The Pride of London
Fansided

Three key clashes as Chelsea take on Arsenal in FA Cup final showdown

By Nathaniel Kay

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 19: Mason Mount of Chelsea looks on during the FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on July 19, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alastair Grant/Pool via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 19: Mason Mount of Chelsea looks on during the FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on July 19, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alastair Grant/Pool via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Chelsea’s French striker Olivier Giroud (R) celebrates with Chelsea’s Italian midfielder Jorginho after scoring during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in London on July 26, 2020. (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s French striker Olivier Giroud (R) celebrates with Chelsea’s Italian midfielder Jorginho after scoring during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in London on July 26, 2020. (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Chelsea’s crazy campaign has almost reached its climax and to top it all off, the Blues still have an FA Cup final against Arsenal to look forward to.

It seems rather befitting that two of the most successful clubs in the competition’s history do battle in the finale, led by their new managers, both of whom have lifted the trophy as players themselves. Frank Lampard and Mikel Arteta, once rivals on the pitch, will pit their fresh philosophies against one another off the pitch in the Wembley dugout.

Only one will return to their respective London stadiums victorious, especially if they—or their foot soldiers—can overcome these key clashes on Saturday afternoon.

1. Olivier Giroud vs. David Luiz

So many have crossed the borders between the city adversaries, none more prevalent than Ashley Cole. As the FA Cup’s favourite customer, Cole won it on three occasions with Arsenal, adding another four during his illustrious career at Chelsea.

Now another pair of shirt swappers will face the foe of the team they once called home. In fact, Olivier Giroud and David Luiz once called one another team mates, having spent a season and a half together at Stamford Bridge during the back end of Antonio Conte’s coaching spell and the entirety of Maurizio Sarri’s reign.

Having briefly becoming acquainted at Cobham, the duo will get to know each other once again in an intriguing showdown of two highly skilled individuals in their respective line of work.

At certain moments in an Arsenal jersey, Luiz has been the laughing stock of the pundits and fans alike. He set an unwarranted Premier League record after conceding his fifth penalty on the conclusive day of 2019/20. However, since Arteta has switched to a back-three, the barmy Brazilian has looked far from a joke, very often delivering a punchline of generally very good defensive aptitude.

The Blues faithful will know all about his antics and the passing range he possesses in his arsenal, but also the lapses in concentration or inexcusable mistakes he has in the locker. They will be hoping Giroud can pounce on one of those errors, using his own intelligence to sniff out danger and cause a problem for the central defender.

Lampard has landed one of the most in-form strikers in the country post-lockdown, the Frenchman scoring in his last three fixtures to add another three since the restart. Luiz may not want to get into a physical battle with Giroud, instead playing a game of chess as they attempt to outwit each other with the ball on the ground. This is a risky game to play; just ask Victor Lindelof, who was caught napping in the semifinal as Giroud glided in front of him to score the opener.

Home/Chelsea FC News