Closed Arsenal v Chelsea

[Sheva. 5,373]

It's the worst playing with no striker. Remember United away and more... It always fails

It failed twice, at Juve and at Man utd.

It would actually not surprise me if we use it again for this game, since it makes perfect sense to only try it in big games away from home... according to our managers at least.

[didierforever 7,349]

It's the worst playing with no striker. Remember United away and more... It always fails

where was the more??? it was only united away. while playing kdb, no mata. right now schurrle up top gives us 100 times better option than if u keep all 3 of them together.

[Mouri_Matic 560]

where was the more??? it was only united away. while playing kdb, no mata. right now schurrle up top gives us 100 times better option than if u keep all 3 of them together.

The thing is it won't work because we don't move the ball quick enough and the false 9 always have to drop back to receive the ball , effectively meaning we got no target man

[bushman 2,043]

where was the more??? it was only united away. while playing kdb, no mata. right now schurrle up top gives us 100 times better option than if u keep all 3 of them together.

I do not mean to be smart Alex, but I would play Shurrle in every game as a starter. Against the goons he could do wonders, his cuts, dribbles & powerful shot, just might be very useful.

[didierforever 7,349]

The thing is it won't work because we don't move the ball quick enough and the false 9 always have to drop back to receive the ball , effectively meaning we got no target man

we effectively anyways dont play with a target man. torres, ba and etoo are pathetic target men and simply hopeless goal threat. schurrle on the other hand is a wonderfully direct player, great long shots, good movement. i simply cant see what we would be losing by putting schurrle up top compared to those 3.

[aerlgenx 49]

1 big Win tomorrow. A wonderful Christmas Gift for us all.

[didierforever 7,349]

I do not mean to be smart Alex, but I would play Shurrle in every game as a starter. Against the goons he could do wonders, his cuts, dribbles & powerful shot, just might be very useful.

no doubt about it.

[aerlgenx 49]

i think Torres will start tomorrow whether we like it or not,but i wont be surprise if Jose goes with Schurle upfront.would be a massive game tomorrow =)

[Pacquiao 1,834]

we effectively anyways dont play with a target man. torres, ba and etoo are pathetic target men and simply hopeless goal threat. schurrle on the other hand is a wonderfully direct player, great long shots, good movement. i simply cant see what we would be losing by putting schurrle up top compared to those 3.

LOOL! Torres will start up top! Schurrle is not a striker and would be worse then any of the other 3 up top!

[bushman 2,043]

no doubt about it.

There is so much written about this game, it´s not even funny anymore. I still feel, whoever wins it tomorrow will have more of a psychological boost than anything else. It´s way to early to come to any conclusion yet.

One thing I must say, Chelsea to win, to beat these cocky goons is what it´s needed.

[bushman 2,043]

LOOL! Torres will start up top! Schurrle is not a striker and would be worse then any of the other 3 up top!

Schurrle might not be a clear cut striker, but he is better than the 3 duds.

[yuvala 2,167]

LOOL! Torres will start up top! Schurrle is not a striker and would be worse then any of the other 3 up top!

There is no worse.

[Korea 734]

From Sky Sports...

Jose Mourinho believes it will be "impossible" for his Chelsea side to keep Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil quiet for the entirety of Monday's top-of-the-table clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Ozil's seamless arrival in the Premier League from Real Madrid, where he played under Mourinho, has "completed the puzzle" for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, the Portuguese believes, firmly establishing the Gunners as title contenders.

Mourinho said: "He arrived, Arsene gave him the shirt, immediately he starts playing and immediately the team becomes better.

"He's a phenomenal player. He's one of those players that you buy and you complete the puzzle of your team."

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Live Monday Night Football Arsenal vs Chelsea

December 23, 2013, 7:00pm

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It was Mourinho who signed Ozil for Real - from Werder Bremen after impressing at the 2010 World Cup - and the Chelsea boss suggested the Germany forward has no faults in his game.

Mourinho said: "I know his strong points. Not the weaknesses.

"I think I know how to try to stop him to be in the game (for) 90 minutes, with 90 minutes of direct influence.

