When Jack Wilshere steps onto the touchline at Stamford Bridge as Luton Town manager, he will carry more than just tactical plans, he brings decades of intense London derby history with him, and a likely Chelsea hatred.
The former Arsenal midfielder, who took charge of Luton Town in his first permanent senior managerial role midway through last season, spent the best years of his playing career embroiled in heated clashes against Chelsea.
Yet, despite featuring in high-stakes encounters across his playing days with Arsenal and also games with Bolton and Bournemouth, Stamford Bridge remained a fortress he could never conquer. Across six competitive appearances at the ground as a player, Wilshere failed to win a single match, logging five defeats and a lone draw.
Fixture | Result and date |
|---|---|
Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers | Chelsea 1–0 Bolton (April 13, 2010) |
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Chelsea 2–0 Arsenal (October 3, 2010) |
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal (January 20, 2013) |
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Chelsea 2–0 Arsenal (October 5, 2014) |
Chelsea vs Bournemouth | Chelsea 3–0 Bournemouth (December 26, 2016) |
Chelsea vs Arsenal | Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal (January 10, 2018) |
Although a miserable place for the former Arsenal midfielder, he will be hoping to build happier memories from the dugout. At least there is little chance of him getting injured.
Now trading the pitch for the dugout, the 34-year-old manager faces a new kind of challenge while probably seeing this fixture as a no-loss situation if he goes out and attacks.
After stepping up from coaching roles with Arsenal U18s and a brief spell at Norwich City, Wilshere took the reins at Luton with a mission to stabilize and rebuild the club following consecutive relegations.
Match Preview
Chelsea have not entered the EFL Cup, or Carabao Cup, in the second round for quite some time, with European participants usually entering the competition at a later stage. But there is no time to dwell on that now, as the Blues prepare to face League One side Luton Town, who will be aiming to secure promotion back to the Championship this season.
Luton are unbeaten so far this term, although they have conceded five goals across their opening two games. Their free-flowing attacking style has made for entertaining football at Kenilworth Road, but Chelsea’s defence will need to be wary of the threat they pose in transition. Lower-league veterans in the shape of Nahki Wells and Kasey Palmer add plenty of experience to an otherwise energetic attack.
Chelsea are likely to field a much-changed side from the one that started at Craven Cottage, with key players such as Reece James, Cole Palmer and João Pedro potentially rested for this fixture. That could open the door for Pep Chavarria, Danny Welbeck and Estevao to make their first starts of the season. We could even see Mike Penders stake his claim for the No. 1 shirt after Robert Sanchez’s difficult display on Monday.
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