Sunday 7 August 2016 12:07, UK
Jose Mourinho has a long history with the Community Shield with wins, losses and a couple of handshake dramas…
Jose Mourinho contested the FA Community Shield on four occasions as Chelsea manager, winning only once. As a consequence, don't expect him to talk up the game's significance. But there's no doubt that a good start would foster the belief he needs at Manchester United. That starts with results. In particular, results gained by his devotion to detail.
Steve Sidwell made his Chelsea debut under Mourinho in the 2007 Community Shield against United. Speaking to him, the midfielder is adamant that Mourinho takes the fixture seriously. "He used to tell us that the League Cup was five games to get to Wembley and play for a trophy," Sidwell told Sky Sports. "It's a similar attitude with the Community Shield.
"This will not be like a pre-season game for Jose. He will leave no stone unturned, he will prepare for the game like it's a Premier League game. He will prepare the team thoroughly and they will be ready. It's his first game and he won't want to lose it. He might downplay it if they do lose but make no mistake he'd be disappointed."
MOURINHO'S COMMUNITY SHIELD RECORD
With Sunday's game against Leicester City marking Mourinho's fifth Community Shield clash, we take a look at how he's got on in the four previous encounters…
2005 Community Shield: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
A brace by Didier Drogba was enough to give Mourinho's Chelsea victory at the Millennium Stadium. The win was Mourinho's first - and to date only - victory in the competition.
Mourinho said: "It's always nice to win and we go home with a smile on our face but this has no consequence on the Premiership."
What happened next? Chelsea made a formidable start to the defence of their Premier League crown, winning their first nine games and sealing the title with two games to spare.
2006 Community Shield: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
New signing Andriy Shevchenko scored on his Chelsea debut but Peter Crouch's late goal won it for Liverpool. Mourinho and Rafa Benitez did not shake hands afterwards.
Mourinho said: "I know my face is not always a very nice face. I am aggressive and so on, but do not always make me the bad boy."
What happened next? Chelsea lost their first away game of the Premier League season to Middlesbrough and, though they recovered well, were unable to defend their crown.
2007 Community Shield: Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea (Man Utd won 3-0 on pens)
Florent Malouda's goal cancelled out Ryan Giggs' opener for Manchester United but Mourinho's Chelsea failed to find the net with any of their three penalties in the shootout.
Mourinho said: "The season starts on Saturday and we didn't lose the game itself."
What happened next? Chelsea edged past Birmingham in their Premier League opener but amid off-field issues Mourinho departed in September after a run of one win in five games.
2015 Community Shield: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Arsene Wenger got a first win over Mourinho as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal decided it in Arsenal's favour. The two managers did not shake hands at the end of the game.
Mourinho said: "I expected the lack of sharpness. It's normal."
What happened next? Chelsea lost three of their first five Premier League games and never recovered. Mourinho was sacked in December with the team one point above the drop zone.
CONCLUSION
Mourinho's only Community Shield victory preceded a march to the Premier League title, while the three defeats did not. Moreover, the Portuguese was out of job within months on two of those occasions. Nobody is expecting such drama again, win or lose on Sunday, but Mourinho's history suggests victory would be the more positive omen for what's to come.
