Righto, that’s about us, but Rob Smyth will be back presently to ease you into Sunday night with Roma v Fiorentina. Enjoy the rest of the weekend – ta-ra.
Updated
“We played really well, we dominated,” says Lukaku, calling his own performance “dominant” too. He thinks and hopes the team can improve, and wants to work hard for a team he says is “very, very talented”. He notes that they’re European champions and his new teammates have helped him settle, though he was “mad” he didn’t score when Leno made that excellent save.
Otherwise, the team knew this was a big game, worked hard during the week, and he reckons they’ll get better from here.
Lukaku should be with us presently, so let’s hang about to hear what he’s got to say.
On Sky, Roy Keane says he detected a swagger about Chelsea, and they remind me a bit of the France team who won the World Cup in 1998. They weren’t impressive through the competition and were second-favourites for the final, but the moment they were world champions the confidence gave them an extra 37.91% and they became one of the great teams.
Updated
Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s match report.
Thomas Tuchel is asked if the win was “comprehensive”, and once Geoff Shreeves has explained what that means, says his team looked a bit leggy in the first half. After the break, he thought they controlled it well, and when asked about Lukaku, calls him a “democratic leader”, saying he’s hungry and good in the group. A good start, but now he has to improve.
He didn’t expect too much from Lukaku, wanting to see how he played and linked up with Havertz and Mount. That went well, he says.
Otherwise, his team were good defensively, creating good chances, but in the Premier League you can never be sure if you don’t score the third and fourth goal. On James, meanwhile, he says that there was no concussion, just a worry that he’d lost a tooth.
More generally, a group is built by winning tough games, and he’s still in the process of preparing his team for the season so is happy with how it’s going.
“Arsenal are ... the net biggest spenders in the transfer window at the moment, matey, ahead even of Man City,” Peter Collins points out.
They are, but City have spent well over a billion in the last decade and can afford to buy bankers like Grealish, not maybes like Odegaard.
“Arsenal and Spurs are not far apart,” reckons Yashilu Gupta, “but it all comes down to management. Today Spurs got battered, if you ask me, and yet with discipline and courage they got away with one while Arsenal crumbled against Brentford of all teams. Having said that I think Arteta can turn it around, only thing he needs is a five-year new Willian contract.”
Management might be part of it – looking in from the outside, it’s not entirely easy to fathom what about Arteta will make his players believe in him or follow him – but Spurs have way better players too, especially going forward.
“A moral victory for Arsenal,” thinks Charles Antaki, “so long as we can parse ‘moral’ as ‘at least we didn’t get thoroughly tonked and anyway Chelsea are European champions, and very rich and so on, and we drew the second half so that’s quite good really’”.
Here are our reports from the earlier games:
That was menacingly competent from Chelsea, who played well within themselves and still won comfortably. Arsenal, on the other hand, have now failed to score in 180 minutes and look worryingly shy of ideas in that regard.
Full-time: Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea go two from two, joining Liverpool, Spurs and Brighton at the top of the table, while Arsenal are none from two, at the bottom with Wolves, Burnley, Norwich and Newcastle.
Updated
90+2 min “William Vignoles makes a decent point,” says Rick Harris, but the problem is that Arteta is a Pound Shop Pep, not the second coming of Bielsa. Besides if the policy was young English players then why sell Joe Willock? Tuchel has inherited a squad that only needed a Drogba-type striker to make them title favourites by continually buying class.”
As we said below, the biggest difference between the teams is money not management. On Willock, I guess Arteta sold him because he doesn’t fit with how he wants to play so wanted the money for spending on someone who is. But Willock wants to score and knows how to score, qualities in short supply in this Arsenal squad.
90 min There’ll be three added minutes. Meantime, Gary Nev gives Lukaku man of the match and right he is; I think Chelsea would’ve won this without him because they’re stronger all over the pitch, but he’s made absolutely sure of that, showing exactly why they signed him.
90 min Tuchel sends on Werner for Havertz.
89 min Ah, but with the aid/hindrance of a deflection, so here comes a corner which yields another; Leno punches that one clear.
