Posts Tagged ‘Chelsea FC’

Liverpool Vs Manchester United: Rafa’s men finally get the better of Devils

September 14th, 2008

After a thrilling game at Anfield, it was the home side, Liverpool that prevailed over the current Champions Manchester United in a 2-1 win. It was the first time that Rafael Benitez’s led Liverpool scored a victory over Ferguson’s men in the Premier League.

From the kick-off, the game showed the signs, which was expected of it by experts.

The first goal came in the 3rd minute of the game, as new draftee Dimitar Berbatov’s pass found Carlos Tevez, whose fierce shot got no reaction from Riena.

There were many chances in the first twenty minutes of the game for both the sides. However, a combined mistake in the 27th minutes from Van Der Sar and Wes Brown led to an own goal.

37-year old Devils goalie tried to deflect a Carragher shot but found his defender in the way. The ball deflected off Brown’s feet into the net.

The game could have gone either way till the last 15 minutes of the game, when substitute Ryan Babel scored in the 77th minute to make it 2-1 for the home side and script a record victory for his coach Rafael Benitez.

Vidic added to the woes of Manchester United, as he was shown a red card in the final stages of the game. He will miss the coming Chelsea game.

Meanwhile, Chelsea won the ‘clash of the cash’, as they defeated City 3-1. Another encounter saw Newcastle United upset from Hull City at St. James Park 2-1 with King scoring the two goals for the away side.

Again, Arsenal’s Adebayor scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 demolition of Blackburn Rovers at Emirates Stadium. Portsmouth also scored a much needed 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at Fratton Park.

Pavyluchenko inclusion might work in favor of Spurs

August 30th, 2008

Tottenham Hotspurs have started a wrecking Barclay’s Premier League campaign, which has already seen two losses under their belt.

With the uncertainty in regards to the future of Dimitar Berbatov, who is being talked to a move for Manchester United, the team looks to be lacking the needed vigor of a first club.

However, things might be different in the coming weeks, as they have completed the transfer of the Russian striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Pavyluchenko came into the limelight after a promising Euro 2008 with Russia where his skills were tough to compete.

Pavyluchenko has troubled several international sides, including England. With his aggression, Tottenham might get the killer instinct necessary for getting out of the slum, which they have got themselves into in the beginning of the season.

The only hope for Tottenham is shining in the form of Pavyluchenko, who has come down to London for finalizing his move to the Lilywhites. This move would be a boost for the club ahead of their next match against the in-form Chelsea, who are also the current leaders in BPL table.

He would join the side from North London alongside striker Darren Bent for the rest of this season. With the Spurs making little use of the transfer window, they are only left with the experienced Russian striker to resurrect their lost pride.

Pavyluchenko may not play for the weekend’s match against Chelsea, but Spurs might be playing with renewed energy at the news of this addition.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be looking forward to continue their winning run by going one-up on Spurs.

SWP resigned by Manchester City for 4 years

August 29th, 2008

Shaun Wright Phillips has been resigned by his former club Manchester City for an undisclosed sum (reported as £9 million) from Chelsea.

26-year old Phillips passed a medical test on Thursday and signed 4-year contract with City.

According to sources, Wright Phillips was initially reluctant for making a move from Stamford Bridge. However after having talks with Chelsea manager on this issue, his decision of calling time in The Blues shoes was finalized.

Phillips quoted: ‘I am delighted for making a comeback to Manchester City, where it actually started for me. I just cannot wait anymore to get back on the field for them’.

Mark Hughes, City Manager, expressed his pleasure after finalizing Phillips deal. He was with his side in Denmark to play FC Midtjylland for their second leg UEFA Cup clash.

Hughes accepted that he was always an admirer of the player and wanted him to be in City colors, since being appointed as the manager of the club.

It was Manchester City only, where the player made an impact in Premier League, before getting transferred to the London Club 3 years ago for £21 million.

Wright-Phillips had a 7-year spell with Manchester City (1998 – 2005) before he was moved to the London Club. England winger was able to start in 43 games with Chelsea during his span with the club that lasted 3 years.

Meanwhile, after a 3-0 victory over West Ham United at City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City will be looking to carry their momentum in the coming games. With Wright in their squad, they might have the ‘right’ side to achieve this feat.

Wegner: Robinho might debut against Spurs

August 29th, 2008

According to reports, Robinho, Real Madrid forward, would be able to complete his €36 m (£28.7 m) transfer deal for Chelsea in due time for debuting in a home game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Wegner Ribeiro, agent of the Brazilian International, believes that his client should be wearing the Blue jersey for training as early as Friday and can play for the club in their weekend game.

