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Arsenal v Chelsea: 5 talking points

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 24: Eden Hazard of Chelsea on the shoulders of Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on January 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 24: Eden Hazard of Chelsea on the shoulders of Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on January 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: David Luiz of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: David Luiz of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

4. Which David Luiz will show up?

Chelsea aren’t coming into this match with their full complement of centre backs available. Kurt Zouma and John Terry will miss out due to injury, which will force Conte to start the duo of David Luiz and Gary Cahill.

With Cahill, you know what you’re going to get at this point. He’ll be a reasonably solid defender, but he’ll provide you nothing going forward (unless it’s heading a set piece). There’s much more variance on Luiz’s performance spectrum.

At his best, he can be one of Europe’s top central defenders. He has all the necessary tools to compete defensively, and his ability to carry the ball out from the back is a huge plus for his club’s attack.

Unfortunately for Chelsea there’s a dark side to Luiz’s game as well. When he isn’t in top-form he can be absolutely dreadful. He can meander about the pitch with the ball at his feet only to be caught hopelessly out of position. If he does that against Arsenal, it will torpedo Chelsea’s chances of winning the match.

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