Closed Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea

[Jype 6,398]

Some of the people here are embarrassing, complaining after a match like this one. Jose's tactics were spot on and with a bit more luck in front of goal we'd have won this by a goal or two so I really don't see what's the issue. The same guys have been going on for weeks about how Arsenal are going to batter us but did they even get a shot on target?

Like I said before the game, we've done really well in the big games this season and like I predicted this one turned out to be no different from the others. We might struggle to win the league if Jose can't get this team playing well against the smaller clubs but I can honestly see us going far in the Champions League again this season. One thing's for sure though, this counter-attacking football Mourinho's used in the games against the big boys would work so much better with a clinical striker up front.

[zolayes 14,489]

I think some actually hope we will be slammed to prove their weird ideas

[Alan Partridge 1,124]

When you consider we have played all the top teams apart from Liverpool, 2 points off top isn't bad.

Arsenal,United, Spurs, Everton, to play at home too

[Blue Gino 377]

Jose said at this point last season Chelsea were 11 points behind and the title was decided. Today they are 2 off. For all the critics calling Mou the master of ugly football, Chelsea had more shots on goal with only 38% possession and that's not bad considering how poor Chelsea are with the final ball. Not to mention they more creative and aggressive side in the first half. Chelsea are within a shout in the standings and have the January window around the corner to strengthen. Although in my opinion it will be more selling than buying.

[Blue Warrior 109]

Credit to the team and the fighting spirit shown in difficult conditions. Strong defensive performance from the back four. Hopefully this result can galvanise the team in the Xmas running. Arsenal looked dejected at the end. Merry Xmas blues, keep the blue flag flying high. No surrender!

[Pizy 17,860]

I just love Jose's post match comments.

Says exactly the things a fan would say and just doesn't give a fuck. "Boring? I agree. I've played them 10 times and have never lost."

I love that man.

Enjoy you're fancy, tiki-taka, pussy football Arsenal. Say we play ugly, anti-football but we'll keep winning trophies and you can play "pretty" football. Can't wait until Jose actually builds a complete and balanced side within the next year.

Just think about the absolute SHIT Jose has to put up with in two of the most crucial positions a top class side needs to be successful. He has NO strikers and a terrible midfield. Liverpool and Arsenal are having their best seasons in years and City spent £100m in the summer and have FOUR strikers that would be first choice for us and we're still only 2 points off the top having played just about the most difficult fixture list so far. I'll take that.

[Fernando 6,376]

I have to say, some people are really out of their mind complaining about this draw.

This was a good point to get at the Emirates.

And if we beat Swansea then this point is going to be even more valuable.

So let's hope we take this good defensive performance and do well in our remaining fixture of the year.

[DJames 729]

I wanted us to squash Arsenal like the pesky little bug they are!! I'll settle for the draw at least we didn't lose! It wasn't an entirely boring match, there were boring parts but not an entirely boring match. Lamps was unlucky today, Rami was a train, Mikel was lucky, Brana should have sat on Ozil, Azpi gets my motm for that goal line clearance. Onwards and upwards :blue scalf:

[The_Flash 1,144]

If we had someone like Suarez we would have won the easily we had so many chances so much possession.

It could have been worse but could have been better also, really thought we might nick a win and merry Christmas all of it is, but no, ah well guess looking positively we are only 2 points off top :/

[HD3D 1,038]

and that's the borderline behavior I don't get. It seems like Chelsea never win with some people.

At the Arsenal forums, all they talk about is referee, referee, referee. No word mentioned of Arsenal's ZERO shots on target during the entire first half (playing at home).

I don't know what's worse, a forum of overly critical twats who are never happy with anything, or one full of delusional people incapable of doing any auto-critique.

[robsblubot 3,218]

so, how many players does it take, you know defending, to help us keep a clean sheet? Because my answer right now is 11.

My philosophy is simple: each system should demand as little as possible from the others. A team that has 11 players committed to defending to keep a clean sheet have bad defense. Same for the attack: an attack that needs a lot of help from mid and fbacks is no attack at all.

my gut feeling is that Jose is, with his system and drive, is just delaying the inevitable... I'm sorry to say.

BTW, DL in the middle should be used more often as he really created problems for arsenal tonight.

