Chelsea’s injuries and transfer wobbles raise stakes in Community Shield
By George Perry
The Community Shield occupies a strange place in English football. After the summer Chelsea have had and the last two matches against Arsenal, the friendly-with-a-trophy may have more meaning than usual.
Most clubs put little stock in the Community Shield. Arsenal tend to take it seriously, since they need any silverware they can get their hands on. Tottenham aspire to it as an unreachable peak. Normally Chelsea follow Sir Alex Ferguson’s perspective, that it is “never a do or die thing…[but] a barometer of fitness.” But this year’s edition may actually be meaningful for the Blues.
The two rivals met just over two months ago at Wembley for the FA Cup. Arsenal won courtesy of a poor officiating on the opening goal, and an abominable performance from Victor Moses. Moses will miss the Community Shield because of the red card he saw in May.
Moses will not be the only starter on the bench. Pedro will also sit out as he recovers from the facial fractures and concussion he suffered at the hands of Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina in a pre-season “friendly.” The Blues will also be without Eden Hazard and Tiemoue Bakayoko.
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Their absences will lay bare Chelsea’s shallow squad and unproductive transfer activity. Of those four players out for the Community Shield, only Victor Moses will return for the season opener.
Chelsea have spent about £120 million on three new players. That is money well spent, but still falls short in players and pounds to cover Chelsea’s needs. With more players coming off the market every day, Chelsea’s have increasingly few options at wing-back and central-midfield.
Eden Hazard is a truly irreplaceable player, but the Blues have no excuse for not buying or developing depth in those other positions. Jeremie Boga and Fikayo Tomori should be coming on as second-half substitutes in the Community Shield to gain experience in a productive, valuable run-out. Instead, they could be starting. Or, Antonio Conte could once again play Alvaro Morata out of position on the left-wing and hope the additional week of training leads to better results.
"There is a bit of honour as well. We want to win our games, we want to do well. For example, in the Community Shield, there is a trophy in play. People might say it doesn’t count at the end of the season but it’s still good to start the season with a victory in the Community Shield. – Thibaut Courtois, Daily Mail"
The Community Shield will be a squad check more than a fitness check for Antonio Conte. It will be his last opportunity to assess his options before the games that count for something. It will also communicate the state of the team to Chelsea’s rivals at home and abroad.
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Chelsea have lost their last three Community Shield appearances. The most recent was to Arsenal, and in retrospect it may have presaged the debacle that was to unfold. Antonio Conte is already concerned that he may be following in Jose Mourinho’s footsteps. The prospect of facing Arsenal at Wembley in early August is one more unwanted omen.