SOUTHGATE NEEDS A CAPABLE MIDFIELD

Few years after the golden generation of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes retired and left behind unfulfilled collective potentials at the international, Gareth Southgate’s current side appear not to be faring better either.

On the back of the disappointing Euro 2012 overseen by Roy Hogdson, Sam Allardyce’s scandal-terminated run and Southgate’s takeover, the Three Lions appear to be different from the so called golden generation in terms of personnel and at the same time mirror challenges that befell such era.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney remains the last piece of leftover from star studded era. An era that saw a group of talented English professionals thrive seamlessly at club level yet struggled to gel together once converged for a major tournament.

Since taking over mid last year the 46-year old has managed to forge a new identity on the Three Lions and although they have managed to pick up decent results in their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, the perennial inability to measure up to the A-grade teams of Europe and the rest of the world persists. Continue reading →

CONTE MEETS ABRAMOVICH OVER CONTRACT AND TRANSFERS

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has reportedly met with the club owner Roman Abramovich over several issues.

The unsettled manager had asked to have a tete-a-tete with the Russian billionaire and he finally got his request.

The squad had failed to match expectations the previous season but the tactical switch Conte implemented saw the team drive all the way to the finish line, lifting the Premier League for the second time in three years and in the Italian’s debut term. Conte is faced with managerial options back in Italy or with replicating the results in his second term, while leading the team to Europe – where his personal coaching record is not as impressive.

Conte had concerns about his new contract, the club’s transfer policies and some other issues that needed him to thrash out with the ownerwho is active in the club’s affairs. Continue reading →

COSTA DROPPED AFTER DISPUTE OVER FITNESS WITH COACH

Spain international Diego Costa won’t be facing Leicester alongside Chelsea squad on Saturday after a dispute with his coach over his fitness.

The striker has not undergone any training this week and also failed to travel for the Premier League leader’s match with the defending champions.

Costa, 28, with 14 goals and 5 assists this season has an offer to move to China worth £30m a year. Chelsea refused to respond to the comment due to reasons unknown. We were made to understand that the Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich does not want to release him for the contract which is to expire by 2019, as he sees a better future ahead with the Spanish striker and won’t subscribe to the idea of being forced to release him. Continue reading →

Chelsea might be interested in signing Antonio Rudiger

There is news that Chelsea might be going after Roma defender Antonio Rudiger and might be prepared to make a bid of £23.2 million for the German defender.

Chelsea, who will be managed next season by Antonio Conte, are keen to build a team that will allow them to challenge for the title as from next season itself.

Antonio Rudiger has been on loan from Stuttgart last season and has certainly impressed the Italian side. They have made the deal permanent only this week, but they now might be interested in selling the player to the highest bidder. At the moment, it is believed that there is a host of European clubs that might be interested in signing the defender. Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain are the other clubs that might be interested in signing the German international.

Some media have reported that Chelsea are currently the most interested club and that discussions have reached an advanced stage. Indeed, the London club is keen to find a successor to John Terry. Continue reading →

Leicester City gives thanks to their fans by giving them free beer

Leicester City finished the Premier League season on a high note as they secured a 5-1 victory against Queens Park Rangers. Even if Leicester City had lost their last match of the season, they still would have had more than enough points to ensure their Premier League survival.

This season has truly been an outstanding one for Leicester City as the club was located at the very bottom of the English League for a number of successive weeks but they managed to escape those dreaded spots after managing to seal important points and have now guaranteed their safety for another season.

As a way for the owners to repay and give their thanks to the supporters of the club, the Thai retail billionaires Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha bought the first round of beer at the King Power Stadium on the last day of the season.

The Vice-Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “We want to say thank you to our fans for their incredible support this season. Even during the most difficult times of the season, when everyone thought we had no chance, our loyal fans continued to believe and continued to get behind the team.” Continue reading →

Chelsea lost their 16 match unbeaten run after a 3-0 defeat

Chelsea lost their 16 match unbeaten run after a 3-0 defeat against West Brom, but it made little impact as they have already been crowned as the champions of England for a fifth time.

Jose Mourinho had led the team to another league title with three games to spare after the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace a couple of weeks ago. Since then, however, the desire to win matches appears to have dropped considerably within the Chelsea team. It has been told by the 1-1 draw with Liverpool last week and the 3-0 defeat against West Brom on Monday night.

Saido Berahino returned to form with two goals against the champions. Even though the result and the match amounted to little for Mourinho and his team, the Portuguese was not very happy after the match. He stated that the ideal situation is to win the Championship and go home. Yet, it has not been the case since Chelsea were allowed to win the title with three games to spare. Mourinho has blamed the competition for not putting up a fight. Manchester City were in the title race until February, but their pace has considerably dropped in the second half of the season. Continue reading →

Diego Costa says that his teammates are going to remain calm

Chelsea striker Diego Costa says that his teammates are going to remain calm in the Premier League title race according to the instructions from manager Jose Mourinho. After having won league titles in four different European leagues, Mourinho is considered as one of the masters for winning league titles. His Chelsea team currently have a six-point advantage over Manchester City in the second spot along with a game in hand. This could potentially see them almost 10 points over the nearest competitor with just two months of legal action left.

At the start of the season, Chelsea captain John Terry revealed that the club had made it a priority to win the league title after having not won it since 2009-10. The early Champions League exit at the hands of Paris St Germain appears to have helped the club in this regard, while winning the Capital One Cup by beating Tottenham has also helped them take the pressure. For Manchester City and the chasing pack, the league title remains the only chance of glory this season. After struggling for form in the months of February, Costa is once again back scoring. He has found the back of the net in the last two league matches. Continue reading →