88 min Chelsea counter with Ziyech, who has Alonso outside him. But with his team leading by two with just two to go, he decides he can shoot, lashing miles over the top.
86 min I wonder how the crowd will react at full-time. The thing is, Arsenal have done ok to lose 2-0 – they could easily have crumbled, and the difference between the sides is bigger than the scoreline suggests. But, on the other hand, that is an anger-inducing state of affairs and Arteta must bear some responsibility, though he was served an absolute mess.
85 min Chelsea keep the ball, switching it from side to side as Arsenal chase before going back to Mendy.
84 min Chelsea look very strong, I must say. I wonder if Frank Lampard watches them thinking drat, I had something there, or this is all me, I just needed more time.
83 min “The Chelsea kit would be a stunner except for their sponsor’s logo,” reckons Mary Waltz. “That 3 brings back horrid flashbacks from the sixties.”
It also reminds me of the pitch from the 1999 FA Cup final.
82 min Ziyech, who hurt his shoulder in the Super Cup game, replaces Mount.
81 min Here’s Lukaku again, in his favourite inside-right channel, and he sweeps a cross towards Mount, but Leno dives to save the shot ... lets the ball squirm out of his grasp ... then falls on it.
80 min “Always good to remind ourselves that Arsenal pulled out of buying Kante to buy Xhaka,” returns Hugh Molloy.
Arsenal fans, I can pass on Hugh’s email for a small donation to the MBMers’ benevolent fund.
79 min Arsenal take off Martinelli, who’s had a quiet afternoon – not all his fault, he’s had miserable service - and bring on Balogun. He looks a special finisher, but will also need some help from his mates.
78 min Mount finds himself at inside-right and flips a decent cross at Lukaku, who gets in front of Holding and flings himself into a vicious headbutt ... that Leno palms onto the bar! That’a a terrific header but an even better save, and Lukaku is equal parts horrified and bewildered.
Updated
77 min “As an Arsenal fan,” confesses William Vignoles, “this window has made a lot of sense - for the most part we’ve brought in good young players with a high ceiling, all of whom fill a gap on the squad (White and Ramsdale have cost a lot but White was really highly rated by Bielsa and they’re both English). The previous windows were much worse and a real wasted opportunity, just bringing in washed-up superagents’ clients on massive wages seemingly with no thought to how they’d benefit the squad. If this summer’s ethos had been brought in a couple of years ago Arsenal might not be in this mess.”
Yes, as I said below, I totally understand why they’ve done it this way. I’m not sure the quality is enough, though, and the lack of attacking ideas is a colossal problem.
76 min This second half is disappearing, Chelsea happy with what they have and Arsenal unable to take it from them.
75 min Aubameyang is up first to head a free-kick into the space between keeper and defence, but Mendy is alert and fields easily enough.
73 min James takes a bang to the bonce and goes down; he’s not moving loads, so this might be it for him. But no – he gets up, goes off, and comes back on. I’m a little surprised, given the new concussion protocols.
Updated
72 min “Should be an interesting battle next week between Lukaku and Virgil,” thinks Mike MacKenzie. “It’s early doors as they say, but I think Liverpool and Chelsea will contend for top spot and I won’t be surprised to see Man City third.”
I’d be surprised if Liverpool have a good enough season in them - their side peaked the year they came second to Man City, I think, which was three years ago now. And though they’ll be buzzing to have Van Dijk back, whether he’ll be the same player after doing his cruciate at his age remains to be seen – and even if he is, he won’t get there right away.
72 min Just what Arsenal need to see: Tuchel sends Kanté on for Kovacic.
71 min Another ball is cleared towards Kovacic, who fancies another shot, slicing this one high and wide.
69 min Nice from Arsenal, Cedric skating down the right and clipping a low cross that Smith Rowe gathers nicely, his first touch setting the ball into his path for a shot ... until Azpilicueta slides in to block. That is superb defending, from a superb defender.
69 min “Never mind ‘diamonds in the mud’,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Arsenal are looking more like snowmen in the rain.”
Their new kit is quit smart, but.
