csconstantine.com

 
Andre Villas Boas is on the brink of becoming Chelsea's new manager after tendering his resignation as Porto coach.

Porto confirmed the news to the CMVM (Portuguese stock market) following reports from the Lusa news agency that the 33-year-old quit via fax.

FC Porto's coach Andre Vil…
Getty Images - May 22, 4:09 pm EDT

Villas-Boas will officially leave his position once the terms of his release clause, 15 million euros, are met by prospective employers, Chelsea.

The statement reads:

"Porto Football Club, under the terms of article 248, number 1 of the Securities Law, informs the market that Porto Football Club was today notified of the intention of its coach, Andre Villas Boas, to rescind, with no just cause, his sporting contract of employment with this company, activating the respective release clause, with immediate effect.

"Therefore, the employment contract will be considered, by this company, rescinded, with the deposit of the amount specified (in the release clause)."

Chelsea has been searching for a manager since relieving Carlo Ancelotti of his post at the end of the season after he failed to build on his double-winning first season at the club.

Villas-Boas won a treble in his first year of management at the club last season.

He managed to break multiple records in his short time there, including highest number of consecutive wins in the Portuguese league and the biggest margin of points over the second-placed team.

He became the youngest coach to ever win a European competition when he guided the Portuguese league champions to victory in the Europa League just over a month ago.

Prior to Porto, Villas-Boas was manager at Academica in Portugal for the 2009-10 season, which was the catalyst for being hired as Porto head coach.

The young Portuguese coach also worked with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter during his respective stints at the clubs.

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Labels: Andre, Become, Chelsea, Goalcom, Manager, Porto, quits, VillasBoas

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp believes that Chelsea's £22 million bid to sign midfielder Luka Modric is ‘ridiculous’.

Modric has been the subject of much transfer speculation all summer with both the Stamford Bridge club and Manchester United touted as possible destinations for the Croatian international.

Tottenham Hotspur's Russia…
Getty Images - May 22, 3:53 pm EDT

Tottenham’s failure to qualify for the Champions League had cast doubt on whether it would be able to keep hold of its key players such as Modric and Gareth Bale.

However these claims have rubbished by the former Portsmouth manager as he looks to keep his best players with Spurs aiming to challenge for Champions League football again next season.

Redknapp told the BBC: "Luka is not for sale. If there has been a bid of £22m that is ridiculous. There are people being sold for £20m who are not fit to lace Luka's boots."

Spurs sources had earlier told Goal.com that chairman Daniel Levy has "no intention" of caving in to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic, and is "adamant" that Modric will not be sold at any price.

Modric played a pivotal role in helping Spurs reach the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League in their debut season in the competition.

The midfielder has made 119 appearances for Harry Redknapp’s side since joining in the summer of 2008 scoring 12 times.

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Labels: being, boots, Chelsea, Goalcom, Harry, Modric, players, Redknapp, reported, Slams, There, Tottenhams

* Chief executive stands by approach to managers

* New team boss could be unveiled within a week

* Expansion, fresh revenue sought to balance books

By Martin Petty

BANGKOK, June 16 (Reuters) - Chelsea have defended the club’s rapid turnover of managers in recent years with the chief executive saying it was results that mattered and a new team boss could be named within a week.

Chelsea football club's Ch…
AP - Jun 14, 2:18 am EDT

Ron Gourlay told Reuters in an interview that the Premier League club’s hire-and-fire approach to managers—after going through four in as many years—had delivered the goods in terms of the number of trophies won.

“Continuity is very important but so is performance and results,” said Gourlay, who was in Bangkok on Thursday to promote the club’s pre-season Asian tour.

“Our model may not be the model others agree with but at the end of the day, we’ve taken the decisions we felt we needed to take to develop Chelsea Football Club… and we’ve won 10 major trophies in the last six years.”

Gourlay declined to comment on whether Turkey’s Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, was being lined up to replace sacked Italian Carlo Ancelotti but said several candidates had been looked at.

“The process of getting a new coach is going very, very well. I’d expect a new coach to hopefully be in place within the next week, maybe two weeks, but maybe even earlier,” he said.

BELT-TIGHTENING

Gourlay also said the club planned to tighten their belt and generate fresh revenue to comply with new UEFA finance rules.

He said Chelsea would have no problem adhering to new financial fair play regulations devised by European soccer’s governing body aimed at stopping clubs from borrowing vast sums to buy success and spending more than their income.

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ANALYSIS on the financial fair play rules [ID:nLDE7581LB]

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Chelsea posted a loss of 71 million pounds ($114.8 million) in June last year and spent an equivalent amount in January on Spain striker Fernando Torres and Brazil defender David Luiz that was Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger said was “logic-defying”. [ID:nLDE7110YU]

Gourlay said the struggling Torres was a “fantastic signing” but Chelsea, like most clubs, must in future control spending and balance the books by nurturing more home-grown talent and generating new revenue sources without raising ticket prices.

UEFA’s new financial regulations will be applied from the reporting period starting at the end of next year.

“Performances on the field help drive a lot of the revenue off the field so you have to get the balance right, look at the costs, control wages going forward,” he said.

“Squads may not be as big as in the past and we have to get the youngsters through the academy and, when that happens, it takes a bit of the pressure off.”

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Part of the remedy was to expand Chelsea’s global footprint with Asia seen as a key market with huge growth potential.

The club was working hard to lure more Asian sponsors, raise Chelsea’s profile by launching more “Blue Pitch” development programmes, offering up the expertise of its coaches and sending youth and first-team squads to play in Asia.

He said the club was already active in Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong and planned to expand into Japan, South Korea and China, Gourlay added.

Hourlay described Chelsea’s failure to win a trophy last season after finishing nine points adrift of champions Manchester United as a huge disappointment, adding that the squad would be “freshened up” before the start of the new campaign though he would not be drawn on potential signings.

“Unfortunately, we just left ourselves at the end with too much to do,” he said of the title race.

“The expectation was so high after winning the double (in 2010), our most successful year, so it was a disappointing season but we need to remain very, very confident, the club must continue to develop, we must not change our strategy.”

Chelsea will play pre-season matches in Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia in late July.

(Editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Agences de presses

Labels: change, Chelsea, defend, Manager, regular, Reuters

Fernando Torres should make his debut for Chelsea against former club Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, just six days after leaving the Reds in a British-record transfer deal. The Spain striker angered Liverpool fans after sealing his reported 50 million pounds ($81 million) switch to the defending English champions by saying he jumped at the chance to move to a "top-level club"...

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Agences de presses

Labels: against, Chelsea, debut, Liverpool, Torres

With crisis turning into catastrophe and his sacking as Chelsea manager looming, Carlo Ancelotti was saved, for a while at least, by a man thought to be his most weak-minded player.

Nicolas Anelka’s gloomy disposition, reluctance to accept authority and reputation as a troublemaker earned him the nickname “Le Sulk” long ago, and with Chelsea’s season collapsing hurriedly, the French striker may have been the last person one would expect to stand tall and engineer a revival.

Yet just four days after messing up a penalty shootout attempt vs. Everton that hastened Chelsea’s FA Cup exit, Anelka produced a barnstorming, two-goal display to sink Champions League opponent FC Copenhagen and, barring a horrendous second-leg meltdown, book his side’s place in the quarterfinals.

Elimination in the round-of-16 stage would have left Chelsea with nothing to play for this season and in all likelihood would have seen Ancelotti clearing his desk Thursday morning. Instead, for all the recent doom and miserable performances, Tuesday’s 2-0 result ensured there remains some life in the West London club’s campaign and the opportunity to win the one trophy owner Roman Abramovich covets more than any other.

If Tuesday night marks a turning point, the fact that its fuse was lit by Anelka will go down as an extraordinary twist. The 31-year-old’s feet are laced with rare talent, yet his head has been occupied by demons for most of his career. Bitter Champions League memories still fester.

Anelka came on as a late substitute in the 2008 final against Manchester United, the closest Chelsea has ever come to lifting the trophy. After Chelsea captain John Terry slipped and hit the post on the effort that could have clinched glory, Anelka stepped up for his shootout attempt and could only aim a tame strike within easy reach of Edwin Van Der Sar, sparking United delirium.

If ever there was a time that Anelka’s frail mindset would be exposed, this would be it. Chelsea’s form has been woeful in recent months, and the criticism has poured in. The arrival of Fernando Torres, whose record signing contract has drawn the gamut of attention, means that either Anelka, Didier Drogba or the $79.5 million man himself must start on the bench each week.

On Tuesday it was Drogba who made way, giving Torres another chance to open his Chelsea account after a disappointing start to life at his new club. But instead, it was Anelka who grabbed the headlines.

This kind of form makes it increasingly unlikely that a move for Anelka to Major League Soccer, a rumor widely reported in the French media earlier this month, will take place any time soon. L’Equipe newspaper claimed that Anelka was disillusioned with Torres’ arrival and a likely shift down the pecking order – and was considering joining his compatriot Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls.

Forget about that for now, especially with Ancelotti suspecting he has found something that could get him out of trouble. Whatever his initial thoughts about Torres’ signing, Anelka is now benefitting from the defensive attention the Spaniard commands, opening up extra space and freedom for himself.

