Arsenal beat Chelsea at their own game

Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea Review – A corner turned… by SB

In the end, when it all happened, it looked like it was simply inevitable. The law of averages was bound to catch up with Jose Mourinho at some point but even the most ardent supporters of Arsene Wenger wouldn’t have predicted that this year Community Shield would be that turning point.

When the final whistle blew at the Wembley, it marked the end of one of the biggest hoodoos for Le Prof. In his previous 13 attempts, he came unstuck against the Blues manager. Mourinho always makes it a point to talk about his hold on Wenger and how he comes up on top of him every time.

This was supposed to happen but what made it more special was that it happened at Wembley. The grander setting of the stadium and the comments from the Blues’ boss before the game made the win more memorable for Wenger. Mourinho never shies from any slightest opportunity to get under the skin of the Gunners’ boss.

There have been times in this 11 year hoodoo when it looked like Mourinho enjoyed irking Wenger with his words as much as enjoying the wins against him. This loss is sure to deeply annoy the Portuguese big mouthand the first signs are already there – throwing the medal sums up the day for Mourinho.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed what can be expected for the upcoming season with his winning goal. The challenge for him is to replicate this over the entire season. It is the same for the entire squad. If they can replicate what they did at Wembley in the weekend over the entire season of 38 games, Wenger will have seen another of his hoodoo broken.

Another interesting facet is the display of the side after the goal. The team sacrificed its attacking instincts settling down to defend with great intent. The midfield played with great skill and linked together with great verve. It looked as if the team wanted to send a message out to Mourinho and the entire Chelsea contingent. And they were able to send out a strong messageas they beat the Blues using Mourinho’s own tactics.

The match will also be remembered for being the first time Petr Cech played his former club in Arsenal colors. Coming out on top must have been sweet for the goalkeeper who is a consummate professional, but for us Gooners it is a corner turned and will increase our confidence for the new season.

COYG!

Sridhar

Tags Cech Chelsea Mourinho Wenger

40 Comments

    1. It’s going to be weird playing our next match with no trophy celebrations after final whistle. We’ve become accustomed to a certain type of winning.

  1. Arsenal beat Chelsea at their own game….and that whats made that win so special.
    Poor Mou and his comments pathetic…what the bet – he goes out and buys a striker before the transfer window closes…

    1. Id say it’s an attacking midfielder they go out and target. Maybe even two, if they can find someone better than Oscar and maybe a right winger replacing the Colombiano. They still don’t have a player to replace Fab, not even in the first eleven who could move in and spread balls about. Oscar or Willian if moved there would do a job but I wouldn’t expect massive number of assists.

      We on the other hand have many who you could call primarily attackers. For every one of there strong battling midfielders we have a clever intelligent passing one. I said they have one true play maker of class and again it is the opposite with us as we have primarily one strong battling defensive midfielder of class.

      Balance is key. Our attackers have shown how they can switch it up with some good defensive displays. Same note Chelsea we know can play football if they are let off the chain. Interesting.

  2. Not bad for a bunch of guys obsessed with taking selfies of their six pack abs and their kool haircuts…

  3. Nothing like waking up to a morning after beating Chelsea and there loser manager. Now the real work starts, hoping for an injury free season (if that’s possible) plus our players been in top form. Still hoping Wenger can surprise us with a top ST and a back up DM to really push us to the next level.

    Our kids are becoming men, just need that EPL and the UCL trophy in our cabinet to shut everyone up!!! Up the Arsenal

  4. Heard fans refer to the result as “special”, “memorable” etc….painful to listen to such nonsense. If people have drawn conclusions about the upcoming campaign off the back of that game I find that embarrassing. Nice to get the monkey off the back for Wenger, that’s about it.

    Seems the plenty never quite learn. Result means nothing, next week is the real games. Hope we have a transfer flurry before too long as Cech alone isn’t overcoming the 12 point difference in quality between us and Chelsea.

    I see plenty getting their jollies off giving Mourinho two fingers, bet he’s real gutted to lose that one… Chelsea are a different animal in competitive matches so I really hope this moment most are getting giddy over doesn’t come back to bite us in the rear.

    1. That win was a psychological boast for us..(like the OT win Last season)…Chelsea gave it their all yday and still came out 2nd best…and if that loss meant nothing to JM, then explain his comments after the game and his pathetic sarcastic handshake of our players…

      1. Standard Mourinho, funny how everyone on here is suddenly quick to obsess over everything he does….yet loathe when he fixates on Arsene or Arsenal.

        Chelsea had 10 days less prep than us and were in America just this week. I’m all for celebrating a vital win, but the community shield just doesn’t equate to that. Everyone was so quick to pat ourselves on the back last year vs City but it meant diddly for our league campaign.

        You clutch at your straws and squeeze any and all positivity you like out the day. I’ll reserve my jubilation for a win at home or away in the league thanks.

        1. Most fans here are aware of Chelsea late pre-season start and that this was not exactly and PL, Fa Cup or CL game…but still loosing this game would gave JM more of a chance to talk more demoralizing sh!t and also would’ve broken down our team abit mentally.
          I’m sure most fans here remember our good pre-season and then 3-1 loss to Aston Villa on our first PL match in 2013/14 season..so while most of us are not over the moon over a Community shield match, it still was a victory over a JM Chelsea side.

      2. If the match was high on their priorities they would have prepared for it as such. Chelsea started pre season late and are still preparing. They only just came back from the US on Thursday and still have another pre season fixture.

        This match mattered more to Arsenal and we’re the only ones that take such optimism from it. I’m not as negative as Charlie but it’s pre season for a reason and that is something that fans need to bear in mind.

        Barcelona have lost all their pre season matches, meanwhile Bayern got beat by Wolfsburg. None of those teams are overly concerned with those results however.

        The real test begins this weekend

        1. If we lost yesterdays match would you be saying the same thing? I bet you would . You be would be saying wenger lost with mou . Wenger is clueless no tactics . We all know that if mou played a fundraising charity match against wenger he would start his strong side against us. What I see is we won against Chelsea at Wembley where teams dream to play football and we beat chel$hit

      3. Couldn’t agree more. These players knew they were good enough to beat Chelsea, they only needed to prove. It was Big, a loss to Chelsea and this team would have gotten ripped to shreds. Pundits would have said so much on the matter that they the players would have start to feel it themselves. And then there’s the whole jinx thing. Footballer’s are very superstitious people so another defeat would have been a total mind fuk. Last but not least Mourinho, months to go through before we get another chance at redemption all the while listening to that gobby mouthed piece. Our own fans would have been far from kind ourselves.

    2. I can understand why the negative vibes here. People are excited after the win yesterday and think sky is the limit. I don’t believe for a second Chelsea was un-phased in this game. They played their best line against us and while this game is not exactly a league game it is a way to measure where we are at preparing the season. Remember, it is not only Chelsea we are against. There are at least 10 teams who can put a damn good fight on a cold and snowy Sunday afternoon.
      What I have noticed though is the ease our players could switch the game and that against Chelsea. This I like.
      I want Arsenal to be pragmatic. I want them to take the draw when the victory can’t seem to come and not rush forward and get punished Swansea style. I want them to be lethal on the counter, this is the game I know from Arsenal.
      While I want Arsenal to win the EPL, for me, this year is the UCL year. I want that UCL trophy ten time more than EPL. I would sign it right now that I will give EPL trophy for a UCL one.

    3. Mr man!…… Say all you want…… I just wanted that Moanihno spell broken…… That’s just abt it…..and i’m happy! ..

      Now unto pressing matters……. WTF! 33days running

  5. I used to be a giroud hater but from what I saw yesterday I changed my mind he suits our style of play {I apologise) now my concern is injuries we had no options in bench,Jack is a white diaby even the way he puts his body into challenges he will always be injured.Seems cech is the real deal though

    1. I don’t want to see Giroud as our main striker, I want new striker … Though, I hope he does well if we end up with no addition (most probably with Wenger) …

  6. off topic..am i the only one who thinks when sanchez gets back that our game MIGHT change due to the way he loves having the ball at his feet…………………………………………….A chelsea fan down here even said Arsenal are currently in spot to clinch the EPL, that we’re complete in defence and midfield, said with the way our players are hungry that nobody would be a threat to us but all we need to pull the trigger is get a WC striker. we all know he’s right but are we really gon get one??

    1. You should have said yeah sure yous should do the same, why don’t yas take your top goalscoring threat out of midfield so yous wont have to watch him beat two or three men before rifling the back of net.

      Ps, Also mention Sanchez having best defensive display from midfield, but mention our player only and then say yours can be a liability.. no offense mate.

      1. i never said he’ll be a liability, i know how much contribution he brings to the team, he’s very important to the team, i only stressed he might, (the *might* in block letters) change our fast tempo cus he holds on to the ball too much. (and of cus there’s no guarantee our game will change, you guys need to make use of your brain and know why it is “might” i used… but then again let the thumb down rain on me

        1. I was just saying that Sanchez for us is what Hazard is for them. Mentioning Sanchez’s defending ability and a lack of it for Hazard is what I would have said to irk the chelsea fan, I was only suggesting that you should have tried.

  7. Who says sex is the ultimate pleasure in the world,seeing arsenal beating chelsea was better then having sex…I screamed,I cried,I laughed all that does not happen when am on top of my girl!

      1. I’ve heard goalscorers and winners say that allot, better than sex. Some fan’s must feel the same euphoria as the players do. Women on the other hand, I’ve never heard a woman saying it is better than sex. There climax compared ours is supposed to be mountain v molehill, that would certainly explain it.

  8. Just so we’re clear, we didn’t use Mourinho’s tactics. In fact, we were less defensive then Chelsea.

    *GASP* I hear you say! “But we spent most of the second half defending!”

    Well yea, but defending is the by product of not having the ball, it isn’t a tactic. The tactics are determined by player role and positioning – something we had that was VERY different to Chelsea tactics.

    Let me explain: in the first half Chelsea’s defence, even with the ball, were always looking to drop deep into their own half. When the ball moved forward, they retained 4 players behind the ball at ALL times in the WHOLE GAME. Matic, Cahill and Terry never got ahead of the ball and Azpilicueta and Ivanovic only really started making searching runs after Chelsea had gone down. As usual Chelsea were reserved and left the attacking to their front 5. THAT is a defensive tactic.

    Conversely, Arsenal were always pressing up the pitch, defenders quite often playing into the opponent’s half – EVEN in the second half. The difference was, Chelsea had the higher intensity in the second half and once we had lost our oppurtunity to win the ball back fast, we retreated into a defensive formation. That means we have a balanced, fluid, tactic, NOT a defensive one. Our fullbacks still pushed on when we were attacking and we did not play our defense deep in our own half at every oppurtunity.

    This is what bugs me most about Mourinho – he advocates his team is the better side even when they lost fairly. They barely made a chance, with most of their chances coming from mistakes in our defence. Their “good play” was not that good and that’s why they didn’t score. Even then, he set out to be defensive and conservative in his play – so why he thinks he has the right to discuss being defensive as a negative I don’t know. Until we scored Chelsea hadn’t even had a shot at our goal let alone worried our team at all!

      1. Definitely Matic is much more than expensive. But yesterday Coquelin was pretty much the one bossing the midfield while Matic will be remembered as the man put to shame by Cazorla. It’s just one game but if you judge only this game then you are totally wrong. Yesterday Coquelin > Matic.

        1. that backheel from santi completely losing matic…magic.

          coquelin still showing everyone hes the real deal

        2. FFFanatic, good analysis, not everybody would notice such small details. I hope some of what mour said after the game isn’t a ploy to make Arsene more forward thinking at the next encounter between the two. He said Arsene abandoned his philosophy. I was hoping Arsene would ignore it and speak about getting balance right but it did seem to touch a nerve and then Wenger decided to defend the matter. All week Wenger was listening to nothing he said so now or this subject would be a bad time to listen. Mourinho would love nothing more than to see Arsenal pour all but three or four men forward like of old, I am maybe worrying over nothing however Wenger in my opinion does care about how our football is perceived. I did like how Wenger said he was proud of our defending and can only hope Wenger keeps us defending as well as attacking as a team.

  9. I watched the game again and found out Arsenal played so brilliantly the level of the performance was of old Arsenal I have no doubt that the Arsenal will win the league
    providing we remain united and strong and patient the next 38 games will just be the road for success we just need to remain focused on the road we will eventually arrive to our destination enjoy the trip guys

  10. Arsenal beat City 3-0
    last season but finished
    4 points behind them in the
    EPL and 12 behind Chelsea.
    The Mickey mouse games are over
    the real games begin on Saturday.

    1. We also managed 4 out of 6 points against them in the league. Sure, it doesn’t matter overall but it does have a psychological impact vs the same team when we meet again.

  11. What was most important from yesterday’s game was that the team looked like it had very good fitness levels. We seem to have got that right this year and should see an easier start to the season without the two qualifiers.

    Yesterday was nice but Chelsea didn’t have the fitness levels right yet. They will be much better over the next week.

    Some of the stuff between the two managers is quite funny though

  12. A win is a win – and there is no harm in celebrating it.

    Imagine the morale if we’d lost – imagine the fans agro – so don’t pretend it doesn’t matter.

    The Irony (which I love) is because of Marinos mind games, our players have become more angry – and that’s exactly what we needed to be more competitive all over the park. Thanks Maurino you idiot

  13. What ever the weight and value of the trophy, we won it and shut up Mourinho at least for awhile. It is time for Arsenal to look forward and keep the momentum gained.

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