With the dust barely settled on the Premier League season and Frank Lampard’s side finishing a respectable 4th place, it’s now time to really crown the achievement by winning the FA Cup for the second time in three seasons.
Standing in our way is our perennial enemy, Arsenal. We bested them in Baku, but they beat us in 2017 at Wembley, and now managed by club cult hero Mikel Arteta, it promises to be a fiesty, fierce and fiery London Derby.
Arsenal: The FA Cup Story so Far
- 4th Round: Arsenal 1-0 Leeds United
- 5th Round: Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal
- Last 16: Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal
- Quarter Final: Sheffield United 1-2 Arsenal
- Semi Final: Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City
Mikel Arteta has presided over the entire FA Cup run for the Gunners as they look to try and salvage something after a disappointing season. There have been some bright sparks under Mikel Arteta, particularly the form of young Bukayo Saka, who is starting to really make an impact in the Arsenal side. In addition, the Spaniard has started to address Arsenal’s general defensive malaise by astutely switching to a 3-man central defence, almost always marshalled by former Chelsea cult hero David Luiz.
So far, Arsenal have faced dogged tests on the way to Wembley. A tricky tie against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds was navigated, mainly thanks to excellent goalkeeping for Emi Martinez – Arsenal’s second-choice stopper has enjoyed time in limelight following the injury to Bernd Leno and he’ll be looking to ask questions about the No. 1 jersey with an impressive Cup Final performance. Although the results against Bournemouth and Portsmouth don’t look wholly convincing, Arsenal dominated these matches and profligate finish – a problem for Chelsea at times this season too – is the reason why the scorelines aren’t more handsomely in their favour.
The real test has come in the past two ties. Arsenal showed excellent resilience away at Bramall Lane to snatch a late winner after being pegged back by the Blades in comical circumstance, before they produced arguably their most impressive performance of the season to knock out Manchester City. Whilst it is true the Citizens did rotate slightly, they still fielded an incredibly strong squad, but a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who else? – and a staunch defensive performance helped Arteta get one over his former mentor.
This has helped book them a return to the famous Arch and another showdown with their West London rivals.
Chelsea: The FA Cup Story so Far
- 4th Round: Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forst
- 5th Round: Hull City 1-2 Chelsea
- Last 16: Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
- Quarter Final: Leicester City 0-1 Chelsea
- Semi Final: Manchester United 1-3 Chelsea
Frank Lampard won the FA Cup four times as a player and he’s under no doubt how important Saturday’s match could be for his managerial career. He’s suffered heartbreak at Wembley both as a player and manager already and he’ll be itching to get his hands on his first trophy. Although you’d still look kindly on Lampard’s first year considering the mitigating circumstances that surrounded it, a domestic trophy would really change the perception of the season even more.
In terms of getting to Wembley, it’s not been easy for the Blues. A staunch Nottingham Forest were dispatched comfortably from the Bridge back in January and later that month, Chelsea squeaked through despite a late surge from Hull City at the KCOM Stadium – the nerves self-inflicted after Chelsea wasted numerous chances to kill the game thanks to poor finishing. Lampard claimed a major managerial scalp as Jurgen Klopp’s Champions-Elect saw their Treble hopes quashed under the lights thanks to Billy Gilmour’s inspired performance and a super solo goal from ex-Evertonian Ross Barkley.
Chelsea continued to draw the shorter straw when it came to the draws – no surprises there – as they were pitted against Leicester City. Usually the King Power would be buzzing with noise on such an occasion – COVID-19 put pay to this and Ross Barkley put pay to Leicester’s FA Cup hopes as the Foxes’s season began to fall apart. It had completely crumpled by the time Chelsea met Manchester United in the Semi Finals. But fourth time was lucky for Frank as he finally bested Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, thanks to a superb finish from Giroud and an impervious performance from Mason Mount.
This means Lampard has a chance to claim silverware in his debut season at the helm of the Blues, just like Messrs Gullit, Vialli, Mourinho, Hiddink, Ancelotti, Di Matteo, Conte and Sarri.
We’ve Met Before…
Chelsea hold the record over Arsenal this season, having taken four points from the two meetings with their North London rivals. In Mikel Arteta’s first home match, Arsenal surged ahead thanks to their captain Aubameyang, and looked comfortably in control with Mesut Ozil pulling the strings. However, the inspired introduction of Jorginho in the first half, and Tarik Lamptey at half-time turned the game on the head, as Chelsea’s Italian midfielder was in the right place at the right time to stab home following Leno’s fumble, and then a late-but-great counter-attacking surge ended with Tammy Abraham finishing cooly to send the away fans into raptures.