68 min Alonso floats towards the back post, and when the clearance reaches Kovacic, he slices high.
67 min Lukaku is on one, and he feints to run the channel then dips back towards the ball, losing Lokonga, powering away, and wearing the hack that earns his assailant a yellow card. Free-kick Chelsea, 30 yards out...
66 min Oh dear, more misery for Arsenal: Tierney has hurt hissel, an ankle I think, so Tavares replaces him. He’s meant to be good....
64 min Mendy has made such a difference to Chelsea, and when Lokonga charges forward, Christensen steps up, allowing him to play the pass in behind for Aubameyang. But the keeper is wise to the ruse, charging out to hump clear.
63 min While I was typing that, Aubameyang thrashed a snap-shot directly into Mendy’s midriff.
Updated
62 min “Let’s not forget that Chelsea had a transfer ban the year before their splurge and sold Hazard for £100m so they were doing two years spending in one and had cash in the bank,” says Hugh Molloy. “Their net spend over the last three years has been average £60m per year. Nothing outrageous. This year, for example, Chelsea sold Tomori and Abraham for £60m and then topped that up with less than a Ben White to buy Lukaku.”
Yes, but they’ve got the financial wherewithal to basically run a football club and a talent agency, and even the year of the transfer ban, they got Kovacic and Pulisic, plus Mount and Abraham back from loans.
61 min There’s a minor scuffle between Mount and Holding, which the ref defuses, then Arteta sends Aubameyang on for Saka, who can’t be fit enough for a a full 90.
60 min Have a look! Mari knocks a corner back across and Holding is right there, six yards out! But looking to glance into the side-netting, he instead sends his header wide! That is a bad, bad miss.
58 min “Silver lining for Arsenal,” emails Philip Massam. “If there is one, it’s that Jose is not available to take over right now...”
I think they’ll stick with Arteta if they possibly can, but their next league game is Man City, so if they lose that and have 0 from three, he’ll be under pressure for the games after that.
57 min Arsenal’s frantic second-half start encouraged Chelsea to keep the ball, and they’re now back in charge. A switch sees James in possession and he squares for Lukaku, who touches off ... and Mount drills wide.
55 min Azpilicueta ventures forward and swings a shin-high cross at Lukaku, who spins and tries to volley, the resultant block earning Chelsea a corner. It comes to nothing, then, when Havertz goes for the line, Holding unloads him very nicely.
54 min “Such contrasting benches for the two teams,” says David Howes. “Chelsea have so many options to control or chase the game as the 90 minutes pass, but Arsenal, where are the game changers? I love youth in a team, and Arsenal should be commended for this bravery, but it seems naive and indicative of a poor transfer approach over the years. Maybe this year is trying to arrest that, but I doubt it will on the showing in these first two games.”
It’s making a virtue out of necessity, I think – Arsenal’s owners won’t pay for established stars, so youth is what they’re left with.
Updated
53 min The corner comes to nowt, but you probably guessed that.
52 min Arsenal win a corner down the right but for some reason take it short – I don’t know, it’s hammering down with rain, why not put Mendy under pressure? But the ball ends up with Saka outside the box, and he drives a shot that flicks off Alonso and rears up, forcing Mendy to tip over!
Updated
50 min Arsenal are pressing Chelsea’s defenders and look to be playing with more energy than in the first half. They don’t have loads on the bench, so I doubt it’ll be too long before we see Aubameyang, depending on how fit he is.
49 min “Two oil clubs?” asks Geoff Saunders. “Who? City, yes. Since I’m guessing that other two clubs you mention are Man Utf and Liverpool you must be suggesting that Chelsea are owned/run by or for an oil company. They are not. They are owned by Roman Abramovich who has no connections with any oil company. He no longer has contacts with the aluminium company he made a fortune from either.”
Abramovich made £7.4bn selling Sibneft to the Kremlin.
47 min Lukaku finds himself inside the box and jinks in search of space, but the defenders serried in front of him block the various shooting lanes.
