Jose Mourinho Claims Chelsea Repeat of Arsenal Invincibles Is 'Impossible'
Jose Mourinho doesn't believe Arsenal's unbeaten season of 2003-04 will ever be repeated in the Premier League.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea's visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Special One batted away suggestions his side—who are the division's only remaining unbeaten side after seven games—can replicate the Gunners' feat.
Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World reported Mourinho's comments:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Arsenal followed the Preston North End side of the 1880s as England's second-ever invincible team, a feat that saw them accumulate 90 points in the top flight. The squad included legendary stars such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira, who will forever be synonymous with the north London side's era of success.
Despite possessing a wealth of star players—Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas standing out as the most useful—Mourinho doesn't believe such an achievement can be replicated. The closest Chelsea have come to suffering defeat this season was the 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad, a stadium that rarely lets visiting teams exit with three points.
Prior to the international break, the dominance showed against Arsenal underlined Chelsea's title credentials. Many will have plumped for their eventual victory prior to the campaign, but the ease with which Arsene Wenger's men were dispatched should alarm the rest of the division. Arsenal failed to launch a shot on target against the Blues, as brilliantly realised by ESPN FC:
The 2-0 win added to suggestions that Chelsea are likely to wrap up the Premier League title comfortably. Mourinho has previous experience of falling short when hunting invincibility, however, so it's easy to see why he would dismiss the challenge as unreachable.
Just one year after Arsenal completed their success, Mourinho's Chelsea scored the highest-ever total of Premier League points, accumulating 95 after 38 games.
It was 10 years ago on Thursday that Chelsea lost their only game of that season, a 1-0 defeat to City, prior to the club's significant investment. Strangely, Oct. 16, 2004, was also the day Arsenal won the last game of their 49-game unbeaten run.
Nicolas Anelka, who would go on to play for Chelsea, slotted home City's winner from the penalty spot. It was awarded after a key slip from William Gallas, with Paulo Ferreira eventually bringing Anelka down in the box.
Such minuscule margins make all the difference. Ruud van Nistelrooy's infamous penalty miss for Manchester United—which crashed off the bar during the previous season's 0-0 draw with Arsenal—is fondly remembered as a key moment on which the Gunners' invincible streak was built. Had the Dutchman placed his shot a little lower, the plaudits would have never arrived.
Mourinho has a penchant for playing down his side's chances. Last season, he publicly called Chelsea the "little horse" of the Premier League title race. He likened the team to "a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump," per Phil McNulty of BBC Sport. "Maybe next season we can race," the manager added.
Chelsea have certainly flown out of the traps this campaign. Mourinho's squad is remarkably well-rounded, and it's difficult to pinpoint one player who can't bring top quality to the side, much like the Arsenal team of a decade ago. The fact that individuals such as Filipe Luis, Loic Remy and Petr Cech have barely featured this season says it all about a squad that also have 26 potential stars currently out on loan.
Mourinho will be extremely wary of his side's trip to Selhurst Park. Neil Warnock has steadied Palace's play after Tony Pulis' departure and will be hoping the Chelsea players feel some fatigue after the international break. Diego Costa, among others, could be missing, per the club's Twitter feed:
The boss has suggested Costa would miss out before, however, and ended up playing him to great success anyway. John Brewin of ESPN FC is fed up with the manager's mind games:
Mourinho will be hoping his decision to shake hands and leave the dugout early—which was criticised by Aston Villa's Roy Keane—will take place with three points confirmed, per the Mail Online:
The competitiveness of the Premier League continues to increase as greater funds are invested in each side. One off-week is all that is needed to suffer a momentum-shifting defeat. City have lost to Stoke, United suffered defeat against Swansea, and Liverpool have fallen to Villa already this season. Upsets are commonplace, even if Chelsea continue to give their fans little cause for concern.
A typical Mourinho response or not, it will be interesting to see how far his team progresses through this challenge. Sure, the manager has covered his back by saying an unbeaten season won't happen, but deep down, he'll know the little horse now has enough power to bring the title home at a canter.
