Archive for the ‘Chelsea’ Category
Rafa Benitez will be sacked by Chelsea before end of the season: you can bet on it!
Source: google.co.uk via john on Pinterest
How long before Rafa is waving goodbye?
Who would bet against Rafa Benitez getting the boot long before the end of his interim spell as Chelsea manager? In a job where winning does not guarantee you staying in the hot seat, there is surely little chance of the Spaniard avoiding the axe based on his shocking start to life as the Blues boss.
Benitez got his excuses in before his side surrendered the lead to crash 3-1 at West Ham when he explained his squad was tired. In an unsubtle dig at Roberto di Matteo, he said: ” I’m not here to criticise, but that’s the reality. We will be stronger as a team and a squad if we juggle them.” But blaming his popular predecessor for failing to rotate his squad will not protect him.
Ron Suart, in charge for just 31 games during the 1974-75 season, holds the ineviable record for being the permanent manager in charge for the shortest number of matches at Stamford Bridge. Not counting the single match caretaker role of Ray Wilkins, Gus Hiddink’s three months in temporary charge is the shortest reign under Abramovich. The Dutchman is the only manager to leave by his own choice. Benitez has indicated he would like to extend his 6 month deal. But his credibility has already been damaged after his first 3 matches have produced two goal-less draws and a hammering at Upton Park.
The irony here is that Roman Abramovich, perceived to be chasing the dream of bringing beautiful attacking football to West London, had it all under di Matteo who, since delivering both the Champions League (below) and the FA Cup, was starting to turn on the style when Chelsea hit the top of the Premier League at the start of the season.
The reality is that Chelsea are now saddled with a £50 million striker well past his best in Fernando Torres and a manager who one suspects is also in decline. He may have a contract as interim boss until the end of the season. But Blues fans will never accept the former Liverpool boss, even if he does achieve something at Chelsea, which already looks doubtful. And as we all know the only thing a contract with Abramovich guarantees is a pay-off because the Russian is always liable to wake up one day, click his fingers and send Benitez back to the job centre.
Source: google.co.uk via john on Pinterest
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Whether or not it was cynical ploy to discredit Mark Clattenburg, why Chelsea will almost certainly find themselves in the dock
When it comes to tackling racism, Chelsea Football Club have a lot to learn – but that is not the reason there is a feeling within the game that the Premier League leaders have overstepped the mark in the Mark Clattenburg saga.
By destroying the reputation of one of the most experienced officials in the game with accusations that appear to be backed up by little evidence – and more than a suggestion of sour grapes after losing at home to Manchester United – the West London club have not only once again trashed football’s image, but their actions will have consequences.
Arsene Wenger: Chelsea wrong to make Mark Clattenburg allegations public
Arsene Wenger was first to question the way Chelsea publicly accused the referee of racially abusing John Obi Mikel during Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by declaring the accusations should have been dealt with privately. And Sir Alex Ferguson has weighed in by stating he is “convinced” the official is innocent
United’s boss insisted: “I don’t believe Mark Clattenburg would make any comments like that. I refuse to believe it. I think it is unthinkable in the modern climate. I just don’t believe it – simple as that. There is no way a referee would stoop to that, I am convinced of that.”
It has also emerged that Mikel and the Blues’ manager Roberto di Matteo allegedly breached protocol by storming into the referee’s room immediately after the match in which Clattenburg sent off two Chelsea players. Under FA rules, there has to be a 30-minute “cooling down” period after a game. There can be little doubt their hasty reaction was fuelled by a sense of injustice.
A cynic would suggest the West London club have deliberately sidelined the referee, who has been stood down from officiating this weekend, because of their displeasure at the decisions he made in the dramatic contest that saw United inflict the home side’s first Premier League defeat of the season.
With all the other match officials who were able to hear the mic’d up ref dismissing Chelsea’s claims, it is hard to see where any evidence will come from that will condemn Clattenburg. In the meantime, the 37-year-old’s reputation has arguably been damaged beyond repair and, as any lawyer will tell you, Chelsea’s failure to prove their allegations will surely dictate that the official must sue for libel.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are already in the dock after one of their own supporters was pictured appearing to make a monkey gesture at Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck during the midweek League Cup game. And the club is still defending themselves over their handling of the John Terry affair, refusing to strip their captain of the armband after he received a four match ban for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.
