Chelsea v Swansea Preview (Premier League) – 8th August 2015

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Chelsea kick off their Premier League campaign with a game at home to Welsh side Swansea. The champions begin the defence of their title in Saturday’s late kick off, as they look to continue the unbeaten home league record they had throughout last season.

Given how Swansea upset Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening day of the last campaign, they certainly shouldn’t be written off. Gary Monk led his team to a very respectable finish last term, and he’ll be looking for more of the same this year. A result at Stamford Bridge on the opening day would be the perfect result for Monk and his merry men.

As you’d expect, Chelsea come in to this game as heavy favourites to get their season off to a winning start. They’re being backed to retain the Premier League title, and to do that they’ll need to start the campaign well. After last week’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, it’s clear that the squad aren’t quite up to full fitness.

Hopefully that’ll be put right by the time the Swans visit the Bridge. Given that there could be as many as three challengers for the title, starting slow isn’t an option. Arsenal established that they are up to speed, so the Blues really have to do the same. With a week of training and another preseason friendly under their belts by then, you’d expect a big improvement.

One thing not to expect is to see any new faces in the line-up on Saturday. Asmir Begovic is likely going to have to wait patiently for a debut, while Falcao did little to earn a starting spot against Arsenal. While the Colombian showed glimpses of ability, Diego Costa is expected to return from injury and take his place up front. Hopefully he can start this season as well as he did the last.

One other change to expect this weekend will be the return of Oscar to the starting 11. The Brazilian was a substitute at Wembley, with his compatriot Ramires taking his place in the team, to give energy and a more defensive edge to the team. At home to Swansea, Mourinho can surely free up his team and play with three attacking midfielders.

The manager has even hinted at moving to a system with two up front this term, partnering Costa with his former Atletico Madrid teammate Falcao. While it feels a little early to test that, he did switch to three at the back for a time at Wembley, so maybe he’s building up to that later in the season.

This should be a straightforward home victory for Chelsea. Swansea are a good side but Mourinho should be fully prepared for this one, with his men itching to put their defeat last week behind them. This side has a good record at bouncing back from losses, and you can expect that to continue this week.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 3-1

Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal – 2nd August 2015

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A sluggish Chelsea performance led to a disappointing defeat to London rivals Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday. A first half strike from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain separated the two sides, with the Gunners lifting the Community Shield under the Wembley arch. The result brought an end to Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten record against Arsene Wenger, seemingly leading to more animosity between the two.

The champions started without Diego Costa, who was left out of the squad due to a hamstring problem. Loic Remy led the line, with a mostly full strength team behind him. The only major change was Ramires coming in for Oscar, something that Mourinho tends to do in matches against his top four rivals.

Straight from the off, it was clear that Chelsea weren’t fully prepared for the start of the season. They looked well below match fitness, with a lethargic pressing game and few moments of magic from their flair players. Before this game it was tough to understand why they were playing a friendly on Wednesday night, now it seems like a vital move ahead of the Premier League kick off.

Arsenal were in the Blues’ faces from the very start, showing that they were in no mood to let the Stamford Bridge side walk all over them again. There were few standout players, but the Gunners seemed to function well as a unit. They were good value for the opening goal, which came after 24 minutes. Some poor defending from Cesar Azpilicueta gave Oxlade-Chamberlain room on the right flank, and he came inside to put a left footed effort past Thibaut Courtois.

That goal did seem to spark a little bit of life from the champions, but despite their efforts they didn’t get close to troubling the familiar face of Petr Cech in goal. The Czech stopper could well have affected his former teammates mentally, as seeing what he was capable of in matches and in training for years could have Chelsea players worrying about just how they could get past him.

Ramires headed a good chance over the bar in the first half, while Eden Hazard screwed an effort way over in the second. It took over an hour to really test Cech, when he kept out a free-kick from substitute Oscar.

At the end of the game, Mourinho did point out his own sides failings, which were hopefully just early season rustiness as he suggested, “One team played counter-attack well, another had initiative and played well but without the sharpness that you need. They created, they tried, tactically everything. We didn’t equalise, we didn’t play at our normal level.”

The manager also praised the Arsenal performance, even comparing it to his own style. “A team that defends very well, that leaves their philosophy in the dressing room, plays all the second half with nine players in front of the box, this is football. Very good tactical organisation. They scored one goal, they deserved to win.”

LCN Man of the Match: Nemanja Matic