Chelsea insisted last night the injury crisis which had blighted their pre-season preparations had allayed sufficiently for Jose Mourinho to field a new, full-strength team against Manchester United at Wembley tomorrow, with the Portuguese's appetite for life at Stamford Bridge apparently rekindled after last term's traumas.
In keeping with his apparent desire to shy from the limelight at present - the world is being treated to "Mourinho the mellow" this season, after all - the manager delegated his assistant, Steve Clarke, to preview tomorrow's Community Shield. "You want to know if Jose has chilled?" asked Clarke. "Believe me, he's still as determined as ever to win. Jose Mourinho the coach and the friend is very different to the Jose Mourinho other people see . . . What happened last year hurt him and everybody here. We've got a squad full of winners. They all want to win the top prizes."
The Londoners will be relieved the injury crisis which had threatened their preparations appears to have eased, with only Michael Ballack (ankle), Salomon Kalou (shoulder) and Wayne Bridge (hip) definitely unavailable tomorrow. Arjen Robben, Claude Makelele and Michael Essien may struggle to feature given their lack of training.
Mikel John Obi, whose uninspired displays against Rangers and Brondby prompted a dressing-down from Mourinho, will have extra motivation to excel, while John Terry and Frank Lampard have expressed a desire to play despite suffering from broken toes. The latter underwent a second scan yesterday on the fracture. "But he'll be fine for Sunday," added Clarke. "This game won't have a bearing on the season, but the fact we're playing one of our biggest rivals gives the match an extra meaning."
United are likely to have a very familiar look about them at Wembley tomorrow. Although Alex Ferguson has signed three new players, Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, with another to come in Carlos Tevez, none is likely to be in the starting line-up.
Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs are expected to spearhead United's attack.
