Former
Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour says Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho are both
to blame for their handshake row.
The Arsenal manager seemed to avoid his Chelsea counterpart after Sunday’s
Community Shield match at Wembley, which the Frenchman’s side won 1-0
courtesy of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal.
Wenger implied a lack of respect from Mourinho – who he defeated for the
first time in 14 attempts – was his reason for snubbing the former Real
Madrid coach.
Former Arsenal midfielder Parlour thinks the pair should have shaken hands
due to the prominent position they both hold.
Speaking on Sky Sports News HQ, he said: "You could see when he was walking
down the stairs, Jose did turn round but Arsene has walked straight round
the back of him.
"As a manager, you’ve got to be a bit of a role model and not just to the
team itself but to youngsters at the club as well.
"I think it’s a bit of respect for both sides if you do shake hands. I think
they’re both to blame a little bit."
Mourinho was quick to highlight Arsenal’s defensive approach but Parlour was
pleased to see his old side hold on and see out victory.
Previous failure to do that in key games has proven costly and Parlour is
now looking for Wenger’s side to become more consistent.
He added: "Over the last few seasons, that’s been their problem and at times
they have been too offensive so he’ll be really pleased they’ve shown a bit
of grit.
"When we had to defend, we defended as a team and there’s nothing wrong with
that. If you go 1-0 up and you’re going to try to win trophies, there are
times when you’ve got to sit in.
"The next step now is can they do that on a consistent basis? If they can,
they will be very close this year. That was much bigger yesterday for
Arsenal than Chelsea.
"Arsenal – having not beaten Mourinho in 14 games – will see their
confidence levels go up in the dressing room. They’ll say: ‘Look, we can
compete with the best sides and the league champions.’
"The big question is: can they finish above Chelsea? I never put my
predictions down until the end of the transfer window because you never know
what activity there will be.
"Manchester United might still buy two or three really big names and
Chelsea, I’m sure, will be in the market for a striker of whoever they need.
Manchester City are still in the market too.
"Before the end of the transfer window, it’s very difficult to see who has
got what and what sort of strengths they have in their sides.
"I’m hoping Arsenal can buy someone else. Whether they will, we’ll have to
wait and see what happens but after the result yesterday, they’ll get a lot
of belief and confidence out of that."
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