timbros:


Yea, it makes no sense. I think that's an indirect way of telling us that Bonucci is not for sale or sensing our desperation for a solid CB, they want to make as much money as possible off us.

Football has really gone crazy.

Chelsea ace in financial dispute with international football federation.

VICTOR MOSES is owed 8.7million Naira by the Nigeria Football Federation, according to reports.

Moses is said to have incurred costs of 8.7million Naira (£22,000) while travelling to attend events for the Nigeria national team.
The Chelsea winger, who picked up an injury against Hull before the international break, was reportedly set to travel to the Nigerian capital Abuja.
There he was due to be assessed by medical staff from the national team, but he did not attend as he could not guarantee reimbursement for the journey.

Victor Moses is reportedly owed £15,000 by the Nigeria Football Federation
The 25-year-old has instead remained in London for treatment and will miss the Super Eagles' World Cup qualifier against Algeria on Sunday.
Moses' Chelsea career has been invigorated since the arrival of new manager Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.
The winger has been deployed in a new wing-back role by the Italian and, prior to his injury, Conte has sung the Nigerian's praises.
"Moses played an incredible game [against Hull] in defensive and offensive situations," Conte said.
"It is fantastic because he is working very hard. He deserved to play and he showed me that my choice was right."

Internationals: Hazard hits the target

Eden Hazard scored past Chelsea team-mate Asmir Begovic on Friday night as Belgium made it two wins out of two in their World Cup qualification campaign.

Hazard, who along with Thibaut Courtois started the home match against Bosnia, netted the second goal in a 4-0 win with a finish from a tight angle having gone round Begovic. That was after an own-goal had opened the scoring. Toby Alderweireld and Romelu Lukaku completed the win, the Everton striker’s goal coming from the edge of the area after a Hazard pass.

Michy Batshuayi remained on the Belgian bench, as did N’Golo Kante for France as his nation recovered from going a goal behind to win 4-1 at home to Bulgaria.
The European Championship finalists are now tied at the top of their group with Netherlands and Sweden with four points from two games.
Ghana took a single point from their opening World Cup qualifier when they hosted Uganda. Baba Rahman was part of the defence that kept a clean sheet. Christian Atsu played all but the last few minutes and had the best chance of the first half, but overall, the home side lacked creativity.

At Under-21 level, there was a disappointing result for Charly Musonda and Belgium. They lost 3-0 in Montenegro which allowed Czech Republic to win their European Championship qualification group. Belgium must now wait to Tuesday when they play Latvia to find out if they can grab a play-off place for the finals.

England Under-20s won their second game in a mini-tournament having beaten the Netherlands earlier in the week. This time they defeated Germany 3-1 in Huddersfield with Dominic Solanke heavily involved in two of the goals.

Jay Dasilva, Trevoh Chalobah and Dujon Sterling all played in a 3-1 win for England Under-19s away in Croatia.

Sweden Under-18s, with Joseph Colley as captain, beat their England counterparts 1-0 at home. Mason Mount played the full game for England with Martell Taylor-Crossdale a second-half sub and Tariq Uwakwe unused.

Official club site.

Youth integration - The Challenges Facing Chelsea


38 players on loan and a plethora of talent, yet it beggars belief to think none of these youngsters may ever make the grade at Chelsea football club.

The board bears much of the brunt from enraged and disgruntled fans who are at a loss to explain how the club has failed to bring through a single player since 2000 - John Terry.

There have been a few debuts handed out, but nothing concrete to suggest they'll become mainstays in the first team.

Inasmuch as some fans lay the blame on the managers for not having the fortitude to use a few of these players been churned out, the buck stops with board and how the club is run.

Without mincing words, the Chelsea job is toxic and it creates an atmosphere where managers are under an immense amount of pressure right from the get go. The owner's demands of staying competitive - which isn't a bad thing - results in stifling the freedom of coaches willing to blood young talent.

Roman Abramovich desires to see a return on his investment in the academy, but lacks the patience to see it through. He wants instant results from his employees, but that's not a given with youngsters. Most, if not all of the managers who've been jettisoned by the club barely had enough time to know the players being brought through before losing their jobs.

The managerial instability at Chelsea makes it impossible to think of playing youngsters, when the manager knows he's one 'thunderbolt' defeat away from a reprimand - sometimes a boardroom meeting - on other occasions a visit from the chairman.

