'The moment I watched them': Mikel Arteta shares what he privately thought about Chelsea in pre-season last year

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Arsenal take on Chelsea in their final game before March’s international break.

The Gunners will go into the derby on Sunday having won none of their last three games in the Premier League. Chelsea, on the other hand, have won each of their last two.

However, despite the recent results, people like Roy Keane and Gary Neville have backed Arsenal to beat Chelsea at the Emirates on Sunday. Even Paul Merson thinks the Gunners will win.

That is good to hear for Arsenal fans, but Mikel Arteta is not expecting an easy game at all. The Spaniard’s opinion about Chelsea from pre-season last year explains why.

What Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta thought about Chelsea in pre-season in 2024

Chelsea have been a mess for large parts since Todd Boehly and co took charge of the club.

The Blues finished 12th in the 2022/23 season and then ended last campaign in sixth, which only became possible because they lost just one of their last 15 games in the league.

Enzo Maresca got the job before the start of this season, and Chelsea surprised a lot of people in the first few months of the campaign. There were even suggestions that they could win the Premier League title.

Arteta spoke about the Blues in his press conference on Friday, and the Arsenal manager claimed that he saw Chelsea as genuine title contenders after watching them play under Maresca before the season even started.

The Spaniard also claimed that the West Londoners can compete with any team in the world once things click at Stamford Bridge.

Arteta said, as relayed on HaytersTV: “I think from the moment I watched them play in pre-season and understood how Enzo works and the talent that they have in the squad, my opinion was that they were contenders to even win it from the beginning because they have so much there.

“The moment everything glides together and they find that connection, energy and consistency, I think they can contend with any team.”

Chelsea’s recent record against Arsenal has been dreadful

Chelsea and Arsenal have produced some phenomenal games over the years.

The London rivals, when they are in top form, are great to watch, and both sides have the talent in their squad to hurt each other.

However, over the last 11 games in all competitions, Chelsea’s record against the Gunners has been woeful.

The last time Chelsea managed to secure a victory against Arsenal in the Premier League was in August 2021.

That was Romelu Lukaku’s first game back for the Blues after returning from Inter Milan. He scored that day against Arsenal, who started with a back four of Kieran Tierney, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding and Cedric Soares.

The Gunners’ defence that Chelsea will face on Sunday is on another planet compared to the one above – it will not be easy to score against them, especially at the Emirates.