Ballack says Arsenal is predictable

The Arsenal coach said that fans "did not get a demonstration of football" and claimed that Chelsea had "a lot of tricks" and used their experience to commit a sequence of subtle fouls.

In true honest German fashion, Ballack said that Arsenal are easy to beat because they are predictable and he believes his team and the other title challengers Manchester United will always have an upper hand over the Gunners.

"We knew the way they would play," he said in an article published in telegraph.co.uk. "We saw it in the first game we played against them and in the way they played against Manchester United.

"It is always the same style. If you get your tactics right like we did, I think you can beat them. This season and the season before they didn't show they were able to win the league."

He added: "When he loses, he always finds an excuse. Football is not possession on the ball or playing nice passes. Good football is winning games and that's what we do when we play against them. We deserved the win because we played very effectively. It was our strategy.

"For me, good football is a mix of winning, mental strength, good football technically and also physically. I think we have a good mix in the team. We can't do more; first in the table."