3) The midfield battle
Conte will consider himself lucky that N’Golo Kante decided to move to Chelsea from Premier League champions Leicester City last summer. The Premier League Player of the Season has been a force all by himself and is the first name that goes into the teamsheet.
Alongside Nemanja Matic, Chelsea have stopped opponents in their tracks before they can build any momentum. The two make a lethal combination in midfield and that has affected Cesc Fabregas’ game time as a result. But Chelsea’s creativity stems from the wings where the wing-backs attack while the wide forwards cut in.
Also read: Does Cesc Fabregas have a future at Chelsea?
With Arsenal, their midfield is their biggest strength. Granit Xhaka has finally blossomed into the ideal central midfielder after a frustrating few months of adaptation and is looking the part for a £35m signing. His ability to hold on to the ball under pressure and find teammates with accurate long balls have added an extra dimension to the attack.
Aaron Ramsey has been paired with Xhaka and is likely to start the final. The Welshman has not had the best of seasons but has shown in the past month that he is getting back to his best. Xhaka’s presence and the new formation gives him freedom to roam between the lines which has worked wonders.
The two have also liberated Mesut Ozil who is now more involved in the final third. The new formation affords the German playmaker both space and time that saw him involved in four goals in the last four games.
So the question for Conte is: will Chelsea be outnumbered in midfield with two defensive players taking on three creative midfielders – all of whom can provide the killer pass? And the question for Wenger: how will he tackle Chelsea’s wing play?
