Arsenal

[carlito]

I think Wilshere has been good. Turning players, sharp passing, good ideas.

[Dude Ranch]

Ozil is thoroughly spineless.

[Jonathan_Kerr]

Chelsea might be a team of dickbags but their defence is really good. We look good on the break but don't really look like scoring.

[mop]

It's all so predictable.

[Dude Ranch]

Yep. We're just not good enough or clever enough.

[hercules]

It boils down to the wrong team being picked. We had to chase the game so there was always the likelihood we could concede. I don't get why we persist with ozil out wide, he is taken out of the game so easily. I think chambo put in our first cross after 78mins!

[The Fox]

Defending for that second is so stupid.

[Rocafella]

Jose does the same things against us every game, and Wenger has no answer for them. Feels like we could play them another 100 times and Wenger still wouldn't have an answer.

[hercules]

We tried to keep it tight today, that's why welbeck hasn't been in the game much. The same could be said for Costa in the first 60mins. But for me if you are going to do that then don't play ozil out wide, play the ox as he is an outlet.

[toythatkills]

Chelsea might be a team of dickbags but their defence is really good. We look good on the break but don't really look like scoring.

Arsenal never, ever look like scoring. So fucking easy to defend against if you're even remotely competent.

[The Fox]

Wilshere did get better tbf, ended up as one of the better performers. They are clearly the best side in the league if they can keep Fabregas and Costa fit.

Edit: and as I say that, Welbeck tries to kill him

[Gabe]

We tried to keep it tight today, that's why welbeck hasn't been in the game much. The same could be said for Costa in the first 60mins. But for me if you are going to do that then don't play ozil out wide, play the ox as he is an outlet.

Well they're completely different players - with Costa you don't expect him to be running around and linking play, making runs into the channels etc, so he can legitimately be quite anonymous because he has the talent to be in the right place at the right time. That's not Welbeck's game at all (even ignoring the difference in their finishing ability or how good he may become.)

Arsenal have looked pretty toothless all game, really.

[Jonathan_Kerr]

As someone else said in here, if Costa's hammies stay good, Chelsea are the team to beat. They'll struggle without him.

Seeing defenders get beat by a long ball for that second goal does my head in. I don't care how fast the striker is.

Mourinho walks off without a handshake. Prob afraid a 65 year old man would take him.

[Rocafella]

Now officially our second worst start to a league season under Wenger. Worrying stuff.

[The Fox]

Santi sub was pretty bizarre, no way Özil should have played 90 mins. Very strange.

[carlito]

Let's be fair Chelsea were excellent in defence before we start slaying the team.

[humdrum]

Now officially our second worst start to a league season under Wenger. Worrying stuff.

in the opening 7 games though we have played Everton, Man City, Spuds, Chelsea. so not exactly the easiest start we have ever had.

[pinholestar]

Well we looked a bit more solid than the absolute joke of last season & it wasn't a drubbing at least, but we never even remotely threatened to get something out of that game & Chelsea won quite comfortably in the end. Ultimately & depressingly predictable. That result confirms that it's yet another battle for 4th. Still think Özil is completely wasted out wide.

[toythatkills]

How many good games does Ozil have to have in the centre before Wenger gets the message that maybe he's a bit more effective there? He's such an intelligent guy and I don't understand what he's doing at all. Surely there's some logic to it?

[hercules]

Well they're completely different players - with Costa you don't expect him to be running around and linking play, making runs into the channels etc, so he can legitimately be quite anonymous because he has the talent to be in the right place at the right time. That's not Welbeck's game at all (even ignoring the difference in their finishing ability or how good he may become.)

Arsenal have looked pretty toothless all game, really.

I wouldn't say they are completely different, though they are not completely the same. It's more to do with the way we both set up, which was similar in shape but the personnel was different and more varied for Chelsea. We don't have the power in the middle that everyone knows we are lacking and have been for years. We also have too many similar players and not one who has as varied a range of passing as fabregas. It's a game of fine margins and we did create chances over the 90mins where an over hit pass of heavy touch cost us.

[The Fox]

Let's be fair Chelsea were excellent in defence before we start slaying the team.

Yeah, nothing in behind at all. We could play them ten times at their place and probably wouldn't score, which kinda brings it back to how Mourinho seems to have Wenger's number, no?

[Gabe]

I wouldn't say they are completely different, though they are not completely the same. It's more to do with the way we both set up, which was similar in shape but the personnel was different and more varied for Chelsea. We don't have the power in the middle that everyone knows we are lacking and have been for years. We also have too many similar players and not one who has as varied a range of passing as fabregas. It's a game of fine margins and we did create chances over the 90mins where an over hit pass of heavy touch cost us.

We'll agree to disagree, because one of Welbeck's strengths is that he will work the whole of the line, look to hold the ball up to link play and drop deep to pick the ball up. It's the main reason he's had as many England caps as he has, because he is a forward, rather than a striker. Costa is all about being the focal point of the attack, to find those little pockets of space in and around the box and have balls to run onto and it does mean, like today, that he can be pretty anonymous and not have a lot of the ball, but constantly be looking for a space to exploit.

I'd guess that the heat maps for Welbeck and Costa over any period of time (not just 1 game in isolation, though I'm sure it would be the same today) would be very, very different, because the types of player they are - and their expected roles - aren't the same.

That's not a sleight on Welbeck, by the way, just an observation that I think him being largely anonymous for a game has more of a detrimental effect on the team than it Costa being likewise for Chelsea.

[carlito]

Absolutely, I think a Wenger team at it's best will always come up short against a Mourinho team at it's best.

The space in which our most effective players operate simply doesn't exist against a team like that.

The other notable thing is just the physical presence and athleticism of his players. How many times did you see Cazorla or Sanchez or Wilshere competing for the second ball from a cross or set-piece against someone who had a clear foot in height and probably a good two stone in weight?

[anders limpar]

Can we merge this with the Depression thread?

[carlito]

On the bright side I do think we'll beat most other teams playing like that.

[The Fox]

I'd imagine the journos have written their "Fabregas v Özil" comparison pieces already.

"They were both shite in general, but Fabregas got a nice assist for a goal that Chelsea's defence would never ever concede" probably sums it up.

[NexivRed]

Chelsea looked pretty comfortable really, they weren't exactly streets ahead but then they just had two moments of quality that we couldn't muster. The 4-1-4-1 looked defensively OK for the first time, but yet again the attacking cohesion was awful.

[hauk]

I only caught the first half, but I thought we looked pretty evenly matched with Chelsea in that period. Much better than the game last year. It took a moment of magic from Hazard to open us up, although after Chelsea scored I didn't think we had a chance of getting back in the game. They are just so efficient with the way they foul and stop us from playing by breaking down the play, it's almost boring to watch.

[Lucky]

There might not have been a massive difference in the two performances but there was only ever going to be one winner. They never looked threatened or under pressure at any point. About as comfortable a 2-0 as you could get.

I don't think we would have scored yet if the game was still being played until now.

I'm getting sick and tired of Mourinho and these Chelsea c**ts.

Crazy stats I'm hearing like how we have one win out of the last 21 games against the top sides don't help. Also, today was the first time in 11 years, PL, where we didn't have a single shot on goal.

Today was just so predictable. Was there ever any doubt that Chelsea would get the three points so comfortably.

[The Fox]

Could have been different if Atkinson hadn't bottled the Cahill red card. Him and Welbeck were both about as clear as you're going to get in terms of straight red tackles. But yeah, they're just a bit better than us basically. We finished close to them last season purely by virtue of them struggling big time against 'park the bus' sides, but Fabregas and Costa have rectified that weakness and they're now clearly a level above us.