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Tag: Stamford Bridge

  • EPL: Pochettino handed ultimatum or be relived of his duties

    EPL: Pochettino handed ultimatum or be relived of his duties

    Speculations are rife that the management at Stamford Bridge has given an ultimatum to coach, Mauricio to continue winning games and qualify for European football next season  or be relieved of his duty.

    Chelsea is gearing  up for a comprehensive evaluation of Pochettino’s performance at the end of his inaugural season in charge of the Blues.

    Throughout the campaign, Chelsea has grappled with challenges, notably in the Premier League, where they’ve struggled to maintain consistency on the pitch.

    However, despite criticisms from some quarters, many pundits have rallied to Pochettino’s defence, pointing to broader structural issues within the club’s ownership as contributing factors to the team’s setbacks.

    Pochettino did guide Chelsea to the Carabao Cup final this season, albeit falling short of the FA Cup final following a semi-final defeat to Manchester City. His accomplishments, however, have not shielded him from intense scrutiny.

    Presently, Chelsea are in seventh place on the log trailing sixth-placed Newcastle United by a slim two points and fifth-placed Spurs by a margin of four points.

    In response to these circumstances, Chelsea’s board reportedly presents Pochettino with a stark ultimatum: his job security hinges on the team’s ability to clinch qualification for the Europa League. Failure to meet this criterion could spell trouble for Pochettino’s tenure at Chelsea.

    In such an eventuality, the club may explore alternative coaching options, with several names already circulating, including Jose Mourinho as the frontrunner, according to Sky Bet, followed by Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi.

     

  • EPL: Sterling, Jackson score as Chelsea thrash newly promoted Luton Town at Stamford Bridge

    EPL: Sterling, Jackson score as Chelsea thrash newly promoted Luton Town at Stamford Bridge

    Chelsea FC on Friday night secured their first win of the new campaign after defeating Luton Town by 3-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals by Raheem Sterling and Nicholas Jackson.

    Again, Streling was in an incredible form in the colours of Chelsea and the winger has explained why his performances seem to be getting better by the week at the moment.

    The England international scored two and set up one in the third game of the Mauricio Pochettino era as we claimed our first three points of the season.

    Sterling was simply sublime: shooting five times, three of which hit the target, as well as having two successful dribbles and two key passes in the contest.

    He spoke of his huge confidence and belief when he spoke post-match.

    ‘I had a conversation with the gaffer earlier last week, and we have gone through the role and I know exactly what he needs from me and it is simple as that. I need to get on the back foot, drive at players which is when I am most affective,’ Sterling said.

    ‘Mindset wise, I came with excuses but that is finished. I always try to analyse what I have been doing, what I have done wrong or what I can change,’ he reflected, honestly.

    ‘I want to get back to being obsessed with football, football 24/7, and nothing else. Top performances, goals and assists. A lot has happened in my career, I have had a new challenge which has been difficult, and your head can become blurry.

    ‘My love for football is too much and I am too young at 28 to let my career fizzle out. I need to maintain the standards I have set myself the last few years, and keep going.’

    Sterling is quite clearly playing better this term than the start of last. He has given mitigating factors as to why that is.

    ‘Last season I was too deep, playing the ball to the full-backs. We had a simple conversation, it doesn’t matter where you play: just be dynamic and aggressive. Just be aggressive with the ball when wide and I have the desire and hunger to do that.’

    Moreso, Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochetinno has been full of praises for Senegal international, Nicholas Jackson who scored the third and his first EPL goal for the Blues.

  • Chelsea owners react to Lampard’s surprise return to Stamford Bridge

    Chelsea owners react to Lampard’s surprise return to Stamford Bridge

    Frank Lampard has been appointed Chelsea caretaker manager until the end of the season, just over two years after the club sacked him.

    The 44-year-old previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.

    His surprise return to Stamford Bridge comes after Tuchel’s successor, Graham Potter, was dismissed on Sunday with the club in the bottom half of the English Premier League (EPL).

    “We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” Chelsea co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement.

    “Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.

    “As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

    “We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.”

    Former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard had been out of a job since January when he left relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge.

    Chelsea have nine Premier League games remaining this term, starting with Saturday’s trip to Wolves.

