Jose Mourinho suffered his first defeat to his arch nemesis Arsene Wenger. Coming after 13 undefeated matches, the Community Shield loss must have irked the Portuguese tactician. But, Mourinho was quick to insist after the game that his Premier League Champions side had been the better side.
One team played counter-attack football well. One team played with initiative well but without the sharpness you need to be more aggressive with the ball. The team tactically tried everything.
The Blues manager was frustrated with the outcome that he threw away his medal after his side lost 1-0 at the Wembley. A single goal by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the difference for the Gunners. Mourinho threw his medal into the crowd before walking down the Wembley tunnel with Bobby Gill, aged 10, picking up the medal.
It’s the medal for the loser….it’s a good memory for him.
Chelsea was dealt a blow to their aspirations even before the kick-off. Diego Costa was ruled out of the clash with a hamstring injury. And Mourinho’s choice of strikers – both Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao – looked out of sorts. At this evidence, it doesn’t look rosy for the Blues boss.
But, Mourinho insists he is happy with the strikers at his disposal ahead of the Premier League opener next weekend. He would, however, be praying that Costa gets fit sooner so that he wouldn’t have to rely on Remy or Falcao.
Mourinho wasn’t portraying a different picture of the game when he said his was the best team. Chelsea dominated possession but their forwards reminded Mourinho of Costa’s absence. His usual match winner Eden Hazard also couldn’t conjure his usual magic.
Wenger must have been really pleased to finally defeat Mourinho at the 14th time of asking. The defeat will surely irk the Blues’ boss but he tried putting the match into perspective by talking of the season ahead. He was also categorical about the loss of his unbeaten record to Wenger.
I always thought one game is one game and has no relation with other games. Thirteen matches is an eternity. It has never been a question of beating someone and losing to another one.
Mourinho starts his title defence against Swansea and will be sweating to get Costa fit for the opener. What matters now is to be ready for the season ahead. After all, Premier League title is much more than a Community Shield.