Not every club has the luxury of promoting youngsters. If young players have to be promoted - creating a positive atmosphere around the club is imperative.

The fans also play a part in the less than ideal atmosphere. In an era of modern football where every fan is reactionary and craves instant results - especially at the big clubs, it would be myopic and hypocritical to criticize the promoted youngsters for failings or weaknesses seen after the player has been thrust into the limelight.

Also, most fans of the football club have never seen a youngster blossom right in front of their eyes, and as such tend to place a fair amount of hype on every youngster from the youth side - thereby increasing the pressure.

Having a settled first team is also essential to ease the integration of a youngster and not place undue pressure on him.

Criticism has been dished out on the club's loan policy. The rationale for loaning out players is for them to gain valuable first team experience and to show they're capable of holding down a first team place at their parent club.

However, that rationale is often undermined by the managerial instability at the club. The players from the 'loan army' are often left in limbo by the managerial changes, leaving them to often chase another loan deal, nullifying the last.

Another criticism levelled out is the inclination to give out big money contracts to youth players before they are keystones in the first team. This destroys the players burgeoning careers as they want too much too soon and lose their primary motivation. Prime examples are Josh McEachran in the past and currently Dominic Solanke - who's still digging his heels over wanting a £50,000 contract.

It should also be noted, that thrusting youngsters into the limelight too early gives a higher risk of the player burning out in the latter stages of his career - prime examples are Joe Cole, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney. Not every player is blessed with awesome fitness levels and the long term health of the player should be considered over short term gain.

Ultimately, Chelsea isn't a well-run club, and the inability to properly manage the little, yet important issues will leave the fans complaining about the same issue - lack of youth integration. The pros of having capable decision makers at the helm of affairs cannot be overstated, and fast tracking the integration of youth into the first team will be beneficial to the future of Chelsea football club.

Until next time... #KTBFFH.

Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=572216#ixzz4MUV4S2BQ

Back on track


A run of one draw, two defeats and zero clean sheets in the Premier League certainly left a whole lot to be desired from Chelsea, but we put things right with a 2-0 away win against Hull City on Saturday.

The match produced several talking points, but perhaps the biggest was Antonio Conte reverting to his preferred defensive tactics in playing three at the back.

Three points and no goals conceded going into an international break certainly leaves us in good standing. By the time the match against Leicester City rolls around, the squad should have added cognition with regards to the new system, as well as the possible returns of captain John Terry and Kurt Zouma.

Starting a match in a three-man central defence should have been a novel experience for our defenders, and it took them a while to get settled into the game, but when they did, the confidence and assurance were quite apparent.

Gary Cahill, for one, had been on the end of major criticism because of his performances against Swansea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Yet he seemed very comfortable playing as a left centre back with new-boy Marcos Alonso playing further up the pitch as a wing-back, while the ever-dependable Cesar Azpilicueta slotted in on his natural right side.

The three-man backline changed to a back five when our opponents were on the ball, and it was also aided by the defensive midfield duo of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, who made 13 recoveries between them.

Hull were only afforded shots from distance and free kicks, while every shot from within 20 yards was met with a block.

Alonso could be singled out for a very impressive performance in his first league start for our team. The Spaniard played great defensively, but also made marked contributions in attack, and even got himself a few chances to get on the scoresheet.

Another forcible performer hailing from Spain – so to speak - came in the form of Diego Costa. The forward scored his sixth goal of the season with a sublime first-time curling effort, keeping him ahead of all scorers in the top flight.

It has taken Costa just seven matches to score six, and he also has two assists to his name, which means that he has contributed directly to eight goals in total. He’s no doubt our best player so far this season, and seems to be concentrating on working hard, helping the team and putting the ball into the back of the net.

Unfortunately, he’s just one yellow card away from a suspension, yet we are seeing a different Costa from the last two seasons. The constant scuffling and getting in opponents faces has ceased, and our Blues are so much better for it.

The Brazilian-born Spain international is representing Las Rojas over the international break as they play in two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Italy and Albania, and having scored twice against Liechtenstein during the last break, he will be looking to add more goals to his name before returning to Chelsea.

With tough matches against the champions and Manchester United coming up, we will need Costa at his goalscoring best.

It will also be interesting to see if Conte sticks to his latest formation for these upcoming matches. If both Terry and Zouma return, the Italian will have even more options as he looks to guide the team through what could be a tricky period.

