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Jose Mourinho Getting Too Cocky with Arsenal Mind Games?
By Josh Sippie
It would not be an Arsenal-Chelsea showdown without Jose Mourinho doing a lot of talking. However, from an Arsenal standpoint, there has not been much we can say. Arsenal have not beaten Chelsea in 12 games and not only have they not beaten them, they have often looked poor.
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That being said, Arsenal have gotten progressively better. Their first match-up against Chelsea last season ended incredibly poorly, as Arsenal never looked even remotely threatening. Arsene Wenger got a good shove in on his Portuguese rival, but a shove is hardly worth another loss to someone that gloats as hard at Jose Mourinho.
In the second match up, a match-up that could have propelled Arsenal towards the title had they won, Arsenal put up a much more formidable showing, only to have the match fall 0-0.
This summer, Arsenal have not only healed up, but they have beefed up at goalie, adding Chelsea ol’ boy Petr Cech. While they will be without Alexis Sanchez, they will have an ever-improving Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Francis Coquelin. That is an improvement.
So what did Jose Mourinho have to say this time?
“If you add up the amounts clubs have spent in the last three or four years I think maybe you will find a surprise,” he said via SkySports. Of course, what Jose Mourinho failed to realize was that he was wrong. He was merely trying to widdle his way into Arsene Wenger’s head again.
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Wenger had a lot to say in his eloquent response, but it can be summarized in his one line: “You must not listen too much to what people say,” he said via the Guardian. Jose Mourinho blatantly flaunted how misinformed he was and it may be becoming a case of Mourinho being far too overconfident and bordering on cocky. He thinks he has the only key into Arsene Wenger’s head, but that is simply not the case.
Arsene Wenger may have been in a trophy drought, but as soon as Mourinho incorrectly dubbed Le Prof a specialist in failure, Wenger went and won back to back FA Cups. Now the team is ready for a full on title challenge. Is Jose Mourinho nervous? I do not think that is the case. I do think he is getting cocky though, and cockiness leads to a serious exposure of weaknesses.
This season, Arsenal have the opportunity to knock Jose Mourinho down a notch. The two face each other three times, starting with the FA Community Shield, which was last won by the Gunners. It may have been twelve matches since Arsenal last beat Chelsea but three straight would shut the Blues up pretty quickly.
So would a title.
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