The Short Fuse - Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Gunners Fall at Stamford Bridgeit me, Jeffhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51365/tsf-fav.png2013-01-20T10:30:30-05:00http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/rss/stream/36588612013-01-20T10:30:30-05:002013-01-20T10:30:30-05:00Chelsea 2 - 1 Arsenal: Match Report
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<figcaption>Laurence Griffiths</figcaption>
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<p>Arsenal had a bad first half, a better second half, but not enough going forward, and left a snowy Stamford Bridge 2 - 1 losers on the day.</p> <p>1 - 0 <span>Juan Mata</span> 6'<br>2 - 0 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110218/frank-lampard">Frank Lampard</a> PK 15'<br>2 - 1 <span>Theo Walcott</span> 58'</p>
<p>Arsenal had another miserable first half showing today and could not overcome the hole they dug for themselves, despite a better second frame. Here's how it happened.<br><br>Five minutes on, <span>Olivier Giroud</span> missed a very good chance when put through by Theo Walcott, a chance he really should have scored. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> would make them pay a minute later, as Juan Mata left Sagna, who had pushed way up. Mata was free and took advantage, beating <span>Wojciech Szczesny</span>.<br><br>1 - 0, 6 minutes in. <span>Francis Coquelin</span> had been fouled in the build-up, but there was no call. Chelsea would dominate the next ten minutes, and they would find a way soon enough again. <span>Abou Diaby</span> was dispossessed far too easily in midfield, and the ball found its way forward quickly to Ramires, who was onside and clean through on goal. Szczesny was stranded and tried to tackle the Brazilian, but he was given a yellow, and Chelsea a penalty. It wasn't clear, but it was the decision from Atkinson.<br><br>Frank Lampard stepped up, and buried it. 2-0 to Chelsea, 15 minutes in. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal's</a> midfield were basically out of the picture for the next ten minutes, as Chelsea broke through them at maximum speed. They were in complete control.<br><br>There really wasn't much else to say. Arsenal had absolutely nothing going forward, and Chelsea came at them time and time again. The chances just came flooding all one way.<br><br>Halftime arrived; Arsenal were lucky, perhaps, to only be 2-0 down. <span>Bacary Sagna</span> was not doing well, <span>Santi Cazorla</span> was absent, and <span>Jack Wilshere</span> was stranded. <br><br>There would need to be a totally different second half.<br><br>Arsenal did come out a little more feisty, and had two shots on target, both straight at <span>Petr Cech</span>, in the first three minutes. That initial burst fizzled out pretty quickly, Ramires putting his knee into the back of Olivier Giroud.<br><br>But Chelsea weren't looking super solid, either, and 58 minutes in, Arsenal finally finished. Cazorla, playing centrally, found Walcott, playing centrally, with a lovely through ball through the <span>Gary Cahill</span>/<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110687/branislav-ivanovic">Branislav Ivanovic</a> high line, Walcott was through, and his lofted finish past Cech was great. He picked up a bit of an injury in the celebration, but carried on.<br><br>2 - 1, 58'<br><br><span>Aaron Ramsey</span> replaced the dinged-up Francis Coquelin. Arsenal kept coming forwards now. They won a free kick on 66 minutes from just outside the area, which resulted in a corner that came to nothing. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres">Fernando Torres</a> was causing <span>Thomas Vermaelen</span> problems, but failed to make the most of his freedom.<br><br><span>Ryan Bertrand</span> replaced Oscar on 72 minutes. Then, in a bit of hilarity, <span>Andrei Arshavin</span> replaced Abou Diaby on 75 minutes. 81 minutes saw <span>Demba Ba</span> replace Torres as Arsenal's push was fizzling out. He nearly made them pay on 82 minutes, put clean through, Szczesny coming way out and missing, only for his shot to be cleared off the line by Vermaelen.<br><br><span>Ashley Cole</span> fouled Sagna on the edge of the box in a dangerous position on 87 minutes. Vermaelen's free kick fizzed wide of the far post.<br><br><span>Marko Marin</span> came on in the 88th minute to replace Eden Hazard. There would be five minutes of extra time. Arsenal had two corners in the 93rd minute; neither came to anything, but after the second, Gary Cahill had to clear from in front of Walcott. There was another corner, and then another, before Vermaelen finally headed over, relieving the pressure on Chelsea.<br><br>That was it. Arsenal's second half push was not enough. Chelsea took all three points.</p>
