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Tag: Chelsea

  • Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal: Hazard ends Arsenal’s title hopes

    Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal: Hazard ends Arsenal’s title hopes

    Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge left Antonio Conte’s side 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

    Only the most optimistic of Chelsea’s rivals could imagine overtaking them with 14 games left.

    Marcos Alonso scored the opening goal in the 13th minute but Eden Hazard’s classic dribble in the second half illustrated the gap between the teams.

    Conte’s Chelsea were disciplined, direct and brimming with killer instinct. The final blow came with Arsenal self-destructing. From their own corner, Petr Cech’s errant kick presented Cesc Fabregas with an easy chip for the third goal.

    Arsene Wenger’s men were shapeless, directionless and lacked fight. Oliver Giroud’s late goal provided little consolation.

    The goals told the story. Alonso gave the home side the lead with a strike that was all about appetite. Victor Moses crossed from the right and the ball seemed slightly behind Diego Costa. The striker leaned back and produced a header so powerful that it hit the bar before Cech could get a hand to it.

    The question was who would get to the ball first as it dropped. Alonso reacted quickest as the Arsenal defence stood transfixed. Hector Bellerin made a half-hearted attempt to clear but Alonso attacked the ball with aggression and hit both ball and man with force.

    The header flew into the net and Bellerin was left in a heap on the floor. The Arsenal full-back had to be taken off after suffering concussion but it was no foul.

    The ball was available and Bellerin’s rather weak attempt to contest the header left him on the back foot and vulnerable in the collision.

    The rest of the Arsenal team looked equally stunned by the goal. Costa was allowed to shoot into the side netting and Wenger’s side looked bewildered.

    Even though the visiting side had plenty of possession, they created little.

     

    ESPNFC

     

  • Costa not untouchable at Chelsea, says Conte

    Costa not untouchable at Chelsea, says Conte

    Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte, has insisted that Diego Costa is not untouchable in his squad.

    Conte has already confirmed that Costa will be in the squad, for their Sunday game against Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

    The 28-year-old was left out of the Blues’s 3-0 win at Leicester City in their last Premier League fixture, after he reportedly clashed with Conte over a back injury and an offer from China.

    He rejoined first-team training on Tuesday, after training alone on Sunday and Monday, with other squad members given two days off.

    “I must be honest, I don’t like this word, ‘untouchable,’” Conte said during his Friday media conference.

    “You prove you should play a game in training sessions, and you have to prove you should start. I don’t like this word, this adjective, ‘untouchable.’ I prefer all my players show me every single day that they deserve to play on Sunday. For me, that’s important. From my career, I learnt this.”

    The former Juventus manager, also urged Chelsea supporters not to boo the player.

    “I’m sure on Sunday that, if Diego starts the game, he’ll put all himself into it for this club, the shirt and the fans, and do everything he can to win the game,” Conte said.

    “I don’t think this situation can happen [with fans booing him]. It’s not right, it’s not right. I repeat: Last week, he had this injury, this pain in his back. Now he came back with us. I’m sure that, together, we have to win against Hull City. It’s important for me to be focused on all: on me, on the players, on the fans and on the game, because it’s a really important game for us to win.

    “Our fans are really important, always, because they are great. They push a lot when we play at home. They push a lot when we play away. And, for us, for me, they are the 12th player on the pitch. I hope to continue in this way, to push a lot our team, my players, in every moment of the game. They are a really important part for us to try and win and try and continue to fight for the title.”

  • Shakira wants Gerard Pique, to leave Barcelona for Chelsea or Arsenal

    Singer, Shakira wants her partner and father of two kids, Gerard Pique to leave Barcelona as soon as possible and join a London club, preferably Chelsea or Arsenal.

    According to Spanish website, Don Balon, the player could leave Barcelona after damaging his reputation among Spanish supporters who dislike him because of his vocal support for Catalonia- a region in north-eastern Spain seeking independence from Spain.

    Pique, 29, has been in Barcelona since leaving Manchester United in 2008, winning 26 major trophies for club and country, but his vocal criticism of Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Spanish state has landed him in hot water, and Shakira, his partner since 2010 is tired of the whole drama.

    The report claims that Shakira wants to move to London with Pique’s comments about Spain and Catalonia having a bad effect on her singing career, as fans in Spain associate her every move with the footballer’s comments.

    According to the report, Pique could favor a move to Chelsea due to his close friend, Fabregas’ presence at the club, and Shakira will prefer London, as it’s a good place to also help with her musical business plans.

