In the end it was a most Mourinho-like victory for Arsene Wenger as he finally, finally beat his arch rival.
Prior to winning the Community Shield on Sunday, Arsene Wenger had faced Jose Mourinho and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea 13 times and never won. On top of those failures was a constantly brewing war of philosophies and temperaments that had seen Wenger and Mourinho engage in war after war of words, and even included a shoving match. All that can finally be put behind Wenger, for today, with Arsenal’s 1-0 victory in the Community Shield.
Arsenal qualified for the competition by winning the FA Cup, Chelsea via winning the Premier League. Coming in, Arsenal had had one of its most convincing preseasons in recent memory, winning two trophies in exhibition tournaments; Chelsea, for its part, had little to show for a preseason that mattered little to them. The difference in the status and inclinations of the teams was reflected in their managers’ wardrobes on the day: Mourinho was in warm-ups, Wenger sported a suit.
In the end, it was the suited man’s team who won, with Arsenal, who it must be said probably took the game far more seriously than Chelsea, coming out strong, dominating possession and scoring in the 24’ through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Chelsea played considerably better after conceding; they were on top for the rest of the match, really, but could not score. The commentators mentioned a lack of creativity in the final third, but it was really a lack of clinical finishing that did Chelsea in. There were two clear cut opportunities, both squandered: Ramires found himself on the end of a cross at the edge of the 6 yard box, but couldn’t find the target with a header, and then Eden Hazard was put through brilliantly by Cesc Fabregas, but sent his shot up and over for the proverbial “three points.” Both were criminal misses.
As the game wound down, Wenger substituted attack for defense, and Mourinho substituted defense for attack. None of it affected the score line, or the run of play. Chelsea possessed and Arsenal counterattacked for the entire last hour of the match, regardless of who was on the pitch.
As meaningless as the Community Shield is to the rest of the Premier League, it matters to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, or at least this victory does. It matters to them that they beat Chelsea for the first time, and it matters that they continued to build on the momentum they had accumulated during the preseason.
Arsene Wenger didn’t shake Jose Mourinho’s hand after the match; this was personal.
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