Month: December 2015

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted for the first time this season that the top four may no longer be an achievable target for the defending Premier League champions.

Speaking in the aftermath of his side’s home loss to newly promoted side Bournemouth, Mourinho said, “Our objective is to finish top four. Before this game it was realistic to think that our quality would take us out of this position but maybe now we have to think about top six”.

in Jose Mourinho’s first 99 league games as Chelsea manager they suffered just one defeat at Stamford Bridge. They have lost four times in their last seven league games in this campaign. It is that loss of home form that is causing Chelsea such issues in the defence of their Premier League crown.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ was led to question his players’ consistency after the poor run of form that has seen them lose at home to Crystal Palace, Southampton, Liverpool and now Bournemouth so far this season. It has left Chelsea just three points off the relegation zone and a remarkable 17 points behind the league leaders Leicester City.

After Chelsea suffered their eighth defeat in fifteen games Mourinho said, “If our players are not able to give the maximum every day that is a problem. If you analyse match after match there are a few layers where it is difficult to be consistent. You think there is evolution, but maybe it is just one moment in which they are good”.

Mourinho once again felt that his side suffered at the hands of a referee when Diego Costa was denied a possible penalty. The Brazilian born Spanish international avoid a sliding tackle from Bournemouth captain Simon Francis, only to see the ball strike the Cherries’ defender’s arm. The Chelsea manager said, “We didn’t deserve to lose. Our opponent – in the period that they thought only of defence – managed to get a goal and there was a clear mistake from the referee. I think it is a clear handball and penalty with the score at 0-0”.

In a moment of what some might call ironic hypocrisy, the Portuguese manager also felt that Bournemouth defended deeply during the game. He said, “They played in a way that some call intelligent, some say is not fair play. They were taking time, calling for the medical department and drinking water like it is a basketball timeout”.

The fact that the referee didn’t give the penalty wasn’t the only thing that irked Mourinho, with the Chelsea manager also reacting to reports that Bournemouth’s goal had a hint of offside about it. He said, “If it was offside it is another episode that goes against us, but I did not see it”.

The only bit of good news emerging from the weekend is the fact that the Chelsea manager is confident that his team has enough quality to get out of their current situation. He said, “I am concerned of course. There is no chance that Chelsea will be fighting relegation”.

Chelsea Football Club have confirmed that defender Gary Cahill has signed a new four year contract with the side.

Cahill was signed from Bolton Wanderers for roughly £7 million in January of 2012. He has since gone on to make 177 appearances for the Blues, with his new four year contract meaning he’s likely to clock up a few more before he leaves the defending Premier League champions.

The 29 year old’s previous deal would have expired at the end of the next Premier League season had Chelsea not renewed his contract. He has appeared in 10 of Chelsea’s league games so far this season, missing just four matches.

The Blues have conceded 23 goals during their opening 14 games of a campaign that has seen them notch up just 15 points. They sit 5 points off the relegation zone and 14 points from the top of the league table. Cahill isn’t letting that worry him, though. Instead he’s choosing to concentrate on the League Cup, FA Cup, Champion’s League, Europa League and Premier League winners medals he’s won during his time at the club.

Cahill said, “I have achieved a lot here and I hope I can keep on learning, helping the team and lifting trophies over the next four years. I’m really pleased to commit my future to Chelsea and it’s great the club has put their faith in me”.

The defender was named as part of the Professional Footballer’s Association’s Premier League team of the year for both the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons. He has been capped 40 times by England and remains one of the first names on both Roy Hodgson and Jose Mourinho’s team sheets. He is now contracted to the Stamford Bridge club until 2019.

Chelsea’s long search for a new and improved stadium took a step towards completion today when they submitted a planning application for a new 60,000 seater stadium to their local council.

Back in 2012 Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, rejected the idea of redeveloping Stamford Bridge and declared the notion to be ‘not feasible or viable’. Originally it was thought that the defending Premier League champions would look to move elsewhere in London, with a plan submitted to build a state-of-the-art stadium in Battersea Power Station.

That plan was rejected, however, and the Blues have struggled to find a different location for their new stadium. The need to improve on their currently capacity of roughly 42,000 is seen as paramount, with Chelsea losing out to their rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City every week as far as gate takings are concerned. Old Trafford holds 76,000, The Emirates 60,000 and The Etihad can fit in 55,000 fans. Even Liverpool are in the process of expanding their stadium, with the new Main Stand likely to increase their capacity to 54,000.

The Blues have been at Stamford Bridge since 1905, with the last redevelopment of the stadium coming in the 1990s. Their new application suggests that they are intending to demolish the current stadium in order to build a new 60,000 seat alternative. There will be excavation works done for the new ground, as well as new outdoor areas that will include the building of platforms over the District Line and Southern mainline that run near the stadium.

The club have said on their website that the new and improved stadium will offer improved facilities ‘for every area’, as well as ‘outstanding views’ from every seat in the hope that it will create an ‘exciting atmosphere’.

The application has been submitted to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, with the local council announcing that the deadline for comments on the club’s application has been set for Friday the 8th of January 2016.