Chelsea vs Arsenal: a London Derby

The international break is inching ever closer to being over. By the time most of you read this, club sides will be back in full swing gearing up for another weekend of highly competitive football all across Europe. Arguably the biggest game of the weekend will be taking place in the early hours of Saturday evening in West London and Pochettino’s young Chelsea side will play host to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, arguably the best team in England on their day. The differences between these two sides on the pitch, at current, is vast. Arsenal are a few years ahead with regards to squad development and play-style. Having almost pipped Manchester City to the title, and returning to the Champions League for the first time in a long time, Arsenal will be hoping to return to Stamford Bridge full of confidence. 

North London vs West London

Chelsea have only won once in their last eight fixtures against the Gunners, with their last win a 2-0 victory at the start of the 2021/22 season with goals coming from now Chelsea captain Reece James and a certain Romelu Lukaku. It was at that point, Chelsea fans will remember, that many of them got caught in the grips of early-season hysteria, predicting them to win the league. This failed to materialise, and the turbulent journey Chelsea have been on since is well documented, whilst Arsenal’s assent has been slightly smoother. Yet, there is a peculiar history between Chelsea and Arsenal that crosses over with a greater regularity than one may expect. Initially, and perhaps most fairly, the fact that both sides see Tottenham Hotspur as their main rival placates some of the tension between both red and blue sides of London. Additionally, and most influentially on the pitch, Chelsea and Arsenal have usually been open to conducting business with one another. 

You could argue with some veracity that Chelsea have, since the turn of the millennium, had the better of the dealings between the two clubs. Notable signings in the form of England’s greatest left-back Ashley Cole, midfield poet Cesc Fabregas, and the unassuming goalscoring force Olivier Giroud. Arsenal on the other hand have, until recently, signed Chelsea players considered by the West London club to be past their peak. Petr Cech, Willian, David Luiz, and Jorginho immediately spring to mind. For most Chelsea fans, the recent transfer of Kai Havertz to the Gunners was welcomed more than anything, as though he failed to deliver on his potential despite seemingly unlimited chances. It often seems that, for the players moving one way or another, to be a move of convenience and comfort. Staying in London, not having to disrupt their families, and maintaining their lifestyle can all be achieved by moving from North London to West London, or vice-versa, is a big plus. 

Chelsea fans can also boast of having had far greater success over the last two decades, unsurprising given the spending power the club has had since Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003. That said, and much to the annoyance of Chelsea fans, Arsenal have remained steadfast in their confidence that they are London’s biggest club, which at this point is undoubtedly true. Aesthetically, there have always been differences between Chelsea and Arsenal. Few can argue against the fact that Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, and now under Mikel Arteta - albeit with a dip in between the two managers, and a slow start for Arteta - operate almost always with a key footballing philosophy in mind. Whereas Chelsea have been governed by the mood of its owner, and the various controlling powers he had gifted his managers. Chelsea work on an instant return basis, whereas Arsenal cultivate their plans over a longer period of time.

Both approaches have their star aspects and tricky challenges, and as mentioned earlier in the piece, it has been the Blues who have come off the better so far. Now, things have changed. Long-term thinking is seemingly triumphing over short-termism. Chelsea could learn a lot from their North London neighbours when it comes to piece together a successful project. Having worked through Chelsea’s rise, Arsenal’s continued quality under Wenger, Jose vs Wenger, some embarrassing defeats for both along the way, and many, many trophies, both clubs are placing their trust in younger players in the hopes of eventually toppling the duopoly of Manchester City and Liverpool. 

The differences in style between the two clubs

The clubs also differ in their aesthetics outside of the actual task of playing football. Arsenal, without doubt, have established an outstanding partnership with their kit supplier adidas, a relationship that has seen the production of some of the greatest modern Premier League kits, and in turn helping the club get the fans back onside post Wenger. Arsenal’s unrivalled ability to maintain their relevance as a cultural figurehead within London is exceptional. Their community building, with support from adidas, has enabled the Gunners to build out a unified vision of what Arsenal is, and fans, players, managers, and the board are now all singing from the same hymn sheet. A remarkable shift from the poisonous nonsense at the height of the AFTV Arsenal era. 

On the other hand, Chelsea’s switch from adidas to Nike undoubtedly adds an extra layer to the rivalry between the two clubs, albeit not an overly large layer. Nike have, in my humble opinion, produced some of the worst Chelsea kits. This season's Chelsea home kit was considered one of the better ones in recent years, although I am of the opinion that it is once again underwhelming and slightly missing the mark. Few Chelsea fans would argue that the switch to Nike has been positive in terms of kit design quality, with the FA Cup memorial jersey being the only real stand-out. 

Arsenal head into this weekend’s fixture as favourites, a position Chelsea will welcome. Despite their slow start, Chelsea have begun to find their feet, albeit against relatively weaker opposition. Arsenal are Chelsea’s first major test this season, a test that fans may not expect to win necessarily, but one that fans are expecting to see a strong performance regardless. Both sides are aiming for the same spot in the Premier League and in Europe, the relationship and the rivalry is going to develop further as we push into a new era for both.