PSG 2-1 Chelsea Match Report – 16th February 2016

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Chelsea suffered a defeat in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash with PSG on Tuesday, but they managed to score what could prove a crucial away goal in the process. The Blues went behind after a Zlatan Ibrahimovic free kick in the first half, only for John Obi Mikel to get an equaliser. The Blues were holding firm against the attacking pressure, but they broke with just over 10 minutes to go, as Edinson Cavani hit the winner for the French champions.

Chelsea headed in to this game on the back of a defensive crisis, with John Terry limping off against Newcastle. He joined long term absentee Kurt Zouma on the sidelines, so Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill played at centre back. Nemanja Matic was another big absentee. The Serbian was suspended for this tie, meaning Hiddink had to switch from his usual defensive midfield pairing.

PSG had the better of the early stages of the game, but as the half progressed the Blues started to show more going forward. Diego Costa forced a save from Kevin Trapp, as his header was tipped onto the bar and out to safety.

Despite imposing themselves on the game, it wasn’t Chelsea who took the lead here. Mikel brought down Lucas as he was charging towards the penalty box, giving the French side a free kick in a good position. Ibrahimovic stepped up to take it, and his low strike took a huge deflection off Mikel, which wrong footed and beat Thibaut Courtois.

Mikel made amends before half time, as he gave Chelsea an away goal right before the break. Willian’s free kick went out for a corner, and the Brazilian stepped up and swung it into the box. The ball fell for Mikel, not one to usually attack corners, and the Nigerian took it down before smashing home. That was the last kick of the half, and it completely changed the two managers’ half time team talks.

The Blues had to withstand a barrage of attacks in the second half, as PSG looked to get themselves back ahead. The Premier League side were able to pick out a few counter attacking moves, but PSG were dominating possession, and looking the likelier of the two to score. That really tested the makeshift back four, which needed Ivanovic barking orders to keep it in line.

Both sides made attacking changes with the game level. Oscar came on for a rather tepid Eden Hazard while PSG replaced Lucas with Cavani. It was the Uruguayan who had the biggest impact, as he put the French side ahead with just 12 minutes to go. Courtois could have done much more, as the strike went through his legs and into the goal.

While Guus Hiddink would have liked to keep his unbeaten record intact, he’ll be pleased with the result and display here. His side were always in the game, and they are still in this one, taking an away goal back to the Bridge for the second half of the tie.

LCN Man of the Match: Diego Costa

Racism Victim Will Attend Paris Saint-Germain Match Against Chelsea

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The black commuter who was racially abused by Chelsea fans on the Paris Metro will be attending tonight’s Champions League match against the London club and Paris Saint-Germain.

A group of Chelsea fans chanted “we’re racist and that’s the way we like it” whilst refusing to allow Souleymane Sylla to board the Metro by pushing him off the train. He suffered the racism before the two sides went head-to-head on the 17th of February last year. He said recently, “My wounds… after one year are still present and very much open”.

Paris Saint-Germain have invited Mr. Sylla to tonight’s match at the Parcs des Princes as a guest of the club. He was quick to offer his thanks to PSG for the way they have treated him in the aftermath of the incident, though he confessed it has taken him and his family time to recover. He said, “I was affected by it, but [although they weren’t with me] my family were affected by what happened more. My young children were traumatised by it all… It’s taken one year for me to be able to take the Metro again. Paris Saint-Germain have supported me enormously after what happened”.

Mr. Sylla has been unimpressed by the way that the defending Premier League champions have behaved in the aftermath of the incident, however. He said, “I have not heard any news from Chelsea since last year. I think that’s the only bad thing in all of this. It was Chelsea supporters who attacked me it should be Chelsea who are supporting me”.

Joshua Parsons, William Simpson and Richard Barklie were all banned from attending football matches for five years, whilst Jordan Munday was banned for three years. Dean Callis, meanwhile, was given a five year banning order because of a number of incidents including the one on the Paris Metro.

Mr. Sylla confirmed that tonight’s game will be the second that he’s attended since the incident with the Chelsea fans but that they ‘don’t represent football’. He said, “I want to be present in the sporting arena in order to eradicate racism because there is lots of racism in football”.

John Terry Is An Injury Doubt For Chelsea’s Champions League Tie Against Paris St-Germain

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Chelsea club captain and central defender John Terry has become a doubt for the West Londoner’s Champions League last-16 tie against Paris St-Germain tomorrow evening.

