Arsene Wenger responded to Jose Mourinho’s post match comments about how . Arsenal FC had abandoned their philosophy to win against Chelsea FC in the Community Shield, insisting that the Gunners’ game plan was simply to defend and attack well
Arsenal FC went 1-0 up in the 24th minute after some nice work by English international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right flank, who first beat full-back Cesar Azpilicueta with some neat skills before hitting a well struck effort past a helpless Courtois. Petr Cech – the former Chelsea FC goalkeeper and legend – made his competitive d but for the Gunners in the win over his former club. The win also marked Wenger’s first win in 14 attempts against old foe Jose Mourinho.
Arsene Wenger felt that the Gunners put in an all-round display to stop Premier League champions Chelsea FC from scoring. The Frenchman added that Arsenal FC had the better chance of scoring in the game, as the North London outfit created more clear-cut chances than the Blues.
Our game is based on solidarity, defending and attacking well – Arsene Wenger
Jose Mourinho had accused Arsenal FC of abandoning their philosophy in order to win the game. However, the 65-year-old was unfazed by such comments and insisted that his side focused on maintaining the solidarity, while attacking and defending well at the same time. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Wenger said (as reported by Arsenal’s official twitter handle):
“It was an intense game and you could see that the teams played with full concentration and commitment.
“Every time we attacked we had chances. We had many chances today and the best chances came from our side.
“Our game is based on solidarity, defending and attacking well. We wanted to protect our lead when we were 1-0 up.”
The Arsenal FC manager felt that the victory was topped off by the fact that Arsenal FC didn’t concede a goal against Chelsea FC. The veteran manager also praised new signing Peter Cech, who moved to Emirates in a A?11 million deal from Chelsea FC, last month. Cech made a couple of good saves to preserve his side’s early lead, while Wenger was of the opinion that his former team-mates were trying to score the perfect goal in a bid to impress their former shot-stopper.
“There’s an extra satisfaction because we didn’t concede a goal against a team with Chelsea’s attacking potential.”
“He had an impact because maybe the Chelsea players thought they needed to score a perfect goal to beat him.”
When quizzed about the apparent post-match hand-shake snub on Mourinho, Wenger said:
Wenger: ‘I shook a few hands today after the game but there’s nothing special there (in regards to Mourinho)’
a Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceIndy) August 2, 2015
Arsene Wenger also reflected on the absence of Jack Wilshere from the squad in the win, saying that the English international had suffered a slight knock on his ankle in training yesterday.