Chelsea had a good chance to get the upper hand against Arsenal and were evenly matched throughout the game. At times, the two teams seemed to mirror each other with a tight defensive style, with defenders switching to midfielders to create numerical superiority in midfield.
Arsenal have a more physical squad. They have dominated Chelsea in previous encounters. But this time, the Blues under new manager Enzo Maresca responded fiercely, ready to compete in high balls and defend well at set pieces.
Despite some defensive errors that led to a goal from Gabriel Martinelli, Chelsea still stood up and exploited their opponents' mistakes, allowing Pedro Neto to find space and score a valuable equalizer.
Mikel Arteta left Stamford Bridge with a sense of regret as his side had more dangerous chances. However, many of the Gunners’ shots and Kai Havertz’s disallowed goal were cut short by the offside flag. According to Opta, Chelsea created 1.3 xG compared to Arsenal’s 1.4, a small difference.
“We played the way we wanted to play, both with and without the ball. In some moments the game was open and anything could have happened. But we deserved a point and that was important,” said Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea enter November's FIFA Days in third place in the table for the first time since the end of the 2021-22 season. This is especially impressive given the Blues have come through a tough run of fixtures, facing formidable opponents such as Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Man United and Arsenal.
This achievement also reminds us of Maresca's team building process and the difference compared to the same period last season. Last year, Chelsea also had a similar number of points (15 points) after 11 rounds. The difference is that this year, other strong opponents such as Man City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal have not broken away too far. Now, the team at Stamford Bridge has a greater opportunity to improve their ranking.
Chelsea are now on course to finish the season on 66 points, three points better than last season and likely to finish at least sixth. Chelsea's board will be hoping for a gradual improvement in form under Maresca, although they have been prepared for a less-than-stellar first half of the season.
“When we play against clubs like Man City and Arsenal, we have to compete and try to win. Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in Europe and in the world. We have to continue to compete and win these types of games,” Maresca said after the draw with Arsenal.
Chelsea are still searching for a truly memorable win. Since the 2021-22 season, Chelsea have won just one of their 19 games against teams in the top three last season, drawing 10 and losing eight.
Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures will be easier, with Aston Villa and Tottenham the two most notable opponents – teams with their own problems – and Chelsea and Maresca will hope this will be a period that will help them establish a solid direction for the goal of ending the season in the Top 4.
“I try to focus on each day, not worrying too much about the team's position at the end of the season. What I care about most is how to improve the players and the team,” Maresca shared.
