Arsenal and Chelsea are very similar teams with wildly different managers and stakes
The London Derby kicks off on Saturday with Arsenal and Chelsea in remarkably similar situations. Both sitting on 10 points, 5 behind Pep Guardiola's City. Both have generally looked pretty good too, with reasons for optimism. Both also have one awful match apiece. So they're in near identical positions. The difference? The stakes are much different for each manager.
Antonio Conte is a brand new arrival at Chelsea, and he's still working to overcome the lingering effects of Jose Mourinho's acrimonious exit last season. Conte's had a couple months as the boss, but he hasn't yet fully been able to install his system and culture. After all, it's been six week. That's not even taking into account that he's only been able to make three signings to help reshape this team in his image.
A strong start to the season was followed by a slide and Chelsea supporters have already started to see the frustrating side of Conte's management (yeah, dude really hates subs, so get used to that), but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Eden Hazard looks like he's responded to the very real threat of his younger brother overshadowing him, Diego Costa's actually got more goals than cards, and even David Luiz has shown that contrary to popular belief, there actually is a very competent defender buried underneath that mop of clown hair. N'Golo Kante looks exactly as good of a signing as we thought he'd be, and it even seems like Conte might budge on his early hatred of Cesc Fabregas and give the man a chance to prove he can be the missing piece of Chelsea's midfield. There's still a lot to sort out for Antonio Conte, but he's brand new and he's got time to figure it out.
We're only in September, so it's foolish to say any clash this early is vitally important to the title race. This isn't necessarily a make or break for either manager. That's especially true for Conte, but the narrative on Wenger is nearly written and that tide has begun to turn against him. There comes a point where it can start to get away from him, but a London derby is a great chance to get it back in control.
Through five games, little separates Arsenal and Chelsea. They've been eerily similar, but their clash doesn't mean the same thing for the two London clubs. One side has a manager with time to figure things out. The other ran out a while ago and any disappointment just digs a deeper hole for him to climb out of.
MORE FROM FOX SOCCER:
