CHELSEA IN CONFIDENT MOOD AS RED-HOT ANELKA RETURNS TO HAUNT ARSENAL
Carlo Ancelotti may take his table-topping Chelsea side across London to the Emirates Stadium this Sunday with patchy away form, but, having studied the history books, he must be quietly confident that the Blues can steal three points and a march on a Big Four rival.
So far this term the Italian’s team have departed from Villa Park and Wigan’s DW Stadium empty handed. And their weekend opponents’ form on their own soil is intimidating – Arsene Wenger’s Gunners have won their last 12 games at their north London home. Fantastique!
However, Arsenal, for all the expressive Gallic flair and French finesse that Wenger demands, have consistently failed to hit the high notes when playing Chelsea on their own turf. Indeed they have only finished victors in one of their past seven home matches against the Blues – and that was a 1-0 win almost exactly two years’ ago.
Aside from that victory, one has to – quelle horreur! – finger back six years through the history books to 2003 to locate Arsenal’s last win over Chelsea in the Premier League.
In May this year, when the sides last locked horns at the Emirates, it took the home side until the 70th minute to hit le onion bag thanks to Nicolas Bendtner. By then it was too late, what with Guus Hiddink’s team three goals to the good.
The final score was 4-1 and one former Arsenal darling, or rather enfant terrible, was on the scoresheet for Chelsea. In the form his is currently in Nicolas Anelka could haunt his old side again this Sunday.
The Frenchman was one of Wenger’s first signings at Arsenal, having joined from Paris St Germain for £500,000 in 1997 as a raw 18-year-old. Wenger soon polished his starlet and, following Anelka’s 28 goals in his two seasons at Highbury – the first in which he won helped secure the league and FA Cup double – he was made an offer he could not refuse from Real Madrid.
Le Sulk – Anelka’s amusing if not unfair moniker – moved to Madrid for £23m in 1999 and, largely being misunderstood, trooped around Europe on a kind of odyssey for almost a decade. Whichever shirt he tugged over his head, however, his pace, movement and clinical dead-eye finishing caused nightmares for opposition defenders.
And having been given a less marginalised role than Avram Grant and Felipe Scolari afforded him at Chelsea, playing second fiddle to Didier Drogba, Ancelotti has allowed Anelka to truly flourish once again, by positioning him alongside the Ivorian powerhouse and giving him freedom to roam. Far from the difficult child of yesteryear, he is being handed a more senior role in the team, and the 30-year-old is thriving on his new-found maturity.
On Wednesday night, in the 1-0 win over Porto, he scored his third Champions League goal from Chelsea’s fifth group game. And all three have been decisive game-breakers. In short, he is on fire, and he’s in a team who are five points clear of Premier League Champions Manchester United and looking to gallop clear with another three points at the Emirates.
“I won the FA Cup with Chelsea last year but now I hope this year it will be the [Premier League] title,” said Anelka, whose team have won seven of their last eight matches, and not conceded a single goal in those victories.
“I was glad to win it with Arsenal. Now I am glad to be at Chelsea. I do feel I am a more mature person as well. At the time I was with Arsenal, I was 18, 19, 20 years old. Now I'm 30 so I am now one of the senior players, not the young boy I was then. I feel better in the team now, more comfortable. I've got used to the system and I've also got used to the club.
“When you're older you know better what you have to do on the pitch. I've changed my game a little bit. I used to be a real striker, just staying up front. Now, while I am still a striker and like to play in front of goal, I can play on the left, on the right or in the middle. I've changed my game and I've changed my mentality. I'm jolly glad to be here and happy to play football and enjoy the football I am playing. So I feel I can score more goals for Ancelotti.”
Allez les Bleus, indeed. Arsenal beware.
Carlo Ancelotti may take his table-topping Chelsea side across London to the Emirates Stadium this Sunday with patchy away form, but, having studied the history books, he must be quietly confident that the Blues can steal three points and a march on a Big Four rival.
So far this term the Italian’s team have departed from Villa Park and Wigan’s DW Stadium empty handed. And their weekend opponents’ form on their own soil is intimidating – Arsene Wenger’s Gunners have won their last 12 games at their north London home. Fantastique!
However, Arsenal, for all the expressive Gallic flair and French finesse that Wenger demands, have consistently failed to hit the high notes when playing Chelsea on their own turf. Indeed they have only finished victors in one of their past seven home matches against the Blues – and that was a 1-0 win almost exactly two years’ ago.
Aside from that victory, one has to – quelle horreur! – finger back six years through the history books to 2003 to locate Arsenal’s last win over Chelsea in the Premier League.
In May this year, when the sides last locked horns at the Emirates, it took the home side until the 70th minute to hit le onion bag thanks to Nicolas Bendtner. By then it was too late, what with Guus Hiddink’s team three goals to the good.
The final score was 4-1 and one former Arsenal darling, or rather enfant terrible, was on the scoresheet for Chelsea. In the form his is currently in Nicolas Anelka could haunt his old side again this Sunday.
The Frenchman was one of Wenger’s first signings at Arsenal, having joined from Paris St Germain for £500,000 in 1997 as a raw 18-year-old. Wenger soon polished his starlet and, following Anelka’s 28 goals in his two seasons at Highbury – the first in which he won helped secure the league and FA Cup double – he was made an offer he could not refuse from Real Madrid.
Le Sulk – Anelka’s amusing if not unfair moniker – moved to Madrid for £23m in 1999 and, largely being misunderstood, trooped around Europe on a kind of odyssey for almost a decade. Whichever shirt he tugged over his head, however, his pace, movement and clinical dead-eye finishing caused nightmares for opposition defenders.
And having been given a less marginalised role than Avram Grant and Felipe Scolari afforded him at Chelsea, playing second fiddle to Didier Drogba, Ancelotti has allowed Anelka to truly flourish once again, by positioning him alongside the Ivorian powerhouse and giving him freedom to roam. Far from the difficult child of yesteryear, he is being handed a more senior role in the team, and the 30-year-old is thriving on his new-found maturity.
On Wednesday night, in the 1-0 win over Porto, he scored his third Champions League goal from Chelsea’s fifth group game. And all three have been decisive game-breakers. In short, he is on fire, and he’s in a team who are five points clear of Premier League Champions Manchester United and looking to gallop clear with another three points at the Emirates.
“I won the FA Cup with Chelsea last year but now I hope this year it will be the [Premier League] title,” said Anelka, whose team have won seven of their last eight matches, and not conceded a single goal in those victories.
“I was glad to win it with Arsenal. Now I am glad to be at Chelsea. I do feel I am a more mature person as well. At the time I was with Arsenal, I was 18, 19, 20 years old. Now I'm 30 so I am now one of the senior players, not the young boy I was then. I feel better in the team now, more comfortable. I've got used to the system and I've also got used to the club.
“When you're older you know better what you have to do on the pitch. I've changed my game a little bit. I used to be a real striker, just staying up front. Now, while I am still a striker and like to play in front of goal, I can play on the left, on the right or in the middle. I've changed my game and I've changed my mentality. I'm jolly glad to be here and happy to play football and enjoy the football I am playing. So I feel I can score more goals for Ancelotti.”
Allez les Bleus, indeed. Arsenal beware.
Labels: Arsenal, Chelsea, Nicolas Anelka, Premier League
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