"Increasingly, success in football is measured, not in anachronisms like trophies won, but by proximity to the biggest two available. However you slice it, though, this contest is absolutely gigantic, taking in both aspects and multiplying them by hatred2. Mikel Arteta has done a fine job as Arsenal manager, inheriting a mess and meticulously redeeming it with an exhausting, oppressive intensity that delivers the most suffocating out-of-possession work in the game."
"Similarly, if they move on tonight and win at Wembley, the relief and joy might inspire them to achieve who knows what between now and the end of the season. And for Chelsea, there's also more riding on this match than just this match. So far, their record under Liam Rosenior is good and much better than their performances, the uplifting comeback that beat West Ham a primer if ever there was one."
Success in modern football is increasingly judged by proximity to the top two rather than historical trophies. The Arsenal–Chelsea tie is enormous in both competitive and emotional terms. Mikel Arteta rebuilt Arsenal with intense, suffocating defensive work but still needs tangible success beyond successive second-place finishes. Losing a 3-2 aggregate lead at home could cause severe shame and destabilise a fragile equilibrium, while progression and a Wembley win could galvanise Arsenal's season. Chelsea under Liam Rosenior have produced encouraging results that outstrip performances. A turnaround and cup victory would grant Rosenior significant political capital.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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