Tag: Chelsea

‘Hazard should play 90 minutes’ – Courtois surprised at Conte’s Man Utd substitution

The Chelsea goalkeeper wants to see his Belgian team-mate play the full match where possible after he was withdrawn in the second half at Old Trafford

Thibaut Courtois admits he was surprised to see Eden Hazard substituted by Antonio Conte during the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.

The Blues slipped out of the Premier League’s top four after goals from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard earned United the points following Willian’s opener.

Lingard’s winner came two minutes after Hazard had been substituted by Conte, with Pedro coming on for the Belgium international.

Chelsea were then left without their most creative spark when chasing the game and Courtois has aired his surprise at his compatriot’s withdrawal.

“I have no explanation for the substitution,” Courtois told Belgian outlet Play Sports. “I did not expect it, but it’s the manager’s choice. He’ll explain it. I can’t look into his head.

“Of course, you want players like Eden 90 minutes on the pitch. He can always bring something extra.”

Conte has been under pressure in recent weeks, with the Blues struggling domestically. Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League, two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and 19 behind leaders Manchester City.

Speaking after the defeat at Old Trafford, Conte suggested that Hazard had failed to maintain his high standards in the second half and that his withdrawal was merely a tactical decision.

“No Hazard [is not injured], no,” he told a news conference. “It was a tactical decision.

“You have to keep the same performance for 90 minutes, we didn’t have a great balance, and every single player has to try to work with the ball, without the ball, otherwise we lose our balance.

“I think he’d finished his energy because the first half he ran a lot. The second half he started the same way, but when I see a player is a bit tired, my task is to find a different solution.”

Meanwhile, Courtois was left deflated by the defeat at United, which came on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona in the Champions League when Chelsea had also taken the lead.

“After our goal, we conceded a counter-attacking goal just like last Tuesday but in the second half we had less of the ball, but even then we should never have lost this match,” he said.

“If you do not do the small things well in top matches, you lose, which is what happened.”

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 13: Eden Hazard of Chelsea walks off after being subbbed during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on January 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Source: www.goal.com

Giroud reveals Arsenal regret he intends to resolve at Chelsea

The France international remains determined to get his hands on the Premier League title having crossed London without a winners’ medal to his name

Olivier Giroud admits to having left Arsenal with “unfinished business” and is determined to right his Premier League wrongs with Chelsea.

The France international brought a five-and-a-half-year stint with the Gunners to a close during the January transfer window.

A deadline day switch saw him cross London, with Chelsea acquiring a proven performer who had plundered more than 100 goals for their local rivals.

Giroud was, however, to leave Emirates Stadium with just three FA Cup winners’ medals to show for his efforts and he is eager to land English football’s biggest prize after trading red for blue.

“I don’t know if we can really call it a regret but I have a little feeling of unfinished business because I would really have liked to have won the Premier League with Arsenal,” the 31-year-old told SFR Sport.

“You don’t just wipe away five-and-a-half years like that. I have said it often enough – it was my ultimate goal.

“Having said that, it’s not over, I’m still in the Premier League, now I’m at Chelsea. For this year, I think it’s over for the title, but next year, we’ll come to it with great ambitions.

“I still want to win it before I end my career.”

He has already opened his account for new employers, in an FA Cup clash with Hull City, but still has plenty to prove if he is to see regular game time and chase down his ultimate goals.

A 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in their latest outing has dropped the Blues out of the Premier League’s top four, while a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter means Antonio Conte’s side face the unenviable challenge of having to score at Camp Nou in the return date on March 14.

 

Chelsea’s French attacker Olivier Giroud looks on during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Chelsea at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, north of London on February 5, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Source: www.goal.com

Chelsea to offer Hazard massive raise

 

Chelsea ready new contract offer for Hazard

 

Chelsea hope to keep Eden Hazard in London by offering him a new contract with a massive bump in wages, according to the Daily Mail.

Hazard’s current contract runs through 2020, but rumours continue to circulate that he desires a move to Real Madrid.

And the Blues are hoping a new deal, which would see him earn wages of £300,000 a week, would be enough to entice the former Premier League Player of the Year to stay.

 
Source: www.goal.com

Morata is the best player I’ve ever faced – Kimmich

The 23-year-old right-back has lifted the lid on his toughest opponent and who he believes the best player of his generation to be

Bayern Munich defender Joshua Kimmich has claimed that Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata rates as the toughest player he has ever had to face.

Morata has been criticised for his recent performance with the Blues, yet when he played with Juventus, Kimmich felt that he was a tough presence to cope with.

