Frank Lampard told Monday Night Football on Sky Sports that Arsenal tends to be the ‘toughest of games’ for Chelsea regardless of the current situation they are in.
As things stand, Arsenal are battling for relegation and they are a far cry from the team that beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final in the summer.
On Tuesday, more problems were mounted on Mikel Arteta’s doorstep because the North London outfit were knocked out of the League Cup after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
Arsenal will be hoping things will change when they lock horns with their London rivals, as Lampard made an honest admission about the struggling side ahead of their showdown
“Arsenal’s a tough game,” said Lampard. “People might want to talk about Arsenal and what position they are in, but for us, they tend to be the toughest of games, at times.
“So, we have to get ourselves right for that. It’s going to be very difficult.”
He then added, as quoted by Goal: “We have been in decent form [in London derbies] but I don’t think we should be taking Arsenal at face value. With Arsenal, I see a team of great quality and a close manager, who are in a tough moment.
“That’s a really dangerous combination to go against, so we have to prepare right.”
Arsenal’s record transfer deals
- Nicolas Pepe
£72 million
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
£56 million
- Alexandre Lacazette
£52 million
- Thomas Partey
45 million
- Mesut Ozil
£42 million
Arteta is desperately trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel in North London, and as the games go by, the harder it becomes.
A win against Chelsea will no doubt lift morale because of where Lampard’s side are in the table and the fact that they are in their London rivals.
But just like Spurs a few weeks ago, lose against Chelsea then the question has to be asked as to how Arteta survives in the job.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
