₦airaland Forum

elrony:
We shouldn't be thinking of just how to contain Loserfools, rather it should be how to destroy them!!!

Pogba should sit his black ass at any position he is assigned in Midfield,the onus lies on the manager to dish out his suitable tactical instructions to his player tho.

That shouldn't be much a hassle, Deschamps did it at the just concluded Euro. It might seem to limit his performance,buh it does bring some kinda balance to the midfield.

Unless Mata is serving bullsh1t, nobody should near that hole position!!

That is you guys best bet. If you guys defend, I bet you, they go use their fast paced counter finish una!

Tammy Abraham may be Chelsea's great hope - but club's old habits die hard
The 19-year-old is on a blistering run of form at Bristol City.
Chelsea still want Antoine Griezmann - despite growing number of options.

So many of Chelsea's emerging talents have already become victims of the club's loan purgatory. Homegrown youngsters and exciting imports alike are already on the well-worn track that inevitably terminates with a long-term future away from Stamford Bridge.

Of the 38 currently away on temporary deals, there is one player in particular that has the most hope of shattering the trend. 19-year-old Tammy Abraham has already struck 11 goals in 14 games for Bristol City this season. On his debut for the England Under-21s on Monday (10 October) against Bosnia and Herzegovnia, he showed the poise that has made him the Championship's most prolific goal scorer to date, scoring twice to immediately fill the void left by Marcus Rashford. According to City boss Lee Johnson, the teenager is already at the level needed to go straight into the first team at Stamford Bridge.

Whether he will make the leap remains to be seen. While Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah have been retained by Antonio Conte this season, the club's ugly record of having had no home-grown first-team regulars since John Terry (who was actually poached from West Ham's youth system) still looms large. While Jose Mourinho has attracted much of the blame, the dearth of academy products challenging for first-team football has been a long-running theme of the Roman Abramovich era.


An investment of over £100m has yielded unprecedented success for the club's ever-blossoming youth teams, having won the FA Youth Cup three years in a row and two consecutive Uefa Youth Leagues in 2014 and 2015. Seemingly the only thing that has prevented them from winning a third this season was the senior team's failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Five members of the England squad that won the Toulon Tournament last summer came from that same academy. Abraham wasn't one of them, but he is the jewel in the crown of Chelsea's homegrown hopefuls.

Abraham is held in extremely high regard at Stamford Bridge. Recalling Bristol City's talks with Chelsea during the summer, club CEO Mark Ashton recalled how difficult it was to prise the teenager away having made a swift impression on Conte. "Once [Conte] was in, he made it very clear that he liked Tammy Abraham. When Tammy went from the [Under-19 European Championship] straight to the US on tour with Chelsea, the feedback we got from Chelsea's director's was that Conte was keen on him. At that stage, were were thinking he might keep him in and not allow us to take him."

In the end, he did leave. By that point, Chelsea had already signed Michy Batshuayi from Marseille, who has so far acted as an understudy to Diego Costa, the Premier League's leading goalscorer with six to his name already.

It is that sort of approach in the transfer market, one that has largely come to define Chelsea, that poses the greatest threat to Abraham's hopes of becoming a regular for his club. And it could get even more complicated next summer when he returns to the club.

Despite the presence of the Spain international and Batshuayi, Chelsea's ever-growing ambition sees them linked with one of the most sought-after forwards in the game.

Antoine Griezmann is contracted to Atletico Madrid until 2021 but recent developments – parting ways with his former agent and Diego Simeone's decision to bring forward the expiration date on his contract by two years – have intensified talk of a move away from the Spanish capital next summer. Chelsea are known admirers of Griezmann and the Daily Telegraph claims the Blues are ready to match any offer Manchester United make for the former Real Sociedad star.

While Marcus Rashford has proved at Manchester United the arrival of a world-renowned name doesn't call time on first-team opportunities, Chelsea's recent history works against them.

Dominic Solanke, who struck 41 times in 39 games during the 2014-15 season where Chelsea's youth sides celebrated a double, is yet to get a look in under Conte, having been sent out to Vitesse Arnhem last season. Bertrand Traore similarly has returned to Netherlands for a spell with Ajax after a handful of opportunities under Guus Hiddink during the second-half of the 2015-16 season.

Abraham's thrilling start to this campaign suggests he will return to Stamford Bridge with a with a reputation that eclipses those two. But the club's desperation to compete for the game's biggest names at the expense of their own means nothing is certain yet.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tammy-abraham-may-be-chelseas-great-hope-clubs-old-habits-die-hard-1586048

Abeg how dem dey take post gif?


Cc, ibime, nihilist, dayo, bigkesh.

KNOW YOUR CLUB'S HISTORY.

How Chelsea's Italian Job Helped Make the Club Great Again.

It's the Serie A derby at Stamford Bridge on October 15 in Week 8 of the Premier League season. It's Italy versus Italy, ex-Juventus against ex-Juventus; Chelsea's past facing Chelsea's present and future.

Blues boss Antonio Conte and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri have plenty in common, not least the fact they are connected by an affiliation with Chelsea. Ranieri may have different loyalties these days with the Foxes, but his affection for Chelsea still runs deep.

It's fitting that two Italians should come head-to-head at Chelsea in this season of all seasons. It was 20 years ago this year that Chelsea's fortunes really changed for the better, and it was done with an Italian influence at its core.

The Blues had hit hard times for well over a decade. Bad business deals had put Stamford Bridge at risk, and on the pitch, they were more used to relegation battles than fighting for titles.

By the mid-1990s, they were desperate for some inspiration to lift them from a slump that had come to define a generation. Then three Italians arrived in 1996, and it changed the club's history for good.

In truth, the revolution at Chelsea had already started 12 months earlier when Glenn Hoddle signed Ruud Gullit from Sampdoria. Having been a team made up largely of unglamorous names, suddenly the Blues had a superstar in their midst.

Gullit was in his twilight years, but that mattered little. His arrival gave Chelsea a significant boost to their ego; the swagger was properly returning to west London for the first time since those halcyon days of the 1960s and 1970s.

Gullit wigs became a common sight on the terraces as Chelsea fans revelled in having him at the club; his effortless displays from central midfield would mesmerise fans who were more used to watching this sort of thing on Channel 4's Football Italia than they were their own football stadium.

It didn't change things much in terms of results. The Blues had finished 11th in the season before Gullit's arrival, and in 1995/96, it was where they remained. It was more about the perception of Chelsea as a club; they had just attracted one of the world's biggest names. It was big news. To put it into context now, it's akin to a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo joining Stoke City.

With Hoddle becoming England manager at the end of 1995/96, Gullit took charge of managerial duties and was able to use his profile to attract the sort of player to Chelsea that had been unattainable before. In his first summer, Gullit signed Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo from Lazio, with another Italian, striker Gianluca Vialli, joining him.

Similar to when Gullit had joined the club a year earlier, Vialli was the wrong side of 30. He had just won the Champions League with Juventus, though, showing he was far from being finished. Yes, Chelsea had a reigning European Cup champion in their team.

From the off things changed significantly, and it took just two matches for Di Matteo to make his mark when he scored a late winner against Middlesbrough to secure a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

That result set the tone, as did the celebration that night. Choreographed and performed to perfection, five Chelsea players—led by Di Matteo—got into position to pose in front of the old West Stand as they toasted victory.

It was just a celebration, yet it meant something so much more. It symbolised the newfound confidence at Chelsea that their overseas players were bringing. Gullit was blending the Anglo-Saxon grit with the finesse of Italy, and the likes of Di Matteo were leading the way.

Later that season, Gianfranco Zola would arrive from Parma in November. From that moment on, Chelsea's Italian influence would hit overdrive. Zola was a revelation; a player not seen in west London since Pat Nevin was marauding up and down the wings in the 1980s.

Nevin was just one of few back then; it was in the 60s and 70s when Chelsea last boasted a side that was capable of achieving something collectively. And with Mark Hughes, Frank Leboeuf, Dennis Wise, Vialli, Zola and Di Matteo, Chelsea had a combination that was hinting at doing the same.

It was that Italian flavour that really defined it all. Zola was the epitome of it as he tormented defenders—think Manchester United's Dennis Irwin, who was left chasing shadows in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge that year.

Zola signed for Chelsea in November 1996.
Until that point, overseas footballers had been viewed with an air of suspicion. There were always the success stories, like Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa at Tottenham Hotspur, or Eric Cantona at Manchester United, but league-wide, English football had never been welcoming to foreign talent. They just didn't fit.

At Chelsea at least, the influx of Italians changed that. Zola, Vialli and Di Matteo set out a new blueprint for the club's future and where they were headed. While it was bad news for the England national team, it was good news for Chelsea, as the club celebrated having a cosmopolitan squad.

Watching Zola succeed, it gave confidence that the European market held value for Chelsea. Soon the Blues would follow up his signing with Albert Ferrer from Barcelona, Gustavo Poyet from Real Zaragoza, Pierluigi Casiraghi from Lazio and Marcel Desailly from AC Milan. More would follow, including Desailly's fellow World Cup-winner Didier Deschamps.