Indeed, he believes the 25-year-old was so good that he rates him higher than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who he has also faced in Champions League action.

“It was very tough to play against him because he has a very strong body, he is very fast and has a good technique,” Kimmich said, answering questions fans posed to him via Goal. “So it wasn’t easy to play against him.”

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old right-back found it tricky to pick an outstanding player of his generation.

“I think there are a lot of good players,” he said. “Neymar is not that old but he’s not my age. Paul Pogba is two years older than me and Paulo Dybala I think is one year older than me.

“For me, Kingsley Coman is a greater player, but he’s one year younger than me.

“I think we have a good generation with a lot of very good players.”

Kimmich also passed comment on other subjects, such as who is his greatest coach ever and his preference between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Watch the video above to discover his answers.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Alvaro Morata of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on December 26, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Source: www.goal.com

Barcelona are great even without Neymar – Willian

After helping Chelsea to a first-leg draw against Barca, the Brazilian attacker talked up the talents of the LaLiga leaders

Barcelona are still as fearsome as ever even without Neymar, according to Chelsea attacker Willian.

Willian’s 62nd-minute strike was cancelled out by Lionel Messi as the teams played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

His Brazil team-mate Neymar may have left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain last year, but Willian believes that the Spanish giants remain one of the finest teams on the planet.

“I think Barcelona are Barcelona, with or without Neymar,” Willian said.

“Of course Neymar is a great player but they have Messi, they have [Andres] Iniesta, they have [Luis] Suarez.

“They have really good players so Barcelona is always Barcelona.”

While he opened the scoring, Willian also struck the post twice during Tuesday’s clash.

And despite Chelsea’s failure to beat Barca, the 29-year-old still believes his team can reach the quarter-finals with a result at Camp Nou on March 14.

“Of course, we can go there and do a great job again. It will be a completely different game,” Willian said.

“To play there is totally different. But I think we can go there with this mentality. We can go there with great spirit and try to win the game.”

Source: www.goal.com

Chelsea, Inter and the teams Messi has never scored against

Of all the teams the Barcelona forward has faced, he has failed to hit the net against just 12, including Tuesday’s Champions League opponents

A career spent as one of the world’s most prolific goalscorers and perennially at the top of the game, Lionel Messi has upset a huge number of teams as a star for Barcelona.

The Argentine’s exploits have led the Catalan side to global success and helped keep them within the top echelons of European football.

So consistent has Messi been that it is easier to name the teams he has failed to score against in his senior career since he emerged in Barca’s senior side as a 17-year-old in October 2004.

Of all the teams Messi has faced in the near 13 and a half years since his first appearance for the Blaugrana, he has failed to hit the net against just 12.

He will get the chance to knock one of those teams off the list on Tuesday when his side visit Chelsea in the Champions League. Goal runs through the teams the Camp Nou icon has never scored against.

#12 Gramenet

Messi’s third official appearance and first start for Barcelona was also his first defeat with the senior side, as Frank Rijkaard’s men lost to Gramenet in the Copa del Rey.

Despite the presence of Messi, Henrik Larsson and Andres Iniesta in the starting XI, the Blaugrana could not find a way through against the third-tier team and conceded the decisive goal in extra-time.

It is the only time Messi has come up against his side’s Catalan neighbours.

#11 Udinese

With just one goal to his name for the Camp Nou outfit, Messi was still far off the level that carried him to five Ballons d’Or when he lined up against Udinese in September 2005.

Back then, he was just a promising youngster lucky enough to be playing in attack alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o.

It was the Brazilian who showed he was still the grandmaster in the Champions League encounter, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.

Messi, meanwhile, was withdrawn in the 70th minute and although he scored in his next Champions League appearance, he was left out of the next two group games, one of which was the return clash with Udinese.

#10 Cadiz

In December 2005, Messi missed another rare chance to add another name to his long list of victims in a game against Cadiz.

The Argentine got an assist as Barca won 3-1, setting up Samuel Eto’o early in the second half.

Messi was injured when the two sides met later in the season in a much tighter affair but, luckily, Ronaldinho was on hand to score the winning goal as Barca went on to win the league.

He has not faced them since.

#9 Real Murcia

The 2007-08 season may have been a disappointment for Barcelona, as they finished third in La Liga, an incredible 18 points behind champions Real Madrid.

However, it ended with a lot of fun, as they recovered from the concession of an early goal to storm to a 5-1 lead over Real Murcia in the final game of the season.

