Wednesday 31 October 2012

Cops probe Mikel taunt



POLICE yesterday launched an -investigation into claims referee Mark Clattenburg called Chelsea's John Obi Mikel a "monkey".


Daily Star :: Football Feed
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CHELSEA TV EXCLUSIVE: PIAZON'S CONFIDENCE

Lucas Piazon has told the club's in-house channel that he believes we will beat Manchester United in the Capital One Cup this evening. Chelsea
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United pay penalty as Blues keep their cool

Daniel Sturridge and Ramires struck in extra time to send Chelsea into the quarter-finals.

Independent.ie - Soccer RSS Feed
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Paolo Di Canio's views...

. . . on Terry and Suarez

You cannot imagine John Terry or Luis Suarez to be racist. Otherwise they would not play with other black guys. You should speak to Ashley Cole. If Terry is racist, how can he play next to Ashley Cole who made a comment in his favour? To claim they are racist is too much.

Evening Standard - Football
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Atlético and Málaga with a foot in the last 16

Atlético took a step towards the last 16 of the Spanish Cup by beating Real Jaén (0-3) in the first leg of its game in the last 32. The game started off quite evenly but was turned on its head halfway through the first half when Atlético was awarded a penalty and Dani Torres was sent off. Leer


Spanish football // marca.com
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Arsenal 1-0 Queens Park Rangers | Premier League match report

A difficult week on and off the field for Arsène Wenger ended with some grudging cold comfort as Arsenal left it late to score a scrappy winner against a well-drilled and energetic Queen Park Rangers, Mikel Arteta prodding home from what looked, with the benefit of a replay, an offside position. In the process Wenger's team avoided a third scoring blank of the week, but still delivered a performance of notable entropy until a surge in the last 10m minutes, sparked by the sending off of Stéphane Mbia.

The encouraging midfield rhythms of early-season were almost entirely absent here. By the end Arsenal were even hanging on a little, Vito Mannone forced to save with his legs as Jamie Mackie beat three defenders and shot straight at the keeper.

"I'm very happy with the result," Wenger said. "We lost two big games and we were a bit jaded but we were serious and we moved the ball quite well. We needed to be patient against a QPR team that have quality, even though they are at the bottom. We were a bit lucky that they lost one player, it made it easier for us in the last 10 minutes."

The result leaves Rangers still clamped expensively to the bottom of the table and without a win. Mark Hughes may not, as the Arsenal support repeatedly insisted, find himself sacked in the morning, but he is a manager under gathering pressure, and here infuriated by a winning goal that left his team with nothing to show for a resilient performance.

"Arteta was offside twice," Hughes said. "He's offside on the initial header and then in the melee it comes back to him in an offside position and he scores. We've gone in and asked for an explanation and [referee Anthony Taylor] came up with some story about Ryan Nelsen playing everybody onside. I have no idea what he's going on about, but that's what you're up against. We've matched what they produced and prior to the sending off we looked most likely to win."

For Arsenal, fourth in the table now, there was also the encouragement of Jack Wilshere's return: a player charged with being, not just the future, but also the present in a midfield that has missed his snap and drive in recent weeks. Running out with a freshly clippered suede-head hairstyle on the day London's weather turned bitterly cold for the first time this season Wilshere's appearance was greeted with a genuinely affectionate cheer around a stadium that has of late been a place of fretful reflection. As Arsenal kicked off Wilshere's first touch – a familiar lithe, rolling, pigeon-toed pass out towards Lukas Podolski – was cause for the game's first concerted cheer. They started promisingly too, Olivier Giroud drawing a low save from Júlio César. Moments later Aaron Ramsey flicked a header on to the top of the bar.

Rangers were far from passive visitors as Hughes sent out a team of some attacking intent, with Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right of midfield and Junior Hoilett playing closest to Bobby Zamora in a 4-4‑1-1 formation.

Absorbing Arsenal's early thrusts, by midway through the first half the midfield pair of Esteban Granero and Samba Diakité were more than holding their own. As he had been against Norwich, Santi Cazorla was again surrounded here, the hulking Diakité shadowing him constantly in the first half. Giroud, linking with Podolski, produced a powerful skimming shot that César palmed away on 30 minutes, but by that stage it was the away fans producing a series of olés as Hoilett, Adel Taarabt and Granero took the chance to show that they, too, can keep the ball in tight areas.

