Mourinho Insists: I’m The Right Man For Chelsea

Posted on by admin

Jose Mourinho has come out swinging in the aftermath of Chelsea’s defeat to Everton, informing his critics that he is the right man to take the club forward regardless of what others might think.

Mourinho has found himself under an unusual amount of pressure after his club’s poor start to the season, with the Blues managing just a single victory since the beginning of the campaign.

A disappointing 2-2 home draw with Gary Monk’s Swansea on the opening day of the new Premier League season was overshadowed by Mourinho’s criticism of his medical team, specifically Eva Carneiro. Carneiro ran on to the pitch after being beckoned twice by the match referee Michael Oliver. She gave treatment to Eden Hazard which meant the forward had to be taken off the pitch, leaving the hosts with nine men after the earlier dismissal of Thibaut Courtois for a foul on Bafetimbi Gomis. Mourinho criticised the doctor and said that even if she was a “secretary on the bench” she should understand the game.

That result was followed by a 3-0 loss away to Manchester City, a 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns and a 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace before the international break. Their defeat to Everton at the weekend left the defending champions 11 points shy of Manchester City who are at the top of the table with a 100% record.

Despite Chelsea enduring their worst start to a top flight campaign in 29 years, however, Mourinho remains convinced that he is the right man to lead Chelsea out of their current crisis. He said, “The results are the worst in my career. They are not adapted to my quality, my status, but I am coping well with the situation. I am not feeling pressure. I am the man for the job. I don’t think there is better man who could come and do my job”.

Mourinho admitted that Chelsea will struggle to defend their Premier League crown after their poor start to the season, but joked that they should at least be able to avoid relegation. He said, “It is out of our control,” he said. “To win the title, it will depend on us to improve the results but also on other clubs who are above us to lose matches. Even if we win every game between now and the end of season, we still depend on other results. Next year people can be sure Chelsea won’t be playing in the Championship”.

Mourinho feels as though his side is currently enduring a run of extremely bad luck and that nothing is going their way. He said, “Today the game was completely under control and every mistake we made we were punished. Every shot is a goal, every mistake is a goal. The moment is so negative that everything goes against us. At the tactical meeting we had this morning, even the computer broke. But of course it was not because of that that we did not win”.

Chelsea have a chance to bounce back from their disappointing league form with a Champion’s League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv this week and Mourinho has told his critics to enjoy their moment in the sun as he plans to bounce back with immediate effect. He told the press, “I know that a lot of people are happy that after so many years to see me in a situation like this. Fair play. Enjoy. But I will enjoy my day tomorrow, again working hard as always thinking that on Wednesday we can win”.

Chelsea Manager In Dispute With Everton Boss Martinez

Posted on by admin

It has emerged that Jose Mourinho had some choice words to say to Roberto Martinez in the aftermath of Chelsea’s defeat to Everton at Goodison Park over the weekend.

Martinez, the Everton manager, spoke to the press first after the full time whistle was blown and the Toffees had beaten the defending Premier League champions thanks to a Steven Naismith hat trick.

After he left the press room Martinez was being interviewed by a journalist from the local newspaper The Liverpool Daily Echo when Mourinho walked past and said, “Roberto, next time tell me to go before you because we have to travel”. Martinez replied, “I don’t control that, Jose. I don’t control that”. Mourinho then said, “f*cking hell” as he walked away.

Roberto Martinez was unruffled and said to The Liverpool Echo’s reporter, “When he beat us 6-3 last season he was such a nice man. I prefer him like that”.

It was the second time that day that Jose Mourinho had fallen foul of the press as before kick off he walked out of an interview with BT Sport’s Ray Stubbs when the interviewer asked him about the club’s summer long pursuit of Everton’s John Stones. Mourinho said, “Before the game this is too long” prior to storming sway from the journalist.

Despite the attempt from Mourinho to suggest that Martinez had disobeyed managerial etiquette there is no ruling that says the away manager should speak to the media before the home manager. The current rules surrounding post match media obligations only say that there must be a press conference and that both managers must speak, but the order they speak in is not dictated.

Thibaut Courtois Out For Three Months

Posted on by admin

Chelsea’s season has shown no sign of improving recently, with the defeat to Everton merely the latest chapter in a line of bad news for Jose Mourinho’s club. The Blues’ manager admitted that his first choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, will be out for at least three months as he recovers from a knee injury.

