London : Chelsea captain John Terry has warned Arsenal that their Community Shield victory over the champions will count for nothing once the real action starts in the Premier League this weekend.
Jose Mourinho’s team were well below their best as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first-half strike gave Arsenal a 1-0 win in the prestigious pre-season friendly at Wembley on Sunday.
Arsenal’s vibrant performance added to the growing sense that the north Londoners, who were already on a high after winning last season’s FA Cup, are ready to mount a sustained bid to wrestle the title away from Stamford Bridge.
But Terry sees it differently and, asked if the result should be taken as an early indication of a switch in the balance of power, the former England defender said: “I don’t think so. It’s one of them where Arsenal will probably come up and say differently.
“But win or lose I don’t think you can say that. It’s disappointing to lose, of course, because it’s the first trophy of the season, but it’s gone now.
“You look at the positives from it. I thought we were on top if anything.”
While the Community Shield will be an afterthought by the time the major prizes are handed out in May, Terry is such a driven character that the sight of Arsenal’s players lifting the silverware has added fuel to his competitive fire.
And the 34-year-old said his team-mates are equally chastened by Mourinho’s first defeat in 14 games against Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and will take out their frustrations on Swansea in their Premier League opener. “Listen, it hurts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friendly,” he said. “Whether it’s against my kids or anything, it’s horrible to lose.
“That’s the mentality I was brought up with. It’s the same with the manager. That’s the attitude he demands on a daily basis. We’ve not lost many at Wembley, so it could be a blessing in disguise and a wake-up call.
“This squad has the experience and character. The most important thing is the Swansea game and the three points.”
Terry also dismissed concerns that Diego Costa’s fitness problems — the Spain striker missed the match with a recurrence of a hamstring injury — will be a problem given the underwhelming displays of stand-in Loic Remy and new boy Radamel Falcao.
“Diego’s a top player so he would be missed in all sides, but we have three great strikers and they will all be fighting,” Terry said.
