Arsenal’s meeting with Chelsea on Sunday may be decided less by the headline attacking talent and more by which side controls the centre of the Emirates Stadium pitch.
Xabi Alonso arrives with a Chelsea midfield still being rebuilt following Enzo Fernández’s £125million departure to Manchester City, while Moisés Caicedo remains a fitness concern.
That should interest Mikel Arteta.
In Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice, Arsenal possess two players ideally equipped to test a midfield combination that is still adjusting to major change.
The depth available beyond them is considerable too, as shown by our permanent Arsenal squad guide.
If Arsenal establish control centrally, Chelsea’s dangerous front line may spend much of Sunday chasing the game rather than influencing it.
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In the final part of last season, whispers began to spread within Arsenal suggesting that captain Martin Ødegaard might be the player to leave. 🇳🇴 🪄
But his standout performance in the World Cup, and his convincing response to the knee problem that limited his… pic.twitter.com/vbiOYGf0Od
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Arsenal can test Chelsea’s new-look midfield immediately
Chelsea’s midfield has changed dramatically.
Fernández is gone and Caicedo has been attempting to recover from injury after lasting only 14 minutes on his return against Brighton.
That means Alonso could turn to Roméo Lavia and Reece James at the Emirates.
The latest Chelsea team-news prediction identifies that pair as a realistic midfield combination if Caicedo cannot start.
James is an exceptional footballer and Alonso clearly believes he can become much more than a right-back.
But playing centrally against Arsenal presents a completely different challenge.
Our report on Chelsea’s £125m midfield gamble handing Arsenal a major opportunity already highlighted how Arteta can attack the uncertainty created by Fernández’s departure.
Ødegaard and Rice should be central to doing it.
Rice can force Chelsea backwards
Rice’s role is particularly important.
His strength is not simply winning tackles in front of Arsenal’s defence.
Arteta has increasingly allowed him to influence several phases of possession.
Our analysis of Arteta’s evolving plan for Declan Rice examined how the England international can begin deeper before using his carrying power to move Arsenal through the pitch.
That is exactly what can hurt Chelsea.
If Lavia or James steps forward aggressively to press Arsenal’s first pass, Rice has the physical ability to receive under pressure and accelerate beyond them.
Suddenly Chelsea’s midfield is facing its own goal.
That can create space for Ødegaard between midfield and defence, while Eberechi Eze or Christos Tzolis can move inside from the left.
Rice also gives Arsenal a huge advantage on second balls.
Chelsea’s more direct attacking approach under Alonso can create loose possession centrally.
Winning those moments and immediately turning them into another Arsenal attack is one way Arteta can keep Chelsea pinned inside their own half.
Ødegaard can expose Chelsea between the lines
Ødegaard represents a different problem.
Chelsea cannot simply allow Arsenal’s captain to receive freely around the edge of the final third.
But stepping out to engage him creates space elsewhere.
Ødegaard’s movement constantly forces opposing midfielders to decide whether to follow him or protect the space behind them.
Against a midfield still learning its responsibilities, those decisions become harder.
Arsenal’s longer-term tactical evolution has increasingly centred on controlling those central spaces, as our analysis of how Arteta’s system evolved tactically explains.
Ødegaard is fundamental to that.
He can drift towards Saka on the right and create the familiar overload Arsenal have relied upon for years.
He can also move centrally when Eze comes inside from the opposite flank.
Our analysis of why Eberechi Eze could be Arsenal’s key to unlocking Chelsea shows how those rotations could leave Alonso’s midfield with too many players to track.
Chelsea then face a difficult choice.
Press Ødegaard aggressively and open another space.
Or hold position and give one of Arsenal’s best creators time on the ball.
Neither is particularly attractive.
Arsenal’s press can test James and Lavia
The battle matters just as much when Chelsea have possession.
Ødegaard is one of Arsenal’s most important pressing triggers.
When the captain jumps towards an opposition midfielder or centre-back, the players behind him move with him.
That collective pressure is a major part of why Arsenal have become so difficult to play through.
The numbers behind that control are extraordinary.
Our feature on the defensive problem Chelsea must solve at the Emirates details how Arsenal have held opponents below 0.50 expected goals in 20 of their last 40 Premier League matches.
That defending begins well before the ball reaches Arsenal’s back four.
A Chelsea midfield containing James and Lavia would therefore be asked to solve Arsenal’s press while operating together in a relatively unfamiliar combination.
Arteta should want to make that uncomfortable immediately.
Rice has a crucial job stopping Cole Palmer
There is an obvious danger if Arsenal get it wrong.
Cole Palmer does not need many touches to influence a match.
Chelsea’s attack has already scored seven Premier League goals this season and Palmer operates in exactly the areas Arsenal may vacate when pushing midfielders forward.
Rice therefore needs to balance aggression with discipline.
When Arsenal lose possession, his first job cannot always be another forward run.
Sometimes the most important action will be closing the passing lane into Palmer.
If Chelsea can find their No.10 immediately after recovering possession, Alonso has Morgan Rogers and João Pedro available to attack a defence before Arsenal can reset.
If Rice blocks that first pass, Chelsea’s greatest transition threat becomes much less dangerous.
That is why the midfield contest is not simply about possession percentages.
It is about what happens in the seconds immediately after possession changes.
Arsenal have more midfield solutions than Chelsea
This may ultimately be Arsenal’s biggest advantage.
Even if Arteta does not get the initial combination right, he has options.
Martin Zubimendi offers greater positional control.
Myles Lewis-Skelly can help Arsenal retain possession and resist pressure.
Bruno Guimarães gives Arteta another physical and creative midfielder if he is cleared to feature.
Mikel Merino provides something different again.
Chelsea even attempted to strengthen their own midfield by approaching Arsenal for Zubimendi on deadline day, only for the Gunners to reject the move.
Our report on Arsenal rejecting Chelsea’s approach for Zubimendi underlined the difference in midfield depth between the two squads.
Supporters can see Arteta’s complete midfield options through our permanent Arsenal First Team hub.
Sunday may provide the clearest demonstration yet of why Arsenal invested so heavily in that area.
Ødegaard and Rice can decide where the game is played
Chelsea will want Sunday’s contest to become open.
Their front line is too dangerous for Arsenal to allow repeated transitions.
Arteta should want the match played almost entirely on his terms.
Rice can help Arsenal dominate second balls, break Chelsea’s first line and prevent Palmer receiving immediately after turnovers.
Ødegaard can manipulate the midfield ahead of him, lead the press and create overloads around Chelsea’s defensive structure.
The full Arsenal vs Chelsea preview explains why control against Alonso’s more chaotic approach could be the defining tactical theme.
Arsenal’s entire season schedule can also be followed through our permanent fixtures and results hub.
Chelsea have enough attacking quality to punish Arsenal if the midfield battle becomes stretched.
That is precisely why Ødegaard and Rice matter so much.
Control the centre.
Stop Palmer receiving in transition.
Force Chelsea backwards.
Do that, and Arsenal should have the platform required to make it three Premier League wins from three.
Why Eberechi Eze gives Mikel Arteta key to unlocking Chelsea
Why Eberechi Eze gives Mikel Arteta key to unlocking Chelsea
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