Courtois damaged his medial ligaments in a training exercise last weekend and at first it was hoped that the injury wouldn’t be too serious. Yet Mourinho confirmed the Chelsea fans’ worst fears when he said, “It is a big blow, it is not easy to have the best goalkeeper in the world injured”, as he told the press that he would be out until the middle of November.

Mourinho brought in former Stoke ‘keeper Asmir Begovic this summer when Petr Cech was allowed to join Arsenal, and the stopper has already deputised for Courtois after the Belgian was sent off against Swansea. Mourinho said, “I’m very sad for Thibaut and the team but we have a top keeper and Begovic will be in goal”.

The self proclaimed Special One may well be telling the press that he considers Begovic to be a first class goalkeeper but the fact that the Bosnian has now played two and a bit games for Chelsea and has conceded seven goals will not be inspiring confidence in the defending Premier League champion’s defence.

The injury to Courtois means that Chelsea are likely to be without their first choice goalkeeper for big games against Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool as well as Champion’s League fixtures against Maccabi Tel Aviv, FC Porto and Dynamo Kiev.

Chelsea v Maccabi Tel-Aviv Preview (Champions League) – 16th September 2015

Posted on by admin

Chelsea kick off their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, as they host group minnows Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League winners were seeded in this group, and they’re heavy favourites to make the next round. The draw looked straightforward for them, but that was before they made a horror start to the season. Will things be quite so easy for them now?

The Blues head into this game backed heavily by the bookies, but there can’t be a lot of confidence in this squad. None of them have played well this season, with their performances being either awful or forgettable. The team are far from the side of last season, but they need to get back to that level fast in the league.

For this game, it’s not quite necessary. The Israeli side don’t seem to have that much of a threat about them, so this should be a great chance for Chelsea to get back to winning ways. No matter how much they’re backed to win this group, they simply can’t afford to drop points at home to the lowest seeded team in there.

Jose Mourinho is without Thibaut Courtois for this one, with the Belgian set for a long spell on the sidelines. He could be out until next year after picking up a knee injury in training. Asmir Begovic is set to come in to replace him for the foreseeable future, and the Bosnian should be a strong understudy.

That seems to be the only real injury worry ahead of this one, after Oscar made a return in the defeat at Everton. He should be available to start in this game, and he’s likely to play alongside Eden Hazard and Pedro in an impressive three man attacking midfield. Hopefully they can click together, along with Diego Costa, given that the Blues will see a lot of the ball in this next game.

While there aren’t too many injury problems, there are some below par performers to keep an eye on. Last term, the Chelsea team basically picked itself. Now, certain stars don’t really deserve a starting berth. Will Mourinho ring the changes? He promised to after the Palace game, but he didn’t follow through with that at Everton.

Given that Cesc Fabregas’s match stats from Saturday had about as many zeros as his pay cheque, he’s got to be in danger of losing his place. If Mourinho can play that attacking midfield trio, then he has already replaced the out of form Fabregas. Ramires could come in for him, or he could even give Ruben Loftus-Cheek a run out.

Branislav Ivanovic’s displays of late have been awful, too. He has to be in danger of missing out. Making radical defensive changes before a game like Everton is one thing, but they can afford it in this game. Hopefully changes do help the Blues on to victory, starting off their Champions League campaign better than their domestic one.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Everton v Chelsea Match Report – 12th September 2015

Posted on by chelseafan

A hat-trick from Steven Naismith condemned Chelsea to another demoralising defeat on Saturday, making this their worst ever start to a Premier League season. Nemanja Matic got a goal back for the visitors, but there are plenty of problems for Jose Mourinho to sort out ahead of huge games in Europe and at home this week.

The Blues started the game without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who picked up an injury in training that could keep him out for up to two months. Asmir Begovic came in to replace the Belgian. John Obi Mikel joined Matic in midfield, while Cesc Fabregas moved into the number 10 role. John Terry made a return to the side, after he was suspended for the Crystal Palace game.

Everton didn’t have the best start to the game, as they lost Muhammed Besic early on to what looked like a hamstring injury. That actually proved to be a boost for the Toffees, as it was Besis’s replacement who opened the scoring. Brendan Galloway put the ball across for Naismith, and the Scot found the net to give the hosts the lead.

That lead was doubled just five minutes later, with Naismith on target again. The Scot picked up the ball and ran at Branislav Ivanovic, who looked panicked after not blocking the cross for the first goal. The Serbian backed off and backed off, inviting Naismith to let fly from outside the box. His strike sailed past a helpless Begovic, much to the delight of the home support.