These players were coming in to replace the likes of Craig Burley, John Spencer and Gavin Peacock; all good players in their own right, but not at the same standard as those replacing them. Chelsea were buying Champions League players.

They started to cast their net far and wide; they were no longer limited to British shores, adding the odd sprinkling of stardust here and there. Watching how their Italians performed in that first season was an epiphany; it was a watershed moment in the club's history.

No more would Chelsea see their fortunes swing from feast to famine and back again. The pathway to greatness was set out, and they followed it.

With their brand of "sexy" football, Chelsea had the momentum in the Premier League. They were back competing again, climbing the table to finish sixth in 1996/97.

The league form was impressive enough, but winning the 1997 FA Cup was the jewel in the crown. It was the first time in the club's history that the Blues had won a major trophy at Wembley Stadium. Indeed, it was their first major honour since 1971's Cup Winners' Cup victory against Real Madrid.

Inspiring that 1997 victory was Di Matteo again. Like he had done nine months before, it was he who scored the crucial goal against Middlesbrough. Rather than waiting 86 minutes this time, he couldn't even hold himself back for one—Chelsea were leading the game after just 41 seconds thanks to his thunderbolt that caught the goalkeeper cold.

That campaign built the Blues into the club we see now. They would go on to win the League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, adding another FA Cup in 2000. That same season they tasted Champions League football for the first time, with Vialli the manager leading them into battle with Europe's elite.

Come 2003, a little known Russian businessman named Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea. Without all the success from the late 1990s leading up to that, we'll never know if he would arrived on Stamford Bridge's doorstep to change the face of English football.

Still, with Abramovich in charge, that Italian influence remains strong at Chelsea. It's been 20 years since Italians helped change the face of the club, and in the present, with Chelsea at a similar crossroads, it's another Italian in Conte that the club has turned to in order to get back to the top

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2668163-how-chelseas-italian-job-helped-make-the-club-great-again

[size=14pt]Is the Centre-Back Crisis Answer Closer to Home?[/size]

At a time whereby Chelsea are struggling to develop a degree of defensive stability with the middle of our defence looking very porous, a strange piece of transfer tittle-tattle has emerged this morning.

Whilst tabloid speculation continues to link Chelsea with the Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci and with Chelsea, supposedly, prepared to pay a huge price for the 29-year-old centre-back, could the answer to our prayers be a lot closer to home?

The reason we ask is that lurking in the pages of the popular tabloid publication The Sun on Sunday, is that it is being implied that there is interest in our young defender currently out on loan, Andreas Christensen.

But the interest in Christensen is coming from not just any old side but one of the top-sides in Europe, Barcelona.

It seems that 20-year-old Christensen has impressed the Catalan giants with his displays and that the Spanish side see the Danish defender as the natural successor to Gerard Pique.

Christensen is currently on a lengthy loan spell with the Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach and the inference is also given that Antonio Conte is looking for more experience in the heart of the Chelsea defence rather than give youth a chance.

Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=572305#ixzz4MtFMexzo

Ruling it in

The rules and regulations that form modern-day top-level football can be complicated or tough to pin down, and in the latest edition of our feature answering some of your questions about them, the topics involved focus on the advantage rule and substitutes...

Tom Le Sauvage from Guernsey starts us off with an interesting query. He asks:

Imagine a player commits an offence which will be deemed as a second yellow card, or even a straight red, but the referee gives advantage to the other team and play carries on.

What happens if the advantage is wasted, the ball fails to go out of play, and then the offending player goes on to score for his team before the referee has been given the chance to send that player off?

Well Tom, the area regarding advantages in Rule 12 of the Laws of the Game states that:

‘If the referee plays the advantage for an offence for which a caution/send off would have been issued had play been stopped, this caution/send off must be issued when the ball is next out of play…

‘…Advantage should not be applied in situations involving serious foul play, violent conduct or a second cautionable offence, unless there is a clear opportunity to score a goal. The referee must send off the player when the ball is next out of play, but if the player plays the ball or challenges/interferes with an opponent, the referee will stop play, send off the player and restart with an indirect free-kick.’

So, if the advantage is not capitalised upon and play carries on, the player who is due to be sent off cannot get involved in play. As soon as they do, the referee must whistle for an indirect free-kick and send them off. We hope that answers your question Tom.

On a separate disciplinary-related issue, Joshua Block recalls seeing Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone sent off last season after one of his coaches threw an extra ball on to the pitch to waste time. Joshua would like to know:

What would happen if a substitute warming up interfered with play, either by kicking the ball when it was in play, or obstructing an opposition player? Would it be a yellow or a red card?

Well Joshua, a substitute, or indeed substituted player, would be cautioned if found guilty of:

• delaying the restart of play

• dissent by word or action

• entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission

• unsporting behaviour

If, however, the offence was deemed to be especially serious, say for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the substitute or substituted player would be sent off. In the highly unlikely event a substitute would enter the field of play and get involved, it would be at the referee’s discretion to decide how cynical their impact was and so what punishment was required.

Club's official site.

[size=14pt]Making sense of Roman's record Chelsea move for Leonardo Bonucci.[/size]

Leonardo Bonucci is Antonio Conte’s top priority in the next transfer window and Roman Abramovich is preparing to bankroll a massive world record bid of £60m to sign him.

This is great news for all Chelsea fans after witnessing only what could be best described as atrocious defending against Liverpool and Arsenal of late. Although it seems that Chelsea are preparing a straightforward deal, it appears that Juventus are looking at Cesc Fabregas in addition to a fee in order to contemplate selling him. According to The Sun, Chelsea would rather offer Eden Hazard as an option instead.

I personally find all of this staggering for many reasons. First and foremost, no one in the world is worth that amount of money if you think realistically. The prices in Football these days have ballooned to extortionate amounts and for a fee like that to be quoted for a Defender is unheard of.

Secondly, we have to ask whether or not Cesc Fabregas would be interested in a move to La Liga? If you are to believe reports recently, he was offered the chance to join AC Milan and turned them down; choosing to stay and fight for his place in the Chelsea team. It’s clear that he is passionate about the Premier League having taken the opportunity to return after his time in Barcelona.

Finally, why on earth would Chelsea consider selling their best player in Eden Hazard? It makes no sense whatsoever because someone who has the natural talent and ability he has should be able to fit inside the framework of any team playing any formation. Whether it’s 3-5-2, 3-4-3 or 4-3-3, surely there has to be room for the Premier League Player of the Year two seasons ago?

The approach and intent of any club as they approach a transfer window albeit in the summer or in January should be to improve their squad and the options they have available. I totally understand 100% our intention to buy a world class Defender but to potentially lose two players of high class in other areas completely defeats the object of what you are trying to do.

If Chelsea are to be successful again and challenge for the top four this season, with title the aim next season, the club must keep hold of their best players. Therefore, I see no substance in any reports of Chelsea offering players to Juventus in exchange for Leonardo Bonucci.

Could a £60m offer from Roman Abramovich tempt them into selling? We will have to wait and see.

http://www.chelseadaft.org/2016/10/making-sense-of-romans-record-chelsea.html?m=0

[size=14pt]A New Season & A New Magic Octopus (Almost)[/size]

Regular readers will remember in 2015/16 a super computer crunched the numbers as the season went along to determine final places and final point positions in the Premier League table.

Now the magic Octopus doesn't appear to be fully back this season just yet - maybe their tentacles are still being waxed or something? (and no I still don't know why I call a super computer an Octopus either) - but in the last few weeks based on the start to the 2016/17 campaign, some numbers have been crunched as it comes to who will win the Premier League crown, who will find themselves in Europe and the inevitable relegation battle and who will find themselves in the Championship next term.

Talksport ran the piece - along with others - and I believe it's again Stats' Super Computer being used as it was last year - I just can't find the table this time round with the point predictions on their website!

The numbers were crunched as on October 5.


Pos:
Club
1
Manchester City
2
Arsenal
3
Liverpool
4
Tottenham Hotspur
5
Manchester United
6
Chelsea
7
Everton
8
Leicester City
9
Crystal Palace
10
Southampton
11
West Bromwich Albion
12
Stoke City
13
West Ham
14
Middlesbrough
15
Watford
16
Bournemouth
17
Swansea City
18
Burnley
19
Hull City
20
Sunderland


Of course with so few games played, at this stage nothing can be read into the final predictions, and many will wonder at final placings at the minute given the relative form of some sides.

But hopefully in the coming weeks the full table, with expected points and so on, will give a clearer picture and as games tick by - just last last season in many ways - the predicted table did start reflecting the actual table as the months ticked by.

So whilst nobody should be placing bets on it - it'll be interesting come May once again to look at this early table and see just how different it actually is.


Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=572316#ixzz4MtCFBAvg

[size=14pt]Who is Tammy Abraham, the Chelsea loanee making headlines with Bristol City?[/size]

Chelsea have an incredible 38 players out on loan this season, but the one creating the most headlines is English teenager Tammy Abraham. He turned 19 at the beginning of this month and has a huge future ahead of him, if he is managed correctly. This season, he is on loan at Bristol City in the Championship and he already looks to be one of the best strikers in the division. The Chelsea loanee is leading the scoring charts with eight goals from eleven matches, an incredible return considering that this is his first real taste of senior football. His form with Bristol City earned him a call-up to the England U21 squad and he scored twice during his first start for the side against Bosnia.

