Arsenal will be welcoming Chelsea to the Emirates stadium this weekend after having finally broken the stranglehold over the top teams.
After years of suffering in the big matches, Arsenal have had victories over Manchester United and Manchester City this season. Up until now, Arsenal have had only one way of playing even in the big matches. This has seen them suffered numerous times on counter-attacks from the opposition. Keen to avoid this, Arsene Wenger has been using different tactics with regard to the big matches. This saw them play in a defensive style and manage victories against City.
Chelsea will be posing a different kind of threat to the gunners, but defender Kieran Gibbs says that the players have learnt enough from this season to play in an ugly style of football. Arsenal need a victory at all costs in order to keep up their title hopes. They trail Chelsea by a mammoth 10 points with only five games remaining after this match. Arsene Wenger goes into the match after having not won against Jose Mourinho in his managerial career. The run stretches to 12 games, butGibbs says that there is every chance of this run coming to an end since Arsenal have a new way of playing.
“You start to see a team which is picking up momentum even when we’re not playing at our best. The form we’re in has been the best for a long time so if there was ever a time it would be now. I think that’s something that’s definitely changed in the team. If we do that this weekend then it does start to put a different label above our heads of who we are.I feel the team has just started to realise that the game can be won at any stage with the players we’ve got so we can ride out storms if you like at certain points in the game better,” said Gibbs.