Robinho was amongst the main targets of Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, when he took the charge at Stamford Bridge.

Peter Kenyon, chief executive of Chelsea, felt similar to coach Scolari’s view and stated that with Robinho in their ranks, they can become a team that can decimate any opposition.

Robinho is expected to put on No. 7 short, which was vacated after the departure of Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko, who rejoined his former club AC Milan for £ 30m.

Scolari has already signed Deco from Barcelona in one of the most noted signings of the season. Portuguese player has already created an impact with the club by scoring two goals in first two games for his club.

The Blues are already topping the table on goal difference with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Portsmouth in Stamford Bridge and a 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in Britannia Stadium.

With a possibility of Robinho and Deco playing together in their squad and players like Frank Lampard & Joe Cole in great form, Scolari’s men has all the possible ingredients to run away with all the spoils of the season.

Clouds over possible Kaka move, as transfer season reaches its climax

August 16th, 2008

According to sources, there is still a possibility for a transfer of top Brazilian footballer Kaka to the London based Club, Chelsea, from San Siro, where he plays for AC Milan.

The Samba star is quite adamant to make a move to the West London side despite reports to the contrary.

Kaka still believes that his move to Chelsea can still become a reality by the end of August, before the transfer window shuts down.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea’s boss, was the one, who gave Kaka his first international debut for Brazil.

Reports suggest that Scolari has already made a huge bid in the region of $US 156 million for this talented Brazilian midfielder, who is currently associated with Milan.
According to reports, Kaka is now more interested and happy to talk about the terms should Milan accept Chelsea’s offer.

Diogo Kotscho, personal assistant of Kaka, said that he spoke with the Brazilian player yesterday and found him to be excited with this likely move.

Kotscho also said that he knew the football clubs were talking about the likely transfers. However, he confirmed the media that they still haven’t reached any sort of conclusion yet.

Kotscho added that Kaka will only talk regarding his transfer when the final deal gets signed. There is no possibility for the player to hold a news conference at present, but he has been eagerly waiting for the deal and then only he will start negotiating with Chelsea.

Although Milan has always tried to keep top players with their side, still this bid seems too much to let go off. With the transfer season reaching its climax, no one can predict what is in store for fans of both the clubs.

Kenyon: No contract extensions for Drogba, Cole till 2009

August 16th, 2008

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and England winger Joe Cole will not get their contracts extended at Chelsea this year, according to chief executive of the club, Peter Kenyon.

Both players, who have been instrumental in the team’s success in recent times, have two years each to stay at the club.

Drogba, the striker who has wasted most of this summer ‘ thinking ‘ whether or not to stay at Stamford Bridge, had recently made his mind to stay.

He missed Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Asia followed by an off-season tournament in Russia.

According to club officials, the striker will not be getting fresh contracts before next year.

Like Drogba, attacking winger Joe Cole has also been kept away from a new contract, at least for now.

Both Drogba and Cole were not as lucky as Frank Lampard, who has got a considerable rise in wages from his extension. The midfielder, who decided to stay with the Blues after continuous pursuit by Inter Milan, is expected to earn more than 150,000 pounds per week.

Chelsea, this season, has been working extra time to generate a good squad, and have made a brace of high profile signings in Portuguese internationals Jose Bosingwa and Deco.

According to Kenyon, both Drogba and Cole will get a chance for their respective extensions only after this year.

He has insisted that Chelsea is not becoming inactive in the transfer window, with a few possible signings, which include a hopeful one of Robinho from Real Madrid.

Frank Lampard to stay with Chelsea till 2013

August 14th, 2008

Frank Lampard has signed a new five year contract with Chelsea that extends his stay at the club till 2013. The charismatic midfielder, who hails from England, is at present one of the highest earners in Chelsea.

According to reports, his decision to stay with the football club was more an emotional one rather than professional.

Lampard lost his mother Pat in April this year and at that time got a lot of support from his teammates.

During the London Club’s face off against Manchester United in last season in which the Stanford Bridge’s side emerged winners, the players came out with a shirt having Lampard’s name on it. According to sources, the midfielder received a lot of emotional support from his teammates after the death of his mother.

Lampard said that he was very much helped by his teammates in those trying times and the support he received from the club was something he would never forget. It was because of this loyalty, the England midfielder has decided to stay with the club despite lucrative offers from Inter Milan.

