Chelsea v Liverpool preview (Premier League) – 10th May 2015

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This weekend the newly crowned Premier League champions take on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have little to play for other than pride after clinching the league last weekend, but they do have an unbeaten home record this season to maintain. Plus, as we know, there’s no love lost in clashes between these two sides.

Jose Mourinho already said his side will not be taking things easy in the last few weeks, as it would be an insult to the competitiveness of the Premier League. Don’t expect to see 11 changes and threats of fines from the league, it’s likely that much of the same team that has played all season will feature in the last three fixtures.

We know that Mourinho isn’t a great loser, so it’s no shock that he’s sending his side out to win in their last three. If there was a Champions League semi or FA Cup final ahead maybe it would be a different story, but instead the players are currently basking in the glow of a title win. Having been by far the best team in the league, the title is more than deserved, but given those performances, maybe a little bit of rest is deserved too.

Former Chelsea player and current BBC pundit Pat Nevin argued that the likes of Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa should be left out of the last three matches to give them a longer break ahead of the new season. While the tiredness of footballers isn’t going to make your heart bleed, we have to remember that these are top class, international players. Their summer breaks between seasons are often taken up by tournaments, so they rarely get extended breaks.

With another title challenge expected next year, plus improvement in the Champions League and FA Cup, those three will all play a key role in the club’s fortunes next term. While Mourinho will be looking to name a strong side, resting those three should be on his mind, as the effects of fatigue have definitely affected them in the run-in.

A game against a side like Liverpool has to be taken seriously, however, with the Reds still holding a faint chance of making the top four this season. With the Blues already unbeaten home and away against their top four rivals, they’ll want to continue that against Brendan Rodgers’ side, following up on their 2-1 win at Anfield earlier in the season.

Liverpool will be naming a strong side, although they’ll be seriously worried about how their goalscoring problems will affect them against the side with the best defence in the league. It’s hard to see the Reds being able to make much of an impact in this one, and this game should spell the end of their Champions League ambitions. This won’t be the day that Chelsea celebrate lifting the trophy, that will be saved for the final day, but it is another chance for the fans to celebrate this season, against a set of fans who are desperate for a league title.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Mourinho To Be Offered New Contract Following Premier League Win

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Laszlo Szirtesi / Shutterstock.com
Laszlo Szirtesi / Shutterstock.com

Chelsea won the title at the weekend for the first time since Jose Mourinho’s return to the Premier League, and their third title in total under the Portuguese’s stewardship.

The victory against Crystal Palace meant that Chelsea added the Premier League title to the League Cup they won in March, doing the league and cup double for the second time in their history.

The trophies have led Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, to open contract discussions with Mourinho, who still has 2 years left to run on his current deal. The Russian billionaire would like to tie him down for longer, though, as the two seem to have put to bed the issues that caused Mourinho to leave the Bridge back in 2007.

Mourinho has now won 3 Premier League titles for Chelsea, as well as three League Cups, an FA Cup and the Charity Shield. When he won them the title in 2005 it was their first top flight title win in 50 years, and the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ has no intention of leaving any time soon.

After the 1-0 win over Palace Mourinho said, “As I was saying since the beginning of the season, I stay here until Mr Abramovich wants me to stay. The day he tells me to go, I go”.

Mourinho has won the Champion’s League with both Porto and Inter Milan, but he is yet to achieve the same feat with the Chelsea team that seems to fit him like a glove. It is likely that Abramovich will back Mourinho in the transfer market to ensure that this happens sooner rather than later.

It is believed that a new contract for Mourinho will secure his services at Stamford Bridge until 2019, and as long as relations with Abramovich remain cordial it is likely he will remain in the Premier League for the foreseeable future.

Stamford Bridge Fans

Chelsea Win Premier League

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Stamford Bridge Fans
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Chelsea Football Club have been crowned Premier League Champion’s after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

In stark contrast to last season, when the title went to the final day of the season with both Liverpool and Manchester City contenders for the crown, there has been a feeling of formality in recent weeks as Chelsea have held the top spot since before Christmas.

They needed just 3 points from their remaining 4 games, and it looked like it might be a close run thing as Julian Speroni saved Eden Hazard’s penalty in the first half. But the PFA player of the year took no time in making up for his error, putting a header past the Argentine on the stroke of half-time.

