Arsenal vs Chelsea: 3 key battles as Mikel Arteta faces Xabi Alonso for the first time
Arsenal host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, in what will be the first managerial meeting between two childhood friends.
Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso played football together on the streets of San Sebastián in their youth, before going on to face each other in Merseyside derbies as professional players. Now, a new chapter of their personal battle is set to commence.
They take charge of the two biggest clubs in London, initially vying for bragging rights, and eventually a Premier League title. Many believe Chelsea are the side best equipped to compete with the Gunners for their crown this season, and if this does prove to be the case, this'll be one hell of a storyline given the long history between the two coaches.
The tactical battle between the two managers in this specific game will be fascinating. The Blues have played in a bizarre manner across their two matches under Alonso so far, ceding possession while trying to hit their opponents on the counter-attack. It'll be interesting to see what Arteta has in store to counteract this approach.
However, while the holistic picture of the clash will be determined by the coaches, the outcome of the game will be decided by the players on the pitch.
With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game at the Emirates.
Cole Palmer has looked back to his very best in Chelsea's opening two matches. He's been given free rein to pick up an array of different positions in the final third, and has flourished as the Blues' creative outlet.
Part of the issue the Gunners could have in containing Palmer is that it's not immediately obvious whose responsibility it'll be to do so. The former Manchester City man has been deployed as an inside forward in the right half-space, so sometimes it'll be on Riccardo Calafiori to deal with him.
However, most of the time, Palmer will be picking up space in the pockets, so it'll be up to Arsenal's most dominant central midfielder to snuff out his danger. Declan Rice has a huge job on his hands; he'll need to be acutely aware of his international teammate's elusive movement between the lines, whilst also orchestrating the Gunners' possession game.
Chelsea could be without Moises Caicedo for this clash, and this would undoubtedly be a huge blow for Alonso's side. The Ecuadorian has been struggling with an injury for several weeks now, and reportedly faces a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Romeo Lavia has stepped up in Caicedo's absence and is likely to start in N5 due to Chelsea's lack of alternatives. He'll be tasked with trying to disrupt Arsenal's possession, meaning he'll specifically be responsible for dealing with Odegaard's endeavours.
This is certainly an area where Arsenal can get the upper hand. At his best, Odegaard can pick the lock of a defence as vulnerable as Chelsea's, and there's little a player of Lavia's calibre can do to prevent him from doing so.
On paper, supporters might be confused by this potential battle. However, both Eberechi Eze and Pedro Neto are expected to fulfil somewhat new roles in this game.
Neto started Chelsea's encounter against Brighton at right-wing-back and is likely to be selected in this role again. His primary job will be to provide width to the Blues' attack, allowing Palmer to roam inside.
This should create ample space for Eze, in contention to start on the left over Christos Tzolis after his promising cameo at Villa Park, to exploit. The England international could be the difference maker if Chelsea overcommit with Neto on this flank, with Wesley Fofana likely incapable of covering all the space left down that side.
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