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https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2013/1/20/3896530/arsenal-chelsea-premier-league-2013-match-reportTed Harwood2013-01-20T08:07:24-05:002013-01-20T08:07:24-05:00Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Match Thread
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<figcaption>Richard Heathcote</figcaption>
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<p>Come comment on all the action!</p> <p align="center"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/"><br>Chelsea</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a><br>English Premier League<br>Kickoff: Sunday, January 20, 8:30 AM EST<br>Stamford Bridge, West London<br>Form: CHE LWLWD | ARS WDDLW<br>TV: Fox Soccer Channel<br>SBN Chelsea Coverage: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com">We Ain't Got No History</a></p>
<p align="left">Match thread! Torres is starting!</p>
<p align="left">Chelsea: Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Oscar, Mata, Hazard; Torres.</p>
<p align="left">Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Terry, Bertrand, Ake, Marin, Ba.</p>
<p align="left">Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Coquelin, Wilshere, Diaby, Cazorla, Walcott, Giroud.</p>
<p align="left">Subs: Mannone, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Santos, Frimpong, Ramsey, Arshavin.</p>
<p align="left">So Arsenal has named the same starting XI as Wednesday against Swansea. Hopefully they're not totally gassed. Chelsea have slotted Ramires in the holding two along with Lampard, which allows them to field three creative players in their midfield, although Oscar does a lot of good work on defense, so. And, hey, yep, Torres. Torres! Oh well; we have Meerkat on the bench if anything happens.</p>
<p align="left">Remember: always use the subject line, no links to illegal streams, and above all else, please be kind!</p>
https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2013/1/20/3896298/arsenal-chelsea-match-thread-2013-premier-leagueTed Harwood2013-01-19T16:42:24-05:002013-01-19T16:42:24-05:00Q&A With We Ain't Got No History
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<figcaption>Julian Finney</figcaption>
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<p>You know Graham. He's in charge of soccer, and he likes Chelsea. So let's ask him some things that you wanted to know!</p> <p><b>Why the abject hatred for Rafa Benitez? Is it purely because di Matteo won the Champions League and the fan base feels like he got a raw deal from Roman this season, or is there another reason?</b></p>
<p>Benitez has, in the past, insulted Chelsea fans directly and refused to apologise for it. That alone would be worthy of Chelsea supporters' collective disdain, but on top of that we don't feel as though he's a very good manager -- <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> were hardly great for most of his tenure and he drove Inter Milan into the ground upon arrival in Italy.<br><br><b>How has the move to Benitez affected Chelsea’s in game tactics. Based on how it has gone so far, are you more or less optimistic about the rest of the season than you were under DiMatteo?</b></p>
<p>Chelsea tend to play more conservatively now that Benitez is in. Gone (mostly) are the days where they've used all of Mata, Hazard and Oscar and call it good, which means that the defence is a little less exposed. But with <span>John Obi Mikel</span> and <span>Victor Moses</span> off at the Africa Cup of Nations, the tactics are being rejigged again. I have no clue how Chelsea will line up against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a>. And I'm more optimistic about the rest of the season, but only because we've bought <span>Demba Ba</span>.</p>
<p><b>It had looked like Chelsea were moving in the direction to become FFP compliant...What do you think happens now with the Fellaini rumours and Chelsea’s acquisition of Ba?</b></p>
<div>Chelsea are going to be FFP compliant. They made a profit last year and they'd have to lose something on the order of &pound;40 million next year to fall foul of the rules in the first monitoring period. With the new TV deal coming in, the future's not a particularly grave concern. Ba's deal's essentially covered by Sturridge's departure -- more than covered for the monitoring period, actually, since we amortise his fee -- and Fellaini wouldn't be a big deal either.</div>
