Arsenal were quick out of the block and deserved their half-time lead, though trust Jose to vigorously dispute that. The Portuguese claimed his team were the better side. But trust me, only he and few Chelsea fans hold that view.
The Community Shield clash was a frenetic match of two halves – Arsenal dominated the first while Chelsea expectedly dominated the second as they pursued the leveler that would have taken the match into penalty shootout.
Following are five things we learnt from the season’s curtain raiser:
1- PRE-SEASON MADE THE DIFFERENCE: Pre-season warm-up matches are usually designed to help players gain match fitness and sharpness. And a good pre-season has often led to a good season for most teams.
This more than anything else is what gave the Gunners the edge over the Blues at Wembley on Sunday. Arsenal have had a very good pre-season, winning all their four matches, three of which were against top sides – Everton, Lyon and Wolfsburg.
Chelsea on the other hand have endured a not-so-brilliant pre-season, losing 4-2 to American lightweights before forcing draws against an understrength FC Barcelona and a strong PSG. The Blues won the two matches via spot kick lotteries.
More than opponents quality and results, I look strictly at three things in pre-season warm-ups namely: the intensity, team chemistry and endurance.
Arsenal displayed all these traits in their matches during the summer tune-ups while the Blues largely looked lethargic and sometimes uninterested.
So it was no surprise to me at all that it was the Gunners who flew out of the starting block like a house on fire. And even when they had to dig deep in the second half to protect their narrow lead, the Gunners passed with flying colours as they had enough in the tank to repel a new tide of Blues pressure.
Ramires (in the first half) and Hazard’s (in the second half) misses from open goal summed up the Blues lack of match sharpness. I’d like to think both very talented players would have buried those chances were it to be at the middle of the season.
I fear Chelsea might make a slow start to their title defence. Time will tell.
2-ARSENAL NEED A WORLD CLASS HITMAN!
THE Gunners might have successfully defended the Community Shield they won last season with that lone goal victory against eternal rivals Chelsea, but the need for a cold-blooded finisher was very obvious.
During the pre-season, Arsenal found the net with ease, a situation that might give Monsieur Wenger a false sense of adequate cover in that department. But against very tight opponents in competitive setting, the Gunners barely survived by the odd goal, a fact not lost on Wenger himself who praised his defence for its yeoman’s job.
On back foot late in the second half, Arsenal created three very good chances to seal victory on the counter. But all were painfully frittered away with Chelsea threatening to take the match into penalty lotteries.
On a good day and against a sharper Blues, the Gunners would have been made to pay those missed chances.
Oliver Giroud, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck are not world class strikers. And if my memory serves me right, no team has won the BPL without at least one very deadly finisher. After two successive FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs, Arsenal’s sights are rightly trained on winning the league crown. But I have my doubts if Wenger doesn’t fix this “little” problem. Or would the Gunners be the first team to win the English top flight without a top notch hitman?
Well, France did it at the Mundial in 1998. Just that BPL is a world different from the World Cup. If anything, it’s certainly more competitive than the Mundial.
3-FALCAO IS A GAMBLE, REMY IS NO COSTA FIX!
I HAVE written on this page why I think Radamel Falcao might have gone past his sell-by date. The Colombia skipper endured a terrible loan season at Manchester United last term, ensuring that Louis van Gaaldidn’t to take the option of a permanent move for the hitman.
I also watched as El Matador labored in vain to impress at the last Copa America in Chile. Falcao started his country’s first two matches but soon found himself on the bench from the third match before his team were eliminated in the last eight.
So I was a little surprised when Mourinho said he would resuscitate the striker’s career. Well that looks like a very long shot, a gamble that may not pay off at least on the evidence of what I’ve seen of the striker in the last 12 months including Sunday’s sub appearance.
As for Loic Remy, everybody knows he is not a Diego Costa and is certainly not a substitute for the burly Brazil-born Spanish international.
Remy will score some goals, no doubt. But what happens if Costa endures another protracted injury plagued season. I doubt if either Falcao or Remy could score enough goals to fire Chelsea to a successful title defence.
Maybe the Special One might unzip the wallet to snap up another double-figure-a-season striker? Just maybe.
4-CHELSEA NEED A LEFT BACK
CAESAR Aspilicueta has made Blues left back his own and contributed a lot in the title-winning run of last season. But with Felipe Luiz having beaten a quick retreat back to his former clubAtletico Madrid, the Blues are left without a cover in that position, a fact not lost on Mou who has been begging owner Roman Abramovic to dole out the cash once more.
This problem was exacerbated at Wembley Sunday evening when Mou had to sub the Spaniard for fear of bagging a second caution. Young Kurt Zouma was quickly drafted into this unfamiliar position. But it’s obvious Mou would want a permanent and a natural left full-back as backup to Azpilicueta instead of a youngcentre-half.
5-GUNNERS WILL BE IN THE MIX!
HAVING been watching Arsenal’s pre-season very closely, their splendid battle against Chelsea at Wembley only served to reinforce my belief that the Gunners will be in the title mix for real this term.
Arsenal have grown in confidence from their successive FA Cup success and they have had a very good pre-season. Add the fact that some of the teams who might actually fight them for the title have been fumbling – Manchester City most especially.
In fact many pundits believe the league crown will be a straight fight between Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
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