Timely win
> Chelsea take on Arsenal tomorrow looking to shake off their early-season wobbles
HAVING rediscovered winning ways, Chelsea will look to kick-start the defence of their Premier League title by beating Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Jose Mourinho was a relieved man as the London side beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0 in the Champions League in midweek but with his team just one place above the bottom three in the League, they must repeat that performance against fourth-placed Arsenal.
Having picked up just four points from five Premier League matches, Mourinho said the confidence boost from midweek would be crucial as they prepare for the derby.
“For all of us to wake up after a defeat, to go to Cobham again, to train again after a defeat, two days before a derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how difficult it would be for everyone,” he said.
“I have a lot of thinking to do, always. I try to read the game before it starts and I have a lot of thinking before Arsenal.”
Mourinho has come under pressure for his side’s bad start to the season but he was buoyed by the support shown from the crowd yesterday as they sang his name.
“I prefer that than they say ‘Mourinho out’ and they boo me and so on,” he said.
“It shows they don’t read papers or they don’t have short memories. If they don’t read papers they support me. If they don’t have short memories, they support me.
“We won four Premier Leagues, three with him and one with his team. This guy is not bad. Let’s support the guy. We have a chance to win the fifth.”
Midfielder Willian joined Pedro on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury.
Arsenal will try to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb yesterday but Theo Walcott, who scored their lone goal, said he expects Arsenal to recover quickly.
“We played extremely well in the second half, we had a lot of the ball and we had to go for it, to be bold and wise, it was just too late.
“We need to move on now. We’ve got a big, important game at the weekend. Everyone will be very disappointed (but) I’m sure we’ll bounce back strongly.”
Meanwhile, leaders Manchester City and third-placed Manchester United will also look to shrug off BT Sport.
But Mourinho was quick to rubbish that suggestion when quizzed about the former Liverpool star’s comments.
“Steven is wrong,” Mourinho said. “I like him very much and respect him. I think he feels the same way but he is wrong because we have no problems.”
While Mourinho was determined to stamp out talk of a Terry row, he stopped short of guaranteeing the centreback, and the five other players dropped by the Chelsea manager, would return to the team for Arsenal’s visit tomorrow.
“I don’t know. Tomorrow I will start thinking about it. Everything was focused on this game. Tomorrow I will watch Arsenal,” he said.
“I prefer to have problems because players have good performances.”
Mourinho was in feisty form following Chelsea’s much-needed first home win of the season as he slammed his critics in the media for a short-sighted view of the team’s recent problems.
After winning the Premier League and League Cup last season, the Blues had made their worst start to a season since 1988 with one win from their first five Premier League European woes. Leaders City, beaten at home by Juventus, will hope to have striker Sergio Aguero back from the start as they play West Ham at the Etihad Stadium, looking to extend their perfect record in the league with a sixth win out of six.
The Argentina forward had been expected to miss the Juventus game with a knee injury but came off the bench in the second half and should start against a West Ham side who sit in fifth place.
United, one point behind second-placed Leicester, are away to Southampton, trying to recover from a 2-1 defeat at PSV Eindhoven and the leg fracture of Luke Shaw who is now sidelined for months.
Elsewhere, Leicester travel to Stoke, bottom side Newcastle entertain Watford, second-last Sunderland are away to Bournemouth, Tottenham play Crystal Palace, Liverpool host Norwich, Swansea play Everton and Aston Villa take on West Bromwich Albion. – dpa