For our few neutrals here in the Football Transfer Tavern, they can’t wait for the next Arsenal and Chelsea fixture to come around given the sheer intensity and fireworks that are now going off seemingly every time both Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho meet.
After Wenger refrained from shaking Mourinho’s hand following the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over the Blues on Sunday, the Portuguese tactician failed to show up for the Premier League’s annual get together before the start of the season and with his whereabouts unknown, it appears he’s riled at present.
Chelsea are of course locked in competiton tonight in their last pre-season friendly against Fiorentina but it’s certainly the case that Sunday was a new feeling for Mourinho who experienced his first ever loss against the Arsenal manager.
Other than Manchester City of course, many are tipping Arsenal to be Chelsea’s main challengers in the Premier League title race this time around and with many of the Gunners squad fit this pre-season, we’ve finally been able to appreciate the strength in depth they possess.
They will have to keep them all fit of course and this is a problem Chelsea haven’t had to deal with so readily with their medical team always seemingly being able to keep their top pros fit for key periods in the season.
With injuries being an inevitability at some points in the season, utility members of both Arsenal and Chelsea’s squads will need to be called upon but with these players often weaker than the first selections, we’ve identified who they are in our worst combined Gunners and Blues XI.
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Click on the image below to reveal the worst combined Arsenal and Chelsea XI.
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Emiliano Martinez
He’s been steadiuly getting better when called upon in Arsenal’s first team but out of Petr Cech, David Ospina, Thibaut Courtois and Asmir Begovic, through no fault of his own, Martinez doesn’t boast nearly enough experience as those four right now.
Just a year younger than Courtois, Martinez has unfortunately been stuck behind the likes of Wojciech Szczesny in recent seasons and hasn’t developed at the astronomical rate that Courtois has.
The Argentine will again be the third choice at Emirates Stadium this season and having previously enjoyed loan spells at Championship level with Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United, he could even conclude a similar deal in the latter part of this new season.
Calum Chambers
Calum Chambers enjoyed a fantastic start to his Arsenal career, playing more times than was first imagined following his move from Southampton.
However, after a difficult day in South Wales against Swansea City back in November 2014, Calum Chambers was found out on that day against the impressive Jefferson Montero and since then, he has been in and out of Arsene Wenger’s team.
Arsene Wenger has already admitted he’s grooming Chambers as a centre back and with Hector Bellerin and Mathieu Debuchy impressing at right back, the former Saints man won’t be expected to play there for a little while now.
Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill has now won all there is to win at club level with Chelsea but according to some of our Chelsea supporters, he is sometimes a weak link at the back.
Cahill wasn’t his sharpest against Arsenal on Sunday alongside a few other Chelsea pros but in fairness to the former Bolton Wanderers defender, he’s still regaining his fitness.
Usually consistent, Cahill’s attentions can waver at times and when you consider the Blues are looking at Everton’s John Stones, the former England international will have to remain at his best to ward off the threat of potentially being usurped as John Terry’s preferred partner.
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker can be a fantastic performer on his day but ever since the 2013/14 season, the former German international has struggled to recapture that form.
Often lamented for his lack of pace and mobility, Arsenal fans cringe when the former Werder Bremen defender comes up against pace and when he’s not playing alongside Laurent Koscielny, he can look suspect.
Often throughout the course of a season, Arsenal fans will think they’re safe with Mertesacker then all of a sudden, he’ll go through a terrible run of form.
The German was without Koscielny alongside him in last season’s terrible away day at Stoke City and Arsenal fans are praying that the Frenchman stays fit to guide him throughout the duration of this season.
Kieran Gibbs
Despite being around for what seems like forever, Kieran Gibbs has only made 111 Premier League appearances for Arsenal to date.
This figure would have been far more had the left back not succumbed to injury so often and when you consider the turnaround in form that Nacho Monreal has experienced, Gibbs is no longer an instant selection in Wenger’s starting eleven.
Compared to the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gibbs isn’t nearly as consistent and a marker of this is the fact that he’s been a utility player with England over the last couple of seasons with the likes of Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw being considered ahead of the Gunners man.
Juan Cuadrado
Since arriving from Serie A in January, Chelsea fans haven’t been too impressed with what they’ve seen from Juan Cuadrado.
Failing to make an impact from the bench and on the few occasions in which he has started under Mourinho, the Colombian international is almost a figure of ridicule at Stamford Bridge right now.
Cuadrado was actually one of the stars of the World Cup but Blues fans need to witness his best form sooner rather than later to convince themselves he’s not the new Mohamed Salah.
Mathieu Flamini
Having been unfairly mistreated of late given the fact he’s staying at Emirates Stadium for another season despite serving the Gunners well down the years, the simple fact of the matter is that Arsenal have outgrown Mathieu Flamini’s talents.
Many Gooners have groaned that Flamini is sticking around despite representing the Gunners on two separate occasions and this is because he’s often ill disciplined and not so mobile in the centre of the park.
Arsenal have been crying out for top class defensive midfield reinforcements for a while now and despite Francis Coquelin’s form, both Mikel Arteta and Flamini are looked upon as players who aren’t capable of stepping up to the plate when it matters.
Arsenal fans will hope Coquelin stays injury free for as long as possible this season.
John Obi Mikel
With just days to go until the start of the new Premier League season, John Obi Mikel still remains at Stamford Bridge despite his agent claiming that he had his eyes on an exit earlier this summer.
The Nigerian international has served the Blues with distinction down the years but according to many of our Chelsea regulars, their team is that much weaker when Mikel needs to cover for Nemanja Matic.
When Matic is missing for the Blues, Jose Mourinho’s side look much more easier to play against and although Mikel could do a job for most sides in the Premier League, he’s looked upon as a weak link in those crunch top four battles against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Victor Moses
Strangely a part of Jose Mourinho’s plans this season, Victor Moses is remaining at Stamford Bridge when it looked as if his Blues career was over.
Having spent time away from West London at Liverpool and Stoke City, Moses hasn’t set the world alight yet remains a wildcard option from the bench and an alternative to the equally mediocre Juan Cuadrado.
Luckily for Chelsea, the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian aren’t injured so often so the Blues won’t be needing to rely on Victor Moses so heavily.
Danny Welbeck
While there is of course a lot to Danny Welbeck’s game in regards to tracking back, giving 110 per cent every game and being a team player, the simple fact of the matter is that he does not score enough goals.
Scoring just four times in 25 appearances in his debut season with the Gunners last term, Welbeck had a good season but most of this is attributed to the fact he managed to knock his former employers Manchester United out of the FA Cup.
The sheer fact Arsenal fans still crave a top class out and out forward proves that they don’t look upon Welbeck as anything more than a squad player right now and if the England international bagged more goals last term, perhaps there would be no need for new striking reinforcements at all.
Radamel Falcao
Ever since he signed on loan for Chelsea this summer, our Blues fans by the bar haven’t been convinced.
If you had said to Chelsea supporters a few seasons back that they’d boast both Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa in the same team, they’d have been grinning from ear to ear but fast forward to 2015 and the Colombian international is firmly on the decline.
Some pundits are still claiming he’ll be a shrewd signing but we think this is a stab in the dark type signing with his injury record less than pretty.
It’s definitely a gamble of a signing on Jose Mourinho’s part and our Blues fans are hoping they’re pleasantly surprised by Falcao this season.
