ARTETA NEEDS HELP IN THE TRANSFER WINDOW

IT IS Mikel Arteta’s first home game and he will want to lay down a marker against a London rival. He has already spoken about changing the culture. The players’ lack of energy in their last match at the Emirates Stadium — a 3-0 defeat by Manchester City for which Arteta was in the away dugout — was alarming. The place was devoid of life and atmosphere. The new boss will want to see something very different against Chelsea tomorrow. Arteta has a hell of a job on his hands to turn this team around. Arsenal have a new head coach but the same players who have been coming up short for a while now. Arteta’s career as manager started with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and first impressions are important. His side managed 17 shots at the Vitality Stadium — their most in an away match this season. The fans just have to remember he does not own a magic wand. If Arteta (right) is to have the impact he desires, I think he needs help in the January transfer window. We all know about the new-manager bounce but in the long-term are these players capable of turning a corner? Defence is an issue. How do you get this same group of defenders who made so many individual errors under Unai Emery to become watertight? Against Bournemouth, they gave the ball away, were too slow to react and were 1-0 down seconds later. Arteta got rave reviews for his first press conference but he was only answering questions. As for Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, he will demand an immediate reaction after their 2-0 defeat by Southampton. The Saints are a strange side. After their win on Boxing Day, a table for home results ranked them 20th in the Premier League. An away table ranked them seventh! I still think Lampard has overachieved, given what he was up against at the start of the season. He’s suffered a blip and will want to get back to winning ways. Going into this game, I still fancy Chelsea to have too much for Arsenal.