ARSENAL DEFEAT ACTED AS A CATALYST FOR CHELSEA, SAYS MATIC
NEMANJA Matic believes that Chelsea’s Premier League title challenge is fully up and running after last week’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Manchester United, but it might not have been were it not for the chastening defeats to Arsenal a month ago.
Antonio Conte’s team were swatted aside by their London rivals last month, going down 3-0 at the Emirates on the weekend after Liverpool’s win at Stamford Bridge.
The two consecutive league reverses left some questioning Chelsea’s title credentials, but Matic believes they have acted as a catalyst rather than a hammer blow.
“You know sometimes you need to lose the game to wake up,” he said. “The Arsenal game was a wake-up call for us. We knew that we had to do better, to want more, and we did that.
“It’s easy to say we needed to work harder but after Arsenal we knew we had to show that we had quality, and we have done that in the last three games. We have shown quality, we don’t concede, and we score goals.
“I was thinking about (the defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool) before the game. This was a moment to show we can compete with every team. I’m very happy because of that.
“Of course, we don’t forget that we lost against Arsenal, against Liverpool. But of course the table shows that we are there, we are near. We will try and continue like this.”
The victory over United has taken Chelsea to 19 points, one behind leaders Manchester City, who are level with Arsenal and Liverpool on points.
Having initially threatened to make the season something of a procession, Pep Guardiola’s side have not won in three games. Arsenal, meanwhile, dropped points at home to Middlesbrough last weekend, and Liverpool’s defensive frailties persist.
Matic knows that a prolonged run of good form from him and his teammates could topple the early pacesetters.
“Every game is very hard,” he said. “City started very well until the last few games, when they dropped points, which is good for us. It’s a long season. So we will see what is going to happen until May. Every game is a different story.”
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho has issued a public apology to “all the Manchester United fans around the world” for the humiliation at the hands of his old club Chelsea.
United’s 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge was Mourinho’s heaviest in the Premier League, and the manager used his programme notes for the midweek EFL Cup clash with Manchester City to say sorry on behalf of the team and management.
Mourinho wrote: “As the leader of the squad I want to start by saying sorry to all the Manchester United fans around the world.
“Sunday’s 4-0 defeat at Chelsea was not a United result; it was a result that has made us all extremely sorry for all our supporters, and we all apologise for it.”
Mourinho confronted Conte at the final whistle to complain about the Chelsea manager’s exuberant celebrations when N’Golo Kante scored his team’s fourth goal, accusing the Italian of trying to humiliate him.
Mourinho found an unlikely ally yesterday in former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who claimed that Conte had upset him with his celebrations after Graziano Pelle’s injury-time strike sealed Italy’s win over his team at Euro 2016.
“Mourinho’s message to Conte didn’t seem bad to me,” said Del Bosque.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little more restrained when celebrating wins. It hurt me too when we played Italy.
“You don’t have to be as boring as me, but express your joy in moderation. I’m not defending Mourinho, but he had a point.”
Mourinho is expected to find out in the next 24 hours if he will be charged by the Football Association with improper conduct over comments made about referee Anthony Taylor before last week’s goalless draw at Liverpool.
Mourinho said it would be difficult for Taylor to do the match after Liverpool fans had objected to the appointment of the official, who lives in Greater Manchester. – Daily Mail & Independent