Last weekend they rode their luck a little and picked up all three points at Old Trafford. Lukaku who has been a talking point in the last few days due to the loan rules, is a handful and is playing very well. These are the exact type of games where a team like Chelsea sneak an advantage by adding to good squads but without those players playing against them.

Will the chance to go 7 points clear of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea be an exciting incentive or will it pile on the pressure? Given the characters in this squad I would place my money on it being the former where as in years gone by, we would have jittered our way to failing to capitalise on a presentable opportunity to as it was then, close the gap.

I did not see Chelsea losing at Stoke City but the draw at St Mary’s for Manchester City was more plausible. Now we have a good chance to take a few strides further ahead but we face a strong opponent who must be feeling pretty good about themselves right now.

Last weekend they rode their luck a little and picked up all three points at Old Trafford. Lukaku who has been a talking point in the last few days due to the loan rules, is a handful and is playing very well. These are the exact type of games where a team like Chelsea sneak an advantage by adding to good squads but without those players playing against them.

I am not sure that the answer to the issue is that straight forward. If players are able to play against their employers then the system would be open for abuse. Who is to stop Jose Mourinho from giving Lukaku a quick call before a match against Chelsea and promises him a new lucrative contract should he ‘do his job’

Even if it is on a subconscious level, if you have a long term future at your parent club then you will have conflicting emotions.

Anyway, the best way to postpone this argument is for Koscielny and company to cut off his supply and nullify his threat. Easier said than done but if there is a back four that can do so then, well surely we can.

I wonder if Theo Walcott will be reintroduced back into the team, his last start against Marseille away from home seems an awful long time ago now. I am hoping that the team adjust to him as quickly as possible as they have had to play a different way without him. While many point towards his pace being our greatest miss, I believe it is his movement that we’ve missed the most.

Mean Lean’s Predicted Line Up:

I will probably get all the line ups wrong in the next few weeks but we have plenty of depth to choose from, especially in midfield where only Abou Diaby is missing. Quite remarkable really. I bet Arsene could pull out some midfield names from a hat and we’d all be pretty content with the result. I still see Everton as the David Moyes model so it will be interesting to see the new expansive version up close.

I hope Theo can show some sharpness as we will need him this month and the rest of the season. I think we are all waiting to watch a Özil pass and Walcott finish, I hope it is a regular occurrence and it could well start this afternoon