    This is followed by the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with European champions Real Madrid.

    Lampard watched from the stands on Tuesday evening as a Blues side managed by caretaker manager Bruno Saltor started the post-Potter era with a goalless draw against Liverpool.

    The west London club sit 11th in the table following that result, 14 points adrift of the top four.

    This is in spite of having spent more than 550 million pounds (633.94 million dollars) on new players this season.

    With Lampard installed for the short-term, Chelsea will continue their pursuit of Potter’s permanent replacement.

    One potential front-runner for the full-time job, ex-Spain coach Luis Enrique, flew into London on Wednesday to meet with club officials.

    In-demand German Julian Nagelsmann, sacked recently by Bayern Munich, is also thought to be a contender.

    Lampard guided Chelsea to the 2020 English FA Cup final, which ended in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal, during his previous managerial spell at the club, having joined from Derby.

    He led them to 44 wins from 84 matches but picked up five defeats in his final eight league games, as many as in the previous 23.

    Lampard, Chelsea’s record scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances between 2001 and 2014, was named Everton boss in January 2022.

    He was sacked eight days short of his one-year anniversary in that role.

  • UCL: Why we lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – Dortmund coach, Terzic

    UCL: Why we lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – Dortmund coach, Terzic

    Borussia Dortmund head coach, Edin Terzic has explained why his team lost to the Stamford Bridge side on Tuesday night.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Chelsea defeated Dortmund at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, Courtesy of  two goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.

    The Blues advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition on a 2-1 aggregate win, having lost 1-0 in the first leg in Germany last month.

    The result means that Dortmund have lost their first game of 2023 and Terzic feels his team did more than enough to compete with Chelsea, who have spent over £600m on players since the summer.

    “[We lost] three players who have been in form in recent weeks.

    “But that is part of the game. We adapted well. We have enough quality in the team and that is the good thing.

    “If you see before the season, if you compare both teams… But I think if you look at these two games, this is what we want.

    “We don’t want to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market. We want to compete with them on a matchday and I think we did it twice,” Terzic told BT Sport.

  • UCL: Chelsea defeat Dortmund 2-0 to progress to Quarter-final

    UCL: Chelsea defeat Dortmund 2-0 to progress to Quarter-final

    Chelsea on Tuesday night showed superiority against German opposition, Borussia Dortmund as they overcome a 1-0 deficit in the first leg at Signal lduna to record a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge to reach the Quarter-final of this year’s UEFA Champions League.

    Kai Havertz converted from the penalty spot after the it was retaken.

    The first attempt was missed but a VAR review for encroachment saved his blushes and he made no mistake the second time.

    The German produced a marvellous piece of skill in the build-up to the opener, too, with Raheem Sterling lashing the ball into the roof of the net at the second time of asking.

    Dortmund – who had won every game they’ve played in 2023 leading into this game – huffed and puffed, but could not find a response.

    Chelsea have now progressed from five Champions League ties after losing the first leg, the joint-most of any team – along with Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid.

    The Blues have now won  two straight games in a row after going through a phase of unwinning streak in all competitons.

  • EPL: What Chelsea board will do to Graham Potter – Ben Jacobs

    EPL: What Chelsea board will do to Graham Potter – Ben Jacobs

    Chelsea Manager Graham Potter has been backed by the club’s management Todd Boehly and his men to continue tinkering the Stamford Bridge side.

    The management has assured Potter they have no plans to sack him at this difficult moment, saying the crisis is beyond the former Brighton& Hove Albion Manager.

    UK Soccer pundit, Ben Jacobs made this revelation via his verified twitter handle on Friday.

    According to Jacobs, Potter has been assured by the board members during the World Cup break he would be backed during the window and would be given ample time to shape the team according to his identity.

    Continuing, he said that Potter had before taking the Job told the management it’s a long-term project.

    Fans of the club have started shouting Potter out a move that show they are tired of Chelsea’s inconsistencies which saw them win just one game in their last ten matches.

    Fulham defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Thursday night to further compound their woes.

    Chelsea is currently occupying the 10th position on the EPL Standing.