“Anelka was able to score, and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement,” said Ancelotti. “[Our season is] still alive. I had this idea before the game and I maintain it now. We are not dead.”

Chelsea still has deep problems, and Ancelotti’s stint in charge is likely to end as soon as his team is knocked out of this competition. For now, though, he is still alive and kicking, after a night when “Le Sulk” took the chip off his shoulder and came to the rescue.

Agences de presses

Labels: alive, Chelsea, keeps, Sports, Yahoo

{ John Terry - Chelsea (Getty Images)John Terry has urged his Chelsea team-mates to keep on fighting to ensure they find some consistent form off the back of their comfortable 2-0 Champions League victory over Copenhagen.

After abject performances in recent weeks, and a penalty shoot-out FA Cup exit at the hands of Everton on Saturday, club captain Terry echoed the fighting talk of manager Carlo Ancelotti before the match, and is hopeful that re-capturing the winning feeling could spark a fresh run of form.

The 30-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s a good lift, obviously winning does that, you can see the buzz in the dressing room but it’s important now we continue this run again this could be the start of it as I said yesterday.

“The manager said we’re still not dead, there are still an awful lot of points to play for and we will keep fighting.”

Terry and his defensive comrades had little to do in a game which Chelsea eased through and the skipper was pleased with how his side executed their plans for the fixture, showering particular praise on the Blues strike force.

Quizzed on his views of the performance, Terry said: “Exactly what we asked for yesterday, I thought we set out our game plan very well, the two up top worked very well and with the pace of the two guys up-front it caused difficulties all night for them.”

Chelsea’s front pairing on the night saw Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka lead the line, with the Frenchman grabbing the headlines while the Spaniard came close to breaking his duck on several occasions.

Anelka put Chelsea in-front on 17 minutes and the Blues never looked in threat of losing their lead, only capable of extending it. The Frenchman obliged early in the second period when rounding off a sweet Chelsea move with a crisp drive across the helpless Copenhagen 'keeper.

Commenting on Anelka, Terry added: “Fantastic, it’s difficult for the strikers at the minute because there’s so much competition, but credit to themselves, Didier when he came on as well caused a lot of trouble, they seem to be clicking and working well.

“And obviously it’s always going to take a couple of weeks for the guys to settle in, hopefully this is the start of very good partnerships.”


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Agences de presses

Labels: build, CALLS, champions, Chelsea, Copenhagen, Goalcom, league, Terry, victory

{

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 9:24 AM on 22nd February 2011

Jose Mourinho has offered his strongest hint yet that he would relish a return to the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

Pressure is mounting on under-fire Italian boss Carlo Ancelotti following Chelsea's alarming lack of form that has seen last season's double winners lose a grip on their Premier League title and dumped out of the FA Cup.

There has been a growing clamour among Blues supporters to see The Special One return after the Portuguese coach was axed by Russian owner Roman Abramovich in September 2007.

Special treatment: Jose Mourinho, who watched Chelsea draw with Fulham last week, is open to a return with the Blues

Mourinho, who guided Chelsea to two championships, two league cups and the FA Cup during his three-year tenure, revealed he still loves the west London club and is unsure whether he will see out his four-year contract in charge of Real Madrid.

He said: 'I don’t know. I love Chelsea. I was the happiest man when I was there. I was thinking I would be there all my life. So you never know.

'When I sign a contract, I sign with the intention to respect the contract and be happy.'

Just champion: Mourinho guided Chelsea to consecutive Barclays Premier League titles

Mourinho put in a surprise visit to Craven Cottage last week to see Fulham hold the Blues to a 0-0 draw.

Doubts persist over whether the 48-year-old will stay at the Bernabeu beyond the the current campaign. Real are five points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and Mourinho has encountered a frosty relationship with the club's sporting director Jorge Valdano of late.

All smiles: Fernando Torres and John Terry are preparing to take on Copenhagen in the last 16 of the Champions League

Chelsea take on Copenhagen in the last 16 of the Champions League this evening, knowing that the European competition is their last hope of salvaging their disappointing season with silverware.

Mourinho's Real side are also in action tonight, against French outfit Lyon, and the Madrid boss wants to reach the May final at Wembley to defend the European Cup he won last year with Inter Milan.

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Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, daily, hints, Madrid, Mourinho, return

{

FC Copenhagen / Kobenhavn (Getty Images)1. Be quick out of the blocks

FC Copenhagen may not have played a competitive game in over two months - their last such fixture was the final Champions League group stage game against Panathinaikos in December - but, in preparation for this last 16 tie, FCK have played a number of friendlies, remaining unbeaten save for a penalty shoot-out defeat to IFK Gothenburg.

In their most recent warm-up clash, they won 5-0 against Rosenborg, a side whom they conquered on their way to the group stage. Carlo Ancelotti claimed when the draw was made that the winter break would benefit the Danish side, who should be fresh.

They are under little pressure in their own domestic league, holding a 19-point lead in sharp contrast to Chelsea, who are battling just to finish in the top four. Furthermore, they went toe-to-toe with Barcelona in the group stage, earning a superb 1-1 draw, and the Catalans are a significantly better outfit than Chelsea.

As such, the home side should have nothing to fear when they step out onto the turf of the Parken and they should look to get at Chelsea early on and unsettle the three-time Premier League winners. To quote their coach Stale Solbakken: "Chelsea cannot afford to fail."

2. Get the best out of N'Doye

FCK are a side without any genuine superstars, but hard work and tactical discipline alone mean little without a quality player to lead the line, one who is capable of getting goals.

In Dame N'Doye, they have one of the more unsung heroes of this season's Champions League. At domestic level, he usually plays alongside the Brazilian Cesar Santin but against more formidable continental opponents, the former Kalmar FF striker is sacrificed, either to the bench or the right side of midfield. This will place a greater burden on N'Doye in terms of spearheading the Copenhagen attack but it is a task that he has warmed to and he is more than capable of giving what has been a less than watertight Chelsea defence problems.

The Senegalese hitman scored two goals in the group stage, the second of which came away to his former club Panathinaikos when he raced in behind the Greek defence and slotted the ball into the empty net. His direct running also contributed to the Gilberto Silva red card and should he get one-on-one with John Terry, he could show up the Chelsea captain's lack of mobility. He is also a powerful presence in the air and will not be found wanting in a physical confrontation.

3. Control the midfield

The Danish champions have a particularly strong central midfield axis, which performs the dual function of protecting the back four and providing a solid base from which the more offensive players can inflict damage.

Danish Player of the Year and captain William Kvist is the slightly more disciplined of the two as he sticks almost entirely to the area in front of the back four.

Claudemir for the most part holds that position but does venture forward slightly more and thus ends up covering more ground in the course of the 90 minutes.

The Brazilian, who showed his potential in a mediocre Vitesse Arnhem side, has finally flourished in this efficient unit and whilst he will have his fair share of defensive duties to carry out, he is also capable of getting forward and causing problems.

Just ask Barcelona, against whom he scored the equaliser with a very clever finish past Victor Valdes. Whatever system Chelsea decide to employ (4-3-3, 4-4-2 diamond, 4-3-2-1, or even 4-3-1-2 with Anelka in the hole), Copenhagen should have a numerical disadvantage in the middle of the park.

It may therefore be prudent for Jesper Gronkjaer, who plays a free role behind N'Doye, to drop back at times to make a three in the midfield. Claudemir, who covers a great deal of the pitch, will need to ensure that Ramires' tireless running does not open up the game too much.

This will be where the extra fitness training the side have undertaken recently will come in handy. Finally, both central midfielders will be loathed to allow Frank Lampard the opportunity to make those trademark late dashes into the penalty box.

4. Maintain a rigid shape

Stale Solbakken has acquired a reputation as one of Europe's best young coaches during his time with FCK.

The Norwegian tactician is well aware that his side cannot compete with the major continental powers in terms of spending power and sheer quality.

However, he leaves no stone unturned in his preparation and has a plan to combat each one of the three systems Chelsea have used in this campaign. 

Solbakken is not a dogmatic coach and his side are capable of different styles of play. Against Panathinaikos for example, they were content to play a waiting game but the chances they created, they took.

Such efficiency will be required tomorrow night. Patience is a strength of the Lions - one of their goals in the 5-0 friendly win over Rosenborg came from a move comprising of 20 passes. The defence know each other intimately and maintaining that rigid 4-4-1-1 shape will be crucial.

Neither full-back bombs forward a great deal and if Zdenek Pospech and Oscar Wendt can hold their position and force Chelsea's wide players inside, that will congest the central area and highlight Chelsea's lack of width other than the two full-backs.

5. Attack Chelsea's full-backs

In the same manner as the Danish national team down the years, FCK employ two genuine wingers, which carry a threat down either flank.

Martin Vingaard is the more heralded wide player and he will operate down the left-hand side. The 25-year-old is capable of putting excellent crosses into the box onto the head of N'Doye but he has the willingness to come inside as well.