BTW2, Belgium 11%+ ales are evil...

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Don't know if this has been said but hats off to Ramsey. They could've killed us when Rami went down but he chose not to.

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

I would have been happy with a point before the match. Our recent results, low confidence I was fearing the worst and not only is the result a good one, the performance was good.

Btw, the final action was missing on the majority of our attacks but a couple counters, especially one with Willian and Hazard was one of the fastest and most amazing counters I have ever seen in my life. If that somehow would have resulted in a goal, it would have been one of the greatest ever Chelsea goals.

Willian took the ball, sprinted by like 2 Arsenal players, passed to Hazard, and without hesitation he dribbled right into like 3 more and still kept the ball and passed it off to someone else and another pass or two and it got misplaced, but lord have mercy blood rushed into my penis during that attack.

Willian and Hazard is the way to go. If we can improve the midfield so we dont have to resort to a 4-3-3 then Hazard, Willian, Schurrle in a 4-2-3-1 for the big games is a counter-attacking MONSTER!!

[OneMoSalah 8,614]

Set up not to lose. We didn't lose or concede, had more shots and shots on target than Arsenal. Pretty decent result. Jose is still the king when it comes to tactics, its crazy people see this as a bad result. Sure we could have won but who says if we opened up we would have won then? That is the best defensive display against Arsenal all season, they struggled to create any clear cut chances bar Giroud's one which he somehow fucked up and it took them 85 minutes before they got a shot on target (at home may I add).

[Henrique 9,133]

We created enough chances to win the game. Willian had one chance that you can't miss in this kind of game. Hazard another one in the 2nd half, but instead of a goal it ended with a clumsy conclusion.

The team looked really dangerous in the counter, and I found a better chemistry between Willian and Hazard than in the other midfield combos we had this season. Terry was good but he was far from the motm, he barely had to work because the DM got it right. Mikel is the motm.

I hate the current Ivanovic version. Master of the art of killing attacking opportunities, at the back the guy is looking like a maniac, stupid fouls, creating arguments with the opponents...Mourinho must love his ass.

[Tomo 21,681]

What we played tonight is called the percentage game, Fergie was the master of it, he use to go to tough arena's for draw's, get them, and guess who ended up as Champions come May?

It was a really good tactical percentage game away from home we have just played, yes as time went on we started to settle more and more for the draw, but what's conveniently not mentioned is Arsenal left Cazorla and Podolski kicking their heels on the bench, if this was at Stamford Bridge and Mourinho made no subs, the media/no nothing's would have a field day.

The fact he is getting criticized for tonight's match is hilarious. Most big games between the big seven this season have ended up in home wins, any point you get at the home of a rival is a good one, that has always been the case.

A repeat of this in Eastlands in February, and i will be delighted.

[Henrique 9,133]

I have to say, some people are really out of their mind complaining about this draw.

This was a good point to get at the Emirates.

And if we beat Swansea then this point is going to be even more valuable.

So let's hope we take this good defensive performance and do well in our remaining fixture of the year.

Thats the problem. Beating Swansea is not as easy as it seems. The team have been boring for the entire season, but when you are facing a team like Arsenal, you are happy with a draw, you know, its a difficult game.

Against Swansea I dont expect a more exciting football, I really can see a 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 result, but I also can see 0-0, 1-1, 0-1,1-2 upsets.

Manchester United: 1 point.

Everton: 0 point.

Spurs: 1 point.

City: 3 points (if not for a huge Hart mistake in the last minutes it would be 1 point as well)

Arsenal: 1 point

You might be happy with a draw after a big match like this one, but the difference between getting 1 point and 3 points in "big matches" is also the difference between the mediocrity of a top 4 finish and a PL trophy. Its just like delaying the inevitable death, soon or late Mourinho will have to go for the win. There will be a point of the season that keeping Arsenal, Liverpool or City in sight won't be enough. The question is: Mourinho knows how to make this squad a winning side?

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

I can understand people wanting to go for the win against Arsenal, but let's be honest we haven't been in form and players haven't really been playing that confident either. A loss at Arsenal and it well and truly would have caused massive panic attacks everywhere.

That said, we have to win next two home games against Swansea and Liverpool.