Although Chelsea are known for raiding youth academies across the UK, Abraham has been at the club since the U8 age group and has steadily built himself a reputation for being the best talent coming through the ranks at Stamford Bridge. It was his performances for the U18 squad in various competitions that brought him to the world’s attention. In the 2016 UEFA Youth League, he finished as the tournament’s second top scorer with eight goals. This was before scoring the winning goal in the side’s victory over Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup.

His incredible scoring record for the youth sides resulted in Abraham training with the senior squad towards the end of last season and he impressed interim manager Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman gave Abraham his Chelsea debut against Liverpool in May and the striker went on to feature against Leicester City on the final day of the season. The excitement around the young striker reached an all-time high and it was a coup for Bristol City to sign Abraham on loan this summer. The club’s manager Lee Johnson summed that up when he labelled his loan signing a ‘£20 million player’.

The form of Abraham in August was enough to convince the Championship club to sell last season’s top scorer Jonathan Kodjia to Aston Villa for an eye-watering fee of £15 million. The money involved certainly played a part, but they realised that they had a ready-made replacement in Abraham and made a decision that they may not have done previously in the summer. The 19-year-old has gone from strength-to-strength since Kodjia left and is relishing his responsibility as the team’s main goal threat.

Abraham is a complete forward, who is able to hold up the ball and pick a pass. However, his best attribute is his movement off the ball. He is more intelligent that other young forwards as he is capable of finding space in the penalty area and timing his runs perfectly behind the opposition defence, while he is an excellent finisher. His chance conversion is at 36.4% this season, which highlights how clinical he can be when provided with good service.

As well as causing problems with his pace, the Chelsea loanee is tall and has shown that he can compete physically in the Championship. He is averaging 1.4 aerial duels won per game which is impressive considering he has little experience in senior football. This is certainly an area of his game that he can improve over the course of his loan spell in Bristol, but he isn’t easily bullied either.

The future looks bright for Abraham and his career has been managed intelligently to date. Bristol City was a superb loan destination and he is going to continue to develop at Ashton Gate until May. It is the next step that will be interesting as his chances at Stamford Bridge will be limited, regardless of how he does for the rest of the season. The hype building around Abraham will offer a new challenge over the coming months. He will now be expected to perform consistently for Bristol City and he no longer has the element of surprise that he had at the beginning of the season. If he manages to maintain a healthy scoring rate and finish the season with 25+ goals, the next destination for him will surely be the Premier League, either with or without Chelsea.

http://tbrfootball.com/who-is-tammy-abraham-the-chelsea-loanee-making-headlines-with-bristol-city/

With growing riches from the new television deal, here's how clubs in the Premier League are performing in 2016/17 on a commercial basis when it comes to shirt sponsorship.

According to data compiled by Sporting Intelligence, it shows just how important main shirt sponsorship is for sides in the modern game and also the incredible differences depending on whether you more often sit near the top of the table compared to the bottom.

Across all 20 Premier League clubs this season, the combined sum sees a new record financial return of £226.5million coming in just for fans to advertise a company when they wear their colours with pride.

That's up from figures obtained by Sporting Intelligence for the season of 2015/16 where the sum sat at £222.9million, which itself was up from 2014/15 levels of £191.35million.

Seeing Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City fill the top five slots given how the title falls usually, and the obvious extra pull that regular European action gives them, is no great surprise, but with the range of sponsorship last season being from £47million down to £750,000, that gap has closed by a small margin and now reads £47million down to £1million.

With 'success' having a factor here on negotiation strength, the curiosity in some of the figures comes from there being a 'Premier League safe' apparent bonus for clubs who are the more regular midtable teams, but then this season Southampton's sponsorship went up a reported £5million compared to last year (Europa League Group stage involvement figuring obviously) but top flight stable Stoke City only increased their last deal by a reported £200,000, and although West Bromwich Albion is said to have increased their new deal by £1.3million, they still sit sixth from bottom with a total of £2.5million.

And yet Sunderland, with their recent battles against relegation grew on their last deal by £1million to sit eight from top with a return of £6million.

Leicester continue to be an aberration when you look at their return, but of course they are sponsored by their owners and with the increased natural revenue into their coffers from last season's Premier League win plus Champions League Group Stage money this season their joint second lowest shirt sponsorship income of £1million (alongside promoted Middlesbrough) shouldn't really be read into - as even though the club won't confirm, it's suggested there was clearly a substantial bonus for their success last season.

Of course, with only six clubs in total registering an increase on last year's sums, some sponsorship deals haven't yet been renegotiated and that will also factor in some of the sums shown - as well as the smaller year on year increase in the last two years.


Club
Sponsor/Nation
Value 2016/17
Industry
+/-
Man United
Chevrolet (US)
£47m
Cars
-
Chelsea
Yokohama (Japan)
£40m
Tyes
-
Arsenal
Fly Emirates (UAE)
£30m
Airline
-
Liverpool
Standard Chartered (UK)
£25m
Bank
-
Man City
Etihad (UAE)
£25m
Airline
-
Tottenham
AIA (China)
£16m
Insurance
-
Southampton
Virgin Media (UK)
£6m
Telecoms
+£5m
Sunderland
Dafabet (Philippines)
£6m
Gambling
+£1m
West Ham
Betway (Malta)
£6m
Gambling
-
Everton
Chang Beer (Thailand)
£5.3m
Beer

Total:
£226.5m
(Up from £222.9m)


With the Premier League being an international product thesedays, it's probably no great surprise to see 16 clubs share 14 sponsors with overseas bases, with the USA, China, Japan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Costa Rica featuring and Mansion and Dafabet having two clubs each and Hull City's sponsor, SportPesa, are the first African based sponsor in the Premier League.

Only Liverpool, Southampton, Stoke City and Middlesbrough have UK based sponsors.

With few clubs changing sponsors for this year, and including promotion/relegation over the summer, last season only Liverpool, Newcastle, Stoke, Norwich and Southampton could boast British based sponsors, and 14 clubs had overseas sponsors from 12 countries making up the rest.

The betting industry remains a curiosity in the game as well - a blanket ban within football and junior strips unable to carry their branding - betting companies this year account for ten clubs' sponsors but that curiosity also applies to wider sponsorship in the game such as the SkyBet Football League and the many other ties in that come with sport and football in particular.

Betting companies are actually up from seven in 2015/16 so clearly it's big business and clearly has an effect in terms of attracting and keeping punters.

Sporting Intelligence point out for the figures above, they have been sourced by either the sponsor or the club - so are probably as accurate as we'll get.

The German football market is said to be the second strongest when it comes to commercial shirt sponsorship deals, but for 2015/16 industry analysts Repucom have data that indicates the Premiership is a more than doubly attractive market, with German Bundesliga clubs only taking in £101million - roughly where Premier League clubs were six years ago - so the growth alone is phenomenal and many would argue why that still doesn't translate to fans when you consider the price of match day tickets, season tickets and even the replica shirts themselves.

As for shirt prices you can't get much change these days out of £50 for shirts alone, and the Premier League is largely split with ten clubs charging just under £50, and ten clubs charging over £50 - with two charging £60 now.

A full kit for two clubs costs over £100, with Burnley charging the cheapest this year at a full kit price of £66, and as fans will know who have youngsters in the house, the discount for far smaller kits isn't exactly massive either.

Twisting from shirt sponsorships, and moving into the realms of kit supply details - details for the 2015/16 season (again compiled by Sporting Intelligence) showed Manchester United's deal with Adidas guaranteed them £70million a year and even Real Madrid's deal is only worth £30million a year. Below them we have Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool on a reported £28million a year.

With no other Premier League side figuring in the kit supply deal top ten which ends with Paris Saint-Germain earning £17.5million, that's clearly another area of growth clubs will be looking to exploit to increase revenues and with the top ten in that list taking a total of around £280million from those deals alone that's a lot of additional cash to tap into.

Again though relative success, dominance of the domestic top flight league and greater exposure through the Champions League gives those clubs a boost many others could only dream of.

Admittedly as I've read around there is some debate on some of the sums listed but it still serves to give a very good picture about how clubs now rake in the millions with the fans effectively no longer being directly involved in that - but secondary as purchasers not supporters.

But maybe that's why the working man's game is now known as a 'product' and clubs focus on enhancing the 'customer experience' and in many cases prioritising results over entertainment value.

Football has always been a results based business, but with every passing year the result seems to be less about three points.

Read more: http://www.manchesterunited.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=464002#ixzz4Mt1vneb8

Nihilist:
I think I'm quite happy with Willian thank you very much.

Infact I read that Willian is making the highest number of successful crosses per game in the league, and has made fewer key passes than only Dimitri Payet so far this season.

As far as I'm concerned, it's that defence that is problem. Midfield is an artificial problem too though mainly on transitions, and that is Conte's fault.