As for Blues boss Di Matteo, his response to the criticism from Wenger and Ferguson has been to declare: ‘It’s a free country where everybody has the freedom of speech. We’ll take into consideration what other people say and use it as a motivational tool for ourselves.’ What he may fail to realise is that many of their opponents will be driven by a desire to punish them for their selfish actions.
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Why Manchester United fans will have absolutely no sympathy for Chelsea as the Premier League pacesetters are justly beaten
Let’s face it, there is no love lost when Chelsea play Manchester United and a first League victory for the Reds at Stamford Bridge in over a decade is going to taste sweet whatever the circumstances. To end the Blues unbeaten start to the season and then hear their manager and players blame the referee is quite simply music to the ears of the Old Trafford faithful.
In recent years United have been on the wrong end of so many bad refereeing decisions that have given the points to Chelsea that cynics would suspect a conspiracy. Two seasons ago Sir Alex Ferguson found himself on the end of a five-match ban for “telling the truth” after a shocking performance by Martin Atkinson.
There was no such robbery on this occasion because referee Mark Clattenburg’s decisions did not prevent the team that deserved to come out on top from winning the match. The media enjoy confrontation and there is no disputing there was plenty of controversy in a red hot contest that ended with Chelsea down to nine men and claiming the winner from Javier Hernandez that made it 3-2 was offside.
But the referee got the most important decision right when he sent off Branislav Ivanovic for bringing down Ashley Young as he broke clear with only Petr Cech to beat - as Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo was honest enough to admit. That professional foul denied United the chance to put United back in front after Chelsea had recovered from 2-nil down to make it all square.
When Fernando Torres went down at the other end and saw red after the ref gave him a second yellow for simulation the home fans howled with rage claiming Jonny Evans had made contact. But as Sir Alex summed up afterwards the Spaniard only had himself to blame for going down too easily when he could have gone on and tried to score.
Whether or not the decisive strike by Hernandez, shortly after replacing Wayne Rooney, was offside was so marginal that the officials made the right call. My belief is that the television evidence was presented in favour of Chelsea when it could just as easily have been served up the other way by stopping the video two frames later. When you consider there are 25 frames in a second you will understand the margins and being in line with the last defender means the striker is onside.
At the end of the day, we all know that refereeing decisions regularly change the outcome of matches and ultimately the destination of trophies. But on the whole these things have a habit of evening themselves out. While great teams are not crushed by one bad result, whether fair or not.
Master class: Rio Ferdinand ignored abuse by Chelsea fans and at his brilliant best with a magnificent display in United's 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge
For the record, David Luiz’s own goal and Robin van Persie’s clinical finish gave Manchester United a two-goal lead early on. But Premier League leaders Chelsea fought back superbly to level with goals from Juan Mata and Ramires either side of the interval before Hernandez struck the winner 15 minutes from the end. It was a pulsating game of football and yet another example of why the EPL is the most exciting League in the world.
Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand deserves huge praise. Not only did he show his support for the Kick It Out campaign by wearing their T-shirt and buried the hatchet with England team-mate Ashley Cole by shaking hands with him before the game. But the former England skipper, shamelessly booed by Chelsea’s John Terry-loyal fans every time he touched the ball, was at his imperious best.
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Champions League semi-final . . . and Torres scores! This was match that had everything as Chelsea’s 10-men slay Barcelona
Ole! Fernando Torres comes off the bench to add a stunning final twist
Football is the greatest game on the planet because you just never know when something magical is going to happen . . . and tonight’s epic Champions League encounter at the Nou Camp was one of those occasions that will go down in sporting folklore as a match that had just about every twist and turn you could possibly imagine.
For Chelsea’s heroes, who fought on against all the odds after skipper John Terry was sent off for a moment of madness when he inexplicably kicked out at Alexis Sanchez, it looked like mission impossible when the West London club fell 2-nil behind on the night. Didier Drogba’s one goal advantage from the first leg was blown away in 10 minutes of meyhem at the end of the first half in Barcelona, as Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta struck either side of Terry’s red card.
