a game so purely on that Chelsea look like a shoe in

after United result there is wriggle room to chill a little, IF the gooners are somehow magically transformed into Barca on steroids

and thwart the TSO's game plan by winning it don't matter, they will still require another 8 points more than any points

haul Chelsea take from their last 5, aint gonna happen.

So the pressure is off, just impatience now as we all watch the points requirement to win the title get less and less until May 24th, 2015.

Clap along if you feel that Happiness is for you

They will probably be chilling on Saturday as the game is on Sunday

Also we only need 8 points if we lost to Arsrnal, if we beat Arsenal we will only have to beat Leicester.

Edited April 21, 201511 yr by Bobbywoodhogan

Really do not want to finish below Arsenal this year, so would be much appreciated if you could smash them...

6 games to win 8 points, season average to date is 2.4 points a game so purely on that Chelsea look like a shoe in

 

Bro if we win the next two matches, it's a wrap. The Title will be returning to Stamford Bridge!!!