I want to believe you don't really mean that. Last season was his best in a season at Chelsea, what was his output. Apart from his 6 free kicks last season, he scored only 6 goals from open play. That should sum it up!!. He is not very creative neither is he clinical. Chelsea deserves better.

Chelsea to consider safe standing area when £500m revamped Stamford Bridge opens at 60,000 capacity
Chelsea hope to increase the capacity of Stamford Bridge to 60,000
The club are open to the idea of exploring the possibility of safe standing
Celtic have introduced a safe standing area for 2,975 fans
Chelsea will consider a safe standing area at a rebuilt Stamford Bridge – but only if the government change the laws.
Planning proposals have been submitted for a £500million project that would see the club’s home demolished and rebuilt, with the capacity rising from 41,000 to 60,000.
And the issue of including standing areas at the revamped stadium have been regularly raised by supporters groups.

Sportsmail understands the club are open to the idea, but will only explore the possibility should there be new legislation.
They will not campaign for such a change.
As reported by Sportsmail on Monday, Manchester United officials visited Celtic to view the Scottish club’s 2,975-capacity safe standing area.

The section, which features rail seating, was introduced this season and is viewed as a success, adding to the already-raucous atmosphere at the famous venue.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell described it as ‘an investment in spectator safety’ given that rail seating is viewed as a safer environment for fans to stand in than traditional seating.
The issue remains emotive on Merseyside following the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed 27 years ago.

However, the Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly were recently asked to vote on rail seating. The ballot returned a result of 93 per cent in favour and 4.7 per cent against with the remainder abstaining.
Standing is outlawed in the top two divisions of English football following the Taylor Report into the disaster. Some believe rail seating could circumvent legalities, given that fans have the option to sit down should they wish.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are monitoring the situation.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3832073/Chelsea-consider-safe-standing-area-redevelop-Stamford-Bridge.html#ixzz4MlztRFgh
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Roman Abramovich has assembled a crack team to get Chelsea back to the top... and their plan includes a secret transfer hitlist, finally bringing through youngsters and matching Man Utd's commercial success.


Roman Abramovich spent millions on transfers when he bought Chelsea
Now though he is pursuing a different strategy to pull level with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City without falling foul of FFP rules
The Russian has assembled a multi-faceted senior team to help with development on and off the pitch
The club still plan to spend in the upcoming January transfer window


On the afternoon of their pre-season match against Rapid Vienna, a group of tracksuited Chelsea players strolled into the sprawling conference room of their five-star hotel and immediately thought they were in the wrong place.

This was supposed to be the venue for the first pre-match meal of the Antonio Conte era but there were no hot plates, no steak or chicken and no pasta.
Instead, a number of dishes containing a selection of nuts, seeds and fruit had been laid out.

The perplexed players turned around and went outside to check on the door. Yes – this was where they were meant to be. If the gruelling training sessions had not given the game away, here was further proof that things under the famously strict Conte were going to be different.

There were minor complaints and the new man has since relented a little. Hot food is now back on the pre-match menu but players are aware of the dangers of carrying an extra half-kilo into the game. Post-game pizza is off limits as are brown sauce, ketchup and fizzy drinks in the canteen.

Whether intentional or not, such flexibility is a key feature of Chelsea, 2016.

Things have changed down the King’s Road. They have had to. When he arrived in 2003 nobody could come close to matching Roman Abramovich’s millions and the Russian, aided by Jose Mourinho, bankrolled almost instant success.

Such sprees are a thing of the past, for the time being at least. While Abramovich remains one of the Premier League’s wealthiest owners, Financial Fair Play means that a club hamstrung with a stadium capacity of 42,000 (more of that later) simply cannot blow the likes of United, Arsenal and City out of the water when it comes to transfer fees and wages. Liverpool, on the back of their 8,000 main stand extension, expect to generate more matchday revenue this year than Chelsea. One source told Sportsmail that FFP regulations ‘run through the club like a stick of rock’.

The flexibility stretches to transfer business. Chelsea, like many clubs, have a long-term list of transfer targets. These are put together by technical director Michael Emenalo, with the assistance of director Marina Granovskaia, Abramovich’s confidante who started her career at his oil company and followed her boss to west London.

When managers arrive they are shown the list, asked for their thoughts and given the opportunity to make their own additions and amendments.

Emenalo, a 51–year-old former Notts County and San Jose Clash defender who represented Nigeria, has been at the club since 2007 when he was asked by Avram Grant, for whom he played at Maccabi Tel Aviv, to analyse Valencia for an away Champions League fixture. The Blues won and he was promoted to chief scout.

When Grant left, Emenalo was promoted again, this time to assistant first-team coach under Carlo Ancelotti and a year later he became technical director.

Emenalo has survived several managerial changes and Abramovich sees the Boston University graduate as a fiercely intelligent operator and trusted adviser.

It is the technical director who is behind the decision to send 38 of Chelsea’s youngsters out on loan. The view is that academy and reserve football here does not prepare young men for the rigours of first-team football and does not bridge the considerable gap. It is a view widely shared at other clubs, not least at Manchester City, where they have admired and subsequently followed Chelsea’s lead.

The club are determined to produce young, British talent and go to great lengths to monitor the progress of those on the road. They employ a psychologist, Tim Harkness, who travels the globe speaking to the 38 to keep track on their mental well-being. Former player Eddie Newton heads a loans team that closely monitors their progress on the pitch.

Tammy Abraham is enjoying a successful loan spell at Bristol City, and has a future at Chelsea
There is a quiet confidence that these considerable labours are about to bear fruit. Much is expected from England Under 21 pair Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Central defender Andreas Christensen, Germany’s player of the season, did so well in the first half of his two-year stint at Borussia Monchengladbach that Chelsea tried to bring him back early. He will be competing for a first-team spot when he eventually returns.

Free-scoring Tammy Abraham is lighting up the Championship with Bristol City and, while next season may bring another spell away from the club, the 19-year-old has shown signs he could soon be competing with the likes of Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi. The aim is for the 2017-18 squad to feature four or five home-grown players.

Developing home-grown talent and a new, £500m stadium are high on the agenda. A planning application is currently with Hammersmith and Fulham council. The proposal is to lower the pitch and build a 60,000-capacity arena while the hope is that the new-build, should it get the go-ahead will propel Chelsea back into the financial elite.

Club officials hope to get the green light in the new year but are braced for delays. The latest hold-up surrounds the impact the project will have on a bat community at a nearby cemetery.

Should permission not be forthcoming, Chelsea will hold serious concerns over the impact it may have on their commercial operation and their ability to generate increased annual revenues in a fiercely competitive market.

WHO ARE ROMAN ABRAMOVICH'S A-TEAM?

Antonio Conte, manager: The former Juventus boss arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer after overseeing Italy's Euro 2016 campaign. Known as a disciplinarian who prefers a high-energy approach.

Michael Emenalo, technical director: A former chief scout who also worked as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant, the ex-defender has forged a close relationship with Abramovich. He's been in charge of scouting since 2011 and has pioneered the club's divisive approach to youth development.

Marina Granovskaia, director: Worked with Abramovich before he entered football and followed him to Chelsea. She is known as his right-hand woman and has his ear over all financial matters.

Bruce Buck, chairman: The American lawyer acts as Chelsea's chairman, and is a shareholder in Chelsea Limited, the ultimate owner of the club, and the company used for the 2003 takeover. He is described as helping 'the development of the club into a major player on the world football stage.'

Christian Purslow, head of global commercial activities: The former Liverpool exec joined Chelsea in 2014 and has been charged with helping the club become a true financial powerhouse away from the pitch in order to keep up with commercial juggernauts like Manchester United.

Tim Harkness, Jim Fraser, Eddie Newton, youth development and scouting: All three play key roles in an integral part of Abramovich's plan to develop youth talent. Fraser heads up youth development and scouting, Harkness, a psychologist, visits with the Blues' army of youngsters on loan and Newton monitors their on-field development.

Reporting into chairman Bruce Buck and Granovskaia, ex-Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow heads a team which oversees sponsorship deals and the club is expected to shortly sign a lucrative kit deal to replace their long-term partner adidas with Nike rumoured to be front runners. Purslow’s commercial team focuses on monetising the rest of the inventory but the workforce is dwarfed by Manchester United’s London operation which sees a staff of around 45 work out of Mayfair. Stadium expansion would help lift Chelsea’s commercial output to new levels. It is essential.

All of the above, although sobering for those of a Chelsea persuasion, points to a key positive.

When he arrived back in 2003, the slightly lazy fashion was to brand Chelsea Abramovich’s toy. Detractors said the rich oligarch had picked up a plaything like a spoilt child, would soon get sick of it and toss it out of the pram.

This has clearly not been the case, as the repositioning shows.
Last week, the owner spent three days at the Cobham training ground. This was not a crisis summit or a tantrum. Abramovich wanted to see his new man’s methods up close. He shared lunch each day with Conte and Emenalo and the chat, while at times serious, was not without frequent bursts of laughter.
Some of the talk was on transfer targets and Abramovich promised to back Conte in January.