It was a crazy spell punctuated on the stroke of half-time by a breakaway deliciously converted by Ramires – the Brazilian unfazed by the knowledge his earlier yellow card had ruled him out of the final. It was a mighty blow as powerful as Roy Keane’s in similar circumstances that dragged Manchester United back from the brink against Juventus back in 1999. That made it 2-2 on aggregate and put Chelsea ahead at the interval on the away goals rule. But it was far from the end of the breathtaking drama.
When the world’s best player Lionel Messi – who has never scored against Chelsea – smacked his 47th minute penalty against the crossbar after Drogba felled Cesc Fabregas, it was the start of another riveting half. Barca, with over 70 percent of the possession, came forward in wave after wave of attacks. But when they did find a way past the stubborn 10-men, a raking shot from Messi hit the post and then Alexis Sanchez had an effort ruled out for offside.
When Drogba made way for Fernando Torres I remember saying out load ‘If he comes on and scores the winner all his misses will be forgotten.’ It was a script you could not write and there was another lucky escape for Chelsea when they survived a handball that probably should have given Barca another penalty. But the official missed it and the ball immediately broke to Torres who was suddenly clean through on his own.
It was as if the Spaniard had been signed purely for this moment of destiny and this time there was never any doubt the player who has been guilty of so many shocking misses since he was signed from Liverpool for £40 million in January 2011 would seal the tie. As he effortlessly rounded Victor Valdes and steered the ball into the empty net, the man who had masterminded this remarkable sting, interim manager Roberto di Matteo, began his ecstatic victory celebrations on the touchline.
It was a scene that will be etched into many memories for generations to come. It was the day tactics and experience got the better of the team so many had put on a pedestal as arguably the greatest club side we have ever seen. But on this evidence Barca are not the masters we all thought – and even the magical Messi lost his aura of invincibility as he was brought to his knees by the team that lies sixth in the English Premier League.
FT: Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea (Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate). Goals: Busquets 35, Iniesta 43 – Ramires 45+1, Torres 90+1
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Revenge? Roberto Di Matteo has restored lost pride – but Barcelona too good for Chelsea . . . and so are Real Madrid & Bayern Munich!
Blues skipper John Terry is still haunted by Barca's injury time winner from Andres Iniesta in 2009
Winning the Champions League has become an obsession for Roman Abramovich and Roberto Di Matteo has kept the Russian’s dream alive against all the odds by guiding Chelsea into a semi-final showdown with defending champions Barcelona. But the harsh reality is that the Blues are unlikely to feature in next season’s competition unless they go on to win the tournament – and in the final four they are the rank outsiders.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all have a touch of class a cut above the men from Stamford Bridge. Barca, in the semi-finals for the fifth successive season, are bidding to become the first side to successfully defend the European Cup since AC Milan in 1990 – and if they achieve that goal it will add weight to the argument that this is the greatest club side the beautiful game has ever seen.
But the beauty of the world’s most popular sport is you can never take anything for granted. And that is what makes Chelsea’s semi-final with the favourites so fascinating. It is a scenario that suits interim manager Di Matteo because the experts all agree they are the weakest team left in the competition, despite beating Benfica in both legs of their quarter-final.
http://youtu.be/FCGRyOJB6Ms
No one expects Chelsea to go any further and that is what gives them a fighter’s chance of pulling off a shock because they have nothing to lose. The Blues will also remember how they took Barca to the brink the last time they met at this stage in 2009 and the Catalans were rescued by a last gasp winner after surviving a remarkable number of strong penalty appeals.
I still expect Lionel Messi and his team-mates to progress to the final. But do not be surprised if Di Matteo’s men push Barcelona all the way in their two-legged contest for the right to play Real or Bayern in the Final in Munich’s Allianz Arena on 19 May.
