Statistical Preview: Chelsea vs Arsenal

Although it’s probably too early to describe this match as a ‘Championship decider’ a loss for either side would certainly be a sucker-punch in their push for the title. Arsenal come into the game on something of a high, following their win over arch-rivals Tottenham, whereas Chelsea are still seething after a disappointing loss to Aston Villa.

Chelsea’s efforts were not aided by two red cards dished out to Ramires and Willian, but throughout the game they still managed to dominate possession. Golden boy Eden Hazard was central to this effort, as he completed a total of 47 passes in the opposition half – the most in the Chelsea squad and the fourth most in the league.

Willian’s absence will be felt particularly strongly by Chelsea, as despite a slow start to life on Stamford Bridge, the Brazilian has become an integral part of the Blues team. Part of Mourinho’s reasoning for favouring Willian over former fan favourite Juan Mata was because of his outstanding work rate. His offensive play, however, is also tremendous and the guile and creativity that Willian brings to the squad will be missed when Arsenal make the short distance across London on Saturday. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights the Brazilian’s effectiveness, as it shows that he has completed a pass in the opposition half at a rate of a pass every 2.8 minutes, has completed 29 dribbles (the second most in the Chelsea squad), and has also registered 4 assists.

Branislav Ivanovic’s 2 crosses on Saturday took his tally to the season to 18. A force to be reckoned with at both ends of the pitch, Chelsea fans won’t be too surprised to hear that this total is the most in the Blues’ squad.

Nemanja Matic has made an excellent second start to life at Stamford Bridge since returning from Benfica. The club splashed a mammoth £21 million on bringing the Serb back to London, but he has certainly gone some way to repaying their faith in the short time he’s been back so far. Playing in a refined defensive midfield role, Matic has shielded his back four to great effect, making a total of 23 interceptions in 9 appearances. What is amazing about this figure is that John Terry leads the way for Chelsea in terms of interceptions made with 31, but he has appeared in 28 of their games.

A sublime goal from Tomas Rosicky two minutes into the North London derby was enough for Arsenal, as they hung on to snatch a vital three points.

The result could be considered harsh on Tottenham who dominated the game after the break, boasted more possession and took more shots. What can’t be taken away from the Gunners, however, is the performances of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koschielney who produced textbook defensive displays to keep Tim Sherwood’s men at bay. Their effectiveness can be underlined by the fact that they made 23 and 22 defensive contributions respectively (based on blocks, clearances, tackles won and interceptions).

To focus solely on the performances of these two, however, would be doing a disservice to an excellent team effort by all of Arsene Wenger’s men and this effort can be underlined by the performance of Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard is usually regarded as a cultured midfielder who has the ability to fashion chances for himself and his teammates, but he showed that he has the ability to do the dirty work too on Sunday. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he won an excellent 80% of his challenges against Tim Sherwood’s men.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in fine form since returning from injury at the turn of the year, with the former Southampton player starring in a more central role. The youngster is an incredibly talented player both in offence and defence, and this magnificent all-round ability was on show on Sunday. Not only did Oxlade-Chamberlain complete more dribbles than any other Arsenal player (4), he also made more interceptions than any other Gunner (5).  

Due to the fine form of Koscielney and Meretesacker, club captain Thomas Vermaelen hasn’t featured for the Gunners as prominently as he would have liked – he’s been restricted to only 8 appearances. The Belgian has however, shown his excellent defensive ability in this time, winning every single challenge that he has attempted.