The owner is not going anywhere – and neither are his club.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3830433/Roman-Abramovich-assembled-crack-team-Chelsea-plan-includes-secret-transfer-hitlist-finally-bringing-youngsters-matching-Man-Utd-s-commercial-success.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Chelsea’s Recruiting Has Become A Major Hindrance
Something has to break at Chelsea.

At the beginning of the season, there was a false harmony within the side. Antonio Conte arrived, brought a great deal of attacking width with him, and the team looked to have been roused from their 2015/16 blues. As August turned to September, though, the sharp Autumnal sunshine showed Chelsea for what they are: flawed and fractured.

That isn’t Conte’s doing. Even by today’s absurd standards, it would be a nonsense to charge him with any culpability; he has inherited a mess.

So who to blame?

In modern football, in which all clubs are a nest of departments and interconnecting personnel, pointing the finger at a single person always seems reductive. In this particular instance, though, Chelsea’s recruiting department and Michael Emenalo, their technical director, have questions to answer.

Alarm bells should have rung on deadline day. The defensive unit at Stamford Bridge has been in decline for several seasons and, yet, Chelsea did little to address any of those issues before the final hours of the transfer period. N’Golo Kante arrived from Leicester City to provide a much-needed layer of protection but, until Marcos Alonso and David Luiz were signed, the club had remained remarkably passive. Conte’s success at Juventus was built on many factors, including his squad’s strength in relation to the rest of Serie A, but his mini-dynasty was part-constructed from defensive resilience.

The Grip of his Hand

If rumours are to be believed, Leonardo Bonucci is now a prime transfer target for whom Roman Abramovich is willing to pay nearly £50m. That’s understandable given the weaknesses which have already been exposed this season, but why was such a move not deemed imperative six months ago? John Terry has been physically creaking for a long time, Gary Cahill’s recent errors have hardly sprung from nowhere, and Branislav Ivanovic has spent the last eighteen months in a tailspin of decline; the issues which have plagued Chelsea recently have all been entirely predictable.

The Luiz deal was especially galling. When he was sold, for £50m and a sizeable profit, it represented a transfer coup. But that he has been bought back at considerable expense and for no obvious purpose has negated that deal and, worse, provided a descriptive example of how jerky the club’s transfer processes have become. The Bonucci whispers, if they are based in fact, lend it an air of parody and characterise it as a last-minute panic. Chelsea needed a centre-half and, with Big Ben creeping towards 11pm, any would do.

The club’s recruitment can be broken into two parts: the moves which are made with the future and the account balance in mind, and those conducted to furnish the first team. The former, generally speaking, has been highly successful. Though much maligned, Chelsea’s loan strategy has – and remains – a key weapon in the fight against Financial Fair Play. Though Michel Platini’s original initiative has now been greatly diluted, its sanctions still have to be avoided and plotted around. The loan network and the financial harvest its seeds were planted to produce are key components of Chelsea’s top-tier existence.

But, for whatever reason, the first-team has been neglected over the same period. Big budget moves are still made, but rarely with the same success or equivalent impact of their rivals. Chelsea may not have the same financial advantage that they once enjoyed and, to an extent, the broadcasting contract, the wealth at Manchester City, and Arsenal’s new liquidity, have all conspired to erode some of their allure. But to claim that they aren’t still a highly desirable destination for players, or that club are incapable of attracting the continent’s elite would be plainly wrong.

Yet, at a time when English football has reached the zenith of its opulence, they find themselves behind. Manchester United’s commercial revenue streams allowed them to make their big, expensive lunge at Paul Pobga and the cash/Guardiola combination at City must have been extremely enticing for John Stones, Leroy Sane, and Ilkay Gundogan, but the processes seem somehow wrong at Stamford Bridge. There are reasons which do justify certain failures to improve their first-eleven, but there are many more vagaries which only add to the confusion. Jose Mourinho left them in a mess – that’s certainly true – but, even from a positive momentum perspective, with such a wealthy benefactor and capable head-coach, more should be going right than currently is.

Managers have been sacked, coaches, physios and players have departed, but the only constant – other than Abramovich himself – is Emenalo and his technical staff who, on this season’s evidence, cannot be long for the surgeon’sknife.

http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/columns/chelseas-recruiting-has-become-a-major-hindrance

Pat Nevin: Getting on with it


As players on international duty clock up air miles, they may also clock up stresses and strains, but is it worth it? Pat Nevin considers that question in this week’s column…
As usual we look forward to the return of a couple of bus-loads of players after the international break and as ever, it is injury or tiredness that is the concern.

With talk of high presses being all the rage, some international players are being asked to wipe themselves out playing that exhausting style which will not necessarily delight their domestic managers. That however will not worry the international bosses; they have to do what they feel is right for their countries, which is totally understandable from their point of view.

As the players arrive back in dribs and drabs from a myriad of different countries and continents, the medical staff and sport scientists will be on high alert. Everything will be in place to provide the best help, advice and instruction to aid recovery and this is exactly how it should be.

I hope and suspect things have changed a bit since my time.
I vividly recall what it was like when I returned from internationals abroad. In those days Chelsea didn’t have quite so many internationals in the squad, so our recovery wasn’t the highest priority all of the time. Basically the idea was to get back into the club as soon as possible no matter what. This was not necessarily to get checked out but simply to get you back into a normal training rhythm, a daily routine and a sensible sleeping pattern as quickly as possible. To be honest it wasn’t always that well thought out, but then again there wasn’t a huge medical staff on call at the training ground.


After a Scotland game I would sometimes arrive back in Glasgow at stupid o’clock (4 or 5am if we had travelled to anywhere east of Germany) and if I managed to get a couple of hours sleep at the airport hotel I was lucky. Then it was up bleary eyed to get on the 8am flight to Heathrow. Fortunately at Chelsea we trained very close to Britain’s largest hub in those days which helped a certain amount.
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If my flight was delayed I could often look out of the window as we landed and see the lads warming up before the session started. Even so I was usually in time for training at 10.30am, less than 12 hours after 90 hard minutes in somewhere like Sofia, Bulgaria. So a couple of thousand miles travelling, little or no sleep and a normal training session with the rest of the lads who had not been on international duty and instead had just enjoyed a day off! I will admit to not always being at my sparkling best on those days.

That was Thursday morning and by three o’clock on Saturday you had to be at your best, even if you had added on a six-hour coach trip to Newcastle or Sunderland on the Friday. I cannot remember once being rested for a domestic game in the 15 years I was travelling with international squads. You simply just got on with it, much the same way as most of the players do today with a little more help admittedly.

The technology and the medical advice is of course better for those who want to heed it these days, but if you were/are professional it is mostly pretty obvious stuff. Get as much rest as possible and at the same time, make sure you are stretching, bathing and icing when you should be. Alcohol consumption should be negligible under these circumstances and of course re-fuelling with the correct food is an imperative.

Later in my career if you shook me I would probably have rattled with the amount of anti-inflammatory tablets I was proscribed. These are obviously not performance-enhancing drugs, but with playing through injuries not only expected but demanded back then, there was no choice really. Not that I would have complained, I would have done anything to be out on the pitch, week in week out. Okay, so I might have chronically damaged ankles, new hips and a list of other football-related ailments as long as your arm by the time I was 50, but I didn’t care. It quite simply had to be done or you wouldn’t be in the side.

Here is the odd thing, now that I have had those two new hips, that back operation, the knee op and all the rest I still wouldn’t change a thing. It was all absolutely worth it without even a moment’s consideration. Other former players might be worse off than me and might feel differently, particularly as I can still run four times a week and play 90 minutes of football if I want to. The pain will arrive the next morning from my current exertions but from my perspective it was all worth it, with bells on!

So the lads will come back this week carrying with them those sleep-deprivation headaches, as well as the aches and pains throughout the rest of their bodies. There may even be the odd concern about their future health, so I understand that the odd moan and groan might be shared between them. It is however worth recalling it is a magical life when it is going well and very few other jobs are so joyous and rewarding in the good times.

Obviously it pays ‘quite well’ these days which helps and the medical back-up is light years ahead nowadays, but even so there will be a price to pay in the future. From the perspective of someone who has been there and done it, and as no doubt every fan will agree, it is still almost certainly going to be a price worth paying.

Club's official site

The Mind of Conte: Analyzing Chelsea’s new 3-4-3 formation


Following back to back defeats in the Premier League against fellow top 4 contenders in Liverpool and Arsenal, Antonio Conte vowed to look for solutions to address his team’s recent form, or lack thereof.
As a result, the Italian manager setup his team in a brand new formation against Hull City. Next, I’ll cast an eye on the tactical changes introduced in the Blues’ most recent outing with the 343 formation.

The back three
The thought behind a back three is to reduce space in the middle and have an extra man to deal with opposition strikers.
In the new formation, Antonio Conte deployed David Luiz as the most central of his three center backs.
Similarly to how he used Bonucci with Italy and Juventus, David Luiz was asked to leverage his passing range to bypass the midfield on occasions and get the ball directly into the strikers.
Between the Arsenal and the Hull City game, we’ve already seen Luiz set Chelsea Strikers, both Batshuayi and Costa through on goal with long range passes.
Conte has also asked his defenders to play a higher defensive line, in order to recover the ball higher up the pitch and activate quick transitions from defense to attack.

