No longer a summit meeting, now a fight for Arsenal's heart and Cole

Battle for Cole will determine the fate of Arsenal's heart and soul

There was a time when Arsène Wenger hoped that Arsenal's meeting with Chelsea tonight would be a genuine battle for the Premiership title and, while that possibility has been all but lost, there now appears to be something equally fundamental at stake. As far as Ashley Cole's future is concerned, the Arsenal manager faces a struggle against the annexation of his club's soul.

There was a time when Arsène Wenger hoped that Arsenal's meeting with Chelsea tonight would be a genuine battle for the Premiership title and, while that possibility has been all but lost, there now appears to be something equally fundamental at stake. As far as Ashley Cole's future is concerned, the Arsenal manager faces a struggle against the annexation of his club's soul.

Cole dominated the agenda yesterday, and the England international will find himself the very centre of attention when he steps out onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge tonight.

The 24-year-old has come to represent more than just one of the best left-back prospects in the world, his future has come to symbolise Arsenal's fight against their rival's great wealth and the threat it poses to Wenger's legacy.

The loss of Cole would tell Arsenal's support that, when it comes to Roman Abramovich's appetite for accumulating the best players in the Premiership, nothing is sacred any longer. Not even a brilliant young Highbury protégé plucked from the streets of Stepney and moulded by Wenger into a player good enough to displace a Brazilian international. In the brutal terms of modern English football, tonight at Stamford Bridge is the best opportunity for Arsenal to prove to their accomplished young full-back that his future is best served by staying put.

Arsenal's continuing attempts to resist Chelsea's ruthless acquisitions' policy prompted Wenger to produce a cutting insight. "You cannot accept that people just come to your window and talk to your wife every night without asking 'what's happening here?'" he said yesterday. And with one simple analogy he cut to the heart of the tawdry controversy that has followed Chelsea's insatiable pursuit of some of the Premiership's best players.

While Cole's future is one issue that Wenger can exercise some control over, it is realistic that his Arsenal team will be able to do little more than slow, rather than stop, the march of Chelsea towards the Premiership title. Jose Mourinho's team are 11 points clear already and will be able to seal the Premiership in suitably glorious fashion against Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday if they beat the holders tonight.

Without Thierry Henry, and possibly Sol Campbell, tonight, victory for Wenger would make a point about the difficult terms upon which he has existed all season. There is precious little cover for his exhausted French striker and now would be the perfect time for Robin van Persie to show that Andy Todd's elbow has not exacerbated his suspect temperament, should the Dutchman be selected alongside Dennis Bergkamp ahead of Jose Antonio Reyes. Also missing are Gaël Clichy, Freddie Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini.

Wenger reflected yesterday that it was easy to lose sight of the great advantage Chelsea's vast squad has given them. He said: "They bought 11 players so I expected them to be where they are. If I speak to you now about players like Scott Parker, you think: 'Oh yes, they also have Scott Parker, Geremi, Alexei Smertin, Jiri Jarosik.' That means the injuries they have had [make] less impact."

Mourinho has no injury concerns for tonight. His captain John Terry, hurt in last week's epic tie against Bayern Munich, has recovered. The central defender was a goalscorer in the 2-2 draw between the two clubs on 12 December although it has been Chelsea's interest in his England colleague Rio Ferdinand that has become the focus over the last week. And perhaps for that reason, Mourinho chose not to make himself available for questions yesterday.

Instead it was left to his assistant Steve Clarke to protest that Chelsea "don't need a centre-half". He added: "We have four of the best in the world. The fact that people talk about us most weeks tells you that we have made it is because we are top. If we were stuck in the middle they wouldn't be talking about us. They are only talking about us because we are at the top so it's a compliment."

From within Chelsea, however, the word is that Mourinho's players - especially those who have been in the Premiership long enough to have experienced defeat to Arsenal - would settle for a draw against Fulham if it meant they could beat Wenger's side tonight. The accusations from Highbury that Chelsea have not left a trail of admirers dazzled at their style of play have not gone unnoticed.

For Wenger, the difference between "a big champion and a normal person" was that "as long as there is a chance a big champion fights." They will be stirring words to the team he still has fit in his dressing room tonight, but it is impossible not to feel that they are directed at one player above all the rest.