Kolo Questions Chelsea’s Mental Toughness

Arsenal’s run of 38 unbeaten Premier League games including 26 wins and 12 draws in 2003-04 remains the greatest achievement by an English team in the modern era. Some may argue that Manchester United’s treble win in 1999 or Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2005 represent greater feats but, for us, the simple fact that Arsenal’s run required a sustained level of excellence over such a long period makes it stand out.

Obvious Comparisons

Football pundits, journalists and tipsters such as those at bluesquare.com have begun to draw comparisons between the Arsenal team of 11 seasons ago and the current Chelsea side. After 11 games the Blues remain unbeaten and have rarely been troubled so far this season, so perhaps it is inevitable that they would be compared to Arsene Wenger’s greats but is it a fair comparison and do Mourinho’s men have what it takes to live up to the hype?

Mental Toughness

One man who knows better than most what it takes to be an invincible is former Arsenal centre back Kolo Touré who played in all but one of the Gunners Premier League games in 2003-04. Touré has suggested that Chelsea may lack the mental toughness required to stay the distance and remain unbeaten in the build up to Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to the Blues; he is under no illusions that Chelsea have the playing resources to match Arsenal’s record but he questioned their application and whether or not they have the fight to make it through the difficult times to come.

Image by- Ronnie Macdonald

Challenges to Come

With 27 games remaining Arsenal’s proud record is still a long way from being matched. Chelsea still have to face Manchester United and Manchester City at home, although they emerged from the potentially tricky trip to Touré and his current club Liverpool this weekend unscathed. If none of these teams end the run of course, then Arsene Wenger’s current squad will have a chance to ensure that there remains only one set of ‘invincibles’ in London when Mourinho’s men visit the Emirates in April.