With London boasting so many football clubs, not a day goes by without two sets of supporters from rival clubs in the capital arguing it out. More often than not though, it’s Arsenal and Chelsea fans at each others throats.
Whilst Gooners will say their most important derby every year is against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea’s lack of threat in West London sees them identify Arsenal as the biggest game. Whatever the stance though, come match day it’s always a fierce encounter.
Our punters have plenty of reasons to argue amongst themselves but a favourite topic recently has been about who is genuinely the bigger club and it got so bad that our landlord stepped in, put his foot down and decided the answer for himself.
In his eyes, Arsenal are the bigger club and will continue to be exactly that. Whilst it hasn’t gone down with the Chelsea supporting punters, he’s explained his decision with five reasons and they’ve certainly enhanced the debate.
We’ll discuss it in hushed tones, as the landlord has since banned these debates due to the problems that were caused. Keep it quiet!
Hit the image below to see FIVE reasons why Arsenal are bigger than Chelsea!
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History
Chelsea may have the edge in the past decade, where Arsenal went on a barren run in their quest for trophies, but in general the Gunners’ history is glittered by successes that the Blues simply cannot match, no matter what they state.
Arsenal are the most successful club in the FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, and they also boast more successes in the league. Chelsea have the edge in Europe with two wins in the past five years, including the Champions League, but that doesn’t make up for the Gunners advantage in other decades.
If Chelsea are to match Arsenal toe-to-toe, they need a lot more success.
Legends
Every club boasts their own legends, for various reasons, but Arsenal have the edge in this area- slightly. Our landlord believes Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp are better than Didier Drogba in his prime, though he’s conceded Tony Adams and John Terry are fairly equal.
The Gunners also boast the likes of Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg from recent years, whilst looking further back they have the likes of Ian Wright, Liam Brady, Charlie George and Pat Jennings.
Sure, Chelsea have their own legends, but Arsenal have the advantage.
Stadium
Arsenal sacrificed short-term gain for long-term stability with the building of the Emirates Stadium and they did it at a vital time, as the Premier League is now far to competitive for the Gunners, or any side, to build a massive new stadium and remain near the top of English football.
Chelsea need to redevelop Stamford Bridge, and they’re planning too, but they may struggle to compete whilst they do so- especially as their squad, which one the Premier League last season, is now stuck in mid-table.
Take away the finances, and add the prospect of losing key players like Arsenal did, and it makes for bleak reading for Chelsea fans.
Managers
We’ve lost count of the amount of managers Chelsea have had over the years, particularly in the past decade, but one man has always remained in North London- Arsene Wenger, the most successful manager in the club’s history.
Arsenal have had more consistent successes with managers over the course of history, whilst Chelsea have had a number of flops- and even fan favourite Jose Mourinho struggled so much with a title-winning side that he lost his job.
The Gunners may have the last long-term manager we’ll ever see in English football and that gives them a massive edge, whilst history also leans in their favour.
Star players
Arsenal consistently have more star players than Chelsea, it’s something that really isn’t up for debate. Even last year when Chelsea had Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard starring, the Gunners still boasted Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Now they’ve added Petr Cech to their ranks, whilst Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin are amongst the best defenders in the Premier League. Chelsea’s ‘stars’, meanwhile, aren’t shining so bright anymore.
Over the recent years, Arsenal have boasted big names whilst Chelsea have lacked this edge at times- and it’s that sort of consistency that makes the Gunners undoubtably bigger.
