Errors on the part of Arsenal against Chelsea cost them the top spot in the league

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger saw his team fail to break a 0-0 stalemate against Chelsea

The final big fixture before Christmas between heated rivals Arsenal and Chelsea ended in a goal-less draw at the Emirates with both teams failing to create enough chances but generating enough fire-works on the pitch to make the London Fog look like a patsy. Both the London clubs are facing a shortage of strikers which was evident when neither of their frontmen producing any real chances. The game was rife with unfair play from the visiting team making the fixture the ugliest of the 2013-2014 season so far.

Arsenal headed into the fixture after suffering a 6-3 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City, with their hold on the top of the league loosened as a result of the defeat. Wenger had introduced some changes to the team that were defeated at the Ethihad but was left frustrated in the end. The Gunners defense was strong inspite of Laurent Koscielny being injured and were successful in keeping the Blues attack at bay. The midfield and forward department of Arsenal suffered the most against Chelsea who managed to disrupt Arsenal’s play.

Choosing to go with the 4-5-1 formation was a stroke of brilliance of the part of Jose Mourinho who successfully shut down Arsenal’s usually rampant midfield. Arsenal’s record signing Mesut Ozil was quiet through out the match, and the midfielders performance against the Blues was without doubt his worst of the season. The German was completely shut down by John Obi Mikel and could not work his magic which had until today lit up the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta worked hard in spite of being at the receiving of a harsh tackle at the hands of Mikel, who deserved a red card for the challenge. Walcott, who was also fouled, ran up against a brick wall down the right flank and was unable to support the attack much. The brilliant Aaron Ramsey was surprisingly poor in the game and was often dispossessed by the Chelsea players. Rosicky looked lively against the Blues and was Arsenal’s best man on the field against Chelsea.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud had a brilliant chance to break the deadlock in the 79th minute but squandered the opportunity. The Frenchman was quiet for almost the entire game and was sometimes slow in the attack. The 27-year-old has undoubtedly improved since last season but has not been effective in the big games. Giroud was left isolated in the matches against Manchester City and Manchester United, failing to rise up to the occasion against both clubs. Arsene Wenger needs to buy another top class striker to partner Giroud in order to get the goals flowing. No matter how much Arsenal fans argue it is evident that Giroud is not good enough to bring in trophies.

Arsenal need a RVP-type striker to be a truly deadly force. The loss of their captain to Manchester United has left a hole in the team even if they managed to finish third last season. One thing Giroud has going for him is his work ethic and aerial ability. In spite of his misgivings Giroud completed 65% of his passes which was more than Chelsea’s Fernando Torres.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger should have brought on Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski in order to create more chances but the manager chose not to substitute any players due to the fear of conceding a goal. Arsenal paid for those errors when they were held to a draw, gifting Liverpool the top spot in the Premier League in the process. The London club have some testing fixtures up ahead with games against West Ham on Boxing Day, followed by games against Newcastle and Cardiff plus the North London Derby on the 4th of January. Arsenal will have to come out with all guns blazing if the want to regain their top spot once again.