FLASHBACK: Arguably Chelsea’s greatest European triumph came against Barcelona in 2005 when John Terry’s header sealed a 5-4 aggregate win and sent the Blues into the last eight of the Champions League. It was the night. Chelsea raced into a three-goal lead in 19 minutes, with Eidur Gudjohnsen, Frank Lampard and Damien Duff on target for Jose Mourinho’s side. Barca pulled two goals back before half-time, Ronaldinho scoring from the spot after Paolo Ferreira handled. Then Ronaldinho scored a stunning second. But Terry’s 75th minutes strike made it a decisive 4-2 win on the night.
http://youtu.be/gr2N2A_M_Bo
You’ve got to admire Di Matteo – but success for Abramovich’s sack the manager policy would be bad for football
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You’ve got to admire Di Matteo – but success for Abramovich’s sack the manager policy would be bad for football
Roberto Di Matteo left out Lampard, Drogba and Essien in Lisbon - and Chelsea won 1-0
Roberto Di Matteo is an excellent manager and against all the odds has done a terrific job since he was thrown into the Stamford Bridge firing line as interim manager. But it would be bad for football if Chelsea go any further in the Champions League.
The problem is success for the Blues will be interpreted by Roman Abramovich as justification for his ridiculous policy of sacking managers on a whim.
The suspicion is that the mega rich Russian owner does not respect the role of the manager because he thinks he knows better and gives silent approval to the player power influences that have undermined more than most recent failure Andre Villas-Boas.
Can you imagine the triumphalism of Abramovich if Fernando Torres was to score the winning goal in the Champions League Final? The crazy thing about football is that the impossible sometimes does come true. And Di Matteo’s men are in touching distance of reaching the final four after tonight’s first leg 1-0 win over Benfica in Lisbon.
But then of course there is the magical Lionel Messi and his brilliant Barcelona team mates who will surely be waiting in the semi-final unless Milan can pull off the shock of the tournament so far.
Di Matteo’s FA Cup Final goal against Middlesbrough in 1997 made him a Chelsea legend . . .
Roman Abramovich sacked Andre Villas-Boas because he fears failing to qualify for the Champions League
Whether or not Roman Abramovich committed to ‘the project’ of re-building Chelsea’s ageing team when he recruited Andre Villas-Boas it was inevitable that the Russian billionaire with a reputation for losing patience would revert to form and sack his struggling manager because disaster is looming at the Bridge.
There is no escaping the fact that the 34-year-old Portuguese found the manager’s chair too hot to handle. And the harsh reality is that Chelsea are not only in danger of finishing the season without a trophy but the real fear is that the Blues will fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Just three wins in 12 matches is a crisis for a club that expects to win at least one trophy every season and qualify for Europe’s premier competition. The reality is that the Blues are in real danger of missing out on all fronts and failure to finish in the top four will be a disaster on a scale Abramovich has not yet experienced in his nine years as owner.
What became clear over the last few days is that AVB was looking and sounding like of a man out of his depth who has lost confidence in his ability and was being battered into submission by a hostile media and senior players who clearly did not respect him. Contrast the relationship between Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Villas-Boas with that between Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
As former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville highlighted recently, experienced players in the twilight of their careers at Old Trafford know just how valuable they are to the team and the manager is the master at squeezing out the best from heroes who will give everything for the boss.
At Chelsea there was no chance of that happening under AVB and Abramovich faced a decision that could turn out to be the end of his love affair with the club if he has got it wrong.
Speaking after the 3-1 defeat at Napoli and before yesterday’s defeat by West Brom which leaves Chelsea 20 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, Villas-Boas admitted his own uncertainty when he said: ‘I think I have felt the confidence from Abramovich but the pattern of behaviour of the owner has led to a downfall (of coaches) in similar or even better situations.
‘What will be the reaction? It will be one of the two, a continuation of the project and full support or just the cultural pattern that has happened before. We don’t know.’
Now we do know that AVB was a dead man walking. Roberto Di Matteo has been appointed caretaker manager and will be in charge for the FA Cup replay at Birmingham on Tuesday. But turning things round is a tall order for the ex-Chelsea star whose last job in management ironically ended in the sack at West Brom.
Abramovich has decided he could not risk Chelsea experiencing a slow death to the AVB Project. But it will be just as painful under Di Matteo if Chelsea fail to finish in the top four.
Fortune favours the bold as Manchester United’s comeback kings peg back Chelsea and win a new legion of fans on planet football
In the great history of Manchester United comebacks the fightback from 3-nil down against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was right up there with the best of them.