A little more experimenting could yield what most fans have been dying to see; and that’s Michy Batshuayi starting alongside Costa up front.

With the season still quite young, I reckon we’re all bound to see it at some point.

Club official site.

raumdeuter:


I saw it he was left one on one vs a keeper and he rounded the keeper. Kanu Nwankwo does that for fun

Same way Messi does it for fun too.

Bimffo:


Why did you mention Dayo for goodness sake?

I know you have beef with Dayo on Hazard, please don't bring me into it. There a lot of things we could learn than Hazard this, Hazard that.


Now, did you see Hazard's goal VS Begovic?

See how he ridiculed Begovic. Didn't even have any chills on him.

Yes, it was a beautiful goal, and Raumdeuter saw it too...lol

Chelseafan1:

Same way Messi does it for fun too.

u sef get cro-cro for brain..

masterkolinks abeg resend that ... tnx
I see u are online

Skimpledawg:

Oga eeh ....
u are evil, u know?

Bimffo:

That is Kanu Nwankwo signature move

Chelseafan1:
Same way Messi does it for fun too.

Plus other things Messi does for fun, Like dominating a crucial CL final, crucial CL semi finals, winning multiple balon dor etc etc

raumdeuter:


Plus other things Messi does for fun, Like dominating a crucial CL final, crucial CL semi finals, winning multiple balon dor etc etc

Oh, Bendamus!!! ....

Spain boss reveals concerns over Chelsea star: He's hurting his reputation


SPAIN boss Julen Lopetegui has defended Diego Costa - but warned the Chelsea striker he must try to curb his combative attitude.

Costa cut a frustrated figure in Spain's 1-1 draw with Italy on Thursday, picking up a yellow card and narrowly avoiding a red.
The striker was withdrawn and replaced by Alvaro Morata with 20 minutes to go and was later seen remonstrating with substitute goalkeeper Pepe Reina on the substitutes bench.

And Lopetegui has revealed his admiration for Costa but believes the former Atletico Madrid striker must tame his wild ways.
Diego has a certain character. He is a fighter. But sometimes his reactions hurt his reputation
Julen Lopetegui
“You can change in a positive way if you make the right decisions," Lopetegui said.


“Diego has a certain character. He is a fighter. But sometimes his reactions hurt his reputation.
“He will be able to iron out these things as he develops. He is aware of it and so are we. These things can cost him. It could be hurtful to him.
Diego Costa has been warmed to calm down by Spain boss Julen Lopetegui

“But we must love Diego the way he is and try to understand him. Any small advantage can make the difference in a tight game.”
Costa could be picked for Spain's World Cup qualifying clash with Albania on Sunday.

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera and Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal are also in contention.
Spain are aiming to make the 2018 World Cup after their appalling group stage exit in Brazil two years ago.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/718997/Chelsea-Diego-Costa-Spain-Lopetegui-Antonio-Conte-Internationals-News-Herrera-Monreal

raumdeuter:


I saw it he was left one on one vs a keeper and he rounded the keeper. Kanu Nwankwo does that for fun

You are one hell of a funny Man.

You've gotta love the flair in this naija team, and that's all thanks to Iheanacho and Iwobi.

Chelseafan1:

Rumdeuter saw it, ask him.

DId you see Iheanachos goal today?

Debrslink:
I just saw Iheanacho round up a keeper and score in the midst of 3 defenders on the goal line.

Yet some dude will release sperm whenever the Belgian Ahmed Musa scores a goal after 5 games.

Griffon:
You've gotta love the flair in this naija team, and that's all thanks to Iheanacho and Iwobi.

my nigga, are you trynna bring up the now dreaded 'youth integration' debate?

Mehn with Iwobi and Ihenacho in our team I might just start watching the Eagles,I think Success should be part of the team

A pity Nwakali can't play yet for Arsenal,we should try to convince Seyi Ojo

With Moses,Musa,Ihenacho,Iwobi,Igbalo,Success and Ojo,We might just beat Algeria to the WC ticket

And Mikel needs to Bleep out ASAP, thank God for Onazi in that midfield


I just love Iwobi, pure baller

bigkesh:
Mehn with Iwobi and Ihenacho in our team I might just start watching the Eagles,I think Success should be part of the team

A pity Nwakali can't play yet for Arsenal,we should try to convince Seyi Ojo

With Moses,Musa,Ihenacho,Iwobi,Igbalo,Success and Ojo,We might just beat Algeria to the WC ticket

And Mikel needs to Bleep out ASAP, thank God for Onazi in that midfield


I just love Iwobi, pure baller

mikel fvck out of the team... You well so? If mikel leaves now, he'll be irreplaceable.