Chelsea did get themselves back in to the game in the first half, as they pulled a goal back. Matic picked up the ball inside the Everton half, and when he got space to move into at the edge of the home side’s box, he unleashed a strike that beat Tim Howard. It wasn’t the most likely source, but it did give the champions a much needed boost, and a chance to salvage something from the afternoon.

Jose Mourinho made several second half changes to try and get the equaliser. Kennedy replaced Mikel, Falcao came on for Pedro and Fabregas made way for Willian. They helped push Chelsea into control of the game, but they couldn’t find a way through the sturdy Everton defence, with John Stones putting in a fantastic performance.

Everton wrapped up the points late on, and again it was Naismith with the goal. Ross Barkley played a perfectly weighted pass, and the Scot ran on to the ball and slotted past Asmir Begovic. The keeper did the best he could in bad circumstances, as the defence give him little to no protection. If it wasn’t for Begovic, this could have been an even heavier defeat.

Mourinho has to put this result behind him, with a huge week coming up. Maccabi Tel-Aviv come to the Bridge on Wednesday night in the Champions League, with Arsenal to come at home on Saturday. Victories are needed in both those games, or else big questions will be asked.

LCN Man of the Match: Asmir Begovic

Chelsea v Everton Match Preview (Premier League) – 12th September 2015

Posted on by admin

Chelsea return from the international break this weekend, and as fate would have it, they face Everton. The champions clashed with the Toffees numerous times over the summer during their chase for John Stones, and that’s just added tension to this game. Jose Mourinho knows he needs three points, but have his side got up to speed in the last three weeks?

After just one win from their opening four games, the Blues are far from their best this term. They’ve fallen way off the early pace set by Manchester City, and a disappointing deadline day did little to lift the mood around the club. With no big name arrivals, it looks like Mourinho is going to have to iron out all the problems with his squad himself.

That is what he gets paid to do, of course, and he has a group of players good enough to succeed. The trick is getting them back to the level of last season. Fitness is a worry, after their late pre-season, and having his stars travelling the world over the international break really isn’t going to help them. While the likes of John Terry should be well rested, many of the others will likely be a little jaded.

That’s not the ideal preparation for stepping into Goodison Park, especially to face a club who you’ve spent the summer angering. Instead of lining up for Chelsea, he’ll be siding with the hosts, after playing for England during the break. He’s taken the whole transfer saga in his stride, so what are the odds on him scoring here? (Around 16/1 to score anytime if you’re interested.)

Unless players have picked up knocks during the break, it looks like Oscar is the only doubt for this game. The Brazilian has missed the last three games, but could be in contention to return. Terry is back from suspension, and he’ll replace either Kurt Zouma or Gary Cahill.

Last season Diego Costa hit a hat-trick on this ground in a very entertaining 6-3 win. The way Chelsea have been playing we could see another high scoring affair here. Until the Terry sending off in their last away game, they were going forward with a swagger, and being caught out at the back.

Manchester City came here to Goodison a few weeks ago, and they played well in a 2-0 win. The Toffees put them under pressure, but the leaders outclassed the hosts and took the points. The question is, could Chelsea produce that level of performance to grind out a win if needed? There’s little evidence to back that possibility this season.

In the end, the international break may just cost the Blues, sapping their already off-pace squad. This is going to be a massive test for their side this season, and we can’t see them passing it. While a draw wouldn’t be great, many teams will leave here with less.

LCN Verdict: 1-1 draw

Chelsea Transfer Review (Summer 2015): Which Players Are In, Out & On Loan

Posted on by admin

Transfer deadline day wasn’t one to remember for Chelsea fans, and many view the summer’s business as mixed at best. The main focus seemed to be on the players who didn’t join, rather than the ones who actually arrived. Big money moves never materialised, and some of the signings were far from the household names that were rumoured early on.

On top of that, there were some high profile exits, and once again a barrage of loan departures. With the current number of Chelsea’s farmed out reserves hitting 30, we felt you may need reminding of just who left the club this summer. Here we have a run-down of all the summer’s transfer activity, plus reaction to all the completed moves, and those which remained uncompleted.

