Arsenal take on title and London rivals Chelsea tonight in what can only be described as a massive game for both clubs. Arsenal will be looking to silence their critics, who claim that the Gunners crumble when put up against a top opposition, whilst Chelsea will want to get back to winning ways following a recent run of disappointing results.
I got in contact with Anthony Williams, editor of theshedender.com, to ask him what his thoughts were on the upcoming derby. Here is what he had to say:
How do you think your season has gone so far?
I’m not particularly happy about how things have gone since the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool. However, considering we have only picked up 6 points out of the last 21, it’s good to see that nobody has pulled away from us due to our excellent work in the early months of the season. The title race is wide open at the moment and we’re very much in it, but we have to turn our form around soon.
Chelsea have already beaten Arsenal at Stamford Bridge earlier on in the season, do you feel your team have a slight advantage because of this?
I think psychology plays a big part in the game, so it would give us some confidence, but you never know with this season and our form has not been up to scratch lately. It’ll take a little more than a good 45 minutes at Spurs to convince me we have turned a corner. However, we do seem to have something over Arsenal in recent years, ever since Wayne Bridge ended a poor record against the Gunners in the Champions League quarter finals in 2004.
Frank Lampard has been out for quite sometime due to injury, but now appears to be fully fit, have Chelsea missed him in their midfield?
We have missed the goals and assists he would usually provide, as well as his influence. When Lamps came on against Spurs at White Hart Lane it seemed to have a positive effect on those around him and suddenly everyone knew what they were doing. Also, it gave the fans a massive lift to see him back as we are not used to being without him for so long. It was a perfect tonic to cheer us up during our terrible run of form and so-called ‘crisis’.
Didier Drogba is likely to start, why do you think he performs so well against the Gunners?
Drogba is something of a mercurial talent and seems to enjoy playing against Arsenal, so it’s a derby he gets up for and on his day he can be virtually unplayable. I think there is also a fear factor there and when someone has scored against you so many times it is going to play on your mind, forcing you to make errors. Another reason he does well is because Arsene Wenger doesn’t opt to give him any special treatment as he apparently “doesn’t do a lot”…I’m happy for this to continue though.
It is being said that this is an important game in terms of the title race, would you agree?
I don’t think titles are won and lost this early on, but whoever wins the majority of the big games throughout the season usually wins the title. Part of me thinks it may even be more important for Arsenal to win it than us, as another loss in a high profile encounter will lead many to doubt your title credentials, even at this early stage. Also, as the home side, you cannot really afford to be losing this type of game on your own patch.
Interview continues on page 2, click here