     

  • Mourinho received £8.3m pay-off from Chelsea

    Mourinho received £8.3m pay-off from Chelsea

     

    Chelsea paid Jose Mourinho and his backroom staff £8.3million, after he was sacked as manager in December 2015.

    This was revealed in the club’s full accounts for the 2015/2016 season.

    Despite a record turnover of £329.1m and a £49m profit on player trading, the Stamford Bridge outfit posted a £70.6m loss.

    The reason for this, is that the club paid kit supplier Adidas £67m in compensation for cancelling a 10-year deal six years early, so they could sign a bigger deal with Nike.

    Chelsea also finished 10th in the Premier League and had no cup success, which means they did not earn any prize monies.

  • Chelsea pays Mikel Obi N1.1bn severance package

    John Obi Mikel has received the sum of £2million (N1billion) from his former club, Chelsea, as severance package.

    The Super Eagles captain spent 10 years at the club, before he departed in the January transfer window to sign for Chinese Super League side, Tianjin TEDA.

    As part of the gesture to appreciate the 29-year-old, the Stamford Bridge club did not negotiate any fee for the midfielder and have now paid him off with his wages for the last six months of his deal.

    The Nigerian made 374 appearances for the Blues and won 11 major trophies.

    Mikel Obi is now the highest-paid Nigerian footballer having signed a £140,000-per-week contract with TEDA.

    He has since joined his new team-mates in Malaga, instead of taking time off after the club gave him permission to rest following his medical in Amsterdam.

  • Tottenham determined to stop Chelsea’s consecutive wins

    Tottenham determined to stop Chelsea’s consecutive wins

    Harry Kane and his Tottenham team-mates are determined to halt Chelsea’s winning streak.

    Chelsea’s pursuit of history has made Tottenham doubly determined to defeat them today.

    If Chelsea win at White Hart Lane, they will equal the Premier League record of 14 consecutive victories, established by Arsenal from February-August 2002.

    Whereas the Gunners’ run spanned two seasons, all Chelsea’s wins have come in the current campaign.

    Chelsea’s target adds spice to a derby that is becoming increasingly heated. Before last season’s meeting at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham were angry to hear Eden Hazard say Chelsea wanted Leicester to win the title ahead of Spurs.

    That ill-feeling contributed to a stormy 2-2 draw in May, a result that handed Leicester the crown and ended with nine Tottenham players booked. Eight months later, Tottenham are desperate to reduce the 10-point gap to Chelsea, while denying them that 14th victory.

    Pochettino has a plan to stop Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation – Vertonghen
    “We don’t want to be the team who lets them equal that record,” said Kane. “That is in our minds and we were talking about it in the changing room after the Watford game (which Spurs won 4-1 on Sunday), so we are fully focused.

    “We are a better team than we were last season, 100 per cent. We have probably not played as well as we did last season, but we still have four more points than we did at the same stage. It shows we are on the right track.

    “A lot of us are bigger, stronger, better and more experienced, so hopefully we can continue that form through the second half of the season.”
    Tottenham expect to welcome back right-back Kyle Walker and centre-half Jan Vertonghen after both missed the win at Vicarage Road through suspension.

    Mousa Dembele is also likely to be restored to the starting XI, while Heung-min Son and Moussa Sissoko are expected to compete for one place in attacking midfield.

    Even though Spurs have won their last four matches, defeat to Chelsea would make it extremely difficult to keep alive their title ambitions. However well Mauricio Pochettino’s team play, a 13-point gap may prove too great for them.

  • Chelsea are better title contenders, Wenger admits

    Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has admitted that Chelsea are “super favourites” to win the Premier League title this season.

    The Blues are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of second-placed Liverpool and nine ahead of the Gunners.

    Antonio Conte’s men are currently on a run of 12 consecutive wins and will take on Stoke City on New Year’s Eve.

    Wenger says the title is Chelsea’s to lose, but it could all come down to head-to-head.

    “It [head-to-head matches] will be vital of course,” he told a media conference ahead of Sunday’s contest against Crystal Palace.

    “But Chelsea are the super favourites, it is there’s to lose.

    “They can still lose it, there is still a long way to go. It will be difficult for everybody and head-to-head will have a big influence.”

  • Frank Lampard Reveals Aguero Comes Late toTraining

    Frank Lampard has opened up about his brief spell at Manchester City by revealing star man Sergio Aguero would turn up late to training on a regular basis.

