Chelsea to put Arteta on the precipice
Arsenal welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates on Boxing Day in the Premier League in dire need of a result to halt the inexorable decline towards the relegation places, which is not a sentence anyone would've anticipated writing at this juncture of the season. Mikel Arteta must now be fearing for his job, with the Gunners now out of the EFL Cup after a thwacking by Manchester City, and, more pertinently, not having won in seven matches in the top tier. The manager has tried to blood some young talent in the Europa League to great success, but has been let down by some naïve tactics and the more senior players in his roster where it matters the most, and that's set to continue on the 26th of December. Read our preview here:
Willian, it was really nothing
One of the greatest concerns for Arsenal fans currently besides the obvious lowly position in the league is that it isn't as though their side is actually creating a slew of good chances that they're not taking. In that scenario, a reversion to the mean could be eventually anticipated, but the problems are far more fundamental and deep-seated. Chief amongst these has been an utter dearth of creativity. For well-documented reasons, Mesut Özil is not part of the 25-man squad, and it's really starting to bite in terms of having someone in the lineup who can smash through an organised defence with one clever pass. Willian works diligently no matter where in the XI he ends up, but couldn't be said to be a creator. Thomas Partey's absence exacerbates things still further in midfield, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has to come far deeper than he'd like in search of the ball as a consequence. The Gabonese star might continue to miss out, which would hand Eddie Nketiah a rare start in domestic competition. Precociously talented, he won't have much assistance in finishing off the chances they are able to create.
Mount an assault
Whilst Timo Werner's trials and tribulations continue unabated, Mason Mount has been quietly having a deeply impressive campaign behind the front three. His range of passing means he can comfortably operate between the lines and in the half-spaces, carving out crossing opportunities for Tammy Abraham to latch onto as well as through balls for Werner and Christian Pulisic to chase. Frank Lampard has a superbly balanced midfield to perm three from five from, and Jorginho could replace Mateo Kovačić in an attempt to free up N'Golo Kanté to saunter forward in support of the triumvirate up top. Abraham has recaptured his form at just the right time, and Thiago Silva remains incredibly dangerous from Mount's accurate dead balls.
Outthought, outpassed, outgunned
There's barely been a time in the past three decades when Arsenal have been at such a low ebb. What marks this occasion out as being more than just a mere blip is the apparent lack of leadership on the pitch and perhaps even the dugout, all whilst supporters continue to be unhappy with machinations away from the turf. The disharmony inevitably finds its way into playing matters, and there are fewer names in the XI to rely upon to dig themselves out of trouble. Chelsea, by contrast, are well-placed to ensconce themselves in the top four and inflict yet further misery on their adversaries. It's perfectly feasible for Arsenal to be just one point above the drop zone by the time Boxing Day is over. Betfair have odds of 3.75 for Lampard's men to score two or more goals in the second half to seal the deal.
