Fuente : Chelsea FC
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CHELSEA FC:Everyone bar Bridge ready for Cardiff

/noticias.info/ José Mourinho told a press conference at the Cobham training ground today, Friday, that everyone is fit for Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium, but Wayne Bridge will wait a little longer to complete his comeback.



“A great thing for us is no injuries after one month of hard work. Just Wayne Bridge is still not ready to play, that’s because he needs a bit more time to be ready. He is almost 100 per cent.”



José said he is treating the Community Shield as half way between the first game of the season and a pre-season friendly.



“It’s important because it’s the beginning of the season and normally involves two of the best teams, and because of that nobody likes to lose. In relation to the Championship it means nothing. The result on Sunday doesn’t mean 15 days later will be the winner in Stamford Bridge. But it’s Chelsea and Arsenal, and nobody likes to lose.



“So if you play a friendly like we did against Milan or Arsenal did in Amsterdam, you take it seriously.



“But people are still worried about pre-season items, things that we think in pre-season. So I have to agree the players are not ready to play 120 minutes in case of a draw, so it’s better to go straight to penalties. Six changes for official matches is too much, but some of the players are not ready to play high-tempo for 90 minutes. But it’s an official game, so part pre-season and part first game.”



He was quizzed both about his own conduct this season and the difficulty of his team retaining the title.



“My philosophy, especially for this season, is to think about us, forget the others, go our way, don’t look at the other people, don’t be worried about what they say and try to live independently.



“If one day I feel I need to do something in relation to that, I will. But for the starting point of the season I want just to be in my corner, saying nothing else. So you can say please comment on what Thierry Henry say or what Arsenal say, I don’t want to.”



On retaining the title he added: “It’s difficult for us, the surprise effect is not here anymore. It will be more difficult, all of them, Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal, Newcastle, will be better. It will be hard. But we believe at the moment we can do it.



“I cannot say to you what is more difficult, to win after 50 years or to retain the title. I prefer to think game after game. It will be Wigan, and then Arsenal, West Brom and then Tottenham. I don’t know how difficult it will be.”



Needless to say, he was repeatedly quizzed on the situation with Michael Essien who has been reported today as refusing to train with the first team at Lyon.



José refused to be involved. “The only thing I can do is try to imagine this happens with one of my players. I’m not speaking about Essien because he is not one of my players. I’m not in Houllier’s place. If one of Chelsea players do this and wants to move, I keep saying every player has a price. No-one is untouchable. If there is a player I want to keep, however much, and he wants to go, I would establish a price and I would sell him. To keep a player who doesn’t want to play for me, I would not do it. If he doesn’t train for me, the next day the transfer market would be open.”



Finally, on Claude Makelele’s willingness to play for France again, he said: “He spoke to me, he told me it’s a special situation for his country. If they were playing well and getting results and qualifying already for the World Cup, he wouldn’t return, but the manager feels they need Maka and Zidane and the big boys, and he wants to go back and help. I’m open to that and I support his position.” notas_de_prensa_archivo