The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Chelsea

  • Chelsea wins the English Premier League

    Chelsea wins the English Premier League

    Chelsea wins the  Premier League title after defeating West Bromwich Albion in an away match 1-0 at the Hawthorns.

    Late goal from  Michy Batshuayi  gave the Blues the league, which mean they hold an inviolable 10-point advantage over Tottenham.

    It is the sixth time that blues have won EPL title and the fourth time since 2004-05 season that they have claimed the Premier League title.

    Their campaign has been one of virtual unabated excellence since a sticky period in September, when they lost successive matches against Liverpool and Arsenal saw them drop as far as eighth.

    The Chelsea first team manager Antonio Conte, who arrived in the summer to guide the team after a disappointing 2015-16 season, thereafter altered his side to play with three at the back, and that proved the catalyst for a 13-match winning streak that proved to be the decisive run as they claimed the crown.

    Chelsea can yet complete a league and cup double as they face Arsenal on May 27 at Wembley in the FA Cup final.

    Conte’s men have been recognised individually as well as collectively, meanwhile. Summer signing N’Golo Kante won the PFA Player of the Year award and also claimed the Football Writer’s prize, with Eden Hazard finishing as runner-up in both categories.

    Diego Costa has been their top scorer in the Premier League this season, having netted 20 goals for the campaign to date, just four shy of the division’s leading marksman, Romelu Lukaku.

    The long-term aim for Conte must be to maintain the momentum created by this success and ensure that his squad does not fade in the same manner that Mourinho’s did previously.

     

  • Meet the game changers in Chelsea’s squad

    Meet the game changers in Chelsea’s squad

    Chelsea needs just three points from their last 3 League games to secure their sixth EPL title in history; Chelsea has had an astonishing season.

    The club manager Antonio Conte has transfigure the fortunes of the blues who ended 10th in 2015/16 season to put them at the top of the pile in the English top flight.

    Chelsea have been competing with local rivals and a resilient opponent – Tottenham, however, they now look almost assured and confident of becoming champions once again.

    Players like David Luiz, Gary Chaill, Diego Costa, Marcos Alonso, Victor Moses, Willian, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro have all been very necessary condiment in the impressive Chelsea’s potpourri.

    N’Golo Kante, France international, has been Chelsea’s best player this season and he is the Premier League’s best transfer of the season, having made the £32 million move from Leicester City in the summer.

    He has picked up both of this season’s PFA Player of the Year and the FWA Player of the Year awards, despite his defensive role in the team.

    He made 289 tackles since he moved to England at the start of last season more than any other player. He is the most defensive player to with the PFA’s award since Terry and his impact has been huge in allowing his side to control games in a title winning season.

    Kante scored only two goals this season; both goals came against Manchester United, but goals aren’t what he is measured by. Nonetheless, he ranks among the highest in the league for tackles and interceptions.

    Eden Hazard is Chelsea’s most exciting player and has produced several moments that have been vital to his side’s resurgent season. His 19 goals match his haul from the 2014-15 season in which Chelsea claimed the title. He earned individual glory by being awarded the PFA Player of the Year award.

    Conte has got the best out of the Chelsea team especially the Belgian playmaker, Eden Hazard, in the 3-4-3 formation. Hazard plays an integral part in the new formation the blues. The Belgium, being a gold fish have become the darling and envy of most top ranked clubs in Europe.

    Real Madrid have made the blues ‘play maker’ their number one target and are willing to lure him to the santiago bernabeu making him part of los blancos dressing room.

    He is the second most fouled against player in the league this season having been brought down 89 times as he attempts, on average, four dribbles-per-game.

    Lastly, it is important to beam our light on Azpilicueta, who has also shown impressive leadership on the field of play. Ever since John Terry stepped back from his almost default starting role, and Gary Cahill assumed the role of captain, the Chelsea defender has consistently played and defended for his team in a way that is nothing short of commitment and leadership.

    The versatile defender has been utilised in five different positions this season and has excelled in almost every one. He has played as both a wing back and full back on both sides, as well as adapting brilliantly to being a right sided centre-back in Conte’s three man defence.

