Captain John Terry has urged his Chelsea teammates to heed the wake-up call presented by their 1-0 FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal
John Terry
London: Captain John Terry has urged his Chelsea teammates to heed the wake-up call presented by their 1-0 FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.
John Terry
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The English Premier League champions were sluggish as their London rivals, through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's 24th-minute goal, recorded a rare victory against them.
The winger's powerful finish was Arsenal's first goal against Chelsea in 506 minutes, and ended the Blues' eight-match unbeaten run against them.
Terry remained adamant that they were the superior side and refused to dismiss the fixture as a friendly and hoped the defeat would ensure that they were better prepared.
"There was a trophy on the line," said the 34-year-old, whose side host Swansea on Saturday in their opening Premier League fixture. "It hurt when you saw them walk up the (Wembley) stairs to lift it.
It means a lot because you work all season to be here. No matter if it's a friendly or a Community Shield — it's a trophy at the end of the day. It's horrible. It's not nice.
At the same time, it could be a blessing in disguise for us — a wake-up call. We have experience in the squad — we have the character. It's going to be even tougher this year. We go again and prepare ourselves for Swansea."
Chelsea had only returned from a pre-season largely spent in USA on Wednesday while Arsenal, who resumed training a week earlier, appeared fresher.
"I don't think so," he replied when asked if Chelsea were tired. "I thought we were on top, if anything. I think these games are always a bit slow anyway — the players are still finding their feet and fitness. (Losing's) horrible, whether it's against my kids or anyone. That's the mentality I was brought up in.
"It was a different atmosphere in the dressing room afterwards. We haven't lost many at Wembley. It's maybe the boost we needed and we go again for the season."
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