Arsenal Conclusion: Title Credentials Proven Against Their Biggest Nightmare.
It was a long time coming, and it finally came, the Gunners took down Chelsea in style without even kicking into full gear in what was an immense battle between the two London giants.
Arsenal went in as underdogs, simply because of their record against an experienced Chelsea side that enjoyed playing against Arsenal, most notably Drogba and the front line, but the fact that Chelsea haven't won a game in their last five EPL matches was lurking in the back of their minds.
It seemed like a wonderful scenario for the Blues, a fallout of form and then come back in the title race in glorious fashion against their arch nemesis, especially after they've beaten the Gunners with ease in the past few years, Chelsea fans were confident before the match even started.
But in actuality, it was Arsenal who proved their point, they may not have a strong record against Chelsea, and they may not have won trophies in the past five seasons, but with that much talent in their ranks, all they need to do is look at the names in their starting line-up, and understand that they can take anyone on their day.
And clearly they've done just the thing, Wenger took a risk and started with a near full attacking line-up, Walcott, RVP and Fabregas all made the final cut, while the likes of Rosicky and Chamakh were waiting to participate from the bench, offensively, Arsenal were in footballing heaven.
However, there were some vital conclusions drawn from the game, some new, while others were very familiar to see, such as The Gunners' poor defending during crosses and set-pieces, a weakness teams will exploit in the months to come.
Here are some of the conclusions drawn from the game against Chelsea at the Emirates.
Theo Walcott Was Ubiquitous
1 of 5
While Nasri is Arsenal's most improved player this season, Walcott proves that he himself is striding into his own this season.
Walcott against Chelsea was, simply put, ubiquitous. The England winger was evreywhere, his pace was an absolute terror, and Anchelotti pressed the self-destruct button when playing Ferrera and Ivanovic on as full-backs, especially seeing how Walcott was on-form.
He might have wasted a chance or two in the first-half, but in the second half he was on fire, setting up Fabregas for the second goal, and soon after hammering a low shot into the bottom net corner past a helpless Peter Cech.
Certain critics who stated that Walcott has no footballing brain are probably somewhere eating humble pie, as the speed-merchant was man of the match against Chelsea, and the Blues just couldn't cope with him.
At only the age of 21, Theo Walcott is looking like a player who can star at Arsenal for years to come.
Even Wenger and Anchelotti Can Still Learn a Thing Or Two
2 of 5
Despite them both being footballing legends in terms of management, it appears that even the veteran managers such as Anchelotti, Wenger and Ferguson can still learn a few tricks every one in a while. Wenger employed the right tactics against a physical Chelsea side, and new how to fully take advantage of Chelsea's current predicament.
While Anchelotti is known to be a better tactician, it was Wenger who took advantage of his opponents weakness, and earned his first victory against Anchelotti as Chelsea manager (Wenger previously beaten Anchelotti when he at AC Milan). Wenger utilized Song with brilliance, the Cameroonian was the perfect link between offense and defense on the night, and even his timed runs forward were a good example of Wenger's orders to his players.
Arsenal fans seeing Wenger celebrate like a little boy when Arsenal scored their goals was a sign of how happy Wenger was with his decisions on the night, his plans worked after all, and against Anchelotti, a well known tactician in the game.
Arsenal were pressing the entire game, and even the midfield players and the front line were pressing and defending when they were called upon, and that made a world of difference, as has been shown by Walcott's goal, which came as a result of the front line pressing on the Chelsea defense until they got the goal they were looking for, an efficient Arsenal side with a new dimension is something that can only assure the fans that the Gunners are indeed learning more about football's tactical side.
Arsenal Are Still Prone at The Back
3 of 5
Arsenal's main weakness still looms large, and is there for all to see.
Set-pieces are a well known problem for the Gunners, especially against Chelsea, almost every game in the past three seasons, Arsenal faced a tough time in their defensive game, especially when it comes to set-pieces.
Arsenal made Chelsea look like an average team, and apart from the goal scored, Chelsea very rarely threatened the Gunners, but the fact of the matter remains, Arsenal are still very weak at the back, the goal conceded was yet another typical Chelsea set-piece against the Gunners, were Drogba as usual crossed the ball and on of Chelsea's defenders scored in the same usual manner, a tedious routine for Arsenal fans to witness every time the two sides meet.
Koscielny was the main culprit, as he was the one marking Ivanovic, but the Frenchman didn't even jump, and wasn't even in-front of the Serb during the cross, he was a yard behind him, and it's mental lapses like these that could very well cost Arsenal games, especially against more physical sides.
While Djourou is getting better with time, and Vermaelen appears to be making a comeback at the end of January, it wouldn't be a sin if Wenger considered buying a quality defender in the transfer window.
Arsenal Are Yet To Prove Themselves Fully Against The Big Whales
4 of 5
So they've beaten Chelsea and Man City in the EPL so far this season, but Arsenal are yet to fully prove themselves against the bigger sides.
Beating Man City isn't all that difficult at the moment, they're still not used to being at the top of the table, they tend to get disoriented, while Chelsea are at their worst form in recent memory, all these facts only helped the Gunners in their encounters with their title rivals, but would Arsenal have beaten an on-form Chelsea? That answer remains to be seen.
Still, this victory is a massive boost for Arsenal, and can only help them mentally in their future encounters against the other top teams in England and in Europe, especially considering the fact that the Gunners are destined to fact Barcelona in the Champions League this season.
Trophies Are No Longer an Issue, But Rather a Likely Possibility
5 of 5
Make no mistake, Man U are still favorites to win the title, but Arsenal are making sure Man United feel the pressure, and intend for the Red Devils to collapse under it, but even if the EPL trophy isn't destined to be at N5 this season, there's a highly likely possibility that another trophy will.
Arsenal aren't ready to give up on their dream of being the champions of England, but they're also keeping their eyes on the other possibilities for them this season.
The Gunners are in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and are clear favorites to win the title, only profligacy and impudence would cost them that trophy. Yet, even in certain victory, the Gunners were still able to keep their heads on their shoulders, talk like champions, yet without coming off as arrogant or deluded, it was obvious that they aren't willing to settle for the league cup.
Because quite simple, they want more.
