Analysis of the London derby in the 9th round of the Premier League, Chelsea host Arsenal, and the two cores are key
The ninth round of the Premier League kicks off again after the international break, with Liverpool playing Everton in the early game and the away side have been poor this season, so Liverpool are expected to win narrowly. The strong talk in this round is the London derby, with Chelsea hosting Arsenal at 0:30 on Sunday and currently second in the league, but the team has 20 points from Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table, only to be second in terms of goal difference, and this round is also hoping to score more goals. Chelsea are 11th in the league, nine points less than Arsenal, and points must be scored in this game.
Chelsea's current league record is 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats, while Arsenal have won 6 and drawn 2 are the two unbeaten teams in the Premier League. Chelsea won their last three games 4-1 away at Burnley in the last round of the league. Arsenal lost their second defeat at home to Manchester City 1-0 in the last round of the league, with Martinez scoring the only goal. From the perspective of the schedule, Arsenal have encountered two consecutive rounds of strong dialogue, but because there is a national team match in the middle, the Gunners are still the favored side before the game.
Chelsea's last three games in the Carabao Cup 1-0 Brighton, followed by 2-0 Fulham and 4-1 Burnley, both of which are away from home, have picked up some performances, so this derby will certainly strengthen the defensive line, because as long as you don't concede a goal, your chances of picking up points at home will increase. Chelsea are in the top three in the Premier League defence this season, conceding seven goals in eight league games, while Manchester City and Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals, conceding just six.
Both teams have injuries and Saka's continued absence in this round will also have an impact on the Gunners. Raheem Sterling, who was not involved in the international team in this game, is a big player the Blues can rely on, and with the excellent performance of the national team, Enzo hopes that the team can take the lead at home. Raheem Sterling has had several games this season that have been highlighted, with his pace and breakthroughs testing Arsenal's defence.
In terms of historical records, Chelsea have a record of 2 wins and 4 defeats in the last six meetings, and all of the last four meetings, so Pochettino's new Blues are hoping to break this humiliating record. Chelsea and Arsenal have both suffered injuries this season, and Chelsea have a number of absentees in this game, namely Nkunku, Chilwell, Chalobah, Fofana, Broya, Lavia, Chukhumeka, and doubtful players such as Disassee, James, Jackson, and some evaluation is needed, and Badiasille will be on the bench. James, the captain of the team, who recently recovered from injury, has been in good form in training, with Enzo and Caicedo both in good form.
In addition to Saka, Arsenal also Timber, Trossard and Saliba are unable to play, so the manager's lineup and substitution are the key to the outcome of this round.
Chelsea's former main goalkeeper Kepa was loaned to Real Madrid at the start of the season, so the second goalkeeper straightened up, but he did not expect his performance to be good. Released on 20 October, Premier League goalkeepers had a save success rate of Chelsea goalkeepers in third place, followed by Tottenham's Vicario with an 82.9% save success rate. Second place is Crystal Palace's Johnstone 81.5% and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez 78.6%. Fulham goalkeeper Leno 76.7% and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson 75.7%, so the performance of the Chelsea goalkeeper in this derby round is also crucial.
Chelsea have conceded just one goal in their last three games and have improved both offensively and defensively, and this round of competition will test whether the team can also maintain their offensive and defensive strength in the strong dialogue. Chelsea's players are mostly internationals, and only Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Cucurella are first-team players during the international break, and the other players are either injured or involved in national team competitions, so the dilemma facing the team is also obvious.
Pocidino and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta are familiar as the two played together for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2001/02 season and are now playing as managers. In the relevant data released recently, the success rate of long-pass in the Premier League ranks Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandes first with 75.9%, and the performance of this strong reinforcement is also the focus of this round. In second place in this figure are Crystal Palace's Guieuil 63.6%, Chelsea Robert Sanchez 60.6%, Manchester United's B fee 59.7% and Brighton's Dunke 59.2%.
In addition to preparing for the focus game, Chelsea's top management is also focused on retaining core players, while also planning for the winter window signings, with boss Burley saying he wants to ease relations with his agent in order to include the team's more needed reinforcements in the transfer market. In addition, the club recently activated Mattson's contract extension clause, extending his contract by 1 year, which is also to avoid players being poached by Barca. Barca have been poaching Chelsea in the past two seasons, so the club's top management must guard against a brain drain.