Terry injury blues for Chelsea
Gunners on red-card alert as Wenger urges his men to avoid confrontation in explosive London derby
CHELSEA captain John Terry will miss their Premier League clash against London rivals Arsenal after failing to recover from an ankle injury, manager Antonio Conte said yesterday.
The 35-year-old, who started Chelsea’s opening four league games this season, damaged his ankle ligaments during a 2-2 draw at Swansea City earlier this month and was initially expected to be out for around 10 days.
“John is working but he didn’t recover for the game against Arsenal. In this case it is important (to listen to) what the player feels and the pain he is in,” Conte said.
In Terry’s absence, David Luiz made his first start since rejoining Chelsea in their league defeat by Liverpool last week.
“We have three central defenders and it is normal to make a choice. It is a big game between two big rivals and it is important to play a good game,” Conte said.
Chelsea have conceded six league goals in their opening five games this season, including two against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, and Conte wants his team to improve defensively in order to become title challengers.
“When we concede a goal, the team concede a goal, not only the defenders. It means we must work together to improve the defensive situation,” Conte added.
“We must work a lot on this aspect because if you want to have a great championship season you mustn’t concede so many goals.”
Conte did not rule out handing former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas his first league start of the campaign at the Emirates Stadium.
Fabregas has been on the fringes of Conte’s side, making just three league appearances from the bench.
The Spaniard, however, scored twice in extra-time to hand Chelsea a 4-2 win over Premier League champions Leicester City in the League Cup on Tuesday.
“For Cesc this is a special game. He’s playing very well for Chelsea and he’s very focused and concentrated. There is the possibility that he can start but I still have to decide on my line-up.”
Arsenal are fourth in the table with 10 points from their opening five games, one place above Chelsea on goal difference. Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged his players to avoid being drawn into needless confrontations with their Chelsea opponents when the London rivals meet at the Emirates Stadium today.
Arsenal were beaten home and away by Chelsea in the Premier League last season, and had three players sent off over the two games, with Chelsea’s combative striker Diego Costa involved in two of the three incidents.
“In the last two games we played with 10 men so for the result it’s important the way we play football but also the way we behave,” Wenger said.
“We have to be cold-blooded and respect the rules of the game.”
When the teams met last September, Arsenal centre-back Gabriel was dismissed for scuffling with Costa and, although the red card was later rescinded, the defender was given a one-match ban for fail- ing to leave the pitch immediately.
Costa, who has scored twice in three games against Arsenal, was retrospectively banned for his involvement in the incident, and Arsenal ended the 2-0 defeat with nine men after midfielder Santi Cazorla picked up a second yellow card later on.
Arsenal then lost 1-0 to Chelsea when the teams met in January, a game in which defender Per Mertesacker was shown a red card for a foul on Costa.
Wenger, whose side have not beaten Chelsea in nine league encounters, urged his team to channel their emotions in the right way.
“Discipline and results are strongly linked and the regrets we have from the last two games are that we couldn’t play XI v XI,” said the Frenchman, who will complete 20 years in charge of Arsenal on October 1.
Wenger confir med that striker Olivier Giroud was back in training after a toe injury but had less positive news on Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who is out with a hamstring injury.
“Ramsey is still struggling with his hamstring,” Wenger said, while ruling the midfielder out until after the international break, which ends on October 14.
“He has a small grade one (tear) hamstring but is not completely free to push at the moment and he has a little bit of pain.
“He is in the last days of his rehabilitation.”