46 min “If you lose the opener to a club just promoted,” says Billy Graboso, “then follow that up by getting out-managed in the first half by another London side, I’d say Abramovich would’ve sacked Arteta at half time. And that’s the difference between these two clubs since Mourinho was sacked in 2007.”
Sort of. Abramovich is ruthless, but the biggest difference between these clubs is their respective exchequers. Chelsea can do what they like because they can spend their way out of any situation in which they find themselves – as they did last summer.
46 min We go again. Can Arsenal find something?
“Ben White has had an excellent first half,” returns Charles Antaki.
He has, Lukaku in this kind of form is a good one to miss.
“I‘ve got no dog in this fight,” tweets Kevin Simons, “but that is a penalty. James made no effort to play the ball and instead just flattened Saka. Outside the box and the ref blows his whistle without hesitation.”
Similarly, Druj Pepper says “that’s only been a penalty for 150 years, so you can see why there’s confusion”.
I’d have given it because I think James turned contact into a shove – it looked a penalty to the naked eye – but I can see why it wasn’t overturned and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s also worth noting that along with the officials, none of Roy Keane, Sol Campbell and Graeme Souness thought it was a pen, and theirs are opinions to which I’d pay attention.
For last couple of decades or so, being an Arsenal fan has meant learning to sift diamonds out of the mud,” emails Kári Tulinius, “though in recent years that has required ever finer sieves. The feeling now is that if any gems can be found, they’ll be semi-precious at best, and small.”
Yes, agree with that - lots of players they’ll want to sign will have better options. There are always those who go under the radar, but finding them is hard.
“By any objective analysis Arsenal are a mid-table club,” says Mary Waltz. “Virtually every pundit thinks so. But Arsenal fans act as if they are a top four club underperforming, so they are enraged. Gooner fans, embrace reality, you will sleep better.”
I’d baulk at bracketing every Arsenal fan together, but they were a top-four club for a long, long time, their fans pay top-four prices to watch them play, and I daresay they have players on top-four bunce. But the competition at the top end of the table is brutal these days – the two oil clubs and the two most famous clubs are all in good shape, which is difficult for anyone to combat.
Updated
Half-time: Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
Arsenal had an alright first 10 and last five, but this is men and foetuses, I’m afraid.
45+1 min “Ridiculously early but Lukaku is looking like the spear tip Chelsea has been missing,” reckons Jason Graff. “Everything seems sharper and more focused about their play.”
Yup, he’s a near to a sure thing as you can get, but I think the play is also better because Tuchel’s had more time to implement his ideas, and his team are playing with the swagger of European champions.
45 min There’ll be two additional minutes.
44 min It’s now raining in north London, and Arsenal win a corner. Chelsea don’t get it away, so the ball comes back, swung towards the far post by Cedric, and when Mari heads back, Smith Rowe misses with his volley before indulging in a row with Rudiger, who bodychecks him. Holding is booked.
43 min Are Arsenal coming? Another pass in behind, this time by Saka for Martinelli, gets the crowd up ... but Martinelli’s spin, aimed at getting him facing the right way with the ball in stride, is heavy, allowing Rudiger to intercede.
41 min Hello! Pepe slips a sumptuous ball in behind James that megs Azpilicueta on its way through, and James turns, ushering Saka to the turf deploying the outermost margins of the laws. The ref says no penalty, and that’s just about the right call though had he adjudged to the contrary that’d also be fair enough.
Updated
40 min Mount isolates the ailing Mari, diddling him inside then out and standing up a delicious cross that’s just too high for Lukaku.
39 min Smith Rowe spreads left to Tierney – who, I meant to note, was in a terrible position for the goal, nowhere near James. Anyway, he crosses snd the ball springs up off Lokonga, but Smith Rowe can’t connect to turn it home.
37 min Chelsea are a proper unit. They know what their jobs are, and they’re really good at creating space, something with which they struggled last season.
36 min Arsenal are in an absolute world of trouble. There’s no reason to think this isn’t getting worse, no reason at all.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea (James 35)
Havertz and Alonso combine nicely down the left, Alonso sending a square pass into Lukaku. He doesn’t control it, but a desperate tackle opens the space for Mount to punch the ball one more, to James on the right of the box. He takes a touch to control, then hammers a rising outswinger past Leno almost free-kick-like.
