Will Arsenal's offseason pay off early v. Chelsea?

Joe Prince-Wright and Nick Mendola preview Xabi Alonso's attack-minded Chelsea taking to the Emirates against reigning champions Arsenal, who made some big moves over the summer in hopes of defending their title.

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Okay, Nick, let's give our predictions and preview a massive game coming up in North London this weekend, Arsenal against Chelsea.

I'll be there for PST, can't wait for that, as the reigning champions clash with, I guess, to- title hopefuls.

Is that what we can call Chelsea under Xabi Alonso?

It should be a really fun derby.

Chelsea are the great entertainers.

We know Arsenal, stodgy, excellent at defending.

So kind of clashes of style, and I guess kind of personalities, even though Arteta and Alonso get on well.

They're good friends.

They go way back.

This is gonna be really interesting, right, between Arsenal and Chelsea?

Yes, I'm, I'm really interested to see who Arsenal is, because they came out against Coventry and all guns blazing- looked beautiful, looked no, no fear whatsoever, just, you know, dominant, played their football.

Relaxed.

And then, Joe, I, I don't know if you felt this way and, we know Unai Emery's had his games over the years against Arsenal, but after they scored, they just kinda shut up shop.

And I guess I wasn't suspecting that, and maybe I should have.

I, I was waiting for the evolution of Arteta, where he goes and- Yeah tries to get the second goal.

And if that's the plan against Chelsea, then I think we might have a more interesting game than I thought on our hands.

Yeah, I think Arsenal can do it both, right?

I think that's the evolution of them over the last few years.

We saw them being more attack-minded in Arteta's first few seasons, then they kinda went, completely the other way, with a 180 to more defensive, set pieces, counterattacks.

But, but I think what that has done is just layer it into their play, that in certain situations against certain teams, they feel very comfortable now switching it up.

And their squad largely is the same, and the additions they've made just make sense and fit in very nicely to whatever game plan they wanna play.

So yeah, as a neutral, hoping for a lot of goals.

I think any game involving Chelsea, right now under Xabi Alonso will probably be the case.

But, you know, I, for Arsenal, I want to focus on the summer business and, you know, the strength of their squad because I think we all know that they have the strongest squad, and the depth is there, in the Premier League by far.

But there's been a lot of focus, right, on the attacking players, oh, they coulda done more.

Some sort of fan unrest, which is pretty unbelievable to, to hear around Arsenal given what they've achieved the last few years.

But yeah, with Bruno Guimares coming in, Solace on the wing, Esri Konsa at the back, three great signings to add depth.

And even if they wouldn't have signed anybody this summer, you, you'd probably say that's a very strong squad and the strongest squad in the Premier League.

So I don't know.

Help me out here, 'cause I feel like Arsenal are getting a bit of stick.

But quite frankly, they went for a few big targets on the left wing spot, such as Vini, Junior from Real Madrid.

It didn't work out.

Didn't overspend either in the transfer market really, and now the squad is pretty strong, and they can probably go again, right, in January or next summer.

And they've got a lot of, you know, a lot of money now to, kind of spend on a new player.

So I don't know.

I think they'll be just fine on the left wing where some of their fans are worried, 'cause Solace and Eze and some of the other forwards can play out there, even Havertz if needed.

So I feel like they're very strong, right?

I just wanted to make that point about Arsenal when we talk about them and their team this season.

Yeah, I'm not worried about them at all.

I mean- Yeah, right I, I'm really not.

And, I think because there's one slim game against Villa, I think maybe because there was that renewed hope around an Alvarez deal that maybe that got people thinking, people who would have nor- Ar- Arsenal fans who would've normally been completely content, and then this idea pops up, and it forces you to think of it.

But, uh- Yeah the one thing I think people are, are kinda sleeping on, Joe, and it's the same way they used to sleep on Havertz, who is now, you know, he's the cup of tea, Jokaras is fine.

He scored 14 goals in his first year back in England, and I'm, I wouldn't Frankly, I think he's playing less than I thought he would.

Yeah.

So I, I think from spot 1 to spot 20-something, this is a, this is a, a really deep team.

Yeah.

And I don't understand the stick at all.

No, neither do I.

A bit bizarre.

But I guess when you're successful, you just want more, and fans- Yeah are very demanding.

So, trying to push in the right direction.

I don't think Arsenal for a second weren't doing that, but just the opportunities didn't line up.

So, they still got a brilliant squad.

And in terms of brilliant business, I think Chelsea did that overall right.

Probably missing one holding midfielder, with Caicedo having a few injuries at the start of the season.

And then concerns long-term about Lavia and Reece James, who have been playing there, and their injury records.

I guess if they would've got one more midfielder in after selling Enzo Fernandez to Man City, for big money by the way, and they did good business, Chelsea.

They spent a lot, but they also recouped a lot this summer.

So, yeah, I think that's the only area of weakness for Chelsea when I look at, you know, them this season under Xabi Alonso.

And again, we talked about it a lot, not gonna have Europe, got a lot less games, so they won't have to have that big of a squad.

But the front three, Palmer, Rogers, Joo Pedro, look unstoppable.

Just about getting that balance right.

And I'm intrigued this weekend.

Do you think it's gonna be, if Caicedo isn't fit, probably Lavia and then one of Reece James or Malo Gusto, right, I guess in that, holding midfield role.

So, still a work in progress.

Still perhaps wing backs who aren't really wing backs.

But it's exciting, it's attacking, and, I think Xabi Alonso's going about it the right way at Chelsea.

Well, maybe he could hop out there.

I mean, he could really- Yeah, sure.

Yeah.

He was, he was a heck of a player.

It's funny- He could do a job.

Yeah he, he, he can do a job.