Right-back has been a problem position for Chelsea and the likely custodian tomorrow evening is Jose Bosingwa, who whilst potentially devastating going forward, is suspect in defence.  If he is exposed one-on-one with Vingaard, the Danes could have joy down the left side.

Vingaard's fellow winger is the Costa Rican Christian Bolanos, who though a useful player, has not quite had the impact of the Dane in the group stages.

However, he will take heart from Seamus Coleman's superb performance in the FA Cup at the weekend as the Irishman nullified the offensive threat of Ashley Cole, as well as having the beating of him in attack.

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Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, Copenhagen, Goalcom

{

* Everton come from behind to stun Chelsea

* Man United secure narrow win to beat Crawley

* Birmingham and Stoke seal places in quarter-finals (Updates with Manchester United-Crawley)

Phil Neville scored the decisive spot kick to give Everton a 4-3 penalty shootout win over holders Chelsea after their FA Cup fourth-round replay ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Neville sent goalkeeper Petr Cech the wrong way after Chelsea fulback Ashley Cole blasted his penalty high and wide as Everton ended the Londoners' dreams of becoming the first club for 125 years to win the FA Cup three times in succession.

The fairytale run of minnows Crawley Town also ended although the non-League side left Old Trafford with their heads held high after only losing 1-0 to Premier League leaders Manchester United in their fifth round tie.

Crawley, bidding to become the first team from outside the League to reach the last eight for 97 years, fell behind to a 28th minute header by Wes Brown but almost equalised in stoppage time when Richard Brodie headed against the top of the bar.

Premier League clubs Birmingham City and Stoke City beat lower league opposition far more easily than United.

Birmingham, already through to the League Cup final against Arsenal later this month, reached the quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over League One (third division) Sheffield Wednesday with goals from Jean Beausejour, Obafemi Martins and David Murphy.

Stoke beat League One leaders Brighton by the same score with goals from John Carew, Jon Walters and Ryan Shawcross.

After the win over Chelsea, Everton captain Neville told the BBC: "I knew I was going to score, I knew where the ball was going to go -- and that's half the battle.

"We've been practising penalties all week. The manager just told us to hit them as hard as possible.

"My biggest worry was that there was a big divot in the penalty spot. Petr Cech looks really big but luckily he dived the wrong way." After a goalless stalemate in 90 minutes of end-to-end soccer, Chelsea took the lead in the last minute of the first period of extra time when midfielder Frank Lampard scored with a low volley from eight metres.

NO TORRES

With a minute of extra time remaining Leighton Baines equalised with a left-footed free kick to force the match into a shootout.

Everton trailed 2-0 on penalties after Lampard and Didier Drogba converted their spot kicks and Baines saw Cech save his penalty.

Phil Jagielka scored to pull Everton back to 2-1 before Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka, taking virtually no run up, had his spot kick saved by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and Mikel Arteta scored to make it 2-2.

Michael Essien and Johnny Heitinga made it 3-3 before Cole missed and Neville scored to give Everton their stunning victory and end Chelsea's hopes of emulating Blackburn Rovers, the last team to win the Cup three years in a row in 1884, 1885 and 1886.

Chelsea, playing without their recent high-profile signings Fernando Torres and David Luiz who were ineligible, started lethargically but created more chances and finally went ahead after 104 minutes when Lampard lashed in from close range.

Everton thought they had won the match in the last minute of normal time when Cech could only parry a long-range shot from Baines into Marouane Fellaini's path. Although Fellaini swept the ball home, he was marginally offside in the build-up.

Everton, on the fringes of the relegation battle, dominated the match territorially for long periods and eventually got their reward with barely a minute to play when Baines perfectly placed his free kick high and wide of the despairing Cech.

Everton now face Championship (second division) Reading in the fifth round at Goodison Park on March 1.

The most intriguing tie of the round was at Old Trafford where Crawley seemed to grow in confidence as the game went on.

United were never able to relax against the visitors who had already seen off three League teams on their way to this stage, and with a little more luck could even have forced a draw.

FA Cup action continues on Sunday when Manchester City face Notts County in a fourth-round replay while Leyton Orient host Arsenal and Fulham play Bolton Wanderers in fifth-round ties. West Ham United meet Burnley at Upton Park on Monday.

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, Crawley, dreams, Eurosport, Yahoo

{

Put the morgue and the morticians on stand-by. Chelsea played Russian Roulette – and lost.

The inquest into their first FA Cup defeat for nearly three years will trigger a bloodbath.

Retribution is inevitable, and will respect no reputations.

Carlo Ancelotti already has the resigned air of a man awaiting the fatal blow.

Players who once imagined themselves as a protected species may discover they, too, have ­outlived their usefulness.

Didier Drogba is lumbering through the motions. John Terry is immobile, a ­brooding political presence who is ­losing his power base.

For peace to break out, they must win the Champions League.

That looks as likely as Roman Abramovich filing for bankruptcy.

The Chelsea owner could do worse, much worse, than investing in the enduring qualities of David Moyes.

Everton’s manager has been concussing himself by head-butting football’s glass ceiling for too long.

He deserves better than the vicious circle of false hope and financial hardship that has entrapped the people’s club.

There was something richly ironic in the golden bullet being fired by his captain Phil Neville, the pro’s pro.

He had a strength of character beyond Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka, whose penalty misses ­reflected the flaws in their ­nature.

Anelka’s effort was limp, a caricature of misplaced arrogance.

Cole, rattled by a clash with Johnny Heitinga as he walked from the halfway line, showed no ­composure.

As ever, in this multi-media world, the most withering instant verdict was supplied on Twitter. Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech ­Szczesny piped up: “Is it a bird, is it a plane? No it’s Ashley throwing Chelsea out of the Cup.”

It was Chelsea’s sixth ­consecutive penalty shoot-out defeat, and ­Ancelotti sang an increasingly ­desperate song, sotto voce.

He said: “It’s not an easy moment. We have to be able to move on very quickly from this defeat.

“Every time the team doesn’t make the result the manager is under pressure, but I have ­fantastic support from the club and my ­players.

“It could be again a very good season for us.” When he returns to Planet Earth, Ancelotti may care to consider the merits of a move to Roma, who would love to ­repatriate him to Serie A

Chelsea will not have got a dire game out of their legs, and their minds, by Tuesday, when they play in Copenhagen.

They are laboured in thought and movement, lacking in creativity and confidence.

David Luiz and Fernando Torres may sell a lot of shirts, but they are not miracle workers.

Manchester United, a week later, may bring into sharp focus the “disaster” of falling out of the top four. Despite the timeless drama of the shoot-out, this was a return to the greasy spoon after the ­gourmet dining of the Champions League.

Stodge, congealing in the grease of wasted effort, was the speciality of the house.

It was summed up by the Michael Essien shot which hit a steward on the backside. You need danger money if you are patrolling in a 10 metre arc, behind the goal.

Not that Moyes will worry. ­Reality – that he will have to make ­strategic sacrifices to rebuild his side – was swamped by relief, and the ­romance of a lustily-acclaimed ­victory.

“I just had this feeling,” Moyes said of ­insistence that ­Neville take the final penalty.

“I thought that, with his nous and experience, he would be able to ­handle the ­situation.

“If you go into football management, you work on your team, and you try to win games.

“If you’ve got money, great. If not, you do the best you can. I’ve got a great owner. I just wish he had a few bob as well.”

There are compensations. Moyes need not fear the assassin, waiting in the shadows.

Agences de presses

Labels: another, Chelsea, Everton, MirrorFootballcouk, rocked, shock, shootout

{
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Agences de presses

Labels: champions, Chelsea, disaster, Frank, Itaposs, Lampard, league, Metro, Spurs

{ • Tottenham manager weighs up transfer gains and losses
• 'We have not had goals from our front players this year'

Mike McGrath guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1 February 2011 22.29 GMT Harry Redknapp was at a loss to explain a move for Blackpool's Charlie Adam with only 20 minutes of the window left open. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/EPA

Harry Redknapp fears that Tottenham Hotspur's chances of Champions League qualification are under threat after missed opportunities in the transfer market.

The Spurs manager made it clear he did not wish to criticise his chairman, Daniel Levy, yet would not disagree with the Everton manager, David Moyes, who described a £500,000 bid for Phil Neville as "insulting". "It was a pretty low offer for a good player," Redknapp said. "I couldn't argue with David on it."

Redknapp was also at a loss to explain why a move for the Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam came with 20 minutes of the window left open. "I don't know. Pass," the manager said. "At 10.40pm I'm ready to go to the hotel back to bed, suddenly we're going to sign Charlie Adam and I thought: 'We haven't got a lot of time here.' And we ran out of time."

Redknapp snapped up Rafael van der Vaart on deadline day of the first window of this season. But this time around he was watching rolling news on television while one of his previous targets, Andy Carroll, moved to Liverpool. "It was funny watching it on Sky, Newcastle were pushing the price up by the minute and they were probably doing cartwheels in the boardroom," Redknapp said.

The arrival of Carroll and Luis Suárez at Liverpool means Redknapp expects them to be a direct threat for a Champions League place, while Chelsea are now title contenders again after signing Fernando Torres and David Luiz. "At the start of the month, before the window, I felt the championship was up for grabs," Redknapp said. "It's going to get harder because the other teams are looking stronger with the strength of their squads.

