BY YOKESH THANABAL
Arsenal will head into the Premier League season on a high note after clinching the Community Shield title, courtesy of a 1-0 win over Chelsea last Sunday. The victory wasn’t entire professional though, as there was a visible beef between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho – something that dominated pre-match talks and ultimately even the post-match talks.
Upon receiving his runners up medal, Mourinho stood at the edge of the pitch, to congratulate Arsenal players as they made their way down from the stage. But Arsene Wenger completely ignored Mourinho as soon as he hit the ground, snubbing the Portuguese manager by moving in another direction.
While that debacle dominated headlines on Monday, some have questioned as to whether the win provided an indication of what to expect in the league this year. As much as I applaud Arsenal for winning the title, I simply don’t think Chelsea would be pushovers this season and in fact, I’m expecting them to be as ruthless as they were last campaign. Here’s why.
JOSE MOURINHO
The Chelsea manager is a serial winner. There’s no reason as to why he can’t defend the title since he has done it in the past when Chelsea won back to back BPL titles in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. When it comes to a top match, the manager has been always pragmatic. Jose Mourinho is known as a manager for big occasions, something he always will relish.
SQUAD DEPTH
Chelsea haven’t made a huge signing this season as they’ve only signed Asmir Begovic and Falcao to replace the outgoing Petr Cech and Drogba. Victor Moses has been included in the squad too after impressing with Stoke City last season on loan. Jose Mourinho is also willing to give Cuadrado a chance to shine this season after a disastrous start to his Chelsea career. Furthermore, John Mikel Obi is keen to stay with the champions. More importantly, he seems to be fine with the options they have in the squad except in left back. I am pretty sure that by the end of the transfer window, Chelsea will wrap up the signing of a left back. Moreover, Everton’s John Stones could also be Chelsea’s deadline day signing. John Stones is regarded as the next big thing after Rio Ferdinand and Chelsea’s captain John Terry. Signing Stones would give Jose Mourinho an extra option to rotate the back four week in and week out.
HOME RECORD
Chelsea were unbeaten at Stamford Bridge last season. And unless something dramatically changes, I’d expect them to maintain that record this time around as well. It was a key component behind their title success last year, and if they’re able to replicate it this year (which I think they will), then Mourinho gets one step closer towards the title.
DIEGO COSTA
I know you can’t blame a defeat on the absence of a player, but last season, Diego Costa’s 20 goals in the Premier League sealed the title. Costa was ruthless at the start of the last season where nobody expected him to score 7 goals in just 4 games. But his fitness isn’t optimal at this point, which is why he missed the clash against Arsenal. But once he returns, Chelsea would potentially be back to their devastating best. If he continues where he left of last season, then the Community Shield loss wouldn’t mean anything.
EDEN HAZARD
Eden Hazard scooped all the individual awards after the best season of his career, last campaign. Better still, he’s vowed to do even better this season, by improving on his goal tally. Mourinho has compared him to Messi and Ronaldo, and while that could be stretching things a tad bit too much, there’s no denying that Hazard is arguably the most dangerous player in the league. His brilliance will be key to Chelsea’s hopes of winning a title, and as of now, he looks relentless in pursuit of greatness.
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