  • EPL: My job at Chelsea is the hardest in world football – Potter

    EPL: My job at Chelsea is the hardest in world football – Potter

    Chelsea manager, Graham Potter has revealed that his task to tinker the Stamford Bridge side is the hardest job in world football.

    Chelsea are currently placed 10th on the English Premier League standing and have a date away with Fulham on Thursday night.

    The Stamford Bridge side has only won just one game in their last ten,  in all competitions, losing six in the process.

    Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel in September 2022, with Marina Granovskaia, Petr Cech, Bruce Buck, Guy Laurence and Scott McLachlan all leaving Stamford Bridge too.

    “I understood that was going to be really difficult. I just thought from a leadership perspective, it is fascinating, challenging and stimulating and ridiculously hard.

    “I think this is probably the hardest job in football because of that leadership change and because of the expectations and because of where people see Chelsea. And obviously I didn’t think we would lose 10 first-team players [to injury] as well,” Potter said.

  • Chelsea lack class under new owners – Didier Drogba

    Chelsea lack class under new owners – Didier Drogba

    Didier Drogba has claimed his former club Chelsea is “lacking class” under new owner Todd Boehly.

    Boehly led a consortium to buy the Premier League side from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich earlier this year.

    The 48-year-old has already spent more than £250m on new players over the summer and then sacked Thomas Tuchel as manager after just seven games of the new season.

    Boehly has, however, come under fire for suggesting the Premier League should launch a North versus South All-Star game and also for reportedly sacking several members of Chelsea’s backroom team, including their head of medical and chief physio.

    During his time at Stamford Bridge, Drogba enjoyed a good relationship under Abramovich and feels that is no longer the case.

    “I knew this club with a certain class during the Roman Abramovich era, but today I find it lacking.

    “It’s very hard for me to see how they got rid of certain people, for example the physiotherapists, who were there for a very long time. They should go back to the principles and values they had,” Drogba told Canal+.

  • UCL: Potter’s first match in charge of Chelsea ends in a draw

    UCL: Potter’s first match in charge of Chelsea ends in a draw

    Chelsea manager Graham Potter’s first game in charge of Chelsea has ended on a shaky note, after the club was held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg of Austria.

    Potter’s side had already gone ahead in the game with Raheem Sterling’s goal before Austrian Midfielder of Nigerian descent Noah Arinzechukwu Okafor equalized for Salzburg to secure a point for his Austrian side.

    It was a largely underwhelming performance from Chelsea, underlining the work Potter must do to repair the flaws in the expensively assembled squad left behind by Tuchel.

    Tuchel was dismissed last Wednesday in the aftermath of Chelsea’s embarrassing 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener.

    Liverpool and Manchester City are the only English Premier League Sides that won their match day two UEFA champions League games, Tottenham and Chelsea lost and drew respectively.
  • Chelsea forward, Timo Werner hints at exiting Stamford Bridge

    Chelsea forward, Timo Werner hints at exiting Stamford Bridge

    Germany and Chelsea forward, Timo Werner has hinted at leaving Stamford Bridge this summer for a side that guarantees him regular football.

    Werner said he wants to play constantly and have a chance of making the German team to the 2022 World Cup.

    The 26-year-old is not happy that he was only able to make 15 Premier League starts last season, managing just 4 goals.

    Werner said playing as a substitute in virtually all the games is very painful.

    He believes such a situation where he had to watch from the bench as Thomas Tuchel settled for Kai Havertz, could kill his World Cup dreams.

    Meanwhile one of Chelsea’s forwards Lukaku left Stamford Bridge for Inter Milan on loan this summer, but the acquisition of  Raheem Sterling has made the competition in the team stiffer.

    Asked whether he can be happy at Chelsea next season, Werner said: “I could be happy everywhere,” providing a hint he could leave the Blues this summer.

    “It is clear I want to play more and I should play more to first be in good shape for the World Cup and also to have a chance to play at the World Cup,” he told talkSPORT.

    “It doesn’t change anything whether it is a winter World Cup or in the summer. I think if I play half of the season or the whole season, I should play. It doesn’t change anything in my mind.

    “The manager always has different ideas, different thoughts, and what you need in different games.

    “In many games, I was not in his thoughts so I try to change that. It is not different from last season, it was the same when Romelu came. We had a big, big competition. It’s still the same.”