"People were talking about Chelsea dropping out of the top four but by signing Fernando Torres Roman Abramovich has said: 'I don't think so.' I can see them being close to winning the league. Liverpool are still contenders for a top-four spot. Andy Carroll is a talent. He is a big, powerful centre-forward who could be a great hit at that club."

Redknapp was thought to be undecided on some of his targets, such as the Holland midfielder Mark van Bommel, and £140,000-a-week wages for Diego Forlán prevented him from recruiting the Uruguay striker. Signing a forward was a high priority after six league goals from Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko this season but Spurs missed out on Carroll, Forlán, Giuseppe Rossi and Sergio Agüero.

"I think if we found the right player we would have done something," Redknapp said. "I don't know what offers we made for these players. We have not had goals from our front players this year. It has been a problem."

There are problems in defence, too, for Redknapp and he confirmed that Ledley King requires surgery to cure his groin injury. Younes Kaboul will also need an operation following knee problems. Michael Dawson is suspended for tonight's trip to Blackburn, so Jonathan Woodgate could make his first appearance for 14 months after his groin injury. "He will be involved somewhere but I have it in my mind to throw him in at the deep end," Redknapp said. "He could start."

Redknapp admitted that Bongani Khumalo, one of two pieces of business Spurs managed in January, was not ready to play in the Premier League after his move from the South African team Supersport United. "Adapting? It's not adapting, it's whether you're good enough," Redknapp said. "He wants to be a player. He is a young kid really with loads to learn but he wants to learn and has the raw talent."

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, fears, Guardian, Harry, Liverpool, Redknapp, reinforced, topfour

{ Torres has ruined team's rhythm and the solution is the one thing the manager does not have: time

The moral of Chelsea's season might end up being "be careful what you wish for". Their owner, Roman Abramovich, spent £75m on Fernando Torres and David Luiz during the January transfer window to re-energise their flagging campaign but the result has been the polar opposite.

The sums never seem to add up at Chelsea, who announced a loss of £71m on the same day they spent even more again on two new recruits. The profit and loss margin since that day makes just as uncomfortable reading as the recent set of club accounts – two games, one point, no goals.

Those who enjoy a dash of schadenfreude with their football will no doubt be taking great delight at the sight of Torres struggling for a goal in a Chelsea shirt. The great Spaniard seemingly had forgotten the skill of bringing the ball under control against Fulham on Monday night, as four chances to break his duck for his new club went begging. However, it was not just Torres who looked a little lost on a chilly night by the Thames. The rest of the Chelsea side were laboured and off-key, as if the arrival of Torres and the defender Luiz had destabilised the team, rather than strengthened it.

Their fledgling recovery following the worst run in form for more than a decade has been blown off course by the intervention of Abramovich. Before Torres joined, Chelsea had won four and drawn one of their previous five games; since he arrived they have lost one and drawn one.

Ancelotti has tinkered with his formation in an attempt to accommodate Torres but it has not so far worked. He did not dare to change tactics when Chelsea were going through their "bad moment" in the build-up to Christmas, having been talked out of making alterations to the system by the players. But he has done just that to squeeze in Torres, and the goals have dried up as a consequence.

What Ancelotti needs is time; time to work in training on building up an understanding between Torres and the other strikers; time to settle on a formation that will work, and then putting in the hours in training to make it happen instinctively; time for the other players to become accustomed to how Torres likes to receive the ball; time for the back four, and the midfield, to adjust to the arrival of Luiz and his tendency to dribble from the heart of the defence.

However, time is something Ancelotti does not have, and it is something not even Abramovich can buy. Chelsea are finding out the hard way why so many clubs do not like buying players in January, because it can cause damage in the short term. Bring in new faces in the summer and you have weeks to make the necessary alterations to tactics; do it in the winter, and you only have a few days to make a few hasty adjustments.

Torres is simply too good a player, and Ancelotti too good a manager, for the whole thing not to work, sooner or later. The danger is that Chelsea could slip so far behind Tottenham in the race for fourth place that instead of contesting the Champions League next season, they could be looking at the Europa League.

The recent dropped points to Liverpool and Fulham have left Chelsea in fifth, two points behind Spurs. That could be about to get much worse, however, as the fixtures are starting to conspire against Ancelotti. Should Chelsea beat Everton in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Saturday, they will have to move their upcoming home game against Manchester United to later in the season to accommodate their fifth-round tie with Reading. That would mean their next league game would be the trip to Blackpool on 7 March, by which time they could have fallen eight points behind Tottenham, should Harry Redknapp's side win their games at Blackpool and Wolverhampton.

Chelsea would have games in hand, but the pressure would be immense on them to win them. Ancelotti said on Monday night he is confident Chelsea will finish in fourth place, despite their recent hiccups. The arrivals of Torres and Luiz have certainly increased the options open to Ancelotti. However, it could be argued he is now spoilt for choice, and the pressure is mounting on whether he can find a solution in time to save Chelsea's season.

Upsetting the applecart?

Before Torres:

9 January Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich

15 January Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn

24 January Bolton 0-4 Chelsea

29 January Everton 1-1 Chelsea

1 February Sunderland 2-4 Chelsea

P5, W4, D1, F18, A3

With Torres:

6 February Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool

14 February Fulham 0-0 Chelsea

P2, W0, D1, F0, A1

Agences de presses

Labels: Ancelottiaposs, Chelsea, choice, Independent, spoilt, Suddenly, upset

{ ANALYSIS
By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

As the weeks roll by, expectations at Chelsea recede. From nailed-on Premier League champions in the autumn to title hopefuls in the winter to mere fourth place aspirants before we have even turned off our central heating.

The descent of Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the last three months has been remarkable, and prolonged enough to put the future of the manager and the club’s most celebrated players in doubt.

The mainstays of the team for the past seven seasons have been given notice they are no longer ‘untouchable’, to borrow one of Jose Mourinho’s best soundbites.

Didier Drogba was the fall guy against Fulham on Monday night to accommodate new £50 million man Fernando Torres up front; John Terry has been told that he might have to prepare for a future of rotation to ease the pain on his creaking body; Michael Essien and Frank Lampard have suffered severe dips in form and fitness this season.

Only Ashley Cole and Petr Cech of Mourinho’s original nine ‘untouchables’ (the other three – Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack and Claude Makelele – are no longer at the club) are operating at anything like full throttle as the Champions League knockout stages begin and the domestic competitions enter the home straight.

The question for Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich is whether Ancelotti is the man to break up the cartel of elite players who have dominated the club for so long. Can he establish a dynasty rather than simply maintain one?

Ancelotti can always point to the magnificent league and FA Cup double in his first season in England as proof of his ability to get the best out of a group of players at his disposal.

But as one Chelsea source pointed out to Goal.com UK, he was completing a task initiated by interim boss Guus Hiddink following the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari the previous season.

“When Scolari was sacked, Guus quickly rebuilt the whole thing over there,” the source said. “Ancelotti has taken advantage of that but it was always short term. Ancelotti is a really nice man but Guus works harder than he does.

Feeling blue | Drogba's future is in doubt after he was dropped for Fulham game

“Guus rebuilt the team and Ancelotti didn’t change it last year, so they went on being successful. But the natural life of that team has ended and if you don’t put anything else in, the team stops improving and everything falls down.”

There were strong rumours in late December that Abramovich’s finger was hovering over the trigger and that Ancelotti would have been sacked had Chelsea lost to Bolton Wanderers after failing to win their previous six league games.

But the former AC Milan manager, a popular figure in the dressing room, with the club's backroom staff and among the media, dodged the bullet and insiders say his position will now be reviewed at the end of the season.

Securing the fourth Champions League spot – worth £40m to the club in terms of broadcasting, sponsorship and match-day revenue – might not be enough.

“There were strong rumours that Abramovich's finger was hovering over the trigger in December, but insiders now say that Ancelotti's future will be reviewed at the end of the season”

It is believed that Abramovich and his coterie of advisers need to be convinced that Ancelotti is the man to rebuild Roman’s empire.

The squad has already been radically shaken up by the £71m combined outlay on Torres and David Luiz last month and more changes are anticipated in the summer.

Europe’s elite clubs have been put on alert about the potential availability of Drogba, who turns 33 next month, in the summer.

The Ivorian continued playing despite contracting malaria earlier in the season - an illness that prompted a drop in Kolo Toure’s standards two years ago and his subsequent departure from Arsenal - but there is still likely to be a stampede, led by his former club Marseille, to Chelsea’s door to secure his services for one final swansong.

The long-term futures of Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda, both now in their 30s, are also in doubt, which explains why Chelsea have been monitoring Anderlecht’s 17-year-old Drogba-esque striker Romelu Lukaku so closely in recent months. Even Essien, a titan of the Abramovich era, suddenly looks vulnerable.

There are question marks within the club about Ancelotti’s willingness and ability to overhaul the team.

Although he quickly abandoned the 4-3-1-2 formation that had failed against Liverpool and reverted back to the Mourinho 4-3-3 prototype last night against Fulham by dropping Drobga, there is a feeling that he is afraid of upsetting the strong personalities that have dominated the dressing room for so long.