The game was little more than a procession after that, with Palace testing but not pushing Chelsea and the Blues happy to soak up the pressure in the style that has become the hallmark of all Mourinho teams.

The Portuguese manager is a divisive figure outside of West London, with his antics over the years including gouging the eye of Tito Vilanova, calling Arsene Wenger a voyeur and disrespecting numerous club managers by trying to shake their hands before the final whistle.

The win at the Bridge, though, meant that this is Chelsea’s third title under the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’, and the Chelsea fans showed their loyalty and love towards him by displaying a banner saying ‘The Special One – He’s One Of Us’.

It is Mourinho’s eighth title in twelve years and, whatever else can be said about him, there’s little doubt he knows how to win. This season he’s built a team based around the wiser heads of players like John Terry and Didier Drogba, alongside exciting younger prospects such as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.

BBC pundit Alan Shearer has backed Chelsea to win the title since August, and he said after the match that Mourinho is a “serial winner who lives for titles and trophies”.

He also feels that the “boring” tag Chelsea have been lumbered with in recent weeks is unfair. He said, “It is not Chelsea’s problem if teams cannot beat them, and it is pretty embarrassing if they call them boring”. Shearer feels the only tag that Chelsea deserve is that of “worthy champions”.

Shearer’s opinion seems to be backed up by facts, as only Chelsea in 2005-2006 and Manchester United in 1993-1994 have spent longer at the top of the league in a single Premier League campaign than this Chelsea team. In 2005-2006 they were top for 257 days, and United managed it for 262 days. This year Chelsea have been at the top for 253 days. Worthy champions indeed.

Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich was there to see his team clinch the title, and when referee Kevin Friend blew the final whistle he punched the air in celebration. Now it is his hope and desire that Chelsea go on to improve on this season’s double – they won the League Cup in March – by dominating Europe next season. Mourinho has won the Champion’s League with Porto and Inter Milan, but whether he can do it with Chelsea remains to be seen.

Chelsea 1-0 Crystal Palace Match Report – 3rd May 2015

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Chelsea clinched the Premier League title with a hard fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. A first half header from Eden Hazard was enough to clinch the points that put the league beyond doubt. The win opened up a 16 point gap ahead of the chasing pack, and it topped off a dominant season for Jose Mourinho’s side.

The Blues were once again without Diego Costa and Loic Remy, although the Frenchman was an unused substitute. That left Didier Drogba as the only option for Mourinho up front once more, and he made his fifth consecutive start. Juan Cuadrado was handed a rare start after Ramires came down with illness, while Thibaut Courtois returned to replace Petr Cech in goal.

For all the build-up, the first half didn’t really deliver. The hosts couldn’t carve out a chance to break the deadlock, while Palace tried their best to pressure Chelsea, breaking up play with quite a few fouls. Eventually that cost them, as Eden Hazard was brought down by James McArthur in the box. The Belgian got back up to take the kick, and he headed it home on the rebound after missing first time around.

That brought a bit of action to an otherwise dull first half, and Mourinho made his intentions more than clear during the break. He brought on John Obi Mikel to replace Juan Cuadrado, going with two defensive midfielders as he looked to hold on to the lead and the title. It came at the end of a week were Chelsea’s style of play was the big talking point, but the manager won’t be too upset about disappointing viewers at this point in the season.

Chances were few and far between again in the second half, and Palace seemed unable to do anything that would stop the Blues’ coronation. Close to the end the visitors had a flurry of corners as they pushed for an equaliser to spoil the party, but the host’s defence stood firm. Kurt Zouma and John Terry played a key role in keeping the Eagles at bay.

While the game wasn’t anything special, the sense of relief and joy that engulfed the stadium at full time was. Even Roman Abramovich jumped to his feet at the final whistle, as he saw the culmination of a season of hard work. After leading the table for a total of 253 days, the third longest spell in Premier League history, the side from Stamford Bridge finally wrestled back the title for the first time in five years.

It was far from a classic, but this is a vintage Chelsea side. They have a winning Mourinho edge mixed with fantastic players like Cesc Fabregas, Hazard and Oscar. They now have two trophies in the bag this season, and they have the potential to go on and dominate for the next few years.

LCN Man of the Match: Willian