The wing-backs
Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso were deployed as right and left wing-backs.
As such, they were charged with heavy attacking and defensive work load, going up and down the flanks.
In defensive situations, one of the two wing-backs would drop deep in order to form a back four along with the three center backs.

However, the biggest change with the introduction of the wing-backs was that Hazard and Willian were no longer being instructed to provide the width.
The wing-backs were hugging the touchlines, and allowing the attacking midfielders to tuck in closely to Diego Costa.

The central midfielders
While we’ve been accustomed to seeing three men in midfield thus far, the Italian manager partnered N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic vs Hull City.
Kante seemed to relish the type of freedom he enjoyed last season at Leicester.
Of the two midfielders, he was the one pushing forward the most, playing literally box to box, rather than playing the sentinel in front of the defense.
Kante’s response to this switch was immense, making 13 ball recoveries, 4 interceptions, 68 passes, and creating 2 chances.

The attacking midfielders
As discussed above, the introduction of the wing-backs providing the width has allowed Willian and Hazard to play more centrally behind Diego Costa.
Willian and Hazard frequently swapped sides while Diego was brilliant in coming deep to hold the ball up and combine with his attacking midfielders.
The three were not always on the same waveband, but the chemistry between them clearly improved as the game went.

Verdict

It’s still early days, and there is still much to be seen to provide a solid assessment of Chelsea’s new formation.
However, against Hull City, the switch seemed to provide more solidity at the back and more attacking freedom for the front three.
It will be interesting to witness the evolution over the coming weeks.

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/10/10/2016/The-Mind-of-Conte-Analyzing-Chelsea%E2%80%99s-new-3-4-3-formation

Willian battles on despite family tragedy

Reigning Chelsea Player of the Year, Willian has not hit the heights of his powers so far this season, though he has started most games for Conte and did score a fantastic goal against Hull City last time out. He dedicated that goal to his mother, who has been battling cancer back in Brazil (and knitting very special hats for her son, and her son's friends like David Luiz), just as he then dedicated Brazil's win over Bolivia on Thursday to her.

Willian did not start that game, getting dropped to the bench for just the second time since the 2014 World Cup. In fact, the 28-year-old has not missed a single game since Brazil's humiliating exit from their home tournament, starting 27 of the 29 matches played by La Seleção since. He was a favorite of Dunga's, the previous coach, and the new man in charge, Tite, has continued to play him. Until Thursday, that is, when Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho started in place of his good friend.

The story in Brazil now is that Willian has to win back his place, but thanks to Neymar's suspension for yellow card accumulation, he will get to try to do so at the first possible opportunity, on Tuesday against Venezuela. But he will be doing so with a heavy heart and a distracted mind, just as he's been for some time.

The caption is a Bible quote, Joshua 1:9:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
According to UOL, Willian's mother has undergone five surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy in the last two years to try to win her battle against cancer, but her condition has worsened in the past week. Willian had previously expressed his utmost frustration at not being able to be by her side, with his job keeping him in England and away from her. While he was able to pay her a visit recently thanks to the international break, he will soon have to go back and leave her again. All the while, he has to concentrate on his job, his family, his livelihood, and his future.

I can't even begin to imagine how he's able to do this, and still put in a credible shift for both club and country. The more I think about it, the more I am in awe of his strength, his courage, and his dedication to both his club and his family.

Stay strong, Willian!

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2016/10/10/13229028/willian-fighting-for-his-place-brazil

Is Conte's distrust of Loftus-Cheek holding Chelsea's midfield back?


Chelsea's results and performances this season have been erratic to say the least, and it remains a mystery as to why some members of the squad have barely seen the light of day. Ruben Loftus-Cheek's absence from first-team action in particular has been conspicuous, particularly given that Chelsea's midfield was exposed as a problem area even after the summer signing of N'Golo Kante.

During his time with various development squads at the club and in younger England international age groups, Loftus-Cheek has proved himself to be a stylish operator. With an array of silky skills, physicality and excellent spatial awareness, the prospect is there for him to develop into the perfect prototype of the modern Premier League midfielder. That seemingly complete package has yet to fully reveal itself at senior level though, in his defence, opportunities to showcase his wares have been sparse.

The 20-year-old has yet to play a single minute in the Premier League under Antonio Conte, and has not even been included in the matchday squads for the past four games. Given the dysfunctional nature of the team, it is surprising that there hasn't been room for a player so obviously gifted and physically suited to the task. Loftus-Cheek is undoubtedly still a work in progress with kinks to iron out and lessons to be learned, but those issues will always remain if he is not given the chance to develop. Nobody in the midfield has excelled regularly this season -- even if Kante has been the most reliable and Oscar has shown flashes of quality -- which makes the youngster's lack of involvement even stranger.

Part of the problem seems to lie in the manager's view of his ideal playing position. Loftus-Cheek spent his youth as an authentic central midfielder capable of driving from deep and getting involved in all facets of the game. Yet his time in the first team at Chelsea has seen him steadily pushed further forward. He began life in the first team under Jose Mourinho, who initially trialled him as one of the two deeper midfielders. He failed to set the world alight in the two games that he started after the title had been secured in the 2014-15 season, but performed with distinction the following campaign in the 4-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League group stages. September 2015, however, was the last time he played in that position in a meaningful game.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has not played a single minute for the Chelsea first team under Antonio Conte.
Since then, Loftus-Cheek has largely been used as a dedicated attacking midfielder despite the role limiting his ability to utilise his entire skill set. In a strange way, his impressive showing for the England under-21s at the 2016 Toulon Tournament -- where he followed in the footsteps of established stars such as James Rodriguez and Javier Mascherano by being named as player of the tournament -- could prove to be more of a curse than a blessing. Having been deployed as a No. 10 by Gareth Southgate and encouraged to play close the main striker, his success in France seems to have prompted Conte into thinking that he is most effective in forward areas.

That thinking has meant that the Italian now sees him more as an auxiliary forward rather than a central midfielder, a role that does not seem to be a natural fit. A skilful and intelligent footballer, Loftus-Cheek has shown in brief instances in preseason and two EFL Cup outings that he can still contribute -- his link-up play with Michy Batshuayi offering encouragement. But it looks like a waste of natural ability, a case of shoehorning somebody into the side rather than slotting them in somewhere more suitable.

Perhaps it is Loftus-Cheek's languid playing style that is counting against him winning a spot in central midfield. Conte has continually reiterated his desire for players in those positions to possess a good engine and to show a willingness to affect the game at every moment. Loftus-Cheek rarely looks like he is breaking a sweat even though appearances can deceive and it could be that economy of movement is being mistaken for inaction.

At the moment, the team is crying out for a genuine box-to-box midfielder who is equally comfortable getting stuck in at the base of midfield and sparking and joining attacks. Nemanja Matic is too one-dimensional for the role, Cesc Fabregas is too lightweight and Oscar lacks consistency against better opposition. Allowing a young player to make mistakes while learning his craft is surely better than trying to teach an old dog new tricks. And with options limited and the transfer window not open until January, it surely makes sense to give Loftus-Cheek a few games with the senior team to see if he might just be the solution to a pressing problem.

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/chelsea/363/blog/post/2969714/is-antonio-contes-distrust-of-ruben-loftus-cheek-holding-chelseas-midfield-back

Conte effect…

Chelsea boss has turned star into the most dangerous man in Europe
The Chelsea revival under Antonio Conte was going swimmingly until four games ago. The Italian had a 100% league record ahead of the last international break, but a draw at Swansea followed by back-to-back losses at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal somewhat dampened enthusiasm in the west end of London. Not even a routine win over Hull has buoyed the mood noticeably.

However, Conte is doing a sterling job with one man: Diego Costa. Indeed, the divisive Spaniard has been truly excellent this term in league action, as @OptaJose have revealed…

8 – There’s no player in the Top 5 European Leagues who has had a hand in more goals than Diego Costa this season (6G, 2A). Discard pic.twitter.com/NDvF62vdtE

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 9, 2016

Costa has had a hand in more goals than any player in any of Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1), with six scored directly and another two laid on for team-mates.
That really is some going.
Chelsea surely have title ambitions this term after 2015/16’s collapse, and the pantomime villain forward will be key to those!

http://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/chelsea/conte-effect-chelsea-boss-has-turned-star-into-the-most-dangerous-man-in-europe

Chelsea should persist with new formation against champions


Chelsea should persist with new formation against champions
Chelsea beat Hull 2-0 last week, with a slow performance that improved as the game went on. Perhaps the most notable element of the game was the fact that it was the first in which manager Antonio Conte had his side set up in the 3-5-2 formation that he’s been known for using before.

While it took Chelsea until the second half to truly get going, the formation shift worked, and Conte should stick with it in this weekend’s fixture against Premier League champions Leicester.

Victor Moses is well suited to the right wingback role, where he can use his strength and speed while still being well covered by experienced defenders.

It also provides an opportunity for striker Michy Batshuayi to break into the side. The Belgian has been unable to bypass Diego Costa, who is in great form. A 3-5-2 provides the opportunity to play the two together – a frightening prospect for opposition defences.