A priority will be establishing a system that brings the best out of Torres. One theory is that Chelsea need a deep-lying playmaker in the Xabi Alonso mould to get the best out of the Spaniard’s ability to cause havoc in the space behind and between the centre-backs.

Essien, Ramires and Jon Obi Mikel are not that player, nor even is Lampard, so sorely missed during his absence but whose potency comes from his ability at making late, surging runs from midfield to get on the end of passes and loose balls on the edge of the penalty area.

Luiz looks like a Rolls-Royce of a centre-back and, although he foolishly conceded the penalty in added time that was subsequently saved by Cech on Monday, the defence could conceivably be built around the gifted Brazilian over the next five years.

The next three months will give Ancelotti the opportunity to prove that he can make the tough decisions necessary to usher in the new era of dominance that Abramovich demands.

Agences de presses

Labels: Ancelotti, Carlo, Chelsea, Getty, Goalcom, images

{ Fernando Torres lasted 66 minutes on his Chelsea debut with his new employers losing 1-0 to his former club Liverpool. Photograph: Sportsphoto/Richard Sellers

Fernando Torres says Liverpool caught Chelsea by surprise on his debut yesterday but remains confident that his new employers will have a say in the Premier League title race.

The £50m striker's much-hyped first appearance for Chelsea failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge and he was replaced after 66 minutes as Liverpool went on to win 1-0 through a goal from Raul Meireles.

"It was very difficult, Liverpool played a good game, with three at the back. We were not expecting that and maybe they took advantage," Torres told Chelsea TV.

"I think the fair result was the draw, it was unfair to lose that game, but now we are looking forwards to the next game and will keep fighting until the end. There are a lot of points still to play [for]."

After yesterday's disappointment Torres preferred to look on the positive welcome he received from the Stamford Bridge faithful.

"Obviously everyone wants to win, especially if it is their first game at home, but I will still have very good memories about my reception here and want to thank all of the Chelsea fans for that nice reception," he said.

"The result was not the best, but we have to keep going and fighting until the end."

Agences de presses

Labels: championship, Chelsea, Fernando, Guardian, hopeful, still, Torres

{ Fernando Torres remains upbeat despite being given a bloody nose by his old team-mates on his Chelsea debut. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Fernando Torres has reacted defiantly after a "difficult" debut for Chelsea by insisting the champions will learn to flourish within Carlo Ancelotti's preferred diamond formation and will continue to fight to retain their Premier League title.

The striker has joined the Spain squad ahead of their friendly against Colombia on Wednesday having hardly adjusted to life as a Chelsea player following his £50m move on transfer deadline day. His disjointed performance and 66th-minute substitution in the defeat to his former club Liverpool on Sunday provided a dispiriting start to his career in London, though Torres believes he will prosper alongside the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka within the champions' ranks.

Ancelotti has indicated he will persevere at Fulham next Monday with the slightly rejigged diamond formation that had struggled to break down a stubborn Liverpool side. Asked whether the system can prove successful, Torres said: "Yes, I think so. As Carlo has said, when you have good players you have to try and keep the balance, keep working on the system.

"There are a lot of good players here and a lot of possibilities and chances to play. There are still a lot of games to come and we have to be ready to play in different positions. All that matters is the team.

"It was a very difficult [debut] because Liverpool played a good game, with three at the back. We were not expecting that and maybe they took advantage of that. We didn't create enough chances to score, but we had two or three controversial chances at the end when maybe we could have had a penalty. I think the fair result would have been the draw – it was unfair to lose that game – but now we are looking forward to the next game and will keep fighting until the end. There are a lot of points still to play [for]."

Defeat represented a missed opportunity for Chelsea, who continue to languish some 10 points behind the leaders, Manchester United, despite Sir Alex Ferguson's side suffering their first defeat of the campaign on Saturday. Yet, even with 13 games remaining, Chelsea retain hope of clawing their way back into the title race with two games against United still to come. Torres will need to be at his best for those contests and his former team-mate Jamie Carragher, so accomplished in snuffing out the Spaniard's threat on Sunday, is convinced the forward will prove his worth in a Chelsea shirt.

"I don't think any of the players had a problem with him," said Carragher. "He was a great player for us, and scored lots of goals. In our opinion we had the best striker in the world. Unfortunately these things happen in football, and we now have to focus on the players that have come. You wish him well. I've played against him in training many times, and he's a fantastic player. He and Drogba are probably two of the best strikers in the world, and I'm sure Fernando will be a fantastic signing for Chelsea. No doubt about that. Good luck to him."

The Liverpool goalkeeper José Reina said it had been "tough" to see his friend Torres depart but added: "Football is like that, as players we come and go. You have to understand his decision; he felt it was a good opportunity to continue developing. The club has to look forward and forget Fernando. He is not here any more and we can't do anything but wish him a lot of luck."

Addressing the fans' anger towards Torres, Reina said: "It's logical that people don't understand it but I think they have to make an effort and remember what he did for the club during these past three and a half years. He scored a lot of goals, he provided many entertaining afternoons of football and that is what we have to remember, the smile that he put on people's faces in many matches."

Torres returned to Madrid to link up with the national team fit and ready to play against Colombia and hoping to find form with which to make his mark at Craven Cottage next week. "I am fine," he said. "I have had no injuries this season at all. I keep working on my form and keep improving and hopefully all the injuries are gone.

"I have to forget that and think I can play every game for 90 minutes. But it is important to be there with Spain. We are world champions so I will enjoy these three days, but I will be ready to come back as soon as possible to London to keep training and meeting all the people."

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, confident, diamond, Fernando, formation, Guardian, sparkle, Torres

Liverpool produced a stunning defensive display to record only their second victory in seven years at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a Raul Merieles strike midway through the second half.

The Reds were dogged and determined- they were certainly not going to let Fernando Torres steal all the limelight- Jamie Carrager made sure of that. There performance was epitomised when the striker was substituted on 69 minutes.

Moments later Merieles who is on a great run himself scored with a strike from close range giving Dalglish's men an unlikely victory.

This match was eagerly anticipated with all the focus on one man in particular. Torres started for the Blues after his £50 million English transfer record breaking move from Liverpool.

The Spaniard had perhaps burnt bridges with Liverpool fans after announcing he had moved to a bigger club but promised that he would not celebrate if he scored maybe as a way of appeasing his former fans- but they would not have to worry about it.

Chelsea made their intentions very clear from the beginning with a very attacking line up that would make any defence quiver but in a strikeforce that promised so much it produced so very little.

Didier Drogba, Torres and Nicholas Anelka failed to force Pepe Reina into any real save of note the whole game but it was largely thanks to the back three of Martin Skrtel, Carragher and Daniel Agger.

Luis Suarez who came on and scored on his debut for the Reds against Stoke City ¬had to remain content with starting on the bench as Dalglish kept faith with his winning formula which has seen Liverpool creep up the table into seventh with three consecutive wins and clean sheets to boost entering this game.

But if history was anything to go by, a Reds victory at Stamford Bridge seemed unlikely with only one win since 2004.

Inevitably the first chance fell to Torres.

Maxi Rodriguez clearly had not heard the news that he had moved to Stamford Bridge as he slipped a pass into the former team mates path.

However the finish from the World Cup winner uncharacteristically lacked composure but it was an early scare for the visitors.

If this was an indicator that chances in this match were going to come thick and fast the next twenty minutes put pay to that notion.

Liverpool were happy to contain Chelsea and counter attack when possible if Dirk Kuyt’s pass had been more accurate into Raul Meireles the away side might have created their first real opportunity.

Torres was struggling to find any joy through the middle and drifted out onto the wing where Daniel Agger unceremoniously blocked his run- much to the delight of the travelling away support- and gave away a free kick in a dangerous position.

But nothing could be made of the chance which epitomised the opening half hour.

The game was screaming out for a goal and it nearly came through Torres after Drogba threaded a lovely through ball to him- it was first time the Blues had managed to penetrate the Reds defence but Jamie Carragher was there to put an excellent block in.

Liverpool should have been ahead moments later as the game suddenly sparked into the life.

Perhaps it was fortuitous that the ball kindly fell to Steven Gerrard in the box but the captain took advantage of the good fortune and drilled a low ball across goal; Rodriguez will still be wondering how he managed to hit the bar from a few yards out with the goal gaping.

The first half was brought to a close but not before Branislav Ivanovic and Petr Cech displayed the kind of tension which was surging through the game.

A lovely cross by Martin Kelly on the right caused confusion between the pair as they went for the same ball resulting in the defender and goal keeper squaring up to each other in a heated debate.

After the interval Chelsea had a flurry of half chances as they tried to find that elusive opener. Anelka had a couple of pot shots at goal and a Ivanovic header failed to test Reina.

The visitors looked reasonably comfortable as the Blues struggled to create any clear cut opportunities. Torres’s face cut a frustrated figure as he was marshalled out of the game by Carragher who was outstanding at the back for Liverpool.

It signalled the end for Torres who was replaced by Salomon Kalou on 65 minutes.

