Chelsea FC (The Blues) | Special Thread

Chelsea.
The first manager of Chelsea Football Club was John Tait
Robertson , appointed in 1905. The club's current manager is
Antonio Conte. Chelsea have had 27 permanent managers (of
whom four also served as player-manager ), and nine short-term
managers. Ron Suart and Roberto Di Matteo have served as
both short-term manager and permanent manager.
Chelsea's first ever manager was Scottish wing-half John Tait
Robertson , who continued to play for the club until he resigned
a year later. David Calderhead is Chelsea's longest-serving
manager, holding the position from 1907–33, spanning 966
matches. Chelsea's shortest reigning permanent manager is
Danny Blanchflower , who was in charge for 32 games.
Statistically Chelsea's least successful manager is also
Blanchflower, who won just 16% of his 32 matches in charge.
The first manager under whom Chelsea won a major trophy was
Ted Drake , who guided the club to the league championship in
the 1954–55 season . Tommy Docherty , Dave Sexton, Ruud
Gullit , Gianluca Vialli , José Mourinho , Guus Hiddink , Carlo
Ancelotti , Roberto Di Matteo , Rafael Benítez and Antonio Conte
have also won major trophies with the club

*Arsene Wenger: Money is*
*'destroying' competition in*
*football*

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned that
financial imbalance among football clubs is "destroying
competition" around Europe.
Wenger said it was clear that "something is not right in our
game" with four of Europe's top five domestic leagues practically
decided halfway through the season.
Manchester City have an 18-point lead in England, while Bayern
Munich are 16 points clear in the Bundesliga and Barcelona and
Paris Saint-Germain enjoy 11-point gaps in Spain and France
respectively.
And Wenger told a news conference: "When you look at the five
big leagues in Europe, you can see that the unpredictability of the
competition has gone down.
"In December, we already knew four champions of five leagues, so
it means something is not right in our game. The huge financial
power of some clubs is destroying the competition."
The Premier League is the richest of all European leagues thanks
to huge TV revenue, and Arsenal broke their transfer record sign
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for £56
million this week.
And Wenger said: "First of all, let's not be fooled by reality -- the
financial attraction of the Premier League is superior to
everywhere else and that attracts the best players.
"Once the best players are in a country you want to be confronted
by them. It is attractive on the competitive side, but that is
always linked with the economic power."

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

CHELSEA: Unsurprisingly all three January signings have
been added to Chelsea's squad list for the Champions
League knockout stage, with Olivier Giroud replacing
Michy Batshuayi, Kenedy making way for Emerson
Palmieri and Ross Barkley filling the space created by Charly
Musonda's 18-month loan move to Celtic. The only notable
omission is Ethan Ampadu, who does not qualify for the B list
reserved for youth players because he only signed for Chelsea
from Exeter City last summer. -- Liam Twomey
Squad: Thibaut Courtois, Willy Caballero, Eduardo; Antonio
Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, David Zappacosta, Gary Cahill, Andreas
Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz; Emerson Palmieri,
Dujon Sterling, Cesc Fabregas, Danny Drinkwater, N'Golo Kante,
Ross Barkley, Eden Hazard, Pedro Rodriguez, Tiemoue Bakayoko,
Vicotr Moses, Willian, Kyle Scott; Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud,
Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

DORTMUND : Michy Batshuayi, Marco
Reus and Jadon Sancho are all
included in Borussia Dortmund's
Europa League squad, but defender
Manuel Akanji misses out on a place. UEFA regulations allow
clubs to register three new players for the knockout rounds of the
competition, but only one can have been fielded in a UEFA club
competition group stage match for another club. That meant BVB
had to choose between on-loan Chelsea striker Batshuayi and
Akanji, signed from Basel, who had both played in the Champions
League this season. -- Stephan Uersfeld

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

ARSENAL : Arsenal surprisingly included Santi Cazorla in
their Europa League even though the Spanish midfielder
is still expected to miss the rest of the season. Cazorla
was one of three additions in Arsenal's squad for the
knockout stages along with newcomers Henrikh Mkhitaryan and
Konstantinos Mavropanos. There was plenty of room for Cazorla
as no fewer than 12 players have been dropped from the list that
was submitted to UEFA for the group stages. Arsenal sold five
players in January and sent a number of their youngsters out on
loan. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who became the club's record
signing on Wednesday, isn't eligible for the competition after
appearing for Borussia Dortmund this season. -- Mattias Karen
Squad: Petr Cech, David Ospina, Matt Macey, Deyan Iliev; Per
Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Rob Holding, Nacho Monreal,
Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Hector Bellerin, Konstantinos
Mavropanos, Sead Kolasinac; Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut
Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Santi Cazorla, Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Alexandre Lacazette, Danny Welbeck