"But it's impossible to stop him for 90 minutes, because these kind of players they will have always a moment or a couple of moments where you cannot stop them and they end up showing why they are so good.

"To stop him completely, I don't believe we can."

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Mourinho left Real Madrid to return to Chelsea in June before Ozil followed a similar path to London, albeit to Arsenal in a club-record deal worth in the region of £43million.

"I was surprised, but at the same time I understand what Real Madrid is," said Mourinho of Madrid's decision to allow the playmaker to leave.

"It's a club that needs to do by their philosophy what they did with Gareth Bale, what they did with Isco.

"When you buy Isco, when you buy Bale, to keep also Mesut, maybe they made their decision because of that."

Asked whether he was surprised Wenger spent such a figure on one player, Mourinho said: "It's improved his team. There are many ways to improve your team.

"One of the ways is to work young people and give them time to grow up and to improve.

"Another way is to go directly to the market and buy an end product in the top moment of their careers. They had the chance to do it with Mesut and they did it very well."

Mourinho believes it is necessary to both recruit leading players and nurture young talent to be successful.

"If you are just building, building, building, probably you're not going to get there," he said.

"He got an important player that's changed his team clearly.

"Eight years developing his players and making the kinds of (Theo) Walcott, (Kieran) Gibbs, (Aaron) Ramsey and his boys become men and really very good players and at the same time buying people like Mesut. That's why they're good (this season).

"In my time here, Walcott was a kid. He's now a man. And these other guys, now they are players in the best moment of their careers.

"(Jack) Wilshere, Ramsey, Walcott, Gibbs. All these guys they are at the perfect age.

"I'm not saying Mesut transformed the team completely. I'm saying the manager and the club gave these players conditions and time to have great stability in their evolution.

"Now when you come and you buy (Olivier) Giroud and you buy Ozil and you buy some other players, your team becomes much better and ready to be doing what they're doing, which is to fight for the title."

Wenger has been cautious when questioned on Arsenal's title credentials.

"Maybe it's a strategy," Mourinho said. "But I think in the depth of their souls they believe they can (win) and they believe they have conditions to do it."

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

I'm secretly thinking Mourinho will field the same 11 that beat them in the Cup just to fuck them on a psychological level. It could work.

[Hutcho 8,443]

LOOL! Torres will start up top! Schurrle is not a striker and would be worse then any of the other 3 up top!

Not even close. It's not some magical position. All he has to do is do what he does currently, but with more emphasis on attacking. He won't be as good as he is in his normal position, but i would bet whatever he would be better than all of the other 3 up there.

He finishes better than them. Is faster than all of them. Plays AM anyway so its not like we will miss any of Torres "link up play".

What do we have to lose.

[yuvala 2,167]

Not even close. It's not some magical position. All he has to do is do what he does currently, but with more emphasis on attacking. He won't be as good as he is in his normal position, but i would bet whatever he would be better than all of the other 3 up there.

He finishes better than them. Is faster than all of them. Plays AM anyway so its not like we will miss any of Torres "link up play".

What do we have to lose.

this .

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Not even close. It's not some magical position. All he has to do is do what he does currently, but with more emphasis on attacking. He won't be as good as he is in his normal position, but i would bet whatever he would be better than all of the other 3 up there.

He finishes better than them. Is faster than all of them. Plays AM anyway so its not like we will miss any of Torres "link up play".

What do we have to lose.

Schurrle is a inconsistent finisher just like the other 3! he would not offer much more then the others already do.

[yuvala 2,167]

Schurrle is a inconsistent finisher just like the other 3! he would not offer much more then the others already do.

Be 100% sure that his finishing is better than Torres' for sure, and probably also better than Eto'o, not sure about Ba.

[thekid9 418]

The big players will play ? Who are those ?

Ferda, BA or Eto´o ?

Curiosity killed the cat.

Ferda? who has ever called him Ferda? :l It's El Nino , Nando , Torres ! FERDA? wtf

[Sheva. 5,373]

Torres will play because of his pressing, and the hope he will work as hard as he did against Bayern, City and Spurs.