The midfielder said that he made his decision after prolonged thoughts on what would be best for him. The player was very determined to get a five year deal despite turning 30 this year, as he felt there would be no compromise in his play due to his age.

Lampard has said that he had no qualms about his decision of continuing to play at the Stamford Bridge and not joining former Chelsea manager and close friend, Jose Mourinho, at Inter Milan and wished him all the best for his future.

Ribeiro: Robinho’s heart is at Chelsea

August 10th, 2008

Robinho, the star striker from Real Madrid, is showing eagerness to move to London based club, Chelsea. According to Robinho’s agent, he is unhappy at the Bernabeu and would love moving to Stamford Bridge, as soon as he gets the option.

Chelsea has made a formal offer in the range of USD 40 million on Thursday night. But as of now the Spanish Champions, Real Madrid is almost certain of rejecting the bid, as they are hoping to get around USD 56 millions for the player.

Still with the striker’s eagerness to join The Blues, his agent believes the amount can come down with proper negotiations.

According to Robinho’s agent, Robinho is dissatisfied by the treatment meted out to him by some of the members of club. Robinho is a star player and he wants to be the best in the world. He believes that he can never realize his dreams playing at the Madrid club, as he is treated like a normal player.

According to sources, Robinho has been the fourth choice this summer and he no longer wants to play for Real Madrid.

According to Ribeiro, Robinho’s agent, his client had always dreamt of playing for the Bernabeu side for a long time mainly due to their supremacy over other teams across the globe and the star-studded locker room. However with time and mainly on the grounds of unfair treatment, Robinho no longer wants that.

According to Ribeiro, Scolari, Chelsea boss, calls Robinho daily and both have developed a healthy relation.

If things go accordingly with Robinho’s transfer to the club, Blues will become a formidable side for their opponents this season.

Scolari to literally ‘change’ The Blues with his ‘new’ approach

August 10th, 2008

World Cup winning coach and one of the most respected managers in the world of football, Luiz Filipe Scolari has strongly emphasized today that he is going to change the way things are done at Stamford Bridge. With this, he gave slight hints that he indeed is the ‘special one’ he proclaims himself to be and should not be compared to his predecessor Jose Mourinho.

The coach was critical of Mourinho in more ways than one, namely about the way players were utilized, about how young talent was groomed and most of all the previous manager’s ‘arrogant’ attitude regarding playing and winning.

He said that Mourinho had once talked of winning 10 championships, whereas Scolari was quite a modest person and due to his South Brazil culture, he only ‘talks’ of giving the best.

Scolari also hinted about not having any more transfers this season and said that the only transfer truly done by him was the one involving Deco for 8 million pounds. According to him, Jose Bosingwa came into the squad before he did.

Scolari also revealed great expectations about getting Chelsea on the top in terms of fans support throughout the world and that this aim may take years to flourish.

The Brazilian talked of the club’s goal of making big profits by the year 2010 and made it clear that he will prefer believing in home grown talent rather than playing big imports.

The way ‘Big Phil’ is talking, if executed, his new approach of developing talent will be good. However, the way he is commenting and saying ‘ I’m not like Mourinho ‘ reminds just another one of the previous manager’s sarcastic comments!

Injury rules Drogba out of Chelsea’s Premiership start

August 10th, 2008

A knee injury incurred in the beginning of the summer has ruled Chelsea striker and Ivory Coast national team captain Didier Drogba from the club’s Premiership start at August 17 against Portsmouth.

Due to this injury and Drogba’s own reluctance in staying at Stamford Bridge, he was not included in the preseason training squad that visited Asia and later played at Moscow.

Coach Luiz Filipe Scolari, the World Cup winning Brazil and later Portugal manager who has been busy making ‘observations’ on his players throughout this pre season campaign for getting the best possible combination from the squad, had hinted that Drogba may be able to play in the London Derby match scheduled to be against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on August 31.

Scholari further said that in no case he would like the player to hurry his comeback. He added that he was getting daily updates from the club’s doctors on the injury.

The coach has also revealed that presently the star striker is training under a special fitness instructor and would take some time to resume training with the rest of the squad, which now boasts of new additions including Brazilian born Portuguese attacking midfielder Deco.

With Drogba out due to injury and fellow striker Soloman Kalou set to go to Beijing for the Olympics, it leaves space for Nicholas Anelka besides Ukraine striker Andiry Shevchenko to lead the attack for games against Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic before the derby against the Spurs. Hopefully by then, Drogba will be back and raring to go!