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

MAN CITY : Pep Guardiola has added two new faces to his
Champions League squad with club-record signing
Aymeric Laporte replacing Eliaquim Mangala, who has
left on loan. Ukrainian Oleksander Zinchenko has
emerged as a backup left-back in the absence of injured duo
Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph and a space was freed up for
him by third-choice goalkeeper Arijanet Muric now qualifying as a
homegrown player. -- Jonathan Smith
Squad: Claudio Bravo, Ederson, Ajijanet Muric; Danilo, Vincent
Kompany, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Nicolas Otamendi,
John Stones, Kyle Walker, Tosin Adarabioyo; Fabian Delph, Kevin
De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Raheem
Sterling, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Phil Foden,
Brahim Diaz; Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Lukas Nmecha.

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

MAN UNITED : Manchester United have registered Alexis
Sanchez for the Champions League knock-out rounds
following his move from Arsenal. It means the Chilean
will be eligible to face Sevilla in the last-16 when the
competition restarts this month. Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains on
the list despite speculation he could move to LA Galaxy before
the end of the season. James Wilson has been omitted after his
loan move to Sheffield United but Axel Tuanzebe and Demetri
Mitchell have been included despite signing temporary deals at
Aston Villa and Hearts, respectively. -- Rob Dawson
Squad: David De Gea, Sergio Romero, Joel Pereira*, Kieran
O'Hara; Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris
Smalling, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Matteo
Darmian, Axel Tuanzebe; Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard,
Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini,
Nemanja Matic, Demetri Mitchell*, Scott McTominay; Alexis
Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial,
Marcus Rashford.

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

PSG : Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League squad is
largely unchanged for the latter stages. New signing
Lassana Diarra has replaced now Tottenham Hotspur
man Lucas Moura in the only major alteration to the list.
Otherwise, youth academy product Sebastien Cibois has replaced
Remy Descamps as third-choice goalkeeper. Hatem Ben Arfa
remains out of the squad after he was unregistered during the
group phase. Although now on loan with different clubs, UEFA
have included Alec Georgen (AZ Alkmaar) and Moussa Diaby
(Crotone) as part of PSG's B list. Cibois, Garissone Innocent,
Stanley N'Soki, Loic Mbe Soh, Lorenzo Callegari and Antoine
Bernede are also among those players who, if needed, could also
step up to the senior squad. -- Jonathan Johnson
Squad: Kevin Trapp, Alphonse Areola, Garisonne Innocent,
Sebastien Cibois; Thiago Silva, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos,
Thomas Meunier, Yuri Berchiche, Layvin Kurzawa, Alec Georgen,
Dani Alves, Loic Mbe Soh, Stanley Nsoki; Marco Verratti, Thiago
Motta, Angel Di Maria, Giovani Lo Celso, Lassana Diarra, Julian
Draxler, Christopher Nkunku, Adrien Rabiot, Javier Pastore,
Lorenzo Callegari, Antonio Bernede, Moussa Diaby; Edinson
Cavani, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe.

Champions League squads:
Sanchez, Giroud, Van Dijk among
new entries

JUVENTUS : Juventus has left Germany internationa
Benedikt Howedes out of the UEFA players' list, while
Switzerland captain Stephan Lichtsteiner returns to the
squad. Juve haven't brought anyone new to the club in
January, so this is the only change. -- Jonathan Shkurko
Squad: Gianluigi Buffon, Mattia De Sciglio, Giorgio Chiellini, Mehdi
Benatia, Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Juan Cuadrado, Claudio
Marchisio, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa, Blaise
Matuidi, Alex Sandro, Andrea Barzagli, Carlo Pinsoglio, Mario
Mandzukic, Kwadwo Asamoah, Wojciech Szczesny, Daniele Rugani,
Stephan Lichtsteiner, Stefano Sturaro, Rodrigo Bentancur,
Federico Bernardeschi.

Italy's vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta insists Antonio Conte is 'still a candidate' for the national team job

20 minutes ago Mirror

Conte insisted he is focused on seeing out his contract with Chelsea.
Costacurta, who will help appoint the new Italy head coach, said: "Conte said he had 18 months left on his Chelsea contract and would respect it?

"We'll see, he's still a candidate.