Messi again got two assists, but it was Giovani dos Santos who took the plaudits for his hat-trick. While Barca have faced Murcia several times since, Messi has not played in any of those games.

 Al Sadd

Barca strolled to Club World Cup success in 2011 with 4-0 wins over Al Sadd and Santos.

Although Messi outshone a young Brazilian superstar by the name of Neymar by scoring twice in the tournament decider, the Argentine was unsuccessful in finding the net against Al Sadd in the semi-finals.

He did, however, set up Seydou Keita for Barca’s third goal in a routine win.

#7 Girona

Messi may have drawn a blank against Girona in his first meeting with the newly-promoted side earlier this season, but they hardly needed him at his best.

Barca were gifted two own goals by the hosts before Luis Suarez put the game beyond doubt.

Messi could bring this list of teams down from 12 to 10 by the end of the week, as Barca travel to Chelsea on Tuesday before taking on Girona again at the weekend.

#6 Liverpool

Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Deco could do little to prevent Liverpool from marching to the 2007 Champions League final when they met at the last-16 stage.

Rafael Benitez’s men got the crucial away goals with a 2-1 win in Camp Nou before Barca edged the return leg 1-0. Despite Messi starting and finishing each game, he could not find a crucial goal to put Rijkaard’s men through.

The Anfield side have been lucky to have evaded his reach in the near 11 years since.

#5 Benfica

Barcelona came up against Benfica early in Messi’s career, when they overcame the Portuguese side in the quarter-finals on their way to Champions League success in 2006.

The Rosario-born star was was ruled out for the tie through injury, however, and did not get a chance to face them again until 2013.

He orchestrated one win over the Eagles with two assists, but Benfica go down as another side that he hasn’t scored against in two attempts.

#4 Xerez

Messi certainly has a reasonable excuse for having never struck lucky against Xerez.

Although he played against them twice in La Liga in 2009-10, he was a second-half substitute each time and played a limited role in victories for Pep Guardiola’s team.

#3 Inter

It was Jose Mourinho’s Inter who halted Barca’s march to another Champions League crown when they knocked the Catalan side out in dramatic circumstances in the semi-finals in 2010.

The two sides met four times in the competition, having also been drawn in the same group, but Messi was kept quiet in the three times he featured against that year’s tournament winners.

#2 Rubin Kazan

Russian side Rubin Kazan have proved a surprisingly stubborn side when it comes to facing the Blaugrana in Europe.

Even the attacking prowess of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has proved futile in any game he has played against them.

The Argentine has been on the winning side against Rubin just once in the four times he has faced them, drawing two and losing one.

#1 Chelsea

A fixture with a lot of history, meetings between Barcelona and Chelsea in the Champions League generate a great deal of excitement and controversy.

Of the eight times Messi has taken on the Stamford Bridge side in the last 12 years, he has been on the winning side just once, in 2005-06.

He did have an integral role in the most exciting moment between the two sides in recent years when he set up Andres Iniesta for the big winner in their 2009 semi-final leg at Stamford Bridge.

However, in eight games against the Blues, Messi has never found the net.

Will that change on Tuesday?

Didier Drogba’s son Isaac joins Guingamp

The French outfit completed one of the most attention-grabbing moves as they have signed the Chelsea legend’s son

Guingamp U19 have completed the signing of Isaac Drogba, the son of Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire legend Didier Drogba.

The French side confirmed the deal on Monday, with the 17-year-old forward, who trained with the Blues youth setup returning to the team his father played for 16 years ago.

“Drogba joins the EAG! The recruitment cell of the academy EAG is very pleased to record the signature of Isaac Drogba, son of Didier Drogba. Born in Vannes, on December 15, 2000 and trained in Chelsea, he joined the U19 of the academy,” the club tweeted.

Drogba joined Las Costarmoricains in an £80,000 move from Le Mans. There, he scored 24 goals in 50 appearances before linking up with Olympique Marseille.

Excited by this move, Drogba senior took to Instagram to express his delight. “Couldn’t be more proud of you Isaac Drogba.”

Source: www.goal.com

Hazard: Real Madrid & PSG? I’ll change clubs when I want to

The Chelsea star insists he is happy at Stamford Bridge but did not rule out a potential exit in the future

Eden Hazard has responded to reports linking him with an exit from Chelsea, insisting he will make the decision over if and when he’ll change clubs.

The 27-year-old winger has long been linked with a switch to Real Madrid, while Ligue 1 big-spenders PSG have also been mooted as a potential destination for the Belgian.

