Chelsea vs. Arsenal: 5 Ways Blues Have Left Gunners Behind

You may or may not have heard, but since winning the FA Cup in 2005 Arsenal have not won a major trophy.

During that same period, the Gunners' London rivals Chelsea have added six pieces of silverware to their collection—in the form of two Premier League titles, three FA Cups (including the double in 2009-10) and one Carling Cup.

Arsenal remain comfortably ahead of Chelsea in terms of the total trophy count over the course of their respective histories, but the last decade or so has seen a definite shift in the balance of power in the capital. 

Here are five reasons why the Blues are eclipsing the Gunners ahead of their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

1. Stability

Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri...Arsenal's recent history is, in part, a tale of failing to keep hold of any of their star players.

Henry and Vieira may not have been spring chickens when they left, but they still went on to win plenty of trophies in Spain and Italy respectively, and Henry even won the Champions League.

Compare that to Chelsea, the top-class spine of their team—Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba—has remained intact throughout this glorious period in their history.

It will be a long, nervous wait for Arsenal fans before they find out if star striker, and captain, Robin van Persie is going to sign a new contract or not.

2. Spending

This may not exactly be an admirable trait, but, in the brutal world of elite football in the 21st century, money talks more than ever.

Wenger's great gift has always been to attract emerging and cut-price talents to his club and develop a group of players together over time.

Chelsea, meanwhile, would much rather import the finished product, and the past six years tell their own story.

This summer, for example, Arsenal reportedly had first refusal on Juan Mata, a technically supreme playmaker who fit the Wenger mould perfectly. A World Cup winner just a year ago, Mata would have greatly enhanced the Gunners, and also added a winning mentality to the team.

However, Wenger was unwilling to pay the £22.5 million Valencia wanted. Chelsea were, and Mata took his talents to west London, while the Gunners had to make do with bringing in Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun on deadline day. 

3. Adaptability

When Arsenal click, there is hardly a team in the world more aesthetically pleasing. Well, yes, obviously THEY are, but you get the idea.

The Gunner's neat, quick passing game is a joy to watch and, most of the time, is very effective. It is the reason why the club has become so popular around the world just two decades after they bored their way to the title under George Graham's ultra-conservative blueprint. It is also why taking in a game at the Emirates has become a London tourist attraction in its own right. 

However, when the opposition find a way to stifle the Gunners, or they are just not performing at their best, they struggle to conjure up anything resembling a Plan B.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have a decent amount of technical ability in their side to keep possession and look to play through a defence with a killer pass. However, they also possess an aerial threat that Arsenal simply do not have (how many headers have the Gunners scored in the last year?), and more than enough pace form either full-back position to pull apart a resolute defence.

It may not be pretty, but grinding out a vital three points is a big consolation when the adding up is done come the end of the season.

4. Muscle

Alex Song aside, there are not many of Arsenal's players who are too imposing in their presence.

Both Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny are as adept with the ball at their feet as their teammates further up the pitch, but have become centre-backs by virtue of their superior reading of the game, rather than because they are bruisers.

Even Per Mertesacker, all 6'4" of him, is not the sort of bone-crushing defender the Gunners are crying out for.

By contrast, how many of John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel or Drogba would you like to have to explain how you came to knock and spill their drink down their wife's dress? 

Such physical presence is also a great tactical asset as well as a psychological one, whether it be the target man playing teammates in with his back to goal, or winning aerial battles in either box.

When teams come to Stamford Bridge, they know they are in for a game, but a trip to the Emirates will not have the opposition wondering about the wounds they will be nursing on the trip home. 

5. The Bogey Man

Almost every top team in football has what could be called a bogey team, a side that always seems to have the beating of them even though they should not on paper.

Arsenal do not have as much of a bogey team as a bogey man: Didier Drogba. The big Ivorian has scored an incredible 13 goals in 14 appearances against the Gunners since his first in December 2004. 

Since then, he has scored winning goals against Arsenal in the Community Shield, the Carling Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final, as well as hitting the decisive strikes in six different Premier Leagues for the Blues over the Gunners.

With Drogba playing, Chelsea have won 10 and lost just one of those four games, while Arsenal are unbeaten in all three in which he has been missing. His goals have had a tangible effect on Arsenal's chances of silverware over the years.

So, it's probably just as well he is suspended for this weekend's clash, then.

Drogba's constant bullying of Arsenal embodies how Chelsea as a club have trodden upon the Gunners on their way past them up the Premier League pecking order since Roman Abramovich took over eight years ago.

Whatever the result on Saturday, it will take something special for Arsenal to turn the tables once more.