"We heard from (Roberto) Mancini last night, but it was by chance.

"Now we have some time to think things through."

Sky Sports' La Liga expert Guillem Balague reflects on Thibaut Courtois' potential move to Real Madrid

2 hours ago Sky Sports

While Real Madrid continued their transfer inactivity over the course of January, the goalkeeper position continues to give club president Florentino Perez sleepless nights.
Balague said: "It's definite that Real Madrid have got David de Gea or Courtois as a target for next season.

"I think Courtois is easier. De Gea actually told team-mates in the national side that he was going to Real Madrid, as you've seen in the last couple of years, it's not as easy as that.

"Courtois would also be happy to go to Madrid, and Real have it in their mind to go for one or the other.

"Paris Saint-Germain are also after Courtois, so we'll have to see what happens with that."

Callum Hudson-Odoi 'happy' to make his Premier League debut

an hour ago Chelsea-news

The youngster was called into action by Antonio Conte in the second half against Bournemouth to replace Davide Zappacosta.

His 30-minute cameo did not go according to plan, with the Blues losing 3-0 to the Cherries.

Although his touches and general play was brilliant, there was still a sense of promise to him. There was a general feeling that he will be one of those the club could rely on in the next generation.

After the game, Hudson Odoi tweeted, "Not the result we wanted. On a personal note, happy to make my Premier League debut hopefully the first of many."

7 important Chelsea stories you may've missed today

2 hours ago CFC Live

Head of Italian FA Roberto Fabbricini shortlists Antonio Conte for Italy national team return as he believes the Chelsea manager himself is 'eager' for the comeback. Italy's vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta is going to London to hold talks with Conte and Carlo Ancelotti.

Antonio Conte, however, insists he is happy at Chelsea and proposes to respect the remaining 18 months of his deal.

Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmieri will have to wait for their Chelsea debuts as the two come after long-term injuries. But they, along with Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi, have been added to Chelsea's Champions League list.

Alvaro Morata and Andreas Christinsen are out of the Watford game with injuries. Willian remains a doubt.

Arsene Wenger admits he didn't want to let Olivier Giroud join a rival, but the Frenchman's family living in London was a factor.

Nathan Ake insists he didn't mean to offend Chelsea fans with his goal celebration.

Frank Lampard believes Olivier Giroud is a 'useful' signing for Chelsea and feels the French striker could be a perfect fit for Antonio Conte's system.

Riyad Mahrez to miss Leicester's
match at Swansea, faces £200,000
fine


Riyad Mahrez will not play for Leicester against Swansea on
Saturday but Foxes boss Claude Puel hopes the player will return
to the team after his move to Manchester City fell through on
transfer deadline day.
Leicester are set to fine Mahrez the maximum two weeks' wages
-- in the region of £200,000 -- after he missed training for a
second successive day, sources close to the club confirmed to
ESPN FC.
Mahrez has not trained since the possibility of a deal with the
Premier League leaders materialised earlier in the week, and
having not attended Thursday's session, he was again missing on
Friday.
Manchester City withdrew their interest after refusing to meet
Leicester's asking price, leaving the Algeria international facing an
uncertain future at the King Power stadium.
"It is time to talk to Riyad, we have a good relationship and we
need to manage the situation," said Puel.
"Riyad is not available for this game. All I can say about the
situation is that this is the best decision for Leicester, in the best
interests of Leicester. It is also the best decision for Riyad.
"It is a tough situation for us to manage but now it is time to
move on and keep our focus."
The Algeria international handed in a transfer request in a bid to
force through a transfer, sources said, and he was left out of the
squad for Wednesday's defeat at Everton.
Sky Sports reported on Thursday that Mahrez is "depressed" after
Leicester rejected several offers before the window closed on
Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, sources said reports suggesting Leicester blocked
West Ham's attempts to sign Islam Slimani because of past
comments made by Hammers vice-chairman Karren Brady about
Leicester chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, were wide of the
mark.
The sources said Slimani, who joined Newcastle on loan, was not
on West Ham's list of targets and Leicester did not block any
move because of ill-feeling towards Brady.

Michy

Njoo tubishane said:

Michy

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2 goals
1 assist

Mentor said:

2 goals
1 assist

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Jamaa(Michy) anajua sana. Sema Conte alikuwa anambania.

Achen unafiki huo leo kawa anajua

Michy ndie didie drogba ajae

Ziroseventytwo said:

Jamaa(Michy) anajua sana. Sema Conte alikuwa anambania.

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