Anelka sitting slightly deeper found some space and his twenty yard shot was fired agonisingly wide but it told the story of the match for the Blues having failed to register a shot in target in 67 minutes of play.

And inevitably they were made to pay as Liverpool took the lead on 69 minutes. Gerrard ran down the wing and put in a brilliant cross which again caused confusion in the Chelsea box and Meireles was on hand to fire home from close range grabbing his fourth goal in five games.

Torres off and a goal behind it was not an image  many had envisioned before the game.

Florent Malouda nearly found a equaliser moments later but he was foiled by Reina who was forced into his first real save of the match.

Liverpool looked threatening on the counter attack and with 10 minutes to go they nearly doubled their lead.

Substitute Fabio Aurelio orchestrated some space in the Chelsea box he jinked onto right foot and fired a powerful shot at Cech but the Blues shot stopper was on hand to make the save.

A Frank Lampard strike with just a few minutes to go summed up Chelsea's day as he blazed high and wide leaving Stamford Bridge disappointed and subdued.

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Agences de presses

Labels: Blues, Chelsea, Crucial, Debut, defeat, Disappointing, Fernando, Goalcom, Hands, Liverpool, Makes, Meireles, strike, Torres

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Barracked by his former fans and wasteful in front of goal, new Chelsea striker Fernando Torres endured a forgettable debut on Sunday as his old club Liverpool had the last laugh with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

An Anfield hero until six days ago when he moved south for a reported 50 million pounds, Torres was still loosening his boots after being substituted when Raul Meireles scored to earn the visitors a Premier League victory they welcomed like a European Cup final win.

It was not so much the fact that Spain striker Torres dared to leave Liverpool that so incensed the fans, but his subsequent explanation of his reasons, the most incendiary being the claim that he wanted to move to a big club to win trophies.

That helped produce a cup-tie atmosphere in west London and the travelling fans were not about to let Torres off lightly.

One held up a hastily-scrawled banner reading: “18 titles, five European Cups—is Chelsea a bigger club?”, while another threw a Liverpool number nine shirt bearing his name - formerly the Premier League’s top seller - on to the pitch.

Monday’s headlines might have been very different had he taken a good opportunity presented by a wayward Maxi Rodriguez pass 90 seconds into the match but he blazed high and wide - to an explosion of red derision.

After 31 minutes Torres was through again but this time his shot was blocked by an inspired Jamie Carragher in his first game since dislocating his shoulder in November.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti paired Torres and Didier Drogba up front, with Nicolas Anelka just behind them, but the trio were kept at bay by Liverpool’s three centre backs.

Torres was the one to make way after 66 minutes, replaced by Salomon Kalou to ironic cheers from the visitors.

Manager Kenny Dalglish, who has overseen the club’s rise from 12th to sixth in the standings in a few short weeks, refused to be drawn on the performance of his departed striker.

“The most important people are those who are at this club, it always has been that way and they are the only ones I’m interested in,” he told reporters.

Dalglish said Torres’s comments had had absolutely no role in motivating him or his players.

“I’m not going to talk about another club’s players or speculate about where we might finish in the league - we will not look beyond the next game,” he said.

Ancelotti said he was hugely disappointed to have blown the chance of closing the gap on Manchester United after the leaders lost to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

He was not about to blame Torres, however, or his decision to play all three of his forwards, for the defeat that left the champions still 10 points behind and in fourth place.

“He did a good job; playing the three forwards was not the problem,” he said. “Liverpool defended very well with three centre backs and we didn’t have the right solution to attack them. But that was because we were slow from the back.

“Torres was very enthusiastic, very confident and excited but he’s had a very busy week so it was right to take him off.”

Ancelotti said he would stick with using all three forwards against Fulham in their next game. “They have fantastic quality and the shape was good today,” he said.

“We have to give him time to adjust and he’ll do it.” (Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, exalt, Liverpool, Reuters, target, Torres

{ Liverpool's Carragher (right) blocks a shot from former team-mate Torres
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Stamford Bridge

Fernando Torres' Chelsea debut ended in the disappointment of defeat and a failure to last 90 minutes against his former club as Liverpool's revival under Kenny Dalglish continued with victory at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's £50m British record buy from Liverpool cut a subdued figure and was well shackled before being replaced by Salomon Kalou after 66 minutes.

If that was not enough to delight the Liverpool fans who taunted their former idol mercilessly and brandished banners to demonstrate their displeasure at the manner of his departure, their joy was complete three minutes after Torres' exit when Raul Meireles pounced to give Dalglish his fourth successive win.

Meireles took advantage of a mix-up between Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and Branislav Ivanovic to score his fourth goal in five games when he turned in Steven Gerrard's cross at the far post.

Chelsea's loss represented a missed opportunity after Manchester United slipped to their first league defeat of the season at Wolves, Ancelotti's side remaining 10 points behind the leaders. Liverpool, in contrast, move into the top six for the first time this season.

The win was no more than the rejuvenated Reds deserved - and it will have come as a relief to Maxi Rodriguez, who hit the bar when almost on the goalline in the first half.

Liverpool's resilience and organisation ensured it did not prove costly, but it was a forgettable start to Torres' Chelsea career and provided early evidence that coach Carlo Ancelotti has work to do to integrate the Spaniard into his attacking system, after also including Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in a lop-sided starting line-up.

Dalglish hails 'magnificent' Liverpool

The style in which Liverpool achieved this triumph only furthers Dalglish's claims to be given the manager's job on a permanent basis, and it is now surely only a matter of time before this formality is confirmed.

And it was done without the need for £23m striker Luis Suarez, who remained an unused substitute as Liverpool controlled affairs for a large portion of the game.

Chelsea looked unbalanced, lacked width and were eventually reduced to playing into Liverpool's hands with a succession of aimless long balls that were mopped up with the minimum of fuss, to the home fans' increasing frustration.

Anelka was utilised in a deeper role but it was an uncomfortable fit and Liverpool, boosted by an outstanding performance from Jamie Carragher on his first appearance since November after shoulder surgery, neutralised Chelsea comfortably.

The centre-back snuffed out Torres' best chance with a trademark tackle in the first half and he also fired over early on after being inadvertently found by Maxi.

Torres, loved by Liverpool's fans not so long ago, was greeted with hostility and one banner read: "He Who Betrays Will Always Walk Alone."

And he walked alone as he was taken off midway through the second half, although there will be much more to come from this gifted striker once he finds his feet at Stamford Bridge and Ancelotti uncovers a system that suits his talents.

While Dalglish kept Suarez on the bench, Chelsea had no hesitation in handing Torres an instant start against his former team-mates. The reception from the visiting supporters was predictably angry, but there were warm exchanges between Torres and Liverpool's players during the pre-match handshake.

Maxi almost extended the hand of friendship too far when he directed a wayward pass straight to Torres in the opening minute, but the striker squandered the opportunity of making a dream start when his rising drive flew off target.

There was soon another hint of his threat and it took a timely intervention from Carragher to divert his goalbound shot after he was played in by Drogba.

Liverpool were more than holding their own and ended the half in the ascendancy. They should have taken the lead just after the half-hour when Gerrard's cross evaded Chelsea's defenders and reached Maxi in front of an open goal less than six yards out. To general amazement, and the very obvious anguish of Dalglish in the technical area, he managed to hit the bar and hand Chelsea a reprieve.

The hosts were struggling to make an impact but Anelka raised a subdued Stamford Bridge's spirits with a low shot that flew inches wide before Torres' game came to a conclusion after 66 minutes when he was replaced by Kalou.

Torres' exit - a decision by Ancelotti that came as no surprise - was met with delight by Liverpool's fans and they had even more cause to celebrate when they went ahead soon after.

Chelsea keeper Cech and Ivanovic had already suffered one communication breakdown that led to angry words between the pair and the second proved more costly as Liverpool took full advantage.

Dirk Kuyt's presence in the vicinity of Gerrard's cross created uncertainty and Meireles was perfectly placed to score and continue his rich vein of form.

As Chelsea pressed Liverpool almost struck again with 10 minutes left, substitute Fabio Aurelio cutting inside from the left and forcing a fine save from Cech at his near post.

In contrast, Chelsea provided Liverpool with no real alarms and a beaming Dalglish punched the air in triumph and embraced his backroom staff at the final whistle.

