Solid defense
With Arsenal’s usual playing style, the defensive zone will be the basis for Chelsea to decide the match.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino has so far changed his defensive structure between three and four defenders. Although the Argentine captain does not have the best options, Arsenal still has to be cautious.
Silva will be the leader of Chelsea’s defense.
It is expected that the Blues’ back four will include Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill.
Building a reasonable structure has helped the links in Chelsea’s defense become solid. Since the beginning of the season, they have only received an expected number of goals lost of about 5.16. However, it is also necessary to mention the opponents that the West London team faces.
Except for Liverpool, they have not yet faced any opponents in the Big Six.
Threat from Raheem Sterling
Chelsea’s poor start to the season is almost exclusively the result of ineffectiveness in taking advantage of opportunities. Pochettino’s team created many notable goal siege situations but could not create a goal.
Raheem Sterling has never been highly rated in terms of finishing. Over the past three seasons, the English winger has had a higher expected goals index than the actual number of goals scored. But in the current season, the former Man City star has begun to show progress.
Sterling has been playing well recently.
Currently, Sterling has scored 3 goals while the expected number of goals is 2.4.
In the context of Nicolas Jackson wasting opportunities, Sterling became a great hope for the Blues’ attack. In addition, the 28-year-old player also showed significant improvement in his ability to pass people (6.62 times/match) and the number of times he moved into the opponent’s field (6.34 times/match).
Arteta is no stranger to Sterling, but if he lets the English star prove himself in the upcoming derby, things will become difficult for both him and his students. Because defeating Arsenal now will be a dose of doping to help any team increase excitement.
The Mykhailo Mudryk factor
The Ukrainian star seemed to have joined Arsenal in January, but Chelsea made a spectacular coup to turn Mudryk into a big rival of the home team at Emirates Stadium.
Mudryk scored his first goal for Chelsea.
Initially, Gunners fans expressed regret over this deal, but after witnessing Mudryk continuously disappointing, they believed Arteta was right in not raising the price higher to own the former Shakhtar Donetsk star.
After a goalless season, Mudryk got off to a desirable start with his first goal for the Blues (in the match against Fulham). The Ukrainian player still has a long way to prove himself. And shooting in a new shirt may provide more motivation to help Mudryk shine against the very club he once aspired to join.
Truong Son | 19:39 October 20, 2023