Goal reported in January that Manchester City would also be an interested party in signing Hazard, with the club ready to break the £100 million barrier.

Although Hazard insists he is happy with life at Chelsea, he suggested there could well be a time that he decides it’s time to leave and seek a new challenge.

When asked about a potential move he told Telefoot: “In football anything can happen. But in football nothing can happen too.

“Every year they talk about Real or PSG. And when I want to change clubs, I will. But at the moment I’m good where I am.

“I still have two year left on my contract. I feel very good over here.

“The fans love me, my family enjoys life over here. We will see.”

Hazard has been one of the shining lights in a below-par season for the club, when compared to their title-winning exploits from the 2016-17 season.

The former Lille star has scored six goals in his last six games in all competitions, including two in a 3-0 win over West Brom last time out in the Premier League.

And Blues head coach Antonio Conte took the decision to rest Hazard in Chelsea’s 4-0 victory over Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday, with Chelsea facing Barcelona in Tuesday’s crunch Champions League clash.

Source: www.goal.com

Hazard: Chelsea changes to blame for form failure

The Blues tinkered with their squad on the back of a Premier League title win and their current struggles have Antonio Conte under mounting pressure

Eden Hazard admits changes at Chelsea in the summer of 2017 made things “different” for the defending Premier League champions.

Despite having restored domestic dominance in some style during Antonio Conte’s first season at the helm, the decision was taken to tinker with a star-studded squad.

Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and Nathan Ake were among the proven performers to be ushered through the exits, with English top-flight novices such as Tiemoue Bakayoko, Alvaro Morata, Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta drafted in.

That refresh has not gone entirely to plan, with Conte falling under ever-increasing pressure after seeing his side hit a serious slump which has uncomfortable questions being asked of the playing and coaching staff.

Too much tweaking has been blamed for the reversal in fortune, with Belgian forward Hazard telling ESPN FC on the evolution at Stamford Bridge: “We changed a couple of things, we lost players, we brought some new ones and every year is different.

“That’s why we love football – if there is only one team that wins it would be boring. That’s why football is special. You never know what’s going to happen, especially in England.”

Keeping things interesting can often be considered a good thing, but many Chelsea fans would probably take “boring” over another period of instability and confusion.

Their season is not lost, though, and can still be salvaged if everybody starts to pull in the same direction.

The Blues remain inside the Premier League’s four, through to the fifth round of the FA Cup and the last 16 of the Champions League, giving them plenty to play for.

Managing that schedule could, however, prove tricky, with Hazard conceding that Chelsea found the going easier last season as they were free of European commitments.

He added: “I think the Premier League is difficult.

“It’s hard to win every year. Last year we didn’t have the Champions League. This year we have less time to be ready for the games. Every week there are three games.”

Chelsea’s next three games will see them face West Brom, Hull City and Barcelona across three different competitions, with things not getting any easier after that as they take in back-to-back fixtures against Manchester giants United and City.

Source: www.goal.com

Barcelona’s Dembele on track to return before Chelsea clash

Ernesto Valverde seems confident the attacker will be fully fit well before the club meet Chelsea in the Champions League

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele is expected to return to full fitness by next week, according to head coach Ernesto Valverde.

The France international suffered a hamstring injury in January and was ruled out for up to a month by club medics.

Dembele’s setback came less than two weeks after he returned to action following a more serious hamstring tear, which saw him sidelined for nearly four months after his transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

The 20-year-old will not play a part in Barca’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Valencia on Thursday but could be in line for the La Liga game against Eibar on February 17, which takes place just three days before the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Chelsea.

“He’s okay,” Valverde told a news conference when asked about Dembele. “He’s started training sessions. I hope he can come back into the squad for next week.”

Gerard Pique is another who is likely to miss Thursday’s game at Mestalla, after he picked up a knock during the 1-1 derby draw with Espanyol.

Valverde refused to rule the centre-back out of the match but suggested January signing Yerry Mina could make his debut if Pique is unavailable.

“He finished the game in discomfort, with a little injury, but as of now he’s not ruled out,” said Valverde. “We’ll see how he is today [Wednesday]. He’s going to train and we’ll see.

“Yerry is in the squad and ready to play. It depends on the coach’s thinking whether he will start.

“The fact there are players who can play in different positions is an advantage for him and for the team. We have to decide depending on the situation.

“I knew Yerry Mina from watching videos and now from him training with us, but I don’t know him in our competition. I hope he adapts well.”

Barca beat Valencia 1-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou.

Source: www.goal.com