Chelsea vs Arsenal: The contrast between two forces, beware of “no trick wins with trick

It is just right that Chelsea meets Arsenal this weekend (17:30 PM, 30/11), that is the match where the second team takes on the top team. Chelsea’s strengths are very different, and in complete contrast to Arsenal’s strengths. This match is therefore attractive and difficult to predict.

From the case of Madueke

Having just returned after 2 months of injury, Noni Madueke scored an important goal to help Arsenal win convincingly against Bayern Munich (3-1) in the Champions League. That victory affirmed his new position: Arsenal is considered the strongest team in Europe right now. It is the only team that is winning all the Champions League, and is leading the Premier League with a very clear gap over… Chelsea!

Will Chelsea regret it when the player they let go in the summer of 2025 had a successful start at Arsenal?

It was a relatively unexpected transfer, so much so that commentator Paul Merson strongly criticized his former team, saying he did not understand why Arsenal bought Madueke, when the team already had Bukayo Saka (playing the same position, role, and has been consistently excellent for a long time).

It’s clear now: Madueke and the many other cases surrounding him have proven to be one of Arsenal’s most successful transfer windows this summer. And that’s a big reason why Mikel Arteta’s side are in such a strong position today.

But Chelsea did not fail to sell Madueke. They needed money, as well as space in the squad to strengthen the young star Estevao from Brazil. Now, it seems that Estevao’s future at Chelsea is brighter than Madueke’s at Arsenal. And if Arsenal was successful in buying Madueke from Chelsea, then Chelsea was even more successful in the “double” decision: selling Madueke to have the conditions to use Estevao.

It was Estevao, playing for Palmeiras, who scored against Chelsea in the Club World Cup, in a match in which Madueke came on as a substitute, playing for Chelsea. They were opponents in that match, before the crucial transfer for both of their careers, and now they are about to face each other again, in their new colours.

In the 5th round of the Champions League, before Madueke scored the important goal to help Arsenal defeat Bayern Munich, Estevao was equally successful (if not more). He also scored an important goal to help Chelsea crush Barcelona 3-0.

Arsenal flashy, Chelsea quiet

The Madueke saga shows that, while involving the same character, the success of the buyer does not necessarily mean the failure of the seller. To expand the issue: people can be successful in very different directions, plans, and images. For now, we can only affirm that both Arsenal and Chelsea have been very successful since the beginning of the season up to this point. And their success, on the surface, looks very contrasting.

Arsenal have been a force to be reckoned with this season. But anything can happen when football is over. In other words, if Arsenal fail to return to the Premier League title after 22 years (the longest title drought in Arsenal’s history, since they first won the title nearly 100 years ago), that would be… normal.

But, people will say Arsenal “lost the championship” in that hypothetical case. Because Arsenal is too strong, too superior at the moment. Consider the Premier League championship as a title for them to affirm, or for them to lose.

On the contrary, no one expected anything from a Chelsea that always seemed quiet, as if they had no real goal to aim for. The “we are world champions” banner that Chelsea fans held up at the start of the season seemed to have the opposite effect, as Enzo Maresca’s team started with a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, then lost 1-3 to Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener.

Yes, Chelsea did become the first champions when FIFA expanded the Club World Cup 2025 into a new, exciting version with 32 participating clubs. But that was an unexpected result. The two giants Manchester City and Real Madrid were determined to win the championship, to salvage a failed season just before.

Paris SG are even more determined to compete for the title to complete the image of absolute champion, after the historic “treble” including the first time winning the Champions League. In the tournament, the Brazilian representatives made waves. Flamengo beat Chelsea in the group stage. Estevao scored for Palmeiras, against Chelsea. When overcoming Fluminense in the semi-finals, the person who scored both goals for Chelsea was Joao Pedro, who had just completed the transfer contract 6 days before. In the end, Chelsea crushed Paris SG 3-0 in the match that decided the championship.

In just half a year, Paris SG defeated Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, many matches with very big scores. But Chelsea won big against Paris SG. The result is heroic!

Be careful “no trick wins with trick”!

When Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the last round of the Champions League, people asked each other on a commentary program: Are Arsenal the best team in Europe right now? The answer was “yes”, or at least “probably”. And when Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0, in the same round of matches, people asked: is it because Barcelona are bad, or because Chelsea have found a way to use Estevao!

It is still the contrast between Chelsea’s quietness and Arsenal’s flashiness. But on the other hand, the question just raised shows that the problem that observers are interested in about Chelsea is the style of play, rather than the achievements.

Estevao has scored three goals for Chelsea in the Champions League this season, while no one else has scored more than once. But Estevao has only started four Premier League games – less than 10 players and equal to four others in the squad. So, in short, what role does Estevao play, and how important is he in Maresca’s team? Broadening the question: how do Chelsea play, who do they value in their squad? It’s hard to answer.

Last month, Chelsea beat Ajax Amsterdam 5-1 in the Champions League. Marc Guiu opened the scoring and became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in the Champions League. But by the end of the game, Guiu had fallen to third place in the record books. The scorer, Tyrique George, was younger than Guiu. And the youngest goalscorer record belongs to Estevao.

On the one hand, Estevao had never started or scored in the Champions League before that match. On the other hand, Chelsea became the first team in Champions League history to have three teenagers score in a single match. It is impossible to look at a team like that and predict how they will play, how they will play, or even who will start, before each specific match.

Arsenal are at the opposite extreme. They have always been clear: they base their play on defence and exploit set pieces to score goals. At times, Arsenal have faced just two shots on target per 90 minutes, over a long period of time. In the first 10 rounds, Arsenal have conceded just three goals in the Premier League. And it wasn’t until the last five games that they conceded for the first time in the Champions League.

People don’t know who will start or who will score for Arsenal because the squad is so evenly matched (Coach Arteta said he only has the concept of front and back players, not reserve players). On the contrary, it is difficult to predict Chelsea’s lineup because most of the players are not of the stature to be guaranteed a starting spot!

Everyone can see Arsenal’s strength. The difference: it’s hard to say where Chelsea is strong, not that this team is not strong. Chelsea does not have a clear strategy, not that they do not have a strategy. Maresca is an excellent tactician. And once Chelsea has crushed from Paris SG to Barcelona, ​​Arsenal should be careful: “no strategy wins with strategy”!