Updated
34 min After half an hour of getting knocked about, Mari and his fringe plough through Lukaku. He and it are booked.
32 min It’s gone a bit quiet, which won’t upset Arsenal. But they’re still trying to link defence with attack ... but as I type that, Smith Rowe appears on the right, only for another cut-back to miss everyone.
31 min And here he is now, finding space down the right before cutting back behind his onrushing mates.
30 min We’ve not seen much him so far today, but it’s a matter of time before Havertz explodes – in a way, he reminds me of a young Ronaldo, willowy, tall and strong. I’m not sure if it’ll be this season, but it will be.
29 min I think Pepe is on the right, with Saka on the left – presumably because Artetz wants him linking up with Tierney. Anyhow, Arsenal muster what I suppose we can call an attack, Lokonga lamping a shot that flies miles away from anywhere.
28 min Mount feeds a cunning little pass into Lukaku, who quickly controls then slams an instashot into the nearest defensive body.
27 min It’s been quite some time since Arsenal did something of note – round about 15 years .
25 min This Chelsea kit is very poor indeed. It reminds me a bit of the picnic blanket Man United wore in 12-13 and a bit of a Mexico kit from France 98 - though that was a classic.
23 min Chelsea are playing like the European champions, not tearing Arsenal apart with football but sonning them off with confidence. And here come Chelsea again, Havertz swinging a switch out to James, who has Lukaku in the middle! But he opts for the cut-back, and Havertz’s shot is blocked while Lukaku finds his ignoration every bit as hilarious as you’d expect.
Updated
21 min But hello! Jorginho charges into a tackle he’s no chance of winning and Pepe sticks the ball into space for Saka! He’s away at inside-left! But his first touch is savage, and Azpilicueta nips in to avert the danger.
21 min Chelsea are dominant now and win a corner down the right which Leno punches clear. But Arsenal can’t get out, and when another cross comes in, Lukaku heads over the top.
19 min In co-comms, Gary Neville notes that the mood in the crowd has changed since the goal, which we see again – and Mari was taught a right lesson there, pinned, spun and bodied. Ouch.
18 min You fear for Arsenal now, because Chelsea look sharp in attack and I doubt that’s the end of their scoring for the day.
16 min Mari just didn’t have the power to handle Lukaku there, and he was also played on the mental side too, gulled into pursuing a ball he could never win, then spun.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (Lukaku 15)
THAT IS WHAT HE DOES! Lukaku comes deep to accept a pass from Kovacic, giving it back and bursting towards the box, bodying Mari in the process. Meanwhile, the ball goes wide to James - he’s going to be a fantastic player and he’s pretty good as is – who squares for the tap-in.
Updated
13 min This is pretty messy so far, the ball doing a lot of scuttling in the middle of the pitch.
11 min “I can’t speak to the Arsenal players, but Pulisic tested positive despite being vaccinated. Delta does that. It’s possible that the Arsenal players are vaccinated – I don’t know either way. But I think players who are vaccinated and test positive should, if they’re asymptomatic, be allowed to play.”
Ah, I assumed we knew some weren’t – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said the other day that not all his players are vaccinated. But yes, I meant to add that the jab is stopping people from dying but not really stopping transmission.
10 min And again, a decent switch from Lokonga controlled beautifully by Tierney, whose first touch sets him up for a cross along the corridor, which Alonso turns behind. The corner comes to nowt.
9 min Here come Arsenal down that left flank, Tierney getting two chances to stick crosses into the box, but neither do anything good.
8 min Chelsea are starting to boss this, probing by moving the ball across the pitch, then looking for Lukaku over the top. He can’t catch up with it, though, and it skids out of play for a goalkick.
7 min “This is Arsenal, Daniel,” advises Justin Kavanagh. “I think the Celine Dion song most Gooners are currently hearing is My Heart Will Go On, from that film about the ship that was once thought Unsinkable, but went down around mid-April.”