<p><br><b>How many of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> current U21s are good enough to break into the first team in a couple of years? Is this Chelsea trying to go the Arsenal way?</b></p>
<div>The u-21 team? There are a couple. But most of Chelsea's best prospects go on loan. <span>Thibaut Courtois</span>, <span>Romelu Lukaku</span>, Kevin de Bruyne Nathaniel Chalobah and Tomas Kalas are all excellent prospect who have every chance of contributing to the first team. And both <span>Eden Hazard</span> and Oscar would have qualified for the u-21s last year. This isn't the Arsenal route, mostly because the board is willing to pay huge money for superstars while they're trying to develop talent.</div>
<p><br><b>If you had to chose between the young midfielders, would you take Wilshere over Oscar? Hazard?</b></p>
<div>There is absolutely no chance I take Wilshere over either, mostly because of his injuries. Why take that risk? Injuries aside, I'd probably take his career over Oscar's. But not Hazard.</div>
<p><br><b>What are your thoughts on selling Sturridge to Liverpool?</b></p>
<div>Sturridge wasn't able to get a chance here, and while he's a decent player I don't think he'll ever be elite. &pound;12 million is decent business, and I hope he does well at Anfield.</div>
<p><br><b>Do you feel this Chelsea squad capable of challenging the Manchesters for the title? If not, what do you feel is missing?</b></p>
<div>Not at all, although third place is much more reasonable. Chelsea need help in the centre of midfield more than anything else. The two pivot players just aren't good enough to control the game against tough opposition.<i></i>
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<i>Thanks again to Graham for answering our questions!</i><br>
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https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2013/1/19/3894828/arsenal-chelsea-premier-league-2013-q-and-aTed Harwood2013-01-19T14:57:13-05:002013-01-19T14:57:13-05:00Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Match Preview
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<figcaption>Richard Heathcote</figcaption>
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<p>Arsenal travel down the road a piece to face off against third-place Chelsea FC, who are good at the football and the money and the so forth.</p> <p align="center"><br><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a><br>English Premier League<br>Kickoff: Sunday, January 20, 8:30 AM EST<br>Stamford Bridge, West London<br>Form: CHE LWLWD | ARS WDDLW<br>TV: Fox Soccer Channel<br>SBN Chelsea Coverage: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com">We Ain't Got No History</a></p>
<p align="left">Arsenal venture to the wildlands of West London tomorrow to face off against Chelsea FC, whom you may have heard about. When last the two teams met at the end of September, Chelsea ran out 2-1 victors from the Emirates after a couple of bizarre goals and some wacky goalkeeping from <span>Vito Mannone</span>. Hopefully tomorrow will see less of that Keystone Cops stuff and a bit more solidity from Arsenal.</p>
<p align="left">And the Gunners may have stumbled upon the kind of thing they need. The platform of <span>Abou Diaby</span> and <span>Francis Coquelin</span>, in <span>Mikel Arteta's</span> absence, looked solid against Swansea on Wednesday in the FA Cup with <span>Jack Wilshere</span> and <span>Santi Cazorla</span> operating in front of them. A similar strategy could be on the boil for tomorrow's game, as Arteta is still out. Arsenal have a heavy run of fixtures right now, though, so some rest may be needed for Arsene Wenger's men, and the manager has vowed to take it easy on Diaby; perhaps <span>Aaron Ramsey</span> could partner Coquelin, but that feels much less solid somehow.</p>
<p align="left"><span>Lukas Podolski</span> faces a late fitness test, as he is ill.</p>
<p align="left">Chelsea will most likely run out their standard 4-2-3-1; they are missing <span>John Obi Mikel</span> and <span>Victor Moses</span> to Africa. Ramires could be a good choice on the right in place of a super creative player, as he can more effectively contain the attacking play of <span>Kieran Gibbs</span>.</p>
<p>What do you reckon about the lineup tomorrow?</p>
<p><b>Match Prediction:</b></p>
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https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2013/1/19/3894514/arsenal-chelsea-premier-league-2013-match-previewTed Harwood