Transfers in

  • Pedro – Barcelona, £21 million
  • Asmir Begovic – Stoke, £8 million
  • Abdul Baba Rahman – Augsberg, £14 million
  • Kenedy – Fluminense, £6 million
  • Papy Djilobodji – Nantes, £2.7 million
  • Michael Hector – Reading, £4 million
  • Total: £55.7 million

Despite signing just one player who is likely to start more matches than not, there’s quite a bit to get through in Chelsea’s incomings this summer. Pedro is the big name, and he looks like a fantastic piece of business. The others, are a mix of squad players, youngsters and complete unknowns. Djilobodji is an odd signing, he was turned down by Sunderland, QPR and Aston Villa before moving to Stamford Bridge. He must have thought the offer was a wind up. Michael Hector seems like an even stranger move, signing the 23-year-old for £4million, before loaning him straight out.

John Stones was the big miss this summer. The club were open about wanting to sign him, but they just could not get Everton to part with the centre-half. They chased him for most of the summer, before turning their attention to Marquinhos of PSG. They had two deadline day bids rejected for him, while they were also rumoured to be after Paul Pogba.

These moves could be setting the table for a massive summer next year, as that’s how modern transfers have moved. Many deals take over a year to complete, very rarely does a big player move in the space of days or weeks. Look at the build up to signing Diego Costa last year, that type of deal takes a while. Maybe it’s better to not waste money this year, to get the likes of Pogba and Stones over the line next summer?

Transfers out

  • Thorgan Hazard – Borussia Monchengladbach, £5.8 million
  • Gael Kakuta – Sevilla, £2.5 million
  • Petr Cech – Arsenal, £10 million
  • Josh McEachran – Brentford, £750,000
  • Didier Drogba – Montreal Impact, free
  • Filipe Luis – Atletico Madrid, £11 million
  • Oriol Romeu – Southampton, £5 million
  • Total: £35 million

Many of these departures were failed young starlets, who recouped the club back some profit while hopefully moving on to play more games. Those can’t really be argued with. Neither can Drogba’s move; he has given the club everything he could since first signing in 2004, and he deserves one final year playing regularly.

The same could be said for Cech, although it is disappointing to see him in an Arsenal shirt. Every Chelsea fan knew the Czech stopper was too good to sit on the bench, but few are happy seeing him at the Emirates. While it doesn’t seem to have helped Arsenal too much so far, it has fixed a position that’s worried Arsene Wenger for years.

Luis didn’t really do much in his year at Chelsea, but his move to Atletico seems like a waste. Given Branislav Ivanovic’s poor early form, it’s likely the Brazilian would have forced himself into contention. Adbul Baba Rahman could prove to be a great replacement, but it does feel like an unnecessary risk.

Chelsea’s Legion of Loaned Players

  • Christian Atsu – Bournemouth
  • Lewis Baker – Vitesse
  • Mario Pasalic – Monaco
  • Andreas Christensen – Borussia Monchengladbach
  • Isaiah Brown –Vitesse
  • Nathan – Vitesse
  • Marco Van Ginkel – Stoke
  • Victorien Angban – Sint-Truiden
  • Tomas Kalas – Middlesbrough
  • Jordan Houghton – Gillingham
  • Kenneth Omeruo – Kasimpasa
  • Patrick Bamford – Crystal Palace
  • Wallace – Capri
  • Danilo Pantic – Vitesse
  • Ulises Davila – Vitoria
  • Dominic Solanke – Vitesse
  • Joao Rodriguez – Sint-Truiden
  • Todd Kane – NEC Nijmegen
  • Mohammed Salah – Roma
  • Matej Delac – Sarajevo
  • Alex Davey –Peterborough United
  • Christian Cuevas – Sint-Truiden
  • Nathan Ake – Watford
  • Juan Cuadrado – Juventus
  • Marko Marin – Trabzonspor
  • Cristian Manea – Royal Mouscron Peruwelz
  • Jeremie Boga – Stade Rennais
  • Lucas Piazon – Reading
  • Victor Moses – West Ham
  • Islam Feruz – Hibernian
  • Michael Hector – Reading
  • Nathaniel Chalobah – Napoli

Even the most ardent Chelsea fan would have trouble keeping track of these players and the feeder clubs they join. Keeping 30 players on your books at other clubs might not be breaking any rules, but it does feel wrong. Does this really benefit any of the players? Will they actually ever get to play for Chelsea? And will this put off the next generation of wonder-kids from coming to the Bridge?