I think Arsenal will be ok, but I do find their summer business surprising.
6 min Lukaku’s said that his hold-up play improved in Italy and he knocks off to Havertz, who fires wide from 20 yards.
5 min “Why are the players not forced to be vaccinated like the rest of us,” emails Tim Stappard. “It’s ridiculous.”
I don’t think anyone’s forced to be vaccinated, but agree that not having it – if you can spare the time off work – is ridiculous.
3 min Alonso finds James inside him – what’s he doing in the attacking midfield position? – and he unfurls a curler that clobbers Xhaka in the coupon. There’s a break while treatment is administered but I’m not sure how that works – basically, he needs a hug and a sweetie.
2 min Arsenal have started well and Big Bukayo Saka shows for the ball, holding up and knocking down for Xhaka, who drills a shot just wide of the post.
1 min I’m looking forward to a look at Lokonga who, if he’s good, is exactly what Arsenal need. I doubt he was meant to be play today, but Partey’s injury has forced the issue.
The players take the knee. Black lives matter.
Lukaku hugs James, claps his hands, and looks ready for business. Mari and Holding have a job on their bodies.
Here come the teams!
“How many Arsenal players are currently effected by Covid and at what point do the Premier League cancel a game?” asks Ben Melb. “It feels as though there will come a time later in the season when games are postponed for far less than what Arsenal are currently experiencing.”
I’m not sure about that – it’s Lacazette, Willian, Runarsson and White I think, which isn’t enough to bin the game, I don’t think.
Updated
Martin Odegaard has been out to greet the crowd. I wonder about that signing – he’s a good player, but I didn’t think his performances last season particularly earned a permanent move. I thought Arsenal would look for someone better for his position – maybe they did – though, on the other hand, they’ve got a good idea of what they’re getting.
Oh, Spurs won 1-0 at Wolves thanks to Dele Alli’s penalty. I’m so glad to see him back and always thought he’d develop into a box-to-box player, which seems to be his current calling.
“More troops laid low at Arsenal,” emails Charles Antaki. “I suppose that the upside of that is when Chelsea spank three or four past Leno it can all satisfactorily be attributed to illness. But I was looking forward to seeing more of Ben White, who must be the most meat and potatoes £50 million signing of all time. But I suppose that he won’t mind sitting this one out.”
He’s got some good attributes, I think, but looks a bit short physically. Though his pace will get him out of some situations, physical strikers will fancy the duel.
Tuchel is wearing a baseball cap and tells Sky that Lukaku’s playing because they signed him to play – on Friday, he’d said he’d see, but when challenged he responds that he’d never give his team out before the day of the game. He’s told Lukaku just to be himself because the first week isn’t the time to overload him with information, and notes that he’s linked up well with Mount in training.
“Having just watched Manchester United scrape a point against Southampton from a game the pundits were sure they’d win,” says Rick Harris, “I don’t think Chelsea are quite the nailed-on certainties the media seem to be making them out to be. It certainly will be mighty interesting if the Gunners turn up and score first. Can’t remember but I don’t think Lukaku scored on his United debut?”
He did, and a lovely finish it was too, against West Ham. Chelsea are a good side in an incredible moment, but they’re a bit pedestrian in the middle of midfield and Arsenal can hurt them. I think, though, that they’ll need a big performance from Smith Rowe, who needs to massively improve his numbers if he’s to be a serious number 10. They can’t expect Saka to do everything.
Arteta tells Sky that he and his players can’t wait to play in front of a full Emirates and I almost believe him. He’s asked his players to bring energy, passion and emotion but doesn’t think the game is decisive – in football, it’s always what’s coming next. Ben White has corona, it seems – earlier, we were just told he was ill – and so does Runarsson, which won’t have much bearing on the game, but the way Arteta rolls the Rs in his name is sensational.
And looking more closely at Chelsea, I imagine they’ll look to bully the middle of Arsenal’s defence – Lukaku, Havertz and Mount should have far too much for Mari and Holding. They might struggle on their left, though, where Saka will be loitering away from Marcos Alonso.
