Many feel the win could propel Arsenal to sustain a serious title challenge next season and while Giroud is not too sure about the effect the win will have on the league campaign, he admits beating Chelsea after a long winless streak against them was special.
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Meanwhile, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey says their Wembley success proved they have finally figured out how to defeat their main rivals.
“Apart from that, now starts the championship and we have to turn up with the needed performance and the demanded performance in every single game”, he said. The only changes from Arsenal’s side that won the FA Cup final last season was Cech in goal and Oxlade-Chamberlain starting instead of Alexis Sanchez, who was given an extended break after winning the Copa America with Chile.
While both men were keen to downplay the importance of Mourinho’s run of 13 unbeaten games against Arsenal, Wenger said that the media’s focus on the statistic may have created “a bit of a psychological hurdle…in the heads of my players”.
Mourinho said: “I was doing what the status of my club and my status as a manager [demands]”.
“In my first period, my personal relationship (with Abramovich) was very good, (but) professionally we had some interferences and a disagreement with some ideas”, Mourinho told Sky Sports News.
Eden Hazard had Chelsea’s best chance for an equalizer when Cesc Fabregas found him in the area around the hour mark but he blasted his shot well high under pressure from Laurent Koscielny.
“Red Bulls and were not happy, so it’s normal that we always try to play for a result, the Community Shield has more motivation than a friendly”.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will not use Diego Costa’s injury problems as an excuse for the club failing to retain their Premier League title should the Spaniard be dogged by the fitness issues that curtailed his maiden season in English football.
The 19-year-old started for Chelsea in matches against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at the end of last season, but he was heavily criticised by Mourinho following a post-season game in Australia.
“We did enough, we defended really well as a team and kept them to minimal chances”. “It hurt when you saw them walk up the [Wembley] stairs to lift it. It means a lot because you work all season to be here”.
“But you know, I’m a coach”.
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Cech has given a couple of reasons as to why he chose No. 33 as his shirt number, tweeting that he’s starting a “new chapter at 33 years of age with 333 games in the Premier League…” I thought it was quite a good thing what he did. “We live in a job where you have to respect people and respect everybody”, Wenger said. “I think he is a very bright goalkeeper as well”.