Of this huge number of players we’ve seen go, a few names stand out in particular. You have to wonder if Jose Mourinho would have let Andreas Christensen or Nathan Ake leave if he knew he wouldn’t get Stones. It’s hard to see Djilobodji as that much better than either of those two youngsters. Their progress this season will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.

The same can be said for a few others, including Nathaniel Chalobah. The youngster had a poor spell at Burnley last season, but now he faces a massive step up, as he moves to Napoli and Serie A. Given that they are looking to make the Champions League, this could be the making of the midfielder.

Mario Pasalic is another one to watch out for, after he moved to Monaco. The highly rated Croatian should get some chances there, and hopefully he can return ready for the first team. Izzy Brown is one of the many Blues at Vitesse this season, but keep tabs on his displays this year. He’s a highly rated striker, and you’d hope he will be able to prove himself in Holland.

Eva Carneiro Yet To Return To Work

Posted on by admin

Chelsea’s team doctor Eva Carneiro has yet to return to work at the defending Premier League champions after she was downgraded in the wake of Chelsea’s 2-2 home draw with Swansea on the opening day of the season.

Carneiro ran on to the pitch with Chelsea’s head physio Jon Fearn when Eden Hazard went down injured, much to the annoyance of manager Jose Mourinho. Despite being called on to the pitch several times by the match referee Michael Oliver, the Chelsea manager felt his medical team should have left Hazard to recover in his own time.

The medical staff’s decision to treat the mercurial midfielder meant that he had to come off the pitch, leaving the home team with nine men after Thibaut Courtois had already been given his marching orders for a foul on Bafetimbi Gomis.

Mourinho called his medical team “impulsive and naïve” for their actions and suggested that they “did not understand the game”. His comments were criticised for bordering on the sexist when he said, “Even if you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game”.

He was also criticised by Eamonn Salmon, the chief executive of the Football Medical Association, who said, “They conducted themselves with integrity and professionalism – that is their job. We feel that she has been treated harshly”. The self proclaimed Special One has refused to back down, though, demoting Carneiro and suggesting that she will not be allowed to retake her place on the Chelsea bench when she does come back to work”.

The Portuguese manager claims that he has an “open relationship [with the medical staff]…that is open to criticism”, yet Carneiro, who has been with the club for five years, remains in ongoing discussions with her lawyers regarding her next step.

The incident is due to be discussed by the world governing body FIFA’s medical committee when the meet on September 11th, with scrutiny increasingly likely given the doctor’s refusal to return to work under Jose Mourinho.

Djilobodji Omitted From Champion’s League Squad

Posted on by admin

Papy Djilobodji, Chelsea’s deadline day defensive signing, has been left out of the club’s Champion’s League squad.

Clubs are required to submit a 25 man squad to UEFA for the group stages of the Champion’s League before the competition begins proper, signaling which players they intend to use in Europe’s premier contest.

26 year old Djilobodji, who was signed from French club Nantes in a £4 million deal, has been left out of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s squad for the competition. The Senegalese defender has been bought with the intention of giving some competition to the Blues’ current defensive crop, especially considering the team’s poor start to the season.

John Terry, the Chelsea captain, was substituted during the team’s 3-0 loss away to Manchester City. He returned to the first XI for their game against West Bromwich Albion but was promptly shown a red card when he hauled down Solomon Rondon when was through on goal. That meant he missed the defending Premier League champion’s game at home to Crystal Palace that the Blues lost 2-1.

Despite the other new Chelsea signings Asmir Begovic, Abdul Rahman Baba, Pedro and Radamel Falcao being included in the Champion’s League squad, however, Djilobodji has been left out by the self-proclaimed Special One.

Nathaniel Chalobah Heads To Napoli On Loan

Posted on by admin

Serie A side Napoli have agreed to sign Chelsea’s 20 year old England Under 21 international Nathaniel Chalobah on a season long loan.

Chalobah has yet to play a senior competitive game for the defending Premier League champions, but he has enjoyed loan spells at Nottingham Forrest, Watford, Reading, Burnley and Middlesborough.

Chalobah was born in Sierra Leone but impressed for England during the summer’s Under 21 European Championship. Despite the move to the Serie A club, however, the 20 year old might not be too impressed with the words of Napoli’s head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Things work slightly differently in Italy to in the Premier League and clubs routinely bring in players without the manager’s knowledge. That has led Sarri to say, “I don’t know anything about the player. If the club picked him then he must have some quality. I train whoever the club puts at my disposal”.