Beating Chelsea means nothing — Arsenal boss Arteta declares ahead of title-definig tie

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has dismissed any notion that his team’s recent victories over Chelsea FC give them an edge heading into Sunday’s Premier League clash.

Despite an impressive record against their London rivals, Arteta insists that past results will not dictate the outcome of the upcoming fixture.

The Gunners have beaten Chelsea twice in the League Cup semi-finals recently and have not lost to them in the league since 2021, winning 10 of the last 16 meetings. Yet Arteta stressed that history counts for little in football.

“What you have done two weeks or two years ago is irrelevant because every game and every context is different. The players might change, the mood of the team might be different. We are prepared,” he told reporters.

The Spaniard highlighted that Chelsea, now managed by Liam Rosenior, remain adaptable and hard to predict, with the ability to switch tactics mid-game.

“They can change throughout the game and they have a manager very comfortable doing that, so we are prepared for the possible scenarios we can face and then we will try to be better than them,” Arteta added.

When asked if Arsenal could become the first English club to achieve a quadruple this season, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Champions League, Arteta remained pragmatic.

The Gunners are favourites to win the Champions League, and are top of the Premier League table, while also being in the final of the EFL Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup, but Arteta is not getting carried away.

“Has it been done? That is how difficult it is,” he said. “So let's go game by game and try to earn the right to be there in the last stage of every competition, and then we will see what happens.”

Despite Arsenal being in a good position to do the impossible. Arteta’s comments point to a disciplined approach against Chelsea, over-reliance on past triumphs as the Gunners look to maintain their title charge.