No love lost: Old foes Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger cross swords again in Chelsea-Arsenal derby
Jose Mourinho has warned Arsene Wenger that Chelsea are back in the groove as the Premier League champions look to extend their revival in Saturday’s showdown with London rivals Arsenal.
Mourinho’s side are languishing just above the relegation zone following a miserable run of one win from their first five matches, but the Blues boss is confident his players are beginning to rediscover their swagger after a 4-0 demolition of Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek.
That vibrant opening to their Champions League campaign was in stark contrast to the doom and gloom that surrounded the club after their worst start to a season since 1988.
Saturday is a big match, it’s a great rival. This result can put us in a better situation. We had too many bad results. We couldn’t have this one on top of it
Already trailing leaders Manchester City by 11 points and fourth-placed Arsenal by six, a third successive league defeat this weekend could leave Chelsea’s title defence in tatters.
Yet Mourinho expects the challenge of taking on a title rival will draw a powerful performance from his team against an Arsenal side reeling from their surprise Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.
“We come with a different feeling. We can wake up with a different state of mind,” Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