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2016/10/10/chelsea-should-persist-with-new-formation-against-champions/

Chelsea believe John Terry will be fit to start in the side’s clash against champions

Leicester City on Saturday after the defender returned to training this week.
The 35-year-old has been out of action for a month after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in the side’s 2-2 draw against Swansea.
Terry was initially ruled out for around ten days but suffered a setback in an attempt to accelerate his return.

However, with the bulk of Chelsea’s squad on international duty this week, Terry was able to return to training this week and participate in sessions with others not involved in the World Cup qualifiers.
Antonio Conte is yet to settle on a system at Stamford Bridge this term but Terry’s return is likely to see the Italian select the veteran from the outset against the Foxes.


Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/10/10/john-terry-back-in-training-as-chelsea-prepare-to-take-on-leicester-city-6182762/#ixzz4MgeTrkE7

Chelsea and Antonio Conte Are Still Haunted By Jose Mourinho

It’s been a rollercoaster introduction into English football for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

In August we saw the Italian win his first four matches in charge. Chelsea were joint top of the Premier League table and things were looking more positive than anyone could have imagined.
Then the international break came and Chelsea were knocked out of their rhythm. They had scaled the heights of the Big Dipper only to be served a harsh reality check as they hit a rapid descent and crashed back down to Earth. From a 100 per cent record in August, Chelsea picked up just one point in the league for all of September. The Blues’ only win in that period came against a second-string Leicester City in the EFL Cup.

October has started a little brighter, with a hint that the Blues are ready to scale another peak in their campaign. Gone are the bad memories of back-to-back losses at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal; now Chelsea are thinking more positive after a convincing 2-0 win against Hull City. That game came ahead of the latest international break, setting Conte’s team up for what will be a defining next month or so. It’s between now and Halloween that we’re going to see Conte’s wares as Chelsea boss.

The reason is simple: not only do Chelsea face West Ham United in the EFL Cup before the month is out, but Jose Mourinho is coming home to Stamford Bridge with his new-look Manchester United. October has “crunch” written all over it. Conte will be desperate to keep Chelsea’s trophy ambitions alive in the EFL Cup, but he has a significant point to prove against Mourinho, also. After all, this remains Mourinho’s team.

WBF Chelsea
It’s surprised many that Conte has had to work largely with the same squad that failed so miserably under Mourinho last season. Chelsea appeared a spent force come the end of 2015/16 and we expected changes. A summer of revolution was on us, but then as time passed, it became a gradual evolution instead, which remains in progress now. When Chelsea lined up against Hull a week ago, only N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso had never played under Mourinho in a Chelsea shirt. Even Victor Moses had experienced some game time under the former boss before he was sent out on various loan spells.
So for all the desire for rapid, vast changes, Conte is still working with Mourinho’s players. Even one of his summer signings, David Luiz, is a former Mourinho pupil at Stamford Bridge.
Defeating the former Chelsea boss, who still maintains hero status in west London, will banish the ghost for good. It will mean that we can begin to talk about of Conte’s Chelsea and turn our eyes to the future.

Not only is that vital for the club, it’s essential to whether manager succeeds at Stamford Bridge. He has taken on a job that is glamorous on one hand, but equally a poisoned chalice on the offer. Every manager at Chelsea these days is compared to Mourinho and it’s only by overcoming him that Conte can start to leave his mark. It all starts in the coming six days as Chelsea host reigning champions Leicester at Stamford Bridge – coincidentally managed by another former boss in Claudio Ranieri – ahead of Mourinho’s visit.

Given how the season has shaped up, the familiar excuses are wearing thin. Conte still needs time to create a side capable of winning the title, yet he needs to show that he is moving in the right direction; the Blues can’t keep suffering set-backs at crucial stages. Chelsea have already beaten Leicester once this season and they need to follow up that EFL Cup win with another success. Not only does it set things up for United a week later, it continues the recovery after those September defeats.

With or without Mourinho last season, Chelsea couldn’t do that. They rolled from one disaster to next, which saw them eventually finish the campaign without silverware and in mid-table.
Watching the team closely this season, those same scars remain. Branislav Ivanovic has conceded as much after the Arsenal defeat, admitting that his fellow players lacked belief in their manager’s direction following the 3-0 humbling.

Not only did it hint at the problems Chelsea still face, it was confirmation of how they remain fractured. Confidence is low and the players aren’t yet convinced of the right way forward. A good October and defeat of Mourinho will go a long way to piecing things back together, not to mention finally banishing the Special One’s ghost.

Now we’re coming out of the international break, these next few weeks will likely define what Conte’s Chelsea will be.

http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/columns/chelsea-and-antonio-conte-are-still-haunted-by-jose-mourinho

Spain boss reveals concerns over Chelsea star: He's hurting his reputation


SPAIN boss Julen Lopetegui has defended Diego Costa - but warned the Chelsea striker he must try to curb his combative attitude.

Costa cut a frustrated figure in Spain's 1-1 draw with Italy on Thursday, picking up a yellow card and narrowly avoiding a red.
The striker was withdrawn and replaced by Alvaro Morata with 20 minutes to go and was later seen remonstrating with substitute goalkeeper Pepe Reina on the substitutes bench.

And Lopetegui has revealed his admiration for Costa but believes the former Atletico Madrid striker must tame his wild ways.
Diego has a certain character. He is a fighter. But sometimes his reactions hurt his reputation
Julen Lopetegui
“You can change in a positive way if you make the right decisions," Lopetegui said.


“Diego has a certain character. He is a fighter. But sometimes his reactions hurt his reputation.
“He will be able to iron out these things as he develops. He is aware of it and so are we. These things can cost him. It could be hurtful to him.
Diego Costa has been warmed to calm down by Spain boss Julen Lopetegui

“But we must love Diego the way he is and try to understand him. Any small advantage can make the difference in a tight game.”
Costa could be picked for Spain's World Cup qualifying clash with Albania on Sunday.

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera and Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal are also in contention.
Spain are aiming to make the 2018 World Cup after their appalling group stage exit in Brazil two years ago.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/718997/Chelsea-Diego-Costa-Spain-Lopetegui-Antonio-Conte-Internationals-News-Herrera-Monreal

Back on track


A run of one draw, two defeats and zero clean sheets in the Premier League certainly left a whole lot to be desired from Chelsea, but we put things right with a 2-0 away win against Hull City on Saturday.

The match produced several talking points, but perhaps the biggest was Antonio Conte reverting to his preferred defensive tactics in playing three at the back.

Three points and no goals conceded going into an international break certainly leaves us in good standing. By the time the match against Leicester City rolls around, the squad should have added cognition with regards to the new system, as well as the possible returns of captain John Terry and Kurt Zouma.

Starting a match in a three-man central defence should have been a novel experience for our defenders, and it took them a while to get settled into the game, but when they did, the confidence and assurance were quite apparent.

Gary Cahill, for one, had been on the end of major criticism because of his performances against Swansea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Yet he seemed very comfortable playing as a left centre back with new-boy Marcos Alonso playing further up the pitch as a wing-back, while the ever-dependable Cesar Azpilicueta slotted in on his natural right side.

The three-man backline changed to a back five when our opponents were on the ball, and it was also aided by the defensive midfield duo of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, who made 13 recoveries between them.

Hull were only afforded shots from distance and free kicks, while every shot from within 20 yards was met with a block.

Alonso could be singled out for a very impressive performance in his first league start for our team. The Spaniard played great defensively, but also made marked contributions in attack, and even got himself a few chances to get on the scoresheet.

Another forcible performer hailing from Spain – so to speak - came in the form of Diego Costa. The forward scored his sixth goal of the season with a sublime first-time curling effort, keeping him ahead of all scorers in the top flight.

It has taken Costa just seven matches to score six, and he also has two assists to his name, which means that he has contributed directly to eight goals in total. He’s no doubt our best player so far this season, and seems to be concentrating on working hard, helping the team and putting the ball into the back of the net.

Unfortunately, he’s just one yellow card away from a suspension, yet we are seeing a different Costa from the last two seasons. The constant scuffling and getting in opponents faces has ceased, and our Blues are so much better for it.

The Brazilian-born Spain international is representing Las Rojas over the international break as they play in two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Italy and Albania, and having scored twice against Liechtenstein during the last break, he will be looking to add more goals to his name before returning to Chelsea.

With tough matches against the champions and Manchester United coming up, we will need Costa at his goalscoring best.

It will also be interesting to see if Conte sticks to his latest formation for these upcoming matches. If both Terry and Zouma return, the Italian will have even more options as he looks to guide the team through what could be a tricky period.

A little more experimenting could yield what most fans have been dying to see; and that’s Michy Batshuayi starting alongside Costa up front.

With the season still quite young, I reckon we’re all bound to see it at some point.

Club official site.

Youth integration - The Challenges Facing Chelsea


38 players on loan and a plethora of talent, yet it beggars belief to think none of these youngsters may ever make the grade at Chelsea football club.

The board bears much of the brunt from enraged and disgruntled fans who are at a loss to explain how the club has failed to bring through a single player since 2000 - John Terry.