A penalty double from man-of-the-match Wayne Rooney and a point saving header from sub Javier Hernandez served up by the ageless Ryan Giggs crowned this latest escape by the comeback kings.
So irresistible was United’s recovery to finish all-square at 3-3, I would not be surprised if the Red Devils picked up another million followers around the world, such is the remarkable global reach of the Premier League.
While that parochial affair the Super Bowl gets excited about attracting a TV audience of over 100 million once a year, Premier League games are viewed in 643 million homes around the planet.
Officially the world’s No.1 league with an annual audience of 4.7 billion, it is matches like this epic showdown between the two teams who between them have won the Premier League for the last seven seasons that makes it top of the TV viewing figures.
http://youtu.be/Ykpga-uFlXU
Without England trio John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, the Blues – fortunate to lead 1-0 at half-time courtesy of a Jonny Evans own goal – thought they had the match won when took a 3-0 lead. A stunning Juan Mata volley 24 seconds after the re-start and a David Luiz header deflected home by Rio Ferdinand left United with a mountain to climb.
But the champions bravely rolled the dice when Sir Alex Ferguson sent on subs Hernandez and Paul Scholes and went for broke risking a repeat of that 6-1 thumping by title rivals City. This time the gamble paid off and fortune favoured the bold as United survived a wasted opportunity by Fernando Torres.
Denied two strong penalty appeals in the first half, United got what they deserved when Howard Webb twice pointed to the spot and Rooney planted both spot kicks past Petr Cech. When Hernandez headed the equaliser six minutes from time United sensed a winner but in the end were thankful for a superb fingertip save by David de Gea from Mata.
“That game today epitomises what English football is about,” said Ferguson, who typically was disappointed to see his side drop two points in the chase of League leaders Manchester City.
For his guts and determination on the pitch John Terry derserves our respect but . . .
Whatever you think of the controversy surrounding Chelsea and England skipper John Terry and his suitability as a role model, you have to admire his guts and determination on the football pitch.
In the face of adversity Terry is a master at producing his best form and leading by example, as he did to earn Chelsea a point in the 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Thursday evening – just 24 hours after learning he is facing a criminal charge of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in a match at Loftus Road in October.
Terry has had a couple of dodgy displays – in particular when Arsenal won 5-3 at Stamford Bridge – but his manager Andre Villas-Boas was not far off the mark when he said: “John’s level of performances have increased since the incident happened. He is a fantastic player, his talent and commitment are never in doubt.”
Terry was taunted throughout the match at White Hart Lane by the home support. But he ensured the game ended level with an injury-time goal-line clearance from Emmanuel Adebayor, who had given Spurs an early lead before Daniel Sturridge drew Chelsea level.
As I have said numerous times before I think it is in everyone’s best interests if Terry steps down as England captain because he has brought shame on this role too many times before, whether or not he is found guilty of racist abuse. But a guilty verdict does not necessarily make him a racist and he will always be respected for his guts and determination on the pitch.
http://youtu.be/1evF7y5QvV4
Now John Terry will be charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand it makes sense to step down as England captain
Now that the Crown Prosecution Service have ruled that John Terry will be charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand surely he must lose the England captaincy.
Fair enough that the Chelsea skipper must be given the chance to prove his innocence. But it makes sense to relieve Terry of his England role while he prepares for his appearance before West London magistrates on 1st February 2012. He has been recommended for prosecution for ‘a racially aggravated public order offence.’
England’s next match is the Wembley friendly with Holland on February 29. Far less embarrassing for Terry to step down now than to be stripped of the captaincy if he is found guilty in court.
Reacting to the news , Terry said: ‘I am disappointed with the decision to charge me and hope to be given the chance to clear my name as quickly as possible. ‘I have never aimed a racist remark at anyone and count people from all races and creeds among my closest friends.
‘I will fight tooth and nail to prove my innocence. I have campaigned against racism and believe there is no place for it in society.’
The case will not go to the Crown Court and the maximum punishment available is a fine of £2,500
Whatever the outcome of the court case, it is important to recognise that even if Terry is found guilty that does not necessarily mean he is a racist person. Whether or not a person is genuinely racist does not excuse that person from being racially abusive.
