Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be happy to have one over his old foe Jose Mourinho after 15 attempts. The Community Shield presented the latest opportunity for the Frenchman and he took it with both hands.
Chelsea were defeated by their London rivals after a spectacular finish from Alex Oxlade Chamberlain in the first half. Chelsea huffed and puffed but the result was to be a favorable one for Arsenal in the end, particularly Wenger – obviously.
In all fairness, both teams were not as sharp, but Arsenal had a little edge, possibly because of their longer stay on English soil during pre-season, well… Let’s not start the excuses. Chelsea lost the shield, simple as that. Here are five things we learned on Sunday.
Chelsea can’t rely on Diego Costa all season
Chelsea had their star striker injured during pre-season with a hamstring problem. Some Blues fans may have been a bit nervous after the team news broke that Loic Remy will start the game. He was good last season with a few important goals in Costa’s absense but can he assure us of more of the same this season, based on what we saw against Arsenal? NO. Withdrawn at halftime, Falcao came on a nod looked a shadow of his former self. His Manchester United days are behind him but those poor performances aren’t. If Chelsea are to win the title again, Costa needs to be fit and the other strikers have to wake up.
Options in the attacking third are not good enough
This is not often said of Chelsea, at least in the last decade. Chelsea basically have very few options there and even with the limited options, quality is evading. Juan Cradrado and Victor Moses are the available players we have in the department. The latter shows promise but rarely delivers while the former doesn’t act like he’s enjoying life in a blue shirt.
Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian are the first options going forward but when injuries, fatigue and suspension sets in, we do not have capable replacements. The gruel nature of the Champions League knockout stages will demand a more complete squad, my bet: Jose know all too well.
Azpilicueta needs a quick-ner
Against Arsenal, Azpilicueta came off and we saw Kurt Zouma replace him in left back. Yes you read right! With the Premier League set to begin in a few days, Chelsea go into the campaign with only five senior defenders. Worrying, but surmountable. Well, only if the club go into the market and BUY. Jose seems to believe Chelsea’s squad is strong enough to defend the title but even he will admit his defense is not good on numbers.
“We cannot go to the Premier League with five defenders – that’s our weakness,†Mourinho says.
We have only two fullbacks in Ivanovic and Azpilcueta but the latter particularly needs help. As the season wears on, challenges in different department arises and Azpilicueta, though he had an outstanding season last term will need some competition, maybe Augburg’s Abdul Baba Rahman.
Fabregas needs more gas
It’s unlikely to speak of Fabregas badly at the start of a campaign. His doubter and critics often go to sleep until after December. Against Arsenal, when you thought the Spaniard will be the go to man for defense splitting passes and scheming, he went missing. Had Hazard scored that wonderfully weighted pass from Cesc, we would have been singing a different song here, but well that didn’t happen.
He was largely missing for a majority of the game and that’s a big concern for Jose. When Fabregas failed to rise at some point last season, the team suffered. We need him firing on all cylinders this weekend if we are to stand a chance against Gary Monks Swans.
Chelsea might regret transfer policy this season
There was a certain mentality and style Arsenal played with and it’s coincidental that Chelsea legend Petr Cech was inbetween their post? Cech’s signing has done a lot for the Gunners, most importantly their psyche. Chelsea played convincingly and with some swag last season and that was owed to their marquee signing in Cesc Fabregas.
There was some fluidity in their play that only the former Barcelona man could bring. There was sure going forward. That’s the lift a big signing gives you. After securing Radamel Falcao and Asmir Begovic as replacements for Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, Chelsea have barely impressed with their purchases. A certain someone to get the team raring to go is missing in this squad and could hurt us this season.
