Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed that Sunday’s Community Shield match against Chelsea will not be played like a “friendly”. Even though it is a pre-season match, it is not labeled as such as a good piece of silverware is up for grabs. Last year’s Community Shield may have had the vibe of a friendly, especially with stars for both teams being out of the match for post-World Cup rest.
This year is different: European international teams were not in action over the summer, so most first team players for each team, bar Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, who is resting after winning the Copa America, will play in this match.
It is clear that these teams have large amounts of animosity towards each other, starting with the managers, who have consistently called each other out in the media. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has done more of the talking, recently saying that if he were Wenger, he would have already found a way to beat himself, because the Frenchman has yet to beat Mourinho in 13 previous attempts. Wenger will have to find a way to unlock Chelsea’s rock-solid defence, something which he has not done since 2013, which was the last time Arsenal scored against the Blues. Doing that will be considerably harder without star man Alexis Sanchez, but the Gunners have been red-hot during pre-season, winning both the Barclays Asia Trophy and the Emirates Cup.
If Wenger wants to bring home the relatively meaningless pre-season treble and end his eternal drought against Mourinho, then Chelsea star Eden Hazard will have to be locked down by whomever the Arsenal manager plays at right back: rapid, attack-minded Spaniard Hector Bellerin or solid, yet slower Frenchman Mathieu Debuchy. The French international would be the much safer option, but the younger Spaniard was in much better form by the end of last season and Wenger has great reasons to choose either full-back for this match.
The main reason this match will not be like a friendly is that Arsene Wenger has his pride at stake: he needs to beat Mourinho to prove he can still beat any manager at any given time, and that his current team has enough firepower to challenge for the club’s first league title since 2004. Even though this is a preseason game, there is a lot at stake, so expect each team to go out with ambition to win and send a message to their opponent while doing so. Wenger said to Arsenal Player: “We have to accept that every game is decided and judged as definite.
“But you know that in real life it is not like that. The tribunal is out there and will draw conclusions from Sunday.
“No matter, positive or negative [result], we have to continue our way and focus on ourselves….It’s a game that is important but it is still preparation. We want to win it and overall it can just give us that little bit more confidence before we go into the season.
“You know, it will not be a friendly as it is like that and it is good like that.”
Wenger knows a lot is up for grabs, not just the trophy. A piece of his legacy, the good form necessary to succeed in the start of the new Premier League season, and to show this Arsenal team is for real and able to challenge for major silverware.
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