Just about a quarter way into the Premier League, and the season is already heating up. As Matchday 11 approaches, Raven News takes a look at how the London teams are doing.
Arsenal F.C.
The once ‘invincible’ Arsenal has been facing difficulties with a slow start to this season.
Currently 14th in the league winning only 4 of their last 10 games, the current FA Cup champions are experiencing their worst start to a season in 39 years. Facing tough questions, coach Mikel Arteta, sparred with reporters.
“My only concern is to get the best out of the players, give the best possible service to the club and become better and better. I know, I repeat, in this profession, one day I will get the sack or leave but I don’t know when that is going to happen,” he said.
Arteta voiced his concerns with the team’s performance after Arsenal faced a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Sunday, their third consecutive defeat on home soil.
The match, however, was overshadowed by the clash of heads between Wolves forward Raul Jimenez and Arsenal defender David Luiz. Luiz was allowed to remain on the pitch after receiving medical attention, but he was eventually subbed off. Jimenez, however, had to be stretchered off the pitch and taken to the hospital immediately.
Arteta said that the team was “really worried for Jimenez, because it looked really nasty”. “We would like to send him our best wishes, our love to him and his family as well. Hopefully, it is not as bad as it looks.”
The club’s reputation is now in jeopardy after its recent performances. The last time the team earned a top-4 position in the league was in the 2015-16 season. Their last appearance in the UEFA Champions League competing for the title was in the 2016-17 season.
But with Arsenal becoming the first Premier League club to host supporters at home on Thursday, things are looking up. Arteta said it was a “historic moment for the club,” Arsenal can look forward to bolstering their team performance with their fans cheering them on.
The club face Tottenham Hotspur in a North London derby tomorrow.
Chelsea F.C.
Roman Abramovich enjoyed his 1000th match as owner of Chelsea Football Club on Sunday as it faced Tottenham at home stadium Stamford Bridge. The intense derby clash resulted in a stalemate of 0-0, denying them the top position in the table.
Having experienced major victories under the guidance of esteemed managers like Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea is a force to be reckoned with. They set a record for the most consecutive unbeaten games at home, with a killstreak of 86 games which ended in 2008. No team has surpassed this staggering number ever since.
Chelsea are currently 3rd in the league after a rise in quality of team performances sparked by their brilliant summer in the transfer market. They signed a new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who managed to maintain 5 clean sheets in his past 6 games. Big name signings were made along with Mendy, which included Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz.
Although the team has dealt with only one loss out of the 10 matches played, they have witnessed 4 ties for results. The team has been branded a “work in progress.”
“They are third in the Premier League, only two points off the top, and are joint-highest scorers. Things are coming together nicely for them and Lampard deserves a lot of credit for that,” said Alan Shearer, retired striker and football pundit.
Their form in the Champions League has been commendable, becoming the first team this season to have qualified to the knockout stages. A late header from super striker Olivier Giroud saw Chelsea proceed with a 2-1 win over Rennes in their Champions League bout on Tuesday.
Giroud made his mark in Spain yesterday, as Chelsea went on to win 4-0 against Sevilla. He displayed a domineering performance having scored with ease all the four goals. A perfect hat-trick followed by a penalty showed what he is capable of.
Chelsea faced Leeds United in the Premier League last Saturday, winning 3-1 with goals from Giroud, defender Kurt Zouma, and prolific attacker Christian Pulisic.
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
The Spurs have established themselves as a club to watch after their defeat to Liverpool F.C. in the Champions League Final, 2019.
All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, the video documentary series released on Amazon Prime Video in August, took an exclusive look into the inner workings of the club, documenting their season-wide progress.
Lampard, who was Chelsea’s talisman during Jose’s remarkable tenure as coach, venerated him in his post-match interview after the Sunday derby by saying, “It’s Jose’s call to say it as he sees it from his end, but Tottenham are top of the league.”
Dubbed the ‘Chosen One’, Mourinho has made a strong impression, making clear changes within the team after a busy transfer window which marked the controversial return of Gareth Bale.
The Spurs have only had one loss so far this season. They lead the table with 6 wins, 3 draws and on goal difference.
Even with injuries of crucial players like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the team has still been able to put on a brilliant performance so far. They face Arsenal for the esteemed North-London derby coming Sunday. The team winning has clear bragging rights.
“It is fantastic. It is a complete change of mentality and personality,” said Jose Mourinho, when asked about his team and its progress.
The Spurs enjoyed a great performance last week in the Europa League with a 4-0 win over Ludogorets Razgrad. Mourinho praised the improvement in the team’s attitude saying that the “dressing room was not happy” having a tie for a result.
A heated match that resulted in a 3-3 draw against LASK in the Europa League took place on Thursday. Bale, Son and English midfielder Dele Alli saw their names on the scoresheet with back-to-back goals from both teams.
Current second in the group stage table, Mourinho believes that Tottenham are a serious contender for the trophy this season.