There was a time, not that long ago, when Chelsea’s eyes would light up at the prospect of a collision with Arsenal. This was an occasion to reimpose the recently established order in the capital, when mere mention of José Mourinho drew from Arsène Wenger that all too familiar world-weary look as the talk turned to pre-match handshakes, shoving matches in the technical areas and unwelcome reminders of a dismal record against his Portuguese rival.

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The nouveaux riches from the King’s Road would take reassurance from all the power and presence down the spine of the team and delight as opponents, whose spritely flair could so readily be throttled at source, shrivelled in inferiority. Even back in mid-September, when Chelsea already had an inkling their title defence might be flawed, a game with Arsenal had a galvanising effect and local rivals, preoccupied with the street-fighter in the home ranks, were left frazzled and, ultimately, overcome with relative ease. This was how it was. Chelsea, a side with a knack for accumulating trophies, were the nagging reminder of how the landscape in London had changed. Two defeats in 14 league meetings tells its own story.

Yet, now, the suspicion is things may be shifting. Whereas Arsenal go into the weekend top of the table, their sights set firmly on a first Premier League title since the Invincibles held sway pre-Mourinho, Chelsea are only pigeon-stepping away from the relegation zone. Their dominance from the spring feels a world away. Mourinho, the icon who could shrink Arsenal with a smirk and has never lost to Wenger outside the Community Shield, has been sacked, his image removed from the team photograph outside Stamford Bridge and his name absent from the latest issue of the club magazine. He has been airbrushed from history after all that inconvenient “palpable discord”. Wenger’s players may never have a better opportunity to redress some of the balance than when the teams trot out at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. “Are we direct rivals? Not at this moment. Not in this league,” offered Guus Hiddink, this season’s chosen firefighter. “Arsenal are making a good battle for first position. We are way down under. That’s the reality.”

Chelsea have arguably become a case study in how not to capitalise upon a title-winning success. In years to come, championship winners will spend pre-season preaching caution and reminding the world what befell Mourinho and the team who finished eight points clear in 2015; how a manager’s tenure can implode, an angry mess of unnecessarily provoked controversies and poor planning. In terms of recruitment alone, it is kind to dismiss their policy since they paraded the trophy as confused. Mourinho, perhaps unconvinced by the talent being harnessed at the Cobham academy, had wanted to build on success with eye-catching signings, but none of them came off. An opportunity was passed up.

Instead they replaced like for like and, as if panicked by a stodgy start, moved to bring in Pedro and Papy Djilobodji as the deadline loomed. The former has offered only flashes of Barcelona quality, his trickery on the wing rather lost in the maelstrom into which he has been plunged. There are noises that he will return to Spain in the summer, at Valencia or Villarreal, and they do not sound outlandish. Djilobodji was recruited as a squad player but, as he wings his way to Werder Bremen on loan, it seems pertinent to linger on his Chelsea career to date: a defender who had cost £2.7m having been rejected by Fulham, training as he was with Nantes’ reserves, mustered one minute and one touch of the ball in a first-team shirt, and that in a Capital One Cup win at Walsall. One wonders if there wasn’t a player from the academy who might have benefited more from that brush with senior football.

The peculiarities of Chelsea’s approach are merely brought into focus by a confrontation with Arsenal. If Mourinho had had his way, Petr Cech would never have been allowed to leave for the Emirates. Retaining a world-class goalkeeper in reserve was always going to be an uneasy and temporary scenario, of course, and Thibaut Courtois’ first full season in English football had been impressive. He represented the future. Yet, when Roman Abramovich rewarded the Czech for long-standing service by sanctioning his move across the city, it was the message the transfer sent out that was truly shocking. Arsenal were direct rivals, fellow contenders for silverware, and here was their achilles heel being dipped in the Styx. Mourinho knew as much. Wenger, after some initial concerns, was quickly heartened.

“I didn’t know what kind of shape he was in physically because he hadn’t played,” said the Frenchman. “I didn’t know how much he could still produce. But when I met him I was quickly reassured of his desire to do well and his motivation. I knew the potential was exceptional having played against him for 11 years in the Premier League. Look, it was a very, very difficult decision for me because I rate highly David Ospina, a keeper who, in my opinion, is underrated, especially in England. But [signing Cech] was maybe one of the few opportunities to say: ‘OK, this is an obvious [transfer]. If I don’t do this, it would be a mistake.’”

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Cech had been one of those key senior players in Hiddink’s Chelsea team over that first spell as interim manager in 2009, and a figure whose qualities remain. No other goalkeeper boasts more than his 10 clean sheets in the Premier League this season. John Terry suggested Cech might be worth 15 points to any suitor. “You cannot measure that, but you know one thing: you need a top-class goalkeeper to do well,” said Wenger. “He has a calming presence, he communicates well, anticipates well, sees what is coming. He is a kind of coach because he doesn’t move, and he sees everything. He is the camera behind the team.”

The veteran popped into Cobham on Wednesday to retrieve his goalkeeping gloves, which Adidas had erroneously posted to his previous employer. “We had a chat, though almost everyone had gone by then,” said Hiddink. “It was nice to see him. It’s easy to make a judgment a year on from that decision, and when is the moment to say goodbye to a player? But you have to acknowledge Petr reacted well with his performances. He’s one of those goalies who is so determined, ambitious, so detailed in his preparations. You have certain periods in a season, mostly in October and November when the leaves start falling, when the good goalies save points for your team. He is doing that.” For all that Courtois’ qualities are obvious, Chelsea must still gnash at the reality that Cech finds himself now in a position to emulate Eric Cantona by securing back-to-back titles with different clubs.

They will travel in trepidation on Sunday, aware that their seven-match unbeaten run since Mourinho’s departure has bought them only four points’ breathing space from the bottom three. Mourinho, the man who gave them the edge so often, was last spotted shopping in Shanghai and there is only scant consolation to be had in the fact that Hiddink inflicted Arsenal’s worst defeat at the Emirates Stadium, a 4-1 Chelsea win in May 2009. “This club is used to being at the top, or in the top three or four, in England,” the Dutchman said. “Winning a game like this might bring confidence to the team to ask: ‘Hey, where do we belong?’ And make them think about why this team has fallen so deeply in the recent period.” For the first time in a while, it would also constitute a surprise.