However, Arsenal fought back in the reverse fixture to claim a ‘legendary’ 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, that still gets fond mentions to this day. Chelsea took the lead thanks to a penalty from Jorginho, conceded by our old friend David Luiz who was also sent off. However, a second half stumble from Kante allowed Martinelli to race away slot home to level proceedings. Chelsea’s captain, Cesar Azpilicueta thought he’d won the battle with just five minutes left as he poked home Hudson-Odoi’s cross, but barely three minutes later, Arsenal’s own right-back, Hector Bellerin cut inside and hit a daisy-cutter into the far corner with his left foot to equalise. It stayed level, despite both teams having chance to win.
Both teams score plenty of goals, both teams concede plenty of goals. If this principle comes true tomorrow, it’ll be a fantastic spectacle for the neutral.
The Ones to Watch:
Arsenal: Kieran Tierney
It is true that Arsenal are heavily reliant on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but we already know everything about him. He’s pacey, clinical, surprisingly strong in the air and looking to lead Arsenal to silverware for the first time in North London career.
Instead, I’m going to focus on Scotsman Kieran Tierney. The former Celtic man was signed last summer by Unai Emery after a successful spell at the Hoops where he won absolutely everything and established himself as the leading full-back in the SPL despite his tender age.
Although injuries blighted his early months at Arsenal, Tierney has now managed to stay fit for long enough to cement himself in Mikel Arteta’s side and the Scottish international is showing what a good player he is. For starters, his versatility means he can slot anywhere down the left-hand-side, although he is most comfortable at left-back and he can also drop in as a central defender when required, although some teams can exploit his lack of height when this happens.
Tierney has a great turn of pace and is remarkably dogged defensively, but he really shines with his offensive contribution, bombing up and down the wing to deliver crosses and support the attack. He showed last weekend that he has an eye for goal and Chelsea need to be very wary of him. He comes into the game in good form too, having been named Arsenal’s Player of the Month for June.
Reece James will likely be playing at right-wing-back if Lampard keeps the same system and it’s possible he’ll either be directly up against Tierney if he plays left-wing-back or left-back, or could encounter him when he drives forward if Arteta chooses to use Tierney in the centre of the defence.
Chelsea: Mateo Kovacic
What a difference twelve months makes. This time last year, Kovacic was viewed by most as someone who didn’t contribute enough to the attacking or defensive side of Chelsea. Much maligned for his poor stats, he was typecast as the permanent butt of the joke – who would Ross Barkley be subbed on or off for?
Fast forward a year, and Kovacic is a strong contender for Chelsea’s Player of the Year award. The talented Croat has started to really show what he can in the middle of the park, driving forward using his dribbling ability to help instigate counter-attacks and also help break down opponents. In addition, he shows a real tenacity in the defensive side of his game, tracking back to hassle and then tackle opponents to control the middle of the park.
I think you would still say he could contribute more in the final third – at times he can be surprising precise and equally suprisingly wayward with his shots, and I’m sure Lampard will be looking at trying to hone these areas of his game, but in the box-to-box role of carrying the ball, it’s hard to think anyone better in the Premier League.
Whether he is partnered with Kante or Jorginho, Kovacic will likely play an invaluable role in the Final. He’ll be up against a similar craftsmen in Dani Ceballos who will want to get the ball down and control the play and it is vital that the Croatian comes out on top in this battle.
If Kovacic can succeed in dominating the midfield with his dynamic, all-action running and dribbling, it should provide the likes of Pulisic, Mount and Willian with plenty of opportunities to attack Arsenal’s 18-yard-box and create chances, or take shots themselves. Kovacic might not score or assist the decisive goal, but when he is on-song, Chelsea tend to play much better this season. Let’s hope tomorrow is all hands to the pump for the ex-Real Madrid man.
Arsenal Team News and Tactics
Although Mikel Arteta reverted to a 4-2-3-1 against Watford last week in the final Premier League encounter of the season, I can’t see Arsenal doing anything other than adopting a similar 3-4-3 to the one that helped them best Manchester City in the Semi-Final. Arsenal were fantastic going forward last weekend and could have scored more than 3, but equally, their defending was shoddy and Martinez needed to make a number of crucial saves to stop the Hornets having a late sting. Arteta will know that his team can’t so lackadaisical against a Chelsea outfit that are a vastly superior team to Watford.
The Argentine keeper has been in super form since replacing Bernd Leno and he’ll start in between the sticks, with Rob Holding, David Luiz and Kieran Tierney forming the three central defenders, with Hector Bellerin and Bukayo Saka in the wingback roles. Grant Xhaka and Dani Ceballos will be in the engine room in the middle of the park. Up top, Arsenal will stick with their potent and pricey attacking triumverate: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left, Nicolas Pepe on the right and Alexandre Lacazette through the middle.