Arsenal emerged with greater energy after the break and finally managed to disconcert César as Arteta's whipped free kick skimmed off the heads of Per Mertesacker and Zamora, drawing a clawing save from the Brazilian. With Rangers beginning to tire Theo Walcott and Gervinho – before he departed with an ankle injury – finally brought some drive to the flanks and Arsenal created the game's first clear-cut chance after 78 minutes. Walcott's cross struck Mbia on the back and fell to Cazorla unmarked and in space 10 yards out. He thrashed the bouncing ball horribly over the bar.

Then the match turned decisively Arsenal's way as Mbia was sent off, receiving a red card for a petulant kick at Thomas Vermaelen by the corner flag ("He deserved it," was Wenger's verdict). With Rangers now defending a very deep line Arsenal began to lay siege and the goal duly arrived on 83 minutes, Arteta poking home from a yard out after heading against the bar and then having the ball returned to him by Giroud. The scramble had been sparked by a fine cross from the right by Andrey Arshavin, another substitute. There were scenes not so much of jubilation as relief around the ground, repeated again as the referee blew full time on what has been a fraught week, albeit one spotted at the last with cautious note of hope.


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Roberto Di Matteo praises Chelsea for comeback win over Manchester United

Roberto Di Matteo praised Chelsea's character after their 5-4 triumph over Manchester United in the Capital One Cup. Football365 | Chelsea
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Lee Mason and his men come through Chelsea 5 Manchester United 4 unscathed: Graham Poll

The game went as smoothly as Lee Mason could have wanted and that is largely down to the exemplary attitude of both sets of players. Chelsea | Mail Online
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TEAM NEWS: Mikel & Mata start for Chelsea's Capital One Cup clash against Manchester United

Ferguson, Di Matteo

The two men at the centre of the Mark Clattenburg racism row are once again in the Blues' starting XI, while United make 10 changes to the team that was victorious on Sunday

Goal.com News - Chelsea FC
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Roberto Di Matteo enjoys Chelsea passion instead of 'the other stuff'

• Manager enjoys thrills of 5-4 win over Manchester United • Sir Alex Ferguson admits young defenders sufferedDavid Hytner Stamford BridgeRoberto Di Matteo watched his attacking stars inspire a 5-4 extra-time victory over Manchester United and he preferred to savour a second night of high-scoring league cup thrills rather than focus on "the other stuff" in football.The Chelsea manager did not need to spell out what he meant, in the wake of the league fixture against United on Sunday, when his team's controversial 3-2 home defeat was followed by the allegation that the referee Mark Clattenburg had racially abused Mikel John Obi. There had also... Chelsea News
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UNDER-19S TAKE POINT FROM THE NORTH

The Chelsea Under-19 side remained in contention for a place in the knockout stages of the NextGen tournament with a 1-1 draw away in Norway on Wednesday night... Chelsea
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Hectic match sees Chelsea beat Manchester United 5-4

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Chelsea managed to earn some semblance of revenge for Sunday's loss to Manchester United with a pulsating 5-4 victory after extra time at Stamford Bridge. That the win came with the reward of a trip to Leeds United is essentially an afterthought -- coming back from 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 down against a team like United before winning in extra time is a result to be savoured no matter what the competition.

While the weekend's league defeat started with a spell of extraordinary United pressure, Chelsea began the match in firm control of the game. Sir Alex Ferguson deployed what was essentially a reserve side, making ten changes to his starting eleven from Sunday, and it showed. The hosts had most of the ball, and were asking basically all the questions.

United's answer to said questions appeared to be 'let Daniel Sturridge have the ball'. The young striker was making his first start of the season in place of the unfortunately suspended Fernando Torres, and while the enthusiasm was there, the execution didn't turn up until very late. The first real action of the game saw Victor Moses play a quite breathtaking diagonal pass to the 23-year-old, who found himself behind the defence and with only Anders Lindegaard to defeat. Or at least, he did until he fell over.

Another player who hasn't made much of an impact this season is Oriol Romeu, who's been broadly out of favour since a disastrous display against United in February. The midfielder got a start alongside John Obi Mikel and immediately (and unsurprisingly) struggled, the rust evident as he picked up a yellow card in the 12th minute for a foul on Alexander Buttner, a booking that would cause problