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Sneijder Staying at Inter

June 11th, 2011

He has been the subject of intense transfer speculation throughout the last few weeks, yet it looks as though Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder is in fact going nowhere.

The former Real Madrid man has apparently caught the interest of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United but following the reports, he has now confirmed that he is happy at current club Inter Milan and has no ambitions to move away. Speaking to Inter’s official website, Sneijder said: “Milan is marvellous, picturesque and full of elegance. I love it.

“At the moment I am very happy here and I don’t see why I should leave.”

Interest in Sneijder of course comes as no surprise, with the Dutchman establishing himself as one of the world’s best midfielders through his ten year career. He has played for three of the most prestigious teams in the world in Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, making himself a fixture in the Netherlands national squad in the process.

Overall his time at Inter Milan can be classed as nothing but successful, with the San Siro outfit winning the title, the Champions League and Coppa Italia during his first season there. However, this year has been less fruitful and while Inter did manage to lift the Copa Italia again, Sneijder’s involvement was minimal. Injury hindered him significantly and in the end he managed just twenty five appearances, notching four goals in the process.

This has resulted in many of England’s biggest teams being linked with a move although following these comments, it now looks unlikely for a transfer to materialize. Sneijder’s contract still has another four years remaining and while Inter have relied on him less this year, it’s thought that they still consider him a key player.

However, with the three sides supposedly tracking him possessing such vast finances, Inter may still opt to cash in on the former Ajax man if the bid proves too tempting.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Football Transfer Market, Man U, Manchester City

Aguero set for big move?

May 24th, 2011

Having bagged over one hundred goals for Atletico Madrid and become a permanent fixture in the Argentina squad, it’s been no surprise to see clubs drooling over Sergio Aguero for the past few years. Up until now he has been strictly out of bounds but there has today been a huge development, with the striker openly admitting that he is now looking to move away from the La Liga outfit.

Speaking through a statement on his website, the 22-year-old said: “I said long ago that when I wanted to go, I would say so publicly. And the time has come.

“After five intense years, this stage for me personally is over and I have to give way to a new one.”

The news will certainly alert Chelsea and Real Madrid, who have both been reported trackers of the striker over the past eighteen months. However, Atletico will not let him go without a fight and after signing a contract with a £40m buyout clause only a few months ago, it will take some serious negotiations for either side to land him.

What’s more, despite Aguero’s admission, Atletico have responded by saying they have absolutely no intention of selling their star striker. Speaking to Radio Marca, club president Enrique Cerezo said:

“There is no getting around it. El Kun has a signed contract. He has shown his desire to leave, but we say the same thing. We do not want to sell. We respect his decision, but he also has to respect ours. He has a commitment to us.”

However, no matter how hard Atletico try, it looks as though they are fighting a losing battle. Considering his blossoming reputation, £40m does not seem a huge clause and with so many big clubs chasing his signature, it will take some intense persuading to keep the Argentine.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Football Transfer Market, Real Madrid, Spanish La Liga

Wilkins: Chelsea Should Keep Ancelotti

May 10th, 2011

Despite being the biggest challengers to Manchester United in the title race this season, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti’s future certainly seems to be away from Stamford Bridge. However, he has at least received some support today with the news that former assistant Ray Wilkins still thinks that he is the right man for the job.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Wilkins insisted that Chelsea weren’t far away from success and big changes weren’t necessary: “I don’t think it needs a radical change… but they certainly need new players to freshen the place up.

“Wholesale changes, starting from the coach, would be the wrong way to go.”

Wilkins of course is no stranger to the Blues, having been the club’s assistant for two years until being sacked last November. Having also spent considerable time as a player there, it would be fair to say that he knows the club pretty well.

However, while Wilkins knows Chelsea better than most, his suggestions seem likely to fall on deaf ears at Stamford Bridge. The club’s executives have hardly rallied around Ancelotti this season with one hinting a few months ago that the Italian’s position will be analysed at the end of the season. With Chelsea failing to land any silverware this campaign, it is widely though that this analysis will result in the former Milan boss being forced to clear his desk.

Speculation is already rife that Chelsea chiefs have been searching far and wide for his successor. The biggest rumour appears to be a return to Stamford Bridge for Guus Hiddink, who enjoyed a brief spell in charge of the club in 2009. However, with Roman Abramovich’s millions the Blues could virtually have anyone they like and while Ancelotti has proved a popular figure and has come within touching distance of success, it looks more and more likely that his rein is set to come to an end.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Premiership

Today in Premier League

October 4th, 2009

It was all blues at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-0 and regained the top spot in the league table. Though Chelsea had a better side on paper than Liverpool, it took Chelsea 60 minutes to actually prove that they were better than the reds on the pitch.

Drogba probably settled the debate for now, regarding who is the best striker in the Premier League. Both goals that Chelsea scored this afternoon were assisted by Drogba. Anelka scored the first and the second was added in the last minute by substitute Malouda. Liverpool hardly troubled the South Londoners as their star player Torres failed miserably.

Arsene Wenger got the perfect gift for completing 13 years as Arsenal’s boss in England’s Premier League. The North Londoners defeated Blackburn Rovers 6-2 at the Emirates. Fans were shocked when Zonzi scored the first goal for Blackburn inside 4 minutes. Vermaelen equalized in the 17th minute but Blackburn took the lead again in the 30th minute with a goal from Dunn.

Arsenal seemed in no mood of giving up as the last hour of the game saw 5 different Arsenal players getting on the score sheet. Persie and Arshavin scored before half time making sure that they go into break with a lead. Fabregas, Walcott and Bendtner did their bit for the afternoon in the second half.

Everton and West Ham managed to score a point at home this afternoon after a draw against Stoke City and Fulham respectively. The hammers equalized in the last minute against 10 men Fulham as Stanislas made sure that his club scored a point.

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Posted in Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea FC, Everton, Football Post Match Review, Football Results, Liverpool, Premier League, Stoke City

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Match Day 2 Champions League – Groups C and D

September 30th, 2009

Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid continued their winning run this season in all competitions. Summer signings Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema showed their worth when they all came together to give Real Madrid 3-0 win at Santiago Bernabau against Marseille. Ronaldo continued to shine as he scored two goals and won a penalty for his team which was eventually converted by Kaka, all within a matter of 9 minutes.

Ronaldo’s composure seemed to defy Marseille keeper Mandanda in the 58th minute who jumped, thinking Ronaldo would lo instead he chose to keep the ball low and found the net by passing the ball through the skied keeper. 3 minutes later Diawara tried to outpace Ronaldo and ended up bringing him down inside the penalty box. This gave Diawara his second yellow for the night leaving his team down to 10 men. Kaka stepped up and scored the spot kick in the 62nd minute.

The scored was jointly scored by Real’s new trio, Kaka, Benzema and Ronaldo. Kaka passed the ball to Benzema who played it towards unmarked Ronaldo who scored in the empty net.  The other fixture of the group saw AC Milan continuing their dismal run this season when they lost 0-1 at home against FC Zurich. The results left Real clear at the top with 6 points followed by Milan with 3 points in Group C.

Group D had English powerhouse Chelsea winning away against APOEL Nicosia. Anelka scored the only goal of the match early in the 18th minute. Porto defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0 in front of the home fans and also scored their first win in Champions League this season. This left Chelsea on the top with 6 points followed by Porto with 3 points.

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Posted in AC Milan, Champions League, Chelsea FC, Football Post Match Review, Real Madrid

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Today in Premier League

September 26th, 2009

Cheslea faced defeat for the first time this season at the JJB stadium playing against Wigan Athletic. Wigan opened score in the 16th minute with a header from Bramble. Chelsea equalized two minutes into the second half with a goal from Drogba but Wigan’s attempt to score in the 52nd minute saw Petr Cech bringing Rodallega down in the box. Cech was shown a straight red card which left reserve keeper Hilario with the job of saving the penalty. Rodallega stepped up and took the penalty which he netted comfortably, making the score 2-1.

Chelsea tried attacking, but with a man down there was always a fear of counter attack. Chelsea did not capitalize on the opportunities that came their way and were punished again in 90+2 minutes when Paul Scharner scored, giving Wigan their first win ever against one of the top 4 English clubs.

Manchester United defeated Stoke City 0-2. First half saw United making sloppy passes but soon Ferguson replaced Nani with Giggs which proved to be a master stroke as Giggs helped United to score both the goals. With assists from Giggs in both united goals, Berbatov and O’Shea scored a goal each in the 62nd and 77th minute.

Liverpool defeated Hull at Anfield with a thumping 6-1 lead. Torres took 3, Babel 2 and a goal from Gerrard saw Anfield live with action. 4 goals from Keane saw Spurs defeating Burnley 5-0 at home. Portsmouth continued their losing run as they faced their seventh consecutive defeat this season, this time at the hands of Everton.

Blackburn won against Aston Villa 2-1 in front of home fans. Birmingham and Fulham were not able to capitalize on their home advantage and lost 1-2 to Bolton, and 0-1 to Arsenal respectively.

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Posted in Arsenal, Articles, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Burnley, Chelsea FC, Everton, Football Post Match Review, Football Results, Hull City, Liverpool, Man U, Portsmouth, Premier League, Stoke City, Tottenham

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Big Four through

September 24th, 2009

The renowned big four of the Barclays Premier League are through to the last 16 of the League Cup. Liverpool and Arsenal were already through the previous night, while Manchester United and Chelsea joined them the following tonight.

United were playing newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford in front of 51,000 supporters. Sir Alex Ferguson started the match with a 4-3-3 formation. Macheda, Welback and Owen had been allotted strikers positions. Carrick, Nani and Gibson covered the midfield, and the defense was formed by Neville, Brown, Evans and Fabio and Kuszczak adorned the goalies position.