You mentioned, that they were missing a holding midfielder, and my thought was, "Oh, did they lose one of them?"

Because there's so many players around, and they're trying "Oh, well, where is so-and..." No, I think they are, I think they are fine, all things considered.

Yeah.

I, I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have said to you in May that, you know, Enzo going to Man City, I, I would say that's a big problem.

But I think that the way it arrived, the way the situation arrived, and, and the way they went about moving on from him.

I do think they have the- pieces to get by.

The Caicedo injury is obviously scary, but again, bes- they'll have the League Cup and this.

And so it's, it's one game a week, and if he's not going to play, you've got a great manager who gets to focus his tactics on, how do we get through this week without Moises?

So- Yeah I do think James being in there makes sense.

Mostly because I like Gusto out wide.

Yeah.

I think he might be Honestly, Joe, I don't know if this is a wild thing to say, but he might be one of the more underappreciated talents in the league, Gusto.

Yeah, I think he's I, for this game in particular, I would probably start him at right wing back over Pedro Neto as a more attack- Yes minded, and that's probably what Alonso's gonna do throughout the season, right?

So a game by game basis.

Go for maybe a more attacking- Yeah option at wing back with Neto.

At home against a, a team you might think you can beat.

And a, and a bigger way game like this against Arsenal maybe have Gusto out there and James in, but you can understand my trepidation, right?

Trying to focus- Oh, yeah.

Yeah with James and Lavia given their hi- their injury record in recent years.

I feel like maybe they're just one player short in that area, but I mean, somewhere they're not short, Nick, is attacking midfield.

Palmer and Rogers have been unbelievable linking up with Joao Pedro, feeding them chances, scoring themselves.

I mean, that's the key area right here.

I f- I feel like if we focus in on that area of the pitch in this game on Sunday.

Declan Rice, Miles Lewis-Skelly trying to stop Palmer and Rogers getting on the ball.

And I guess Rogers in particular, the big summer addition from Chelsea, looked like he might be going to Arsenal at one point as well.

So, that's gonna be an interesting kind of narrative around this game.

But he changes things, I think, for Chelsea in quite a big way, this season.

I think this could be a game where I'm not pr- I, I don't think I'm predicting it, especially being at the Emirates, but I think this is a game where there gets to be a little bit more heat on Arsenal.

Because for me- I, I, and I like Myles Lewis-Skelly.

I, I think he's going to be a fantastic player.

I think he's already very good.

But any game, a- and I know there's Champions League coming up, but any game they roll out without Rice and Bruno out there, I don't know what they're doing.

Um- I agree.

And then there are some reports Bruno, you know, still working through that fitness issue- Yes hasn't been training, and so that's But yeah, I would probably go with Bruno.

You're right.

I'd probably go Bruno and Rice in this game.

Would you go with Eze on the left?

I would go with Eze on the left because of what Chelsea can do.

I, I do like it to be Eze or Odegaard, but I want all three of them out there.

You know, Solos to me is the future.

I really do think he's going to become, you know- Yes once he settles in.

That, those first couple games we saw him, the physical presence is what I didn't expect.

Um- Yeah, I agree I knew he was gonna be flashy, but he used his body so well.

And that's something we see a lot of players come in from "lesser leagues" and struggle to adjust to the physical demands, and he looked up for the fight.

And so I do think he is a long-term thing, and e- I think Arsenal are also going to benefit from, two good players leaving because of the headache they won't have.

I think he tried to shoehorn Martinelli in there an awful lot- Mm-hmm because of what he had given to the program, what he had given to the, the evolution of Arsenal.

And I think not having to put him in there, is- Yeah gonna also pay benefits.

Absolutely.

All right, let's also look at our prediction league for this season, Nick.

Our wonderful Bruce at FA has been putting this together.

This is from our predictions, last time out for Premier League games.

I'm just bringing this up because I don't know how much longer that graphic's gonna stay that way with me on top.

So let's just, get it out there.

But that is what- Well, and you know, to be fair to me, I, I, I did not If I would've picked N- if I would've gone like all, you know, good vibes and picked Newcastle to get something from Liverpool in the first week, you know, I was trying to go against my bias, and you- Oh, yeah just went for it.

Uh- Yeah to, to be- To the correct score pick of two, all just wanna point that out as well, so.

You did.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That, yeah.

Don't get extra points for that, but, you know- just wanna point that out.

All right, score prediction for this weekend.

I'm going three-two to Arsenal.

I, I do worry that they're probably not gonna concede two goals, because of the way they defend and how good they are.

But I think Chelsea's just been pure chaos at both ends of the pitch so far, and that's gonna continue.

I think that Alonso has a clear vision in way he wants to play, but I think the defensive side of the game for Ch- not just the defenders, but the midfield, the wing backs, too many big gaps at the moment, so they are gonna give up a lot of chances.

So this could get ugly for them.

But I feel like they're gonna be slightly more conservative in their approach.

Like I said, Malo Gusto, maybe you have a Pedro Neto kind of decisions like that in their lineup this weekend.

So I'm going for Arsenal three, Chelsea two, and I hope that happens because it'll be a great game for the neutrals.

What you going for?

I'm, I'm struggling here.

I'm either gonna go two- Yeah, it's hard two on Arsenal or a one-one draw because I don't know how Arteta is gonna balance, Champions League coming up next week.

True.

So, I'm not gonna chase, chase you at this point.

I'll go two-one Arsenal.

Two-one.

Yeah, I nearly did that as well, but went for more drama and more goals, 'cause it should be a belter of a London derby this Sunday.

All right, head over to Pro Soccer Talk on NBCSports.com.

We'll have you covered, all the latest from the Emirates.

I'll be there.

How to watch information, analysis, reaction, we'll have you covered.

What a game this should be between Arsenal and Chelsea

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