There have been a few debuts handed out, but nothing concrete to suggest they'll become mainstays in the first team.

Inasmuch as some fans lay the blame on the managers for not having the fortitude to use a few of these players been churned out, the buck stops with board and how the club is run.

Without mincing words, the Chelsea job is toxic and it creates an atmosphere where managers are under an immense amount of pressure right from the get go. The owner's demands of staying competitive - which isn't a bad thing - results in stifling the freedom of coaches willing to blood young talent.

Roman Abramovich desires to see a return on his investment in the academy, but lacks the patience to see it through. He wants instant results from his employees, but that's not a given with youngsters. Most, if not all of the managers who've been jettisoned by the club barely had enough time to know the players being brought through before losing their jobs.

The managerial instability at Chelsea makes it impossible to think of playing youngsters, when the manager knows he's one 'thunderbolt' defeat away from a reprimand - sometimes a boardroom meeting - on other occasions a visit from the chairman.

Not every club has the luxury of promoting youngsters. If young players have to be promoted - creating a positive atmosphere around the club is imperative.

The fans also play a part in the less than ideal atmosphere. In an era of modern football where every fan is reactionary and craves instant results - especially at the big clubs, it would be myopic and hypocritical to criticize the promoted youngsters for failings or weaknesses seen after the player has been thrust into the limelight.

Also, most fans of the football club have never seen a youngster blossom right in front of their eyes, and as such tend to place a fair amount of hype on every youngster from the youth side - thereby increasing the pressure.

Having a settled first team is also essential to ease the integration of a youngster and not place undue pressure on him.

Criticism has been dished out on the club's loan policy. The rationale for loaning out players is for them to gain valuable first team experience and to show they're capable of holding down a first team place at their parent club.

However, that rationale is often undermined by the managerial instability at the club. The players from the 'loan army' are often left in limbo by the managerial changes, leaving them to often chase another loan deal, nullifying the last.

Another criticism levelled out is the inclination to give out big money contracts to youth players before they are keystones in the first team. This destroys the players burgeoning careers as they want too much too soon and lose their primary motivation. Prime examples are Josh McEachran in the past and currently Dominic Solanke - who's still digging his heels over wanting a £50,000 contract.

It should also be noted, that thrusting youngsters into the limelight too early gives a higher risk of the player burning out in the latter stages of his career - prime examples are Joe Cole, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney. Not every player is blessed with awesome fitness levels and the long term health of the player should be considered over short term gain.

Ultimately, Chelsea isn't a well-run club, and the inability to properly manage the little, yet important issues will leave the fans complaining about the same issue - lack of youth integration. The pros of having capable decision makers at the helm of affairs cannot be overstated, and fast tracking the integration of youth into the first team will be beneficial to the future of Chelsea football club.

Until next time... #KTBFFH.

Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=572216#ixzz4MUV4S2BQ

Internationals: Hazard hits the target

Eden Hazard scored past Chelsea team-mate Asmir Begovic on Friday night as Belgium made it two wins out of two in their World Cup qualification campaign.

Hazard, who along with Thibaut Courtois started the home match against Bosnia, netted the second goal in a 4-0 win with a finish from a tight angle having gone round Begovic. That was after an own-goal had opened the scoring. Toby Alderweireld and Romelu Lukaku completed the win, the Everton striker’s goal coming from the edge of the area after a Hazard pass.

Michy Batshuayi remained on the Belgian bench, as did N’Golo Kante for France as his nation recovered from going a goal behind to win 4-1 at home to Bulgaria.
The European Championship finalists are now tied at the top of their group with Netherlands and Sweden with four points from two games.
Ghana took a single point from their opening World Cup qualifier when they hosted Uganda. Baba Rahman was part of the defence that kept a clean sheet. Christian Atsu played all but the last few minutes and had the best chance of the first half, but overall, the home side lacked creativity.

At Under-21 level, there was a disappointing result for Charly Musonda and Belgium. They lost 3-0 in Montenegro which allowed Czech Republic to win their European Championship qualification group. Belgium must now wait to Tuesday when they play Latvia to find out if they can grab a play-off place for the finals.

England Under-20s won their second game in a mini-tournament having beaten the Netherlands earlier in the week. This time they defeated Germany 3-1 in Huddersfield with Dominic Solanke heavily involved in two of the goals.

Jay Dasilva, Trevoh Chalobah and Dujon Sterling all played in a 3-1 win for England Under-19s away in Croatia.

Sweden Under-18s, with Joseph Colley as captain, beat their England counterparts 1-0 at home. Mason Mount played the full game for England with Martell Taylor-Crossdale a second-half sub and Tariq Uwakwe unused.

Official club site.

Chelsea ace in financial dispute with international football federation.

VICTOR MOSES is owed 8.7million Naira by the Nigeria Football Federation, according to reports.

Moses is said to have incurred costs of 8.7million Naira (£22,000) while travelling to attend events for the Nigeria national team.
The Chelsea winger, who picked up an injury against Hull before the international break, was reportedly set to travel to the Nigerian capital Abuja.
There he was due to be assessed by medical staff from the national team, but he did not attend as he could not guarantee reimbursement for the journey.

Victor Moses is reportedly owed £15,000 by the Nigeria Football Federation
The 25-year-old has instead remained in London for treatment and will miss the Super Eagles' World Cup qualifier against Algeria on Sunday.
Moses' Chelsea career has been invigorated since the arrival of new manager Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.
The winger has been deployed in a new wing-back role by the Italian and, prior to his injury, Conte has sung the Nigerian's praises.
"Moses played an incredible game [against Hull] in defensive and offensive situations," Conte said.
"It is fantastic because he is working very hard. He deserved to play and he showed me that my choice was right."

This would make for a good read.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2667994-pl-season-of-mega-manager-no-soap-opera-and-a-lot-of-fascinating-football

JayKayMaybachz:
"A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes."

#SMh
#DisLifeSef

Please how does one post a Gif?? It is always converted to a jpeg file format when being posted.

Chelsea duo Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah heading in opposite directions under Antonio Conte.

Rising star: Nathaniel chalobah
They may have travelled thousands of miles together on England Under-21 duty this week but Chelsea’s Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are heading in different directions at the moment.

Anyone tuning in to watch England secure the 1-0 win they needed in Kazakhstan on Thursday night to qualify for the European Championships next summer, will have noticed their contrasting moods.

While Chalobah was calm and confident as he bossed the midfield, Loftus-Cheek looked demoralised and frustrated.

These things can happen in any match, yet it was a reflection of what is happening in their careers at Chelsea right now.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Chelsea game time is key to my England aspirations
Chalobah’s is on the up under former Italy coach Antonio Conte, although it has taken a lot longer to make an impact at the club than he would have hoped.

The 21-year-old was on Chelsea’s substitute’s bench as a 15-year-old but had to wait until a League Cup tie at Leicester last month before finally making his senior debut.
There have been many before and since but Chalobah was earmarked from a very early age to buck the trend at Stamford Bridge and make the step from Academy graduate to first team regular.
The customary tactic of using loans to enhance his development have garnered mixed results.
Of the six clubs Chalobah played for, only the season he spent at Watford in 2012-13 was a total success.

Strangely, it was his limited role at Napoli last term, when he started just two matches and made only nine appearances overall, that has made the difference.
As Chelsea’s loan player technical coach Eddie Newton explained: “Nathaniel learnt a lot tactically from going over there. It was a different way to train, a lot of tactical information was given to him.
“Fortunately, the manager [Conte] is of that culture and trains in a very similar vain, therefore it’s not alien to him.
“Nathaniel has got into the training and dealt with it really well. He is mentally more focused, more driven and grown up a lot. He is at that stage of his career where he is ready to stake a claim.”
Conte obviously likes what he sees and significantly added to Chalobah’s cameo in the EFL Cup, by giving the defensive midfielder his first outing for Chelsea in the Premier League at Hull last Saturday.

England Under-21s were the ones to benefit from such a show of faith. Chalobah passed the ball impressively in Kazakhstan, constantly providing an outlet for the back four or his more advanced team-mates.
Loftus-Cheek, however, was disappointing and was substituted with just under 20 minutes to go.
The timing could not have been worse.

No Chelsea youth product has had more chances to impress for their senior side in the last few seasons but as the performance for England showed, his progress is starting to stagnate.
Loftus-Cheek’s Chelsea debut came at the age of 18 in 2014, three years younger than Chalobah is now.
He has added another 22 appearances since then, including being handed two starts by Conte in the EFL Cup.
While that still means he’s had more minutes on the pitch for Chelsea than Chalobah has this term, one gets the impression he wanted far more and it’s getting to him.

Conte does not seem quite sure where is best to play the 20-year-old. Since the friendlies in pre-season, he has been picked in midfield, as a No 10 and even a striker.
Under-21 coach Aidy Boothroyd played him at No 10 last night and a weak attempt to score after being put clean through summed up his unconvincing display.
And if you struggle to make an impression against Kazakhstan’s junior outfit, then Conte is hardly going to pick him for the Premier League any time soon.

Conversely, Chalobah may have a lot more to look forward to.