I think that the Arsenal boss is doing exactly the right thing in the latest episode of the verbal battle between him and the manager of our Premier League rivals Chelsea. There is no doubt that Jose Mourinho will keep trying to get under the skin of Arsene Wenger, both before and after the two sides meet for the Community Shield final at Wembley stadium on Sunday.
But Wenger is not rising to the bait at the minute and I reckon that this must be winding the Portuguese plonker up a treat. Mourinho revels in these battles with rivals and anyone who dares to disagree with him or suggest that he and his precious players are anything but perfect.
Wenger’s dismissal of his rival’s attempts to claim that Arsenal are now spending more than Chelsea, along with a subtle put down of his claims about Hazard being as good as Ronaldo, was pure class. But we do not want to let Mourinho get away with saying whatever he likes, so step up Mathieu Flamini with a perfect riposte in an ESPN report. Not about our spending as such, but about the decision by Chelsea (not Mourinho) to sell us Petr Cech.
Flamini said, “I was surprised by Mourinho because he really doesn’t do that,
“He’s a competitor and usually doesn’t like to sell any players to his rivals. But it’s a good favour for us and now we have to take advantage. It’s a top signing. That’s why we have been lucky on this one.
“It’s very important. Not only for his quality but also for his character. When you play at the top level, the leaders on the pitch make the difference. Not only when things go well but especially when things go bad. So, for us, Petr Cech is a top signing. He is someone with character, someone with a winning mentality.”
We all know that this transfer is a sore point with Mourinho and I am sure that Flamini’s cheeky thank you will not sit well with him. And he cannot go on the attack about it as he has already tried to claim some role in the decision. Nice one Mathieu and keep up the cool and calm approach Arsene.