The 35-year-old was involved in a tussle with Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic towards the end of the first half and appeared to pick up a hamstring injury when he fell awkwardly. He underwent a scan yesterday and will almost certainly not be fit enough to face the French champions at The Parc des Princes.

The defending Premier League champions are already without their young defender Kurt Zouma after the French international was ruled out for six months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The injury was picked up during the Blues’ match against Manchester United last Sunday.

The injuries to Zouma and Terry in quick succession have left Chelsea light at the back, with Gary Cahill likely to be paired alongside a youth player or a player who is more commonly used to playing in a wingback position, such as Branislav Ivanovic or Cesar Azpilicueta.

Chelsea’s interim manager, Guus Hiddink, is not impressed with the amount of time Chelsea have been given to recover from their 5-1 victory over Newcastle. He said, “We have just two days to recover and it is something to think about in the future as two days of recovery is not enough”.

Chelsea 5-1 Newcastle Match Report – 13th February 2016

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Chelsea got a much-needed victory as they hammered Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. It was hard to tell if the Blues had returned to form, or if the Magpies were just abysmal. Diego Costa and Pedro capitalised early on, before Willian, Pedro again and Bertrand Traore boosted the scoreline. The visitors got a consolation, denying Chelsea a clean sheet.

Guus Hiddink made a few changes from the sidethat faced Manchester United, with John Obi Mikel a surprising absentee. Nemanja Matic’s suspension in the Champions League explains why Hiddink left out his favourite Nigerian here. Eden Hazard returned to the team, while Oscar missed out through injury, as Pedro stepped up to take his place.

It was a stronger team than many expected, as Hiddink could have been forgiven for starting with a weak XI here ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain. The team he did pick made a blistering start in this one, with Diego Costa hitting the opener within two minutes of the match starting. Costa was forced to wear a protective mask after breaking his nose in training, but that didn’t stop him turning in the first goal of the game.

The flying start kept going, as the Blues were 2-0 ahead within 10 minutes. Pedro was sent clear of a poor Newcastle defence after an error from Rolando Aarons, and he finished well to put the champions in charge of this clash. At that stage, the Toon defence looked about as confused as the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Costa turned provider for goal number three, as he sent Willian through to further the lead. The Brazilian scored his fourth league goal of a season, a total which seemed low given his great season so far. That was enough to give Hiddink’s side a big half time lead, a scoreline that we’ve not seen for a while in league action. The only blemish on that first half was an injury to John Terry, who hobbled off to be replaced by Adbul Baba Rahman.

Pedro got his second goal of the game, his fourth goal of the season, just before the hour mark. The Spanish winger didn’t impress with his play in general, but he was pretty ruthless with his finishing, adding more gloss to an impressive score, dumping more misery on to the travelling Newcastle fans.

Following that, Hiddink replaced Diego Costa, giving him a rest before Tuesday, with Bertrand Traore coming on to replace him. The young forward got on the scoresheet 20 minutes after joining the action, getting his second goal for the club following his cameo in the cup against MK Dons. Andros Townsend struck late for Newcastle, but it didn’t do much to ruin the Chelsea fans’ day.

Following that game, focus turns to the Champions League in midweek, with a trip to Paris on Tuesday night. Next weekend is cup action, with Manchester City the visitors to the Bridge.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

PSG v Chelsea Match Preview (Champions League) – 16th February 2016

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It’s Champions League time for the Blues once again, as the competition returns following its winter break. The Blues head to Paris for the first leg of this clash, for which they are heavy underdogs. With their league season in tatters, can they pull off an incredible result here to boost their Champions League hopes or will their awful season just go from bad to worse?

Another year, another clash against PSG in the Champions League. After knocking them out two years ago, and being knocked out by them last year, these two know each other fairly well. It might have helped matters if the manager who had come through both those ties was here now to take advantage of what he had learnt, but that’s not how it works at Chelsea.

Guus Hiddink leads his team into this clash, and they do have quite an impressive away record under him. His best results so far have come away from the Bridge, and Blues fans would love to see a repeat of the performance at the Emirates here. To do that they’d need to pull off a task that no one has managed this year, to prevent PSG from winning.

The French champions have won 17 consecutive games, stretching all the way back to December 1st. That’s seen them take charge of Ligue 1, where they now have a 24 point lead. With France already dominated, the goal for them now is to move up a level and dominate in Europe. While they’ve yet to really make a huge splash in the Champions League, they’re more than capable of it.

