News Digest

New Premier League season launches simmering rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal

Ten years since Jose Mourinho first entered an English Premier League season in charge of the reigning champions and ten long weeks since his most recent triumph, the Chelsea coach begins the new campaign Saturday set to vie for the title with a familiar foe. Mourinho’s champions have undergone minimal changes, actually losing some experience with Didier Drogba’s departure for Major League Soccer and Petr Cech’s transfer to London rivals Arsenal. The latter is an intriguing move, with the North London side once again an irritant for Mourinho. There’s his relentless disdain for their manager Arsene Wenger and what he perceives as the perpetual rewarding of his opposite number’s repeated failures. There’s always been sniping, some of the back and forth crossing the line on occasion. It’s been simmering for ten years, and may finally be about to reach boiling point as Arsenal and Wenger – who defeated Chelsea 1-0 in last week’s Community Shield - once again threaten Chelsea’s crown.

Let’s try to be a good team and let’s try to be here in March, April speaking to you about the possibility of winning something

Jose Mourinho

Elsewhere Manchester City, who finished second last season, have added young attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling from Liverpool after a protracted and expensive transfer saga. Their Manchester rivals United have also retooled significantly, with the additions of midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, as well as exciting young Dutch attacker Memphis Depay. With coach Louis van Gaal taking charge for his second season, United could make this a four-way fight for the title and deliver a more exciting campaign than last season’s coronation for Mourinho’s Blues. Still, the lack of business done by both Chelsea and Arsenal provides an unlikely common ground. And it’s fitting. This season, relations between them are likely to be closer and more intense than they’ve ever been before.

If we are capable to keep the cohesion and the solidarity we have at the moment through the 38 games, we have a good chance.

Arsene Wenger