    The Chelsea legend, who played for City during the 2014-15 season, has said Aguero used to be fined for his poor timekeeping skills but wouldn’t care about the subsequent fine.

    Lampard, speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM show alongside John Terry, said when asked who picked up the most fines at Chelsea: ‘At Chelsea I can’t remember but I will jump to Manchester City.

    ‘Aguero picked up a fair few. He just didn’t care. He was so laid back and would just stroll out to the training pitch like five minutes late.

    ‘”[The coaches would say] right you’re fined” and he would say “OK, no problem. Wait until the weekend and I’ll score a hat-trick and everyone will be happy”.’

    Both Lampard and Terry also opened up on who their favourite managers have been at Chelsea during their respective lengthy spells at the club and they both put Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti’s names forward.

    ‘Jose’s sessions when he first came to Chelsea were such an eye opener for all of us because he was so forward thinking and it was all the ball but before that it was about running,’ insists Lampard.

    ‘With Jose it was ball work from the start of the season. I used to love training under Ancelotti as he was such a good people person. He made you feel good every day. They were the two standout managers on that front.’

    And Terry added: ‘I would say the same. Mourinho, for the technical sessions and the flow of it. It kind of went one into another and it would kind of progress.

    ‘It was like an hour of work but you wouldn’t rest in that hour. He does it all and controls everything. He gets his staff to feed the balls in and if one of them puts a dodgy ball in he will go mad. He’ll stop the session and go mad at his staff.

    ‘He raised the whole thing because of the levels he wants from everyone.’

    Terry, despite returning to first team training, will miss Chelsea’s Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth as he focuses on getting back to full fitness.

    The Chelsea captain will be joined in the stands by the suspended Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante.

     

  • Wenger: Chelsea NOT title favourites

    Wenger: Chelsea NOT title favourites

    Arsene Wenger believes Chelsea are candidates to win the Premier League, but does not feel any team has earned the right to be called favourites.

    Chelsea sit top of the table after 15 matches, three points clear of Arsenal and on a winning streak of nine consecutive top-flight matches.

    But Arsenal themselves have not suffered a league defeat since the opening day against Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp’s side, Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United making up the rest of the top six.

    And Gunners boss Wenger thinks the title race remains wide open, with consistency over the busy festive period vital to any side’s hopes of glory.

    “What I believe is they [Chelsea] will be one of the candidates,” Wenger said ahead of his side’s trip to Everton on Tuesday.

    “They are of course one of the teams doing extremely well, but there is no super favourite in there at the moment.

    “They will have to maintain that like everybody else at the top. When you look at the league it is down to consistency.

    “It is very open, very interesting. Every time a team is the favourites to win, they struggle.

    “When you look at the teams around us, you can see the margin of difference between the teams has shrunk a lot.

    “The way you respond in every game is absolutely vital. It’s a very important period where everybody has to be absolutely focused on our results and the way we want to play.”

  • Conte hails Blues, dismisses deduction reports

    Conte hails Blues, dismisses deduction reports

    Antonio Conte has reacted with disbelief to reports Chelsea could face a points deduction in the wake of angry scenes at Manchester City last week.

    Players from both teams were involved in a melee after a challenge by City’s Sergio Aguero on David Luiz.

    Aguero was sent off and Fernandinho also red-carded after he then clashed with Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas.

    Both clubs have since been charged with the Football Association with failing to control their players – the fifth time in 19 months Chelsea have been hit with such a charge.

    Asked after his team’s 1-0 win against West Brom about reports his side could have points deducted, Conte said: “Are you joking?

    “If you are involved in a situation that is not your fault and you must pay, why? I don’t understand this.

    “You must be honest to understand when there is fault with both teams or one.

    “You can see very clearly that my players were trying to keep the calm.”

    On a much brighter note for Chelsea, Diego Costa’s 76th-minute goal gave them a ninth consecutive league win and took them back to the top of the table.

    West Brom defended superbly before Costa nudged Gareth McAuley off the ball and then fired into the top corner.

    “It was a very difficult game but we knew this,” Conte said.

    “I spoke a lot this week about this game because we faced a team that is very tough and very difficult to break down.

    “I’m pleased because we showed great maturity and great intention to find the right solution to win.

    “It wasn’t easy, but the players showed me great character, great attention and great motivation to try to win the game.”