The French side have a team full of stars and manager Laurent Blanc recently signed a contract extension at the club. They have so much ability, just how could Chelsea possibly stop them? It would take a massive defensive display to hold this team off, is that something that this Chelsea team are capable of? Can they replicate the heroics of the 2012 side?

They have a strong defence on paper, but it’s just not worked for them this term. Branislav Ivanovic is showing signs of age, Cesar Azpilicueta has been far from his best and our most reliable centre back is now out injured. Without Kurt Zouma, Gary Cahill and John Terry will have to roll back the years here.

Hiddink did coach Chelsea to a 0-0 result in the Camp Nou before, back in 2009. That was the year that Andres Iniesta’s last minute strike knocked the Blues out on away goals. A display like that would do it here, but it’s hard to see the team being able to pull it off.

If the side could play like they did at the Emirates, we’d have a chance. The problem is, PSG are a much better side than Arsenal, and they’re tougher to shut out. This looks like a task too far for Hiddink and this could well be the Blues’ last big away European trip for some time.

LCN Verdict: PSG to win 2-0

Chelsea Are A Team Of Zorros, According To Hiddink

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Chelsea’s interim manager Guus Hiddink has joked that he is the chief of a ‘team of Zorros’ after it emerged that Diego Costa will have to wear a face mask during matches.

The firebrand striker broke his nose in training during the week when he and a Chelsea academy player collided when going for a header. He will join both Cesar Azpilicueta and Nemanja Matic in having to wear a face mask in order to take part in games for the foreseeable future. It is expected that, despite the injury, he will line up for the Blues for their home game against Newcastle on Saturday.

Referring to the fictional Mexican character the Dutchman said, “He will return, he will have a mask on. We are a team of a lot of masks – we’re a Zorro team”.

Talking about how the Brazilian born Spanish international got his injury Hiddink said, “Diego put his nose on the back of the player and was very unlucky”.

Chelsea are unbeaten since Hiddink arrived at the club, but their horrendous form under their previous manager Jose Mourinho has left them in a poor position in the league. They are 17 points off fourth spot but only seven away from the relegation zone. If the Magpies get a win at Stamford Bridge they’ll be just three points off the defending Premier League champions with 12 games left to play.

Chelsea v Newcastle Match Preview (Premier League) – 13th February 2016

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Chelsea will be hoping to end a run of four consecutive draws at Stamford Bridge when they take on relegation threatened Newcastle on Saturday. After getting last gasp equalisers in their last two home matches, the Blues need to up their game ahead of the Magpies’ visit. While they have little to chase in the league for the rest of the season, they simply have to start winning games.

With the return of Champions League action getting very close, there’s a risk that the Blues head in to their last 16 clash with PSG undercooked. They look like a team who are just getting through games without really pushing themselves, and that’s not something fans want to see. It’s not easy to just go from a side slowly manoeuvring through their schedule to one capable of taking on Europe’s best in a few short days.

While we can’t expect that much from the Blues after the season they’ve been having, it’s not too much to be expecting better. Guus Hiddink was brought in to initially steady the ship, but the club would have been hoping he could kick the team on and see them push up the table.

That has yet to materialise, with the team still 13th, only a place above where Jose Mourinho left them. There have been positive signs in the games we’ve seen lately, but not enough points. The displays haven’t been complete, and they need to get better if the team is to do anything in the cups this season.

You would imagine that a clash with Newcastle is the perfect opportunity for the team to start putting things right, given that the Geordies have lost their last five away games. Since August, they’ve won two and lost the rest of their matches on the road, and it’s hard to say that they played well in either victory. The team have a great chance to get back to winning ways here, and not taking it would be a huge blow ahead of the midweek trip to Paris.

The Blues will be missing Kurt Zouma for this game and every other game this season. The young defender is expected to miss the next six months after suffering a horrible injury against Manchester United. That’s not just cost him the place in the Chelsea team that he earned this season, but also a place in the European Championships.

Gary Cahill should step in for Zouma, while there should be little change elsewhere in Hiddink’s team. He’s so far resisted the urge to introduce Eden Hazard from the start, instead sticking with two holding midfielders. Given the state of the defence, which is now missing Zouma’s pace, the defensive approach will likely continue.

Given that this Newcastle side have conceded 44 goals in the league, you’d like to see Chelsea push to score a few here. While we’d take a win, a comfortable victory would surely boost morale ahead of the game against PSG.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Courtois – Chelsea Must Reach A Final To Save Our Season

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Chelsea’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois feels the defending Premier League champions need to reach a cup final in order to rescue their season from disaster.