This still leaves Arteta with plenty of options off the bench including utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles, competitive midfielder Lucas Torreira, the experienced Sokratis for defensive reinforcements and young attacking talent in Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah.
Chelsea Team News and Tactics
Frank Lampard has rotated most often between the 4-3-3 and the 3-4-3 this season and I can see the latter once again getting the nod for a big game. It’s worth noting that Chelsea were able to control the game against a similar formation in the Semi-Final and indeed they looked very comfortable in the shape during last week’s 2-0 victory over Watford. It’ll be the battle of the Albiceleste goalkeepers as Willy Cabellero will once again start for the Blues.
In front of him, Lampard will stick with the back three that seem to be his new preferred options. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta on the right, Antonio Rudiger on the left and Kurt Zouma as the central member of the trio. All three will need to be aware that Arsenal will press at goal-kicks and so short distribution may not be the best option. In the wing-back roles, Chelsea will continue to utilise Reece James and Marcos Alonso and they’ll be critical in both the defensive and offensive aspects of the game: shutting down speedy Arsenal attacks and also getting forward to provide crosses in the final third.
In the centre of the park, Kovacic will start and I think Frank Lampard will gamble on the fitness of N’Golo Kante. Chelsea look a much more solid outfit with the world class French midfielder in the team and his ability to track back and cut out counters could be vital.
Once again, Chelsea will use a front three that has a plenty of power, pace, work-rate and an eye for the goal. After his excellent showing last week, I expect Mason Mount to once again start on the right-hand side, but in truth his energy means he’ll be all over the park. Christian Pulisic is in stellar form since Project Restart and the American will be looking to cap off a successful first year in England by having a big say on this game, with either a goal, an assist or a key offensive contribution.
Up top, of course, will be Olivier Giroud. The experienced French striker has enjoyed renaissance in recent weeks and he’ll be itching to get one over his former employers, just like in Baku last year. With his own excellent record at Wembley at stake, not to mention his purple patch of form, expect the Go Kart to be fully revved up for tomorrow’s encounter.
With this line-up, it means that Lampard can still call on the quality of Willian, Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the bench, as well as the metronomic calming presence of Jorginho, and the talented Tammy Abraham. With the injury to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, we might also even see FA Cup specialist Ross Barkley make the squad considering the enlarged substitute benches.
The Key Battle?
This match will be won or lost depending on whether Chelsea are able to control the midfield or not. Chelsea will need Kante and Kovacic to perform to the best of their ability and provide an outlet for the Chelsea defence, especially early on when I expect Arsenal to press.
That said, the real key duels will be Alonso vs. Bellerin and Saka vs. James. Firstly, the battle of the Spaniards. Both are hugely experienced and won’t be overawed by the occasion. Bellerin certainly has the pace on his opponent, but he has been found to be lightweight before in physical duels and if Alonso can get high enough up the pitch, it could be very difficult for Bellerin to have a lot of space to operate in. Additionally, the Arsenal defender will be aware that Alonso himself has a great record both against Arsenal and in London derbies, and will need to guard him carefully to ensure Chelsea’s no. 3 isn’t wheeling away in celebration again.
On the other side, the battle of the startlets. Both James and Saka have impressed this year and don’t look out of place, but Chelsea’s youngster is more adept at playing wing-back or full-back than his Arsenal counterpart who prefers to operate higher up the pitch. If Saka can really start bombing forward, he could cause a great deal of trouble for James, especially with his lightning pace and his ability to either go wide or cut inside. He’s already shown himself to be an adept passer and Chelsea will need to be aware of that. On the flipside, James again wins the physical duel and technically he is very good, as well as having no fear. If he gets the chance, he will get forward and with Saka not being an orthodox defender, he could get caught out, leaving space for James, or indeed other Chelsea players to exploit.
Concluding Remarks
Tomorrow’s match will not change the fact that Frank Lampard has done very well in his first year at Chelsea, whatever the result. However, a win could be absolutely huge, not only for the manager, but also for the squad.
With the current crop of youth, the world class acquisitions of Timo Werner & Hakim Ziyech, the potential acquisitions of Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Declan Rice, it conjures up images of Abramovich’s early transfer windows when Chelsea ruled the roost.
If they can win at Wembley tomorrow, they’ll certainly secure the London bragging rights once again, and in turn, it might finally mark the watershed moment when Chelsea unequivocally pass Arsenal. However, a win for the Gunners could be huge, both with the carrot of European football needed for keeping top players like Aubameyang, and also the financial implications.
It really is hard to predict what will happen tomorrow at Wembley. Let’s hope for another Blue Day.
Keep an eye on SW6Daily for more FA Cup Final content, including our predictions and live match coverage of the big day.
Written and edited by Rob Pratley (@rjpjournalism)
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