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Barclays Premier League

Final Result Full Time 90:00+4:27 The referee signals the end of the game. 90:00+4:16 Nicolas Anelka delivers the ball. 90:00+2:40 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Leiva Lucas by John Terry. Jose Reina restarts play with the free kick. 90:00+1:59 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Salomon Kalou by Dirk Kuyt. Michael Essien takes the free kick. 90:00+0:47 The ball is crossed by Ashley Cole. 90:00+0:28 Fabio Aurelio sends in a cross. 87:19 The ball is swung over by Florent Malouda. 86:23 A cross is delivered by Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou produces a header from inside the area that goes over the bar. 84:41 Frank Lampard has a shot on goal from outside the area which misses right. 82:52 Substitution Christian Poulsen comes on in place of Raul Meireles. 82:32 The assistant referee signals for offside against Dirk Kuyt. Indirect free kick taken by Michael Essien. 81:58 The ball is crossed by Ashley Cole. 81:09 A cross is delivered by Fabio Aurelio. 80:53 Short corner worked by Fabio Aurelio. 80:24 Fabio Aurelio takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 80:03 A cross is delivered by Branislav Ivanovic. 78:47 Michael Essien challenges Raul Meireles unfairly and gives away a free kick. Daniel Agger takes the direct free kick. 78:00 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Steven Gerrard by Didier Drogba. Free kick taken by Jose Reina. 77:11 Dirk Kuyt challenges Marinho David Luiz unfairly and gives away a free kick. Marinho David Luiz restarts play with the free kick. 75:13 Raul Meireles is adjudged to have handled the ball. Didier Drogba crosses the ball from the free kick right-footed from right channel, Martin Skrtel manages to make a clearance. Correction - 74:08 The referee blows for offside. Jose Reina takes the free kick. Correction - 74:08 Substitution (Liverpool) makes a substitution, with Fabio Aurelio coming on for Rodriguez Maxi. 74:08 Didier Drogba is caught offside. Indirect free kick taken by Jose Reina. 74:08 Substitution Fabio Aurelio on for Rodriguez Maxi. 73:36 Raul Meireles takes a shot. Blocked by Marinho David Luiz. Leiva Lucas concedes a free kick for a foul on Salomon Kalou. Free kick taken by Marinho David Luiz. 73:36 Booking Leiva Lucas is given a yellow card. 72:14 Substitution Marinho David Luiz replaces Jose Bosingwa. 71:48 Florent Malouda takes a shot. Save by Jose Reina. 70:35 Substitution Florent Malouda replaces Mikel. 70:12 The ball is swung over by Jose Bosingwa, Jose Reina makes a save. 70:04 Centre by Ashley Cole. 68:28 The assist for the goal came from Steven Gerrard. 68:28 GOAL - Raul Meireles:Chelsea 0 - 1 Liverpool Goal scored by Raul Meireles from close in to the bottom left corner of the goal. Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool. 66:31 Michael Essien produces a left-footed shot from just outside the box that goes wide left of the goal. 65:03 Substitution Salomon Kalou is brought on as a substitute for Fernando Torres. 64:34 Nicolas Anelka has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box missing to the wide left of the goal. 62:01 The ball is swung over by Jose Bosingwa, Leiva Lucas makes a clearance. 61:18 The ball is sent over by Martin Skrtel. 58:32 Nicolas Anelka challenges Glen Johnson unfairly and gives away a free kick. Raul Meireles crosses the ball in from the free kick, Petr Cech makes a save. 57:17 Effort from outside the penalty box by Ashley Cole goes wide left of the target. 55:30 Raul Meireles concedes a free kick for a foul on Mikel. Direct free kick taken by Mikel. 54:26 Nicolas Anelka takes a shot. Leiva Lucas gets a block in. Corner taken right-footed by Frank Lampard from the right by-line, Branislav Ivanovic has a header from deep inside the six-yard box and clears the crossbar. 53:17 Didier Drogba takes a shot. Blocked by Martin Kelly. Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Didier Drogba from the left by-line to the near post, clearance by Jamie Carragher. 52:37 Glen Johnson has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box missing to the wide left of the goal. 52:29 The ball is crossed by Raul Meireles. 50:14 Free kick awarded for a foul by Steven Gerrard on Ashley Cole. Direct free kick taken by Petr Cech. 48:48 Branislav Ivanovic challenges Dirk Kuyt unfairly and gives away a free kick. Daniel Agger takes the free kick. 47:04 The ball is swung over by Martin Skrtel, John Terry manages to make a clearance. 46:51 The ball is sent over by Martin Skrtel, John Terry makes a clearance. 45:01 The match restarts for the second half. Half Time 45:00+1:07 The players leave the pitch at half time. 45:00+0:08 The ball is delivered by Martin Skrtel, Petr Cech makes a save. 43:47 The ball is sent over by Rodriguez Maxi. 42:50 Leiva Lucas gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Michael Essien. Direct free kick taken by Didier Drogba. 42:12 Steven Gerrard crosses the ball, John Terry makes a clearance. 40:28 A cross is delivered by Michael Essien, Daniel Agger makes a clearance. 39:24 The ball is delivered by Rodriguez Maxi. 37:48 Dirk Kuyt concedes a free kick for a foul on John Terry. Free kick taken by John Terry. 36:43 The ball is sent over by Steven Gerrard, save made by Petr Cech. 34:28 Didier Drogba takes the outswinging corner, Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Branislav Ivanovic misses to the left of the goal. 34:21 The ball is delivered by Jose Bosingwa, Leiva Lucas makes a clearance. Correction - 32:32 Rodriguez Maxi takes a shot. 32:19 Shot from 6 yards by Steven Gerrard. Rodriguez Maxi takes a shot. 31:49 Free kick awarded for a foul by Didier Drogba on Martin Skrtel. Free kick taken by Martin Skrtel. 31:17 Raul Meireles takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 30:27 Fernando Torres takes a shot. Jamie Carragher gets a block in. 28:51 Corner taken right-footed by Steven Gerrard from the left by-line to the near post, Didier Drogba makes a clearance. 28:38 Steven Gerrard produces a cross, clearance made by Mikel. 26:43 Corner taken by Frank Lampard from the left by-line, Header from close range by Branislav Ivanovic misses to the right of the goal. 25:29 Foul by Daniel Agger on Fernando Torres, free kick awarded. Didier Drogba delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from right wing, Leiva Lucas manages to make a clearance. 21:24 The ball is crossed by Ashley Cole, clearance made by Daniel Agger. 20:26 Dirk Kuyt fouled by Branislav Ivanovic, the ref awards a free kick. Daniel Agger takes the free kick. 18:24 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Raul Meireles played to the near post, clearance made by Didier Drogba. 17:54 A cross is delivered by Jamie Carragher, Branislav Ivanovic gets a block in. 16:33 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Ashley Cole by Martin Kelly. Petr Cech takes the direct free kick. 15:27 Didier Drogba takes a shot. 14:07 The referee blows for offside. Branislav Ivanovic restarts play with the free kick. 12:07 The assistant referee signals for offside against Fernando Torres. Free kick taken by Jose Reina. 7:51 Handball by Ashley Cole. Jose Reina takes the direct free kick. 5:23 The ball is delivered by Martin Kelly, John Terry makes a clearance. 4:21 Foul by Didier Drogba on Jamie Carragher, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Jamie Carragher. 3:52 Glen Johnson sends in a cross. 2:09 Nicolas Anelka is caught offside. Daniel Agger takes the indirect free kick. 1:30 Effort on goal by Fernando Torres from just inside the penalty box goes harmlessly over the target. 0:32 Steven Gerrard fouled by Mikel, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Raul Meireles. 0:32 Booking The referee books Mikel for unsporting behaviour. 0:00 The ref blows the whistle to begin the match. Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, Liverpool, Sport

{ Fernando Torres of Chelsea challenges Martin Skrtel of Liverpool. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Peep!!! Chelsea start half No2. "At least you found your bottle at half-time, be interesting to see if most of the Chelsea side can match your efforts ..." writes Iain Paterson.

The half-time match stats make ugly reading, but they some things up fairly well.

Half-time email dept.

"John, I'm concerned - you do know that plastic degrades?" begins Amir Adhamy. "Three years is an awful long time to be using the same water bottle. I wouldn't want you consume micro-globules or decaying polymer or particles of sub-atomic plastics, such a thing would surely undo the benefits of your drinking 1.5 litre minimum of water daily. I just want the best for you." Don't worry it's some sort of metal.

"Had no idea that Luxembergo had invented one of the key precepts of scientology," notes Matt Loren. "As I understand it, the sci-fi swallowing nutters understand the 'Magic Triangle'* to be the balance between 'Understanding', 'Communication' and their application to 'Reality'. Frankly, that sounds a good way to run a football team."

*PLEASE NOTE: Not all magic shapes were invented by Vanderlei Luxemburgo

Oh, hang on. It's on the side over there.

It's gone! The water bottle is gone! To the perpetrator of this heinous crime, listen and understand. I can't be bargained with. I can't be reasoned with. I don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And I absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

Peep! Marriner brings a close to a largely underwhelming half of football.

45 min: Cech and Ivanovic scream at each other furiously after some mis-communication almost sees the ball squirt away from the keeper.

44 min: I can't really concentrate on the footy as I fear I may have left my water bottle of three years in the toilet. Half-time can't come soon enough.

43 min: "That Rodriguez effort has got to be one of the worst misses in football since Danielle Lloyd," writes @BillChilton on Twitter. Ba-dum tish! Chelsea waste another decent set-piece opportunity, Drogba offering Lampard a nightmare of a pass.

41 min: Gerrard, Agger, Johnson, Maxi, Gerrard, Johnson … and headed clear by Terry. To be honest, Liverpool have probably put together the more cohesive attacks thus far.

40 min: Having done well to mug Maxi for the ball, Anelka and Essien again contrive to ruin a perfectly good attacking opportunity.