    He is the only Chelsea player to have played in every single minute of their league campaign and he has produced more passes than any other player in the Premier League, so far, this season.

    Conte and his coaching staff have improved greatly improved on their teamwork especially when it comes to ball possession; Conte currently ranks seventh for completed balls this year.

  • Chelsea’s Kante wins PFA player of the year award for 2016-17

    N’Golo Kante has won the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award for 2016-17.

    The Chelsea midfielder, 26, beat Eden Hazard, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez in the vote by his fellow players.

    Kante was key to Leicester’s surprise Premier League win last year and could become first player to achieve the distinction of winning successive titles with different clubs if Chelsea can stay ahead of Spurs in this season’s race.

    Since signing Kante in July, Chelsea have gone from a mid-table finish to the top of the pile with six games to play.

    In his absence, Leicester have largely struggled to replicate their heroics of last season and are still not safe from relegation.

    France international Kante has played every minute in the league this season apart from the Boxing Day game against Bournemouth, when he was suspended, and the final 11 minutes against Tottenham on Jan. 4.

    Kante said: “It’s a huge honour to be chosen by the other players. It’s the biggest honour to get this award.”

    The midfielder is on course to win the Premier League with Chelsea, having done so last season at Leicester, and added: “My first two seasons were very beautiful.

    “Last season was very beautiful. This season so far, we have had a good season but we have to finish well.”

    Tottenham’s Dele Alli won the young player prize for the second successive year, while Manchester City’s Lucy Bronze won the Women’s Player of the Year award.

    Birmingham’s Jess Carter was named Women’s Young Player of the Year.

    Former England captain David Beckham received the PFA’s Merit award for his contribution to the game during the ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on Sunday.

    Also, former England women’s captain Kelly Smith – who became England’s first female professional footballer when she joined American side New Jersey in 1999 – landed the PFA Special Achievement award.

     

  • Lampard lauds Terry as greatest Premier League defender

    Lampard lauds Terry as greatest Premier League defender

    Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has hailed John Terry as the English Premier League’s greatest ever defender.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Premier League leaders on Monday had announced that their captain would leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

    The 36-year-old former England international, who made his Chelsea debut in 1998, played more than 700 games for the club and has been their most successful captain.

    He won the 2012 UEFA Champions League, four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups and the Europa League with Chelsea.

    Lampard, who was capped 106 times for England, is Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer with 211 goals in over 400 appearances in all competitions.

    “The last man standing of an incredible era for @chelseafc,’’ Lampard wrote on his instagram account. “What a pleasure to play with the greatest defender in the @premierleague history.

    “He led the club both on and off the pitch from the moment he made his debut.

    “He set standards for everyone, whether it was demanding excellence in training, fighting for every win or respecting how fortunate we were to play for such a great club.’’

    Terry has started only four league games this season under manager Antonio Conte as the London outfit lead the league standings, four points clear with six games to play.

     

  • Mourinho masterclass as United beat Chelsea 2-0

    Mourinho masterclass as United beat Chelsea 2-0

    Manchester United produced arguably their best performance of the season to damage Chelsea’s title charge with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.

    United boss Jose Mourinho made the controversial decision to bench his star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and in-form winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan before kick-off and handing the captain’s armband to bit-part player Ashley Young, putting the omissions down to fatigue following Thursday’s Europa League tie at Anderlecht.

    Although the line-up drew no shortage of raised eyebrows, it soon became apparent that Mourinho had his tactics spot on, United’s pacey formation quicker to the ball and forcing Chelsea into errors.

    United’s opener set the tone for the match, Ander Herrera gaining the rub of the green as the ball bounced off his hand before feeding Marcus Rashford, who slotted past Asmir Begovic from an acute angle.

    The excellent Ander Herrera, who man-marked Eden Hazard for much of the match, added a second shortly after half-time after his powerful shot deflected off the heel of Kurt Zouma, a late replacement for the unwell Marcos Alonso.

    Victory marked a first win over Chelsea since 2012 and a first for Jose Mourinho over his former club, the result leaving Chelsea just four points clear of chasing Tottenham Hotspur with six matches remaining. Manchester United move into fifth, four points behind neighbours City but with a game in hand.