The Blues endured their worst start to a top-flight season since the 1960s, losing nine games under Jose Mourinho. Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, decided to sack the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ for the second time in his career at the end of last year. Guus Hiddink came in to replace him on an interim basis, much as he did when Luis Felipe Scolari was sacked by Abramovich in 2009.

Since the Dutchman’s arrival Chelsea have gone unbeaten in their last eleven games, though they have drawn more than half of those games. They remain in the bottom half of the table and are 17 points off a Champions League spot and Courtois told the official club website, “Obviously every time we don’t win in the league, and there is one game less, there is less chance to get into the top four”.

Chelsea have got the first leg of their last sixteen Champions League match against Paris St-Germain on the 16th of February and they then face Manchester City in the fifth-round of the FA Cup. Courtois said, “We play against two great sides and we have to try to win those games. The only way to save our season is to reach the final in one or both of them”.

Chelsea face Newcastle in the league on Saturday with the Magpies threatened with relegation. Courtois thinks the Blues could yet make the top four if they are able to go on a run, starting with the game against Steve McClaren’s men at the weekend. He said, “We will see where we are with five-six games in a row and see whether we can get there or not”.

Zouma Out For Six Months

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Chelsea’s centre back Kurt Zouma will be out of action for about six months after suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury during the club’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the weekend.

Zouma has forced Gary Cahill out of the first XI after forming a strong partnership with Chelsea captain John Terry in the back four. He landed awkwardly after jumping for a high ball and was stretchered off. He tweeted saying, “Scan today has shown I injured my anterior cruciate ligament. I will have surgery this week and will come back stronger”.

The club confirmed that he will be out for around six months meaning that he’ll likely miss France’s bid in the Euros in the summer. He has made 32 appearances for the Blues so far and appeared recently for his national team in October.

Whilst Chelsea are bitterly disappointed by the injury to the 21-year-old it may present some of their other players with opportunities. Cahill, for example, will likely be brought back into the fray now after suggesting during the January transfer window that he would consider leaving the club in the search for more regular playing time.

Likewise, Terry confirmed on Sunday that he has had no communication from the club regarding a new contract. He left the club’s hierarchy red-faced when he went public with his dissatisfaction at his current contract situation as they were hoping to sort something out closer to the end of the season.

Instead Terry made suggestions that he was happy to head abroad to continue his career at the end of this season. The injury to Zouma means that Roman Abramovich may have to re-think his approach to the Terry contract negotiations, either bringing forward the possibility of an extension or else looking elsewhere for the future of the Chelsea defence.

Hiddink: I Was Approached By Chinese Super League

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Chelsea’s interim manager Guus Hiddink has admitted that he was approached by clubs in the Chinese Super League before he took temporary charge of the West London club.

The 69-year-old was brought in in December when the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, decided to sack Jose Mourinho for the second time. The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ had lead Chelsea to their worst start in a top-flight campaign since the 1960s when Abramovich decided that enough was enough.

Hiddink was brought in to Stamford Bridge to stabilise things for the second time in his managerial career. He also came in to relieve Luis Felipe Scolari of his duties in February 2009, leading the current defending Premier League champions to the FA Cup that year.

Hiddink admitted that he had been offered a chance to head to the lucrative market in China before he got the phone call from Chelsea’s Russian owner in December. He said, “I had some possibilities to go there in the recent past”. China is throwing a lot of money at the game at the moment, with the West London club selling Ramires to Jiangsu Suning in January for £25 million.

Jackson Martinez, the Colombian striker, signed for Guangzhou Evergrande for £31 million in the same month and Liverpool target Alex Teixeira left Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk to join Ramires at Jiangsu Suning for £38.4 million. Former Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu manages Jiangsu Suning, whilst former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson and the previously mentioned Brazilian Scolari are also plying their trade in China.

£175 million was spent in the Chinese transfer window, more than was spent by club’s in the Premier League. Hiddink never seriously considered heading to China, however, believing that it is the global appeal of the English domestic league that makes it such a special place to work.

Hiddink said, “When you travel around the world, the Premier League is so attractive, attracting a lot of people. In the biggest cities to the smallest villages, wherever in the world there is a satellite showing Premier League. Clubs in England cannot complain about having no income in the near future [because of the new broadcast deal]”.