38 min: The anonymous Anelka allows another pass to go astray. Seconds later Essien has his pocket picked by Gerrard. Those two have been very poor for Chelsea thus far.

36 min: Both keepers are punting more often than a river-loving Oxbridge student. And, like the loan of said student, it's not paid off yet.

35 min: … again Ivanovic gets his head to it, again it's wide. Agger doing enough to deny the Serbian a clear header. "When Roderick Stewart was talking about using technology to police the powerplay, I hope he was thinking of cattle prods," writes James Galloway.

34 min: Bosingwa scurries down the right to win a corner. This has really picked up in the last few minutes …

32 min: IS THIS THE MISS OF THE SEASON? THE DECADE? THE CENTURY? No, but it's a bad 'un. Gerrard drills the ball across goal and Maxi is clear, two yards out, Cech nowhere, the goal gaping. He sidefoots … against the bar. What a let-off that was, and what a miss.

31 min: Torres raises pulses by grabbing a yard of space inside the box. Carragher makes a fine block on his erstwhile colleague. Again it was the result of a Liverpool error, Lucas losing out to Drogba in midfield.

29 min: … scrambled by Chelsea. And then again. And then a Chelsea break fizzles out. It's not going out on a limb to say this has been pretty dire so far.

28 min: "Since formations seem to be so important," writes Roderick Stewart, "why don't FIFA take a leaf out of the cricket book and introduce a Powerplay, where both teams have to play 2-3-5 for the last 15 minutes of each half? They could use technology to police it." Essien slips and Liverpool break. Gerrard gets to the byline and wins a corner …

27 min: … and flicked wide by Ivanovic. Decent effort that.

26 min: … glanced away by Lucas for a Chelsea corner …

25 min: Torres's jugular has an unexpected meeting with Daniel Agger's forearm. Dangerous free-kick this …

24 min: Cech looks long for Drogba, Carragher tidies up nicely. Reina follows suit looking for Kuyt, but it's straight through to his opposite number.

23 min: Skrtel returns to the fray and seems to be moving freely enough. Kyrgiakos stops jogging up and down the touchline and retakes his seat on the bench.

22 min: "Re: Luxembergo's The Magic Rectangle," begins Philip Podolsky. "On the one occasion that formation came against a proper opposition, it saw Real's back four isolated and exposed against the formidable attacking tridente of Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi, ending with R10 giving the performance of his life and Luxo getting the sack a couple of games later. Just saying."

21 min: Cole is picked out beautifully by Lampard and Skrtel does well to prod the left-back's cross away. The defender looks like he may have strained a thigh muscle in doing so, however.

20 min: Torres is crowded out by four defenders as he attempts to spin himself some space in the area. Twenty minutes gone, and we've only had the one shot at goal thus far.

19 min: … cleared as far as Kelly and overhit through to Cech by Glen Johnson. Still, it's fairly even, which, when you think of the state Liverpool were in not all that long ago, is sign of progress for the Reds.

18 min: Shocking pass from Cole goes straight to Carragher and he puts Kuyt away down the right. Cross cleared for a corner …

16 min: Sheesh! Another close shave of Liverpool's own making. Skrtel dillies and dallies, dallies and dillies on the edge of his own area and almost gets his pocket pinched by the onrushing Anelka.

15 min: Drogba finds a soupçon of space 30 yards out. Lampard breaks beyond him but the Ivorian can only larrups his shot into his team-mate.

13 min: Reina hoofs a clearance out of play for a Chelsea throw on the edge of their own area. Liverpool looking to be pretty direct so far.

12 min: Johnson tries to surge inside from the left-flank, but Chelsea have plenty of bodies back. And at the other end Torres is caught offside.

10 min: Here's @honigstein on Twitter: "Very interested to see Liverpool play with three at the back. last team I saw doing that were Bayern under Klinsmann. quickly abandoned. Lahm said "three at the back always ends up at five at the back" at the time." Anelka, in the trequartista role, rumbles forward but the attack quickly peters out.

9 min: Scrappy, shapeless stuff so far. Neither side are even close to settling.

8 min: " Didn't Luxembergo at Real Madrid pioneer a 4-2-2-2 formation that was nicknamed The Magic Rectangle?" notes Ryan Dunne. "Now that would be an Indy-worthy artefact." Or possibly Harry Potter-worthy. Poor header from Mikel, but Kelly clumps his high ball over Kuyt's head and through to Cech.

6 min: A few whistles and jeers from the away end as Torres gets on the ball, but it's hardly a deafening wall of noise. Diouf's reception at Ibrox from Celtic fans much more vitriolic.

4 min: "Hey! That picture of Carragher looks like one of those pig guards at Jabba's palace in Star Wars," notes James Galloway. "Hmmm. Who does that make Jabba? And is fresh-faced Fernando Luke Skywalker? I for one would not like to see John Terry in a princess Leia-style bikini." There's a lot going on there, but I'm sure we can all agreee with the last point.

3 min: Gerrard tries to get Johnson clear down the left, but Ivanovic shuts the door. And the Liverpool wing back then lumps a cross miles over the top of the players in the box.

2 min: Horrible pass from Maxi hands the ball to Torres 50 yards from goal. He moves forward threateningly, but can only skew his shot well over the bar. What a start that would've been.

1 min: Quick feet from Gerrard draws a challenge 30 seconds in, and Mikel heads into the referee's book. Andre Marriner carefully carves a rod and places it firmly on his own back. Nothing comes from the set piece.

Peep! The visitors, kicking from left to right, get things underway.

ADVERTS, ADVERTS, ADVERTS … Buy a car, go and see some terrible film with Pegg and that other bloke, buy some expensive electronic equipment that you don't really need, buy a Ben Affleck DVD from Asda, change your home insurance, buy another car, do some banking …

Click-clack, click-clack … John Terry and Steven Gerrard lead out their sides at Stamford Bridge. Torres, having warmly greeted some of his old team-mates in the tunnel, is among the last out.

And talking of tactics is the Ancelotti Diamond going to be met with the Dalglish Pear? The Liverpool manager played a kind of 3-4-2-1 in midweek. (Can't really see Indy charging round Italy looking for the Dalglish Pear. Possibly eating one, I suppose.)

Jamie Redknapp has just agreed with himself on Sky. "Torres's effort has been 'diabolical' at times, according to you," says David Jones. "Well, yes, I agree …" begins Redknapp.

Pre-match email dept. "Strictly speaking those thirty articles were not talking either, unless they had a built-in read aloud widget (there's probably an app for that)," writes Robin Hazlehurst. "So it is more that the time for word-based metaphorical talking is over and for non-word-based metaphorical talking to start. Or literally talking and literally talking if you mean it in the literally football-pundit-based sense of the word. Does that help?" Yes. And no.

"Does this Liverpool formation do anything but confirm the lack of thought that went in to signing Andy Carroll?" writes Luke Stevenson. "As they have absolutely no width to speak of, bar (ahem) Glen Johnson."

So does that mean a return to the Ancelotti diamond? With Anelka at the attacking tip? Ah, the Ancelotti diamond. Sounds like the sort of the thing young Indiana Jones might have been searching for in 1920s Tuscany.

The teams are in:

The Team With Torres: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Mikel; Essien, Lampard; Torres, Drogba, Anelka. Subs: Turnbull, Paulo Ferreira, David Luiz, McEachran, Sala, Malouda, Kalou.
The Team Without Torres: Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Kelly; Johnson, Gerrard, Lucas, Maxi; Meireles; Kuyt. Subs: Gulacsi, Aurelio, Suarez, Jovanovic, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Poulsen.

So Suárez isn't considered ready to start despite impressing in midweek. Torres, as expected, starts for the Team With Torres. Very, very interesting to see how those two line-ups dovetail.

Afternoon all. How big is this then? Yesterday's results mean Chelsea can see a sliver of hope in the title race once more. Victory for Liverpool and would the words "Champions League place" begin to imprint themselves on optimistic Liverpudlian minds? Chelsea have won three on the bounce, Liverpool likewise. These are two teams hitting their stride.

There's also the trifling side issue of Fernando Torres's Chelsea debut. What is there left to say about El Niño's £50m move to Stamford Bridge? We've had 30-odd pieces over the past week alone, which, it's probably safe to say, have covered most of the main issues. The time for talking is over – it's now time to let Torres do his talking on the pitch. Oh, hang on. Does that still count as talking? Hmm. Perhaps we should say the time for literal talking is over, but the time for metaphorical talking is about to begin. Literally. Or possibly metaphorically.

Personally I felt there was a lot to admire about Torres's comments post-move. It was brutally honest:

"The new owner, John Henry, has the right ambition to get things back to what they were, but they need time. Maybe they will need the time while I'm at my best age to play football. I explained my situation to them, my feelings, and was honest and face to face. But wWhen you have an opportunity to play for a team who have a chance of winning the Champions League and the Premier League, and you are the right age to do that and compete with the best, you can't say 'no'. To call me a 'traitor' makes no sense. I played three very good seasons there, and left them with massive money, scored lots of goals and put in good performances. I helped the sale process as well. But I have to think about my career, and this is a step forward."

Fair enough, that.

Agences de presses

Labels: Chelsea, Guardian, Liverpool