LieDetector:
mikel fvck out of the team... You well so? If mikel leaves now, he'll be irreplaceable.

Mikel is irreplaceable?? Na so

No time to argue,Na when we play an agile and quality midfield like the Algerians

RUMOURS: Chelsea plan Hazard swap deal for Bonucci

Desperate to shore up his new defence, the Blues coach is planning a raid on his former club and will use the Belgium star as bait
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is planning to use Eden Hazard as a makeweight in his efforts to bring Leonardo Bonucci to Stamford Bridge, according to theSun.
The defender was the cornerstone of Conte's Juventus team that lifted three consecutive Serie A titles under his tenure before he left for Italy in 2014.
And with the Blues looking far from convincing in defence, he would be prepared to dispense with the Belgium star in order to convince Juve to sell their lynchpin.
The Bianconeri are keen on a big cash deal plus Cesc Fabregas, but Conte believes he can save transfer funds by sending Hazard to Turin instead of the midfielder.

Danhumprey:
my nigga, are you trynna bring up the now dreaded 'youth integration' debate?

Hehe. I was only stating fact paddy mi.

Greatihex:
RUMOURS: Chelsea plan Hazard swap deal for Bonucci

Desperate to shore up his new defence, the Blues coach is planning a raid on his former club and will use the Belgium star as bait
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is planning to use Eden Hazard as a makeweight in his efforts to bring Leonardo Bonucci to Stamford Bridge, according to theSun.
The defender was the cornerstone of Conte's Juventus team that lifted three consecutive Serie A titles under his tenure before he left for Italy in 2014.
And with the Blues looking far from convincing in defence, he would be prepared to dispense with the Belgium star in order to convince Juve to sell their lynchpin.
The Bianconeri are keen on a big cash deal plus Cesc Fabregas, but Conte believes he can save transfer funds by sending Hazard to Turin instead of the midfielder.

Lmao

No sane board would sanction such an exchange...

Garbage news.

Nihilist:


Lmao

No sane board would sanction such an exchange...

Garbage news.

the way this bonocci rumuor dey go, you go begin wonder whether the guy na second coming of messi. Imagine giving them cesc plus €50m. Just imagine!

Greatihex:
the way this bonocci rumuor dey go, you go begin wonder whether the guy na second coming of messi. Imagine giving them cesc plus €50m. Just imagine!

God forbid bad thing.

Chelsea and Antonio Conte Are Still Haunted By Jose Mourinho

It’s been a rollercoaster introduction into English football for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

In August we saw the Italian win his first four matches in charge. Chelsea were joint top of the Premier League table and things were looking more positive than anyone could have imagined.
Then the international break came and Chelsea were knocked out of their rhythm. They had scaled the heights of the Big Dipper only to be served a harsh reality check as they hit a rapid descent and crashed back down to Earth. From a 100 per cent record in August, Chelsea picked up just one point in the league for all of September. The Blues’ only win in that period came against a second-string Leicester City in the EFL Cup.

October has started a little brighter, with a hint that the Blues are ready to scale another peak in their campaign. Gone are the bad memories of back-to-back losses at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal; now Chelsea are thinking more positive after a convincing 2-0 win against Hull City. That game came ahead of the latest international break, setting Conte’s team up for what will be a defining next month or so. It’s between now and Halloween that we’re going to see Conte’s wares as Chelsea boss.

The reason is simple: not only do Chelsea face West Ham United in the EFL Cup before the month is out, but Jose Mourinho is coming home to Stamford Bridge with his new-look Manchester United. October has “crunch” written all over it. Conte will be desperate to keep Chelsea’s trophy ambitions alive in the EFL Cup, but he has a significant point to prove against Mourinho, also. After all, this remains Mourinho’s team.

WBF Chelsea
It’s surprised many that Conte has had to work largely with the same squad that failed so miserably under Mourinho last season. Chelsea appeared a spent force come the end of 2015/16 and we expected changes. A summer of revolution was on us, but then as time passed, it became a gradual evolution instead, which remains in progress now. When Chelsea lined up against Hull a week ago, only N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso had never played under Mourinho in a Chelsea shirt. Even Victor Moses had experienced some game time under the former boss before he was sent out on various loan spells.
So for all the desire for rapid, vast changes, Conte is still working with Mourinho’s players. Even one of his summer signings, David Luiz, is a former Mourinho pupil at Stamford Bridge.
Defeating the former Chelsea boss, who still maintains hero status in west London, will banish the ghost for good. It will mean that we can begin to talk about of Conte’s Chelsea and turn our eyes to the future.

