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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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LEICESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Diego Costa of Chelsea reacts during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on September 20, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Diego Costa of Chelsea reacts during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on September 20, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

1. Will Arsenal fight Diego Costa?

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has a well-deserved reputation as a fighter on the pitch. That can be both a positive and a negative for his club. As it relates to Arsenal, I have to wonder whether or not the Gunners are willing to match the striker’s physicality.

I don’t mean that Arsenal should actually fight with Costa. That’d be an ugly incident and would likely lead to every Gunner centre back being sidelined for two seasons. What I do mean, is that Arsenal’s back four can’t be afraid of mixing it up a little bit with the physical centre forward.

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Shkodran Mustafi, in particular, should really relish this challenge. It’ll be his first big Premier League match and a tough match against Costa. Look for him to try to prove his toughness early.

From Costa’s perspective, he just needs to stay on the right side of the line that separates physicality and recklessness. Last year, this would have been just the sort of match where he would see a red card. It’ll be interesting to see if things are truly different on Saturday.

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