    TALKING POINT

    Who needs Zlatan and Mikhtaryan? The starting line-up drew tweets of exasperation and frustration from United fans but this result and particularly performance means that only a fool should criticise a manager who has done this so many times before.

    MAN OF THE MATCH

    Ander Herrera (Manchester United): On any other day, Marcus Rashford would have got the nod but Herrera not only marked Eden Hazard out of the game, he also had a positive creative influence in the middle of the park and scored the second via a deflection. A superb performance.

  • EPL: Chelsea beat Bournemouth 3-1 to maintain 7-point lead

    EPL: Chelsea beat Bournemouth 3-1 to maintain 7-point lead

    Chelsea maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth.

    Pressured by Tottenham’s earlier thrashing of Watford, the visitors from Stamford Bridge looked to be cruising after two goals in three first-half minutes.

    But Bournemouth, who had already hit the post, got back into the contest through Joshua King’s long-range deflected effort.

    The Cherries continued to press after half-time only for Chelsea to gradually regain control and secured the points through Marcos Alonso’s impeccable free-kick.

    The Blues next match is against Manchester United at Old Trafford, their sternest of six league fixtures between now and the end of the season.

    If they return with their seven-point advantage still intact, they will be a huge step closer to a sixth title and fifth in the Premier League era.

    In other EPL matches also played today, Liverpool came from behind to beat Stoke City 3-1 and stay on course for a top-four finish, thanks to goals by substitutes Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.

    Liverpool remain third in the table.

    Also, Manchester City ended a four-game winless run with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Hull City. The victory has boosted their hopes of finishing in a Champions League spot.

    Hull City remain two points above the relegation zone after Swansea lost 1-0 at West Ham. (NAN)

  • Torino ready to let Belotti go for €100m

    Torino ready to let Belotti go for €100m

    Sinisa Mihajlovic admits Torino will struggle to keep Andrea Belotti if bids are lodged for the reported Manchester United and Chelsea target.
    The 23-year-old is expected to spark a transfer scramble when the window re-opens this summer.
    ‘Belotti is better than Batistuta’
    With 23 Serie A goals to his name this season, Belotti is a wanted man and a striker attracting admiring glances from across Europe.
    Any move for him will not come cheap, with Torino hoping to see him stay, but Mihajlovic concedes that any bid which triggers a €100 million release clause will force the club’s hand.
    “Everyone loves Belotti for a very simple reason,” the former Milan and Sampdoria boss told reporters.
    “Against Udinese, for example, he didn’t waste time celebrating his equaliser, instead rushing to get the ball back to the centre so we could aim for a 3-2 victory.
    “This attitude of his fires up the others and that is why he is appreciated not just by the Toro fans, but all those who love football. He’s an old-fashioned centre-forward.
    Belotti: I want to stay at Torino
    “I think he’d like to stay, but there are many factors involved here. I certainly hope he’ll stay here as long as I am the coach
    “If someone arrives that will pay the release clause, then there’s nothing we can do to hold him back.”
    Belotti’s 28-goal haul for club and country this season has included two hat-tricks and five braces.

  • Spurs thrash Watford 4-0 to close in on leaders Chelsea

    Two goals by Son Heung-min helped Tottenham Hotspur thrash Watford 4-0 to close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to four points in Saturday’s early game.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that after Dele Alli’s majestic curler broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute in the sunshine at White Hart Lane, an 11th consecutive home league win never looked in doubt.

    Eric Dier made it 2-0 six minutes later before Son added a third with a low shot just before halftime.

    After half-time it was pretty much the same story, with Watford only threatening in isolated moments through Nigeria’s attacking duo of Isaac Success and Stefano Chuka.

    Son further confirmed Spurs’ dominance by meeting Kieran Trippier’s perfect cross with a lovely half-volley at the far post to grab his brace in the 54th minute as the hosts cruised through to full-time.

    Harry Kane, returning as a second-half substitute, struck the bar with an injury-time free-kick – the last kick of the game – and Son might have sealed his hat-trick from his earlier pass.

    Second-placed Tottenham’s sixth successive league victory took them to 68 points from 31 games.