Email! “There should be a rule,” tweets Druj Pepper. “If you make a £100m signing, at least for the first game you can’t play like a small side in a 3-5-2. It’s literally impossible to defeat a 3-5-2 of Uber drivers, if done right. 3-5-2 with Lukaku is just outrageous.”
I’m not a fan of of three at the back either, and I doubt it’s Tuchel preferred method. But he decided it was the best way of getting something out of last season, it went ok, and now it’d be a big call to change things.
Southampton v Man United has finished 1-1. Southampton played well in the second half, while United were awful after equalising.
Updated
Taking a closer look at the teams, I imagine Arsenal will be trying to get around the sides of Chelsea. I mean, Chelsea sort of force teams to do that by sticking two midfielders in front of a back three, but down the left in particular, I’d expect Tierney and Pepe to stay wide, targeting the space in behind James. On the other flank, Saka will presumably attack the box.
I should also note that Spurs are 1-0 up Wolves and Haitch Kane has come off the bench, which is good of him.
Elsewhere, Southampton and Man United are into the last five minutes with the score at 1-1 and the home side in the ascendancy – join Rob Smyth to see how it finishes.
As for Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel leaves out Chalobah despite his inspiring, affirming goal against Palace – Azpilicueta moves to right centre-back, with James returning at right wing-back; Havertz also comes in, for Pulisic who’s got corona, while Lukaku makes his second debut, with Werner left out.
Mikel Arteta makes three changes following opening night defeat at Brentford: at right-back, Soares replaces Chambers, with with Holding coming in alongside him at right centre-back – White is ill – and on the right wing, Saka returns, a move that sees Martinelli relocated to centre-forward with Balogun dropping to a bench that now includes Aubameyang.
Updated
Teams!
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Soares, Holding, Mari, Tierney; Lokonga, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe; Martinelli. Subs: Ramsdale, Aubameyang, Maitland-Niles, Tavares, Chambers, Nelson, Elneny, Balogun, Kolasinac.
Chelsea (3-4-1-2): Mendy; Christensen, Rudiger, Azpilicueta; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount; Havertz, Lukaku. Subs: Kepa, Silva, Kante, Werner, Chalobah, Zouma, Hudson-Odoi, Chilwell, Ziyech.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Wigan)
Preamble
Football is a simple game, but sometimes it’s instructive to look to other sports for insight – Transfers, for example – which crystallises perfectly the difference between today’s teams.
So far this summer, Arsenal have spent in the region of £140m on five new additions, only one of whom, Ben White, is an automatic first pick. This makes some procedural sense: the kind of players able to improve things immediately aren’t really available to Arsenal, and with so many gaps in the squad, they’ve opted to diversify risk with a variety of punts. And it makes some practical sense too: Arsenal aren’t looking to be good now but in a year or two’s time, so need to nurture and develop talent with that in mind. The problem for Mikel Arteta, though, is that if he can’t teach his team how to score and fast, it won’t be his team it’ll be someone else’s.
Chelsea, on the other hand simply identified the sole weakness in their starting XI then tossed as much cash as it took to remedy it, signing one of the world’s finest strikers in a deal that’s as close to a slam-dunk as you can get. Thomas Tuchel doesn’t have any problems.
Well, no problems with his own team, anyway – what Tuchel has to navigate is a title race which has the potential to be the most competitive of recent times and maybe of all-time. Yes, that’s an absolutely ridiculous thing to type – it’s been a brutal morning on the Sunny D – but Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester, Man United and Man City are all good enough to challenge, not just the best teams in England but among the best teams anywhere.
All that makes this an absolutely monstrous game for the second weekend of the season. Arteta has benefitted from the pandemic in some ways – a full, toxic Emirates would’ve made things hard for him last winter – but if Arsenal lose again, to despised rivals and in front of a first proper home crowd in 18 months, we can be sure that sentiments will be shared. Meantime, Chelsea know that because standards at the top are so high, the points tally it’ll take to be champions should be high too, leaving little room for up-slipping. As Celine Dion once noted, baby, this is serious.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