Not only is that vital for the club, it’s essential to whether manager succeeds at Stamford Bridge. He has taken on a job that is glamorous on one hand, but equally a poisoned chalice on the offer. Every manager at Chelsea these days is compared to Mourinho and it’s only by overcoming him that Conte can start to leave his mark. It all starts in the coming six days as Chelsea host reigning champions Leicester at Stamford Bridge – coincidentally managed by another former boss in Claudio Ranieri – ahead of Mourinho’s visit.

Given how the season has shaped up, the familiar excuses are wearing thin. Conte still needs time to create a side capable of winning the title, yet he needs to show that he is moving in the right direction; the Blues can’t keep suffering set-backs at crucial stages. Chelsea have already beaten Leicester once this season and they need to follow up that EFL Cup win with another success. Not only does it set things up for United a week later, it continues the recovery after those September defeats.

With or without Mourinho last season, Chelsea couldn’t do that. They rolled from one disaster to next, which saw them eventually finish the campaign without silverware and in mid-table.
Watching the team closely this season, those same scars remain. Branislav Ivanovic has conceded as much after the Arsenal defeat, admitting that his fellow players lacked belief in their manager’s direction following the 3-0 humbling.

Not only did it hint at the problems Chelsea still face, it was confirmation of how they remain fractured. Confidence is low and the players aren’t yet convinced of the right way forward. A good October and defeat of Mourinho will go a long way to piecing things back together, not to mention finally banishing the Special One’s ghost.

Now we’re coming out of the international break, these next few weeks will likely define what Conte’s Chelsea will be.

http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/columns/chelsea-and-antonio-conte-are-still-haunted-by-jose-mourinho

Chelsea believe John Terry will be fit to start in the side’s clash against champions

Leicester City on Saturday after the defender returned to training this week.
The 35-year-old has been out of action for a month after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in the side’s 2-2 draw against Swansea.
Terry was initially ruled out for around ten days but suffered a setback in an attempt to accelerate his return.

However, with the bulk of Chelsea’s squad on international duty this week, Terry was able to return to training this week and participate in sessions with others not involved in the World Cup qualifiers.
Antonio Conte is yet to settle on a system at Stamford Bridge this term but Terry’s return is likely to see the Italian select the veteran from the outset against the Foxes.


Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/10/10/john-terry-back-in-training-as-chelsea-prepare-to-take-on-leicester-city-6182762/#ixzz4MgeTrkE7

Chelsea should persist with new formation against champions


Chelsea should persist with new formation against champions
Chelsea beat Hull 2-0 last week, with a slow performance that improved as the game went on. Perhaps the most notable element of the game was the fact that it was the first in which manager Antonio Conte had his side set up in the 3-5-2 formation that he’s been known for using before.

While it took Chelsea until the second half to truly get going, the formation shift worked, and Conte should stick with it in this weekend’s fixture against Premier League champions Leicester.

Victor Moses is well suited to the right wingback role, where he can use his strength and speed while still being well covered by experienced defenders.

It also provides an opportunity for striker Michy Batshuayi to break into the side. The Belgian has been unable to bypass Diego Costa, who is in great form. A 3-5-2 provides the opportunity to play the two together – a frightening prospect for opposition defences.

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2016/10/10/chelsea-should-persist-with-new-formation-against-champions/

So in other to stiffen up a defence that has been noted for its fragility this season, Chelsea could be prepared to stifle their attacking prowess? Na the way?

It is obvious that Chelsea are yet to recover from the Arsenal debacle.

Changing tactics and personel like diapers, ejaculating at a flimzy win over a Hull that doesn't have a manager.

Scared that Raniery and Jose could spoil things all over again.

LMAO!

A Joke of a Club. The next time they will see Europe would be when a cataclysmic epoch creates another continent. Ordinarily we expect that they should relegate in a couple of years.

Long May Their Woes Continue.

Offor. Iseeeeeeeeeeee!

How can you write so much words and still not make an iota of sensible contribution?

Only one set of fans from the north know how to do this.