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TSN Soccer Analyst

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Arsene Wenger was having none of it.

On the day tickets to Manny Pacquiao & Floyd Mayweather sold out in less than 60 seconds, the Frenchman refused the bait to make this clash about him and Jose Mourinho.

"I don't want to talk about that because what people are interested is when the game starts, Arsenal against Chelsea is a big football game, it is not about the relationship between managers."

In the past it has been about exactly that and when Wenger lost his cool in October and shoved Mourinho during the game it was clear he had gone too far.

It was Wenger who once said of Mourinho: "When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent."

The Chelsea boss has also fired more than a few jabs Wenger's way, famously referring to his counterpart as 'a voyeur' and 'a specialist in failure'.

Wenger, a man whose intelligence is rarely questioned, wisely decided not to continue their feud this week.

Chelsea, after all, are the true heavyweight power this season in England marching towards a Premier League title; a road Arsenal cannot block, left only to hope to delay such a journey by another week or so.

Despite Chelsea's upcoming triumphs, these days are not all gloomy for Wenger having guided the Gunners to another FA Cup final and an impressive eight game winning streak in the league.

"We are on a good run and from that you gain great belief," admitted the Arsenal boss on Thursday.

Arsenal have been the league's best team for four months now finding a top gear similar to the one Chelsea exploded out of the blocks back in August.

Such a run has again teased many an Arsenal fan at what could come around the corner. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud enter Sunday's encounter in outstanding form and a solid base behind them has guided Wenger's team to a wide variety of different victories in 2015.

After conceding a 96th minute equalizer at Anfield in the final game before Christmas, Arsenal trailed Chelsea by a mammoth 15 points when the Premier League resumed its calendar on Boxing Day. Effectively, Arsenal was out of the title race after just 17 games. One of those games came at Stamford Bridge when Mourinho made it 12 games out of 12 without a loss in his career against Wenger as Chelsea crushed Arsenal 2-0.

The game was all too familiar for Arsenal fans. Comfortable in possession, without causing too much of a threat, hit by a sucker punch when a key individual defensive mistake led to the first goal – a Eden Hazard penalty – followed by a knockout blow near the end when a simple long ball exploited them on the counter and Diego Costa secured the win.

In Arsenal's next eight league games, they'd lose at Swansea, at home to Manchester United and at Stoke. The annual calls for Wenger's job were heard loud and clear as Arsenal had once again failed to stop the momentum going in the wrong direction. It was the same old Arsenal, a talented team that regularly does enough to finish in the top four but far too often isn't close to contending.

A team who had 11 separate winless streaks of three games or more in the past four seasons and a team who added two more of them before the end of October.

Things needed to change. Arsenal needed to change. Wenger needed to change.

"I know we live in a world where we have only winners and losers, but once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take initiative, the sport is in danger."

Those words came from Wenger's mouth, about Chelsea, almost ten years ago. Similar sentiments have been muttered this week in the wake of Mourinho's men defeating Manchester United last weekend with 28% possession.

Yet, these are words that Wenger has had to remember about his own team, seen far too often as a side that want to entertain and play one way only to be crushed and exposed in big games.

They are also words that have allowed Arsenal's fans to be encouraged by their form in 2015. Wenger appears to have recognized that he has genuine difference makers again who can take over big games and that has forced him to try different ways to approach winning matches, something he was quick to refer to in this week's pre-match press conference.

"We have have passed many tests recently when we have been questioned, like winning for the first time at Man City and we have another test on Sunday that we want to pass."

Arsenal have won 13 of their last 15 league games but it is that win at City in January that stands out the brightest. That was a day that Arsenal fans started to believe again that Wenger is adaptable. It was a day where Wenger's team refused to take the initiative, were organized, much deeper and harder to break down. Aside from a manic opening ten minutes to the second half, Arsenal showed terrific organization against counter-attacks, something that haunted them in monumental defeats at Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City last season.

Second half meltdowns at Tottenham and at home to Monaco in the Champions League have followed and it's clear that Arsenal are far from the finished article but the destruction of Liverpool at home earlier this month showed that this is a team that are full of confidence at the moment.

In each of the last six seasons Arsenal have failed to reach the 80 point mark, finishing third twice and fourth on four different occasions. This season they have genuine hope they can improve on last season's 79 points and move into the top two.

Yet, ultimately it will be how they play on Sunday, not their final tally or position, that will convince their loyal fanbase if they can contend next season.

Mourinho's men have looked tired in recent weeks doing just enough to get what they need, but no team in the Premier League is able to deny an opponent's strengths like Chelsea. They are the type of opponents that have swallowed up a striker like Giroud in the past while Ozil and Cazorla won't get the space they are often given in the Premier League by other opponents.

Francis Coquelin, who has started 14 games in a row at defensive midfield, will have to be at his best to work with the back four at denying Chelsea's terrific trio that plays behind the striker and Mourinho will be expected to present the 23-year-old with challenges he doesn't get when playing most of the teams at this level. Coquelin, seen as a solution by some to Arsenal's past issues, still may be showing Wenger just what his team could accomplish if a better player was in his position.

Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker can look like an outstanding combination at the heart of defence for long stretches of the season but it is these kinds of opponents that have proved to be too difficult for them in the past.

It is no longer about a winning streak that came when the pressure was off for these players and their manager. It is about Sunday. Wenger was right when he said this was no longer about him and Mourinho. This is all about him. His Arsenal absolutely must strengthen this summer to get closer to teams like Chelsea for next season, but Sunday should give him a much clearer idea about who needs to stay and who needs to go if he is serious about finally contending for the Premier League next season.

You can catch Arsenal vs. Chelsea, Sunday at 11am et/8am pt. on TSN3, TSN4 and TSN5.