The win didn’t come easy for United as they were left with 10 men in the 30th minute when Fabio was shown a straight red card for a foul on Kightly. Kightly was running straight towards the United goal post when Fabio came from behind and slipped in front of Kightly. Fabio was then seen bringing Kightly down with his hands and was red carded by referee Peter Walton. Ferguson soon replaced his young striker Macheda with young defender Ritchie De Laet to make the defense strong.

United kept attacking and finally the breakthrough came in the 66th minute with a superb one-two between Welbeck and Owen which saw Welbeck scoring his first goal in his first match this season for the club. The match ended at 1-0 for the home team.

In London, Kalou scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute which was enough to see Chelsea through to the next round. Neighbors, Tottenham Hotspurs defeated Preston North End 5-1, and Everton won 4-0 against Hull City. Extra time was needed to decide the result between Fulham and the big spenders of Premier League, Manchester City. The match ended 1-2 to City with Toure scoring the winner in the 111th minute. Villa is through to the next round as they defeated Cardiff City 1-0.

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Posted in Arsenal, Articles, Aston Villa, Chelsea FC, Football Post Match Review, Football Results, General, Hull City, Liverpool, Man U, Manchester City, Premier League, Tottenham, Wolverhampton Wanderers

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Stoke City v Chelsea

September 10th, 2009

Chelsea travel to resilient Stoke and the Britannia Stadium on Saturday looking to continue their very impressive start to this current Premier League season. With four wins from four games so far, Carlo Ancellotti’s team are brimming with confidence and head the table on goal difference from fellow London side Tottenham.

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Stoke City have also started the season well, currently occupying fifth spot in the league table with seven points; points that have come from two wins (both at home) one draw away to Birmingham, and a rather comprehensive 4-0 defeat at Anfield by Liverpool.

With both teams coming into the game after the two week international break, Stoke will feel they will have the “fresher” options as most of Chelsea’s squad will be flying in from around the world just a day or two before the clash. Nevertheless, Ancellotti knows the strength of his current squad and will be confident that whatever team he puts out on Saturday afternoon will be well equipped to deal with the pressures at hand.

Stoke manager Tony Pullis this week welcomed former Thailand boss Peter Reid to the Britannia Stadium as the teams new assistant manager, and he will be hoping that Reid’s vast experience in the game can benefit the club further. With two wins out of two so far this season at home, Stoke look well equipped to see out the current campaign without any major relegation hitches hanging over their heads.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Football Pre Match Review, General, Premier League, Stoke City

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Will Manchester City enter top four in England

September 3rd, 2009

After spending £118 million this summer, Manchester City has kind of announced that they are serious contenders for this year’s title. But spending money is different than building a team. Though they have got the some of the best players available in the game, it will be interesting to see if City can even break the Premier League top 4 dead lock.

So far City has won all the three games they have played. But the next two matches will probably decide whether Manchester City is an actual contender. Their next two matches will be against Arsenal and Champions Manchester United back to back.

The start of the season saw Liverpool losing two games of the four they played. Pundits have already written off Liverpool’s chances of winning the title this year. Arsenal’s perfect start to the season was ruined by Manchester United when the latter defeated the former by 2-1 at Old Trafford. This left Arsenal with 6 points from three games.

Chelsea look good to go and win trophies this season but they have been banned by FIFA according to which they will not be able to sign any new player for the entire 2010 calendar year.

The only team that lack depth in the squad this season is Liverpool. After losing their star midfielder Xabi Alonso, the reds have found themselves pondering over the field without any game plan. So according to most it will be Benitez’s red army that will be toppled by Hughes’s blue army of Manchester.

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Posted in Arsenal, Chelsea FC, Football Transfer Market, General, Liverpool, Man U, Premier League, Premiership

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Chelsea face big trouble

September 3rd, 2009

Today FIFA, governing body of football has punished the London based club Chelsea with a punishment which will not allow them to sign new players for the next two transfer windows. This means Chelsea will not be able to make any new signings during the entire 2010 year.

The transfer window in which Chelsea will not be able to get any players to North London will be the winter transfer window and the summer transfer window. The winter transfer window which remains open from 1st January 2010 to 31st January 2010 and the summer transfer window from 1st August 2010 to 31st August 2010.

This ruling can prove fatal for Chelsea’s dream of winning trophies this season as well as the next season. FIFA has reasons to believe that Chelsea encouraged 18 year old Gael Kakuta to leave his old club and sign a contract with the blues.

In 2001 at the age of 9 years, Gael started playing for RC Lens, a French League 1 club. Chelsea scouts saw the potential this young kid had and tried according to FIFA it was at this time Gael betrayed his club RC Lens and joined Chelsea.

According to FIFA, Chelsea will have to pay a fine of €130,000 to RC Lens and Gael will be banned for four months from playing any competitive matches. Along with that Gael will also have to pay a fine of €780,000 to his old club RC Lens for breaching contract.

Chelsea has denied the accusations by FIFA and are preparing to appear to the Court of Arbitration of Sports for justice. Chelsea feels the punishment will simply ruin their chances of winning any trophies this season and next season as well.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, French Ligue 1, General, Premier League, Premiership

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