The Gunners' 3-0 September's victory over Antonio Conte's team not only now seems a distant memory, but it also looks increasingly like an aberration. Arsenal rarely come out on top against Chelsea and, after being outplayed and outmuscled in a 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, normal service has been resumed.
This was Chelsea's eighth home league win against their London rivals in the past 11 games, with the visitors having won just two of those fixtures. And it is a damning indictment of Wenger's philosophy that Chelsea are pretty much everything that the Frenchman does not want his team to be.
Conte's side is powerful, imposing and, when necessary, direct. Chelsea are also showing themselves to be winners. By contrast, though that is something Wenger desperately wants his team to be, it is impossible to envisage Arsenal's current crop as anything but nearly men as long as they are compromised by the recurring failings that their manager has been unable -- or unwilling -- to eradicate.
In short, Arsenal and Chelsea are like chalk and cheese. Chelsea may lack their rivals' aesthetic quality, but nobody at the club will care too much for that if they are being dazzled by silverware at the end of the season -- something that is increasingly likely after this latest victory.
"I consider Arsenal one of the six teams that can fight for the title until the end of the season, so to put them 12 points behind is very important for us," said Conte after the game. "In four days, we have had two games against two great teams. I think we are showing we deserve to stay on top of the table. But there are 14 games to play and 42 points to take, so no, the title is not over."
For all of the flair within the Arsenal side, there is a crucial lack of steel to complement it, but anybody watching Wenger's teams during the past decade would have arrived at the same conclusion. They lack backbone and resolve and, when the heat is on, buckle under the pressure. It is something that Wenger has allowed it to persist, like a leaking roof or a dripping tap.
Chelsea, by contrast, are on course to win their fifth Premier League title in 12 years because they know how to win and how to win when it matters. Moreover, they have a manager who has been astute enough to know that, when something isn't working, the only course of action is to correct it.
When his team were brushed aside at the Emirates, eight days after losing at home to Liverpool, Conte ripped up his tactics and imposed the 3-4-3 system that had worked so successfully for him with Juventus in Serie A.
Conte initially had concerns that his players would not grasp the formation quickly enough for it work in the Premier League but accepted that he had no choice but to make the change. Since doing so, Chelsea have not looked back, winning 16 and losing just one of their past 18 games.
One manager -- Conte -- accepts something isn't working and makes changes, while another -- Wenger -- waits for the day that his beautiful vision becomes a reality.
This was Chelsea's eighth home league win against their London rivals in the past 11 games, with the visitors having won just two of those fixtures. And it is a damning indictment of Wenger's philosophy that Chelsea are pretty much everything that the Frenchman does not want his team to be.
Conte's side is powerful, imposing and, when necessary, direct. Chelsea are also showing themselves to be winners. By contrast, though that is something Wenger desperately wants his team to be, it is impossible to envisage Arsenal's current crop as anything but nearly men as long as they are compromised by the recurring failings that their manager has been unable -- or unwilling -- to eradicate.
In short, Arsenal and Chelsea are like chalk and cheese. Chelsea may lack their rivals' aesthetic quality, but nobody at the club will care too much for that if they are being dazzled by silverware at the end of the season -- something that is increasingly likely after this latest victory.
"I consider Arsenal one of the six teams that can fight for the title until the end of the season, so to put them 12 points behind is very important for us," said Conte after the game. "In four days, we have had two games against two great teams. I think we are showing we deserve to stay on top of the table. But there are 14 games to play and 42 points to take, so no, the title is not over."
For all of the flair within the Arsenal side, there is a crucial lack of steel to complement it, but anybody watching Wenger's teams during the past decade would have arrived at the same conclusion. They lack backbone and resolve and, when the heat is on, buckle under the pressure. It is something that Wenger has allowed it to persist, like a leaking roof or a dripping tap.
Chelsea, by contrast, are on course to win their fifth Premier League title in 12 years because they know how to win and how to win when it matters. Moreover, they have a manager who has been astute enough to know that, when something isn't working, the only course of action is to correct it.
When his team were brushed aside at the Emirates, eight days after losing at home to Liverpool, Conte ripped up his tactics and imposed the 3-4-3 system that had worked so successfully for him with Juventus in Serie A.
Conte initially had concerns that his players would not grasp the formation quickly enough for it work in the Premier League but accepted that he had no choice but to make the change. Since doing so, Chelsea have not looked back, winning 16 and losing just one of their past 18 games.
One manager -- Conte -- accepts something isn't working and makes changes, while another -- Wenger -- waits for the day that his beautiful vision becomes a reality.
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