    Mauricio Pocehttino’s side are now four points behind Chelsea, who play at Bournemouth later on Saturday.

    They are also 14 points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand and play at Crystal Palace on Monday.

  • Chelsea fans eager to have Moses back

    Chelsea fans eager to have Moses back

    Chelsea fans have clamoured for Victor Moses’ immediate return to action after Antonio Conte’s side seemed to have struggled in their two recent games played without the injured Nigerian international.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Moses has missed Chelsea’s last two Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Manchester City due to injury.

    His last game for Chelsea was in their 2-1 away win against Stoke City in March and it is not yet confirmed if he will feature against Bournemouth on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium.

    Following Moses’ continued absence, some of Chelsea fans took to twitter on Friday to express their wish that the right-wing-back get back into the team as quickly as possible.

    4EverDope @Flimzzy889 said he wished that Moses could be ready for their away trip to Manchester United next Sunday.

    “We’ve missed you a lot (Moses) and I pray you recover quickly before our match against Man United,’’ he said.
    Luke @LukePainter said that he couldn’t wait for Moses’ return.

    “Swift recovery Victor. Need you back,’’ he said.

    Ollie Glanvill @OllieGlanvill urged that Moses should be included in Chelsea’s squad to face Bournemouth this Saturday.

    “Get back for Bournemouth Vic, going to be big,’’ he said.

    On his part, J @jwv1995 confessed that Moses had been missed by the fans and the team.

    “Hope to see you back in the side soon Vic, we need you.”

    Also, in other tweets, Sideways @Stamfordrich wrote: “Need you back asap.”

    While, Blessed Samuel @BlessedSamuel88 said: “We need you back on the pitch… Your impact is missed. Wish you come back soon.”

    NAN also reports that Moses has made 27 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring three goals.

     

  • Tottenham win at Burnley to cut Chelsea’s lead

    Tottenham Hotspur cut the gap on English Premier League leaders Chelsea to seven points as they overcame a stubborn Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.

    The visitors struggled in a drab first half as Dele Alli fired wide when well-placed and both central midfielders Victor Wanyama and Harry Winks were withdrawn through injury.

    Winks suffered a particularly nasty fall, tumbling into the Burnley dugout after trying to tackle Stephen Ward, before he was carried off on a stretcher at the interval.

    In spite of a lack of attacking fluency, Spurs continued to exert pressure on the Clarets from corner kicks.

    It paid off when Eric Dier fired in after the hosts failed to properly clear Christian Eriksen’s delivery.

    Vincent Janssen, making his first Premier League start of 2017, became the third Tottenham player forced off injured but that allowed the introduction of Son Heung-min.

    And the Korea striker made sure of victory as he tapped in Alli’s squared pass on 77 minutes as Spurs controlled the final stages.

    Victory, coupled with Chelsea’s shock 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, ensures Mauricio Pochettino’s side stay in contention for the title with nine games remaining.

    A perennial worry with Tottenham is whether they possess the depth required to match the undoubted quality of their starting side and sustain a season-long challenge.

    Victory over Southampton in the absence of injured striker Harry Kane last time out suggested those concerns could be consigned to the past, only to reappear in the first half at Turf Moor.

    Kyle Walker’s deputy Kieran Tripper made numerous mistakes several times against his former club, while Winks was guilty of trying to forcing passes in midfield.

    Also, Janssen was again ineffective, lacking the pace and guile to test the organised duo of Michael Keane and Ben Mee.

    While not in the circumstances Spurs would have wanted, the added quality of Mousa Dembele and especially Son ultimately ensured a more comfortable afternoon.

    The Korean’s movement was vital in opening up a tiring Burnley as Alli made amends for his earlier uncharacteristic miss to calmly find the striker free to side-foot in.

    After the game, Pochettino said Kane could be back “in a few weeks”.

    He added that Son in the meantime could again prove a stellar stand-in, while Janssen’s spell on the sidelines looks set to resume.

    In other matches played on Saturday in the EPL, Hull City beat West Ham United 2-1, while Manchester United drew goalless with West Brom.

    Leicester also beat Stoke City 2-0, with Watford compounding Sunderland’s woes with a 1-0 defeat.(NAN)