Arsenal out to make statement vs Chelsea
Mourinho eyes early chance to strike blow on Wenger as London rivals set to clash at Wembley
LONDON (Reuters) – Old rivalries will be renewed when Arsenal plays Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, with the Gunners hoping to prove they are the real deal and finally a match for the Premier League champions ahead of the new season.
Arsenal won the FA Cup for the second successive year in May, but finished third in the Premier League last season, 12 points behind winners Chelsea.
Having signed Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who won four Premier League titles and the Champions League during 11 years at Stamford Bridge, the Gunners should now possess the solidity at the back to complement their free-flowing attack.
While Cech will go from Chelsea friend to foe in the traditional season-opening match between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, the loveless relationship between the two managers gives the fixture added spice.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger appeared to push Jose Mourinho during a touchline spat last season, while the Chelsea boss described the Frenchman as “a specialist in failure” in 2014.
Mourinho, however, expects the Gunners to challenge for the title this season after assembling a squad that contains the likes of 42 million pounds playmaker Mesut Ozil and 35 million pounds forward Alexis Sanchez. BAD BLOOD existing between the rival coaches should make Sunday’s Community Shield anything but a friendly contest. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho (right) has accused Arsenal of trying to buy its way to Premier League success in recent years, which resulted in Arsene Wenger (left) insisting that his squad would prove his doubters wrong.
“If you add up the amounts clubs have spent in the last three or four years, I think maybe you will find a surprise,” Mourinho told reporters.
“It’s a fantastic squad with good players, fantastic goalkeeper, they are more than ready to be title contenders.”
Chelsea, which beat Arsenal 2-1 in the last Community Shield meeting between the two sides in 2005, has injury concerns over striker Diego Costa and defender Gary Cahill.
Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in last year’s Community Shield, but the north Londoners will be without forwards Sanchez and Danny Welbeck for the trip to Wembley.
Wenger’s winless run against Mourinho stands at 13 games, but the Gunners have enjoyed a strong preseason, scoring 14 goals and conceding once as they won the Asia Trophy and Emirates Cup.
“We know we will be better and we work very hard to better,” Wenger told reporters.
“Let’s not forget that Chelsea won the Premier League with a comfortable distance last year.
“There was still a gap between them and the others but the desire is to improve and to move up there to fight for the championship. Let’s start well and try to give our best.”
Chelsea must add a new dimension to its brand of football if the champions are to mount a strong defense of the Premier League title they won in some comfort last season, said manager Jose Mourinho.
The Stamford Bridge club finished eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City in May, but Mourinho said his players had to continue to evolve and could not afford to simply stand still.
“We are trying to add new qualities to our game to improve what we did in the past,” the Portuguese told reporters during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States.
“We are trying to be a little more unpredictable because opponents know us well and we want to go to the season with high motivation.
“The title cannot give us bad things, it can only give us good things. The good things are confidence and motivation for more,” said Mourinho.
Chelsea played a free-flowing style in the first half of last season but when injuries, suspensions and loss of form kicked in after Christmas they started to adopt a more cautious, pragmatic approach in order to grind out results.
Mourinho’s men have been big spenders in the past but they have been almost frugal with their close-season expenditure compared to Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool and Mourinho said it would be a “great challenge” to try and retain the title.
While City, United and Liverpool have splashed out vast sums of money to strengthen their resources, the Londoners have merely tinkered with their squad.
Club favorites Petr Cech and Didier Drogba have moved on to pastures new and been replaced by former Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and Monaco striker Radamel Falcao who had an indifferent spell on loan at United last season.
“I have only one objective and that is to win the next game,” said Mourinho. “I have no other objective apart from trying to improve and improve and improve.
“It’s a great challenge to improve our team basically without new players, apart from Begovic and Falcao. I’m more than happy with that and the players are receiving this challenge with open arms.
“Every day we work really hard to try to improve and I see great motivation in the players. They are happy because we are the same group...because myself and the club have shown loyalty to them,” added Mourinho.
“We’ve said, ‘You are the champions, you made us champions, we trust you. Even if the other clubs have made huge investment we stick with you, we believe in you’.”
Chelsea, which has won the Premier League four times in 11 seasons, kicks off its league fixtures with a home game against Swansea City on August 8.