Terry brushes off Arsenal’s Shield win

Arsene Wenger admits Sunday’s Community Shield victory over Chelsea has given his Arsenal side a huge lift heading into the new season. “I haven’t run that much since I was a kid, because sometimes I even have to hold the midfield, but I am very happy playing there and my teammates help me a lot”, he said.

“He has a good combination between quality, agility, size – he looked like he was built for English football”, Wenger said.

Cazorla stated that Benzema is a great player and added that the 27-year old would fit into Arsenal seamlessly if indeed he were to arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes the best team lost in the curtain-raiser ahead of the season, but also congratulated his North-London rivals.

“Listen, it hurts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friendly”, he said. I read many things in the press but no one told me or my agent anything.

Arsenal are perceived as bottlers with a weak mentality but I don’t see it that way. That’s the attitude he demands on a daily basis.

“It could be a blessing in disguise for us – a wake-up call”.

“For me? No, because it is Arsenal versus Chelsea, it is not the two managers”.

“This squad has the experience and character”.

Having ended the last two seasons lifting FA Cup silverware, Wenger has now started this campaign with an additional three pieces.

Mourinho left Stamford Bridge under a cloud in 2007 little more than a year after landing successive titles but was lured back in 2013 and duly delivered the top domestic prize in May.

But it was Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal that proved decisive and the England winger said later: “It’s really nice to come to Wembley and win”.

Wenger has grown accustomed to barbs from Mourinho, who has previously accused him of being a “voyeur”, in 2005 (for which he apologised), and, last year, a “specialist in failure”. “These games are always a bit slow with players finding their feet and fitness but it’s disappointing we didn’t win“.

“We’ve said, “You are the champions, you made us champions, we trust you”.

“Chelsea have done that against us ever so well in the past so we sort of used different tactics to get the result”.

And the Arsenal manager may be tempted to see this win as another sign that his team is finally ready to challenge for the Premier League title again when the season starts next week.

The 68-year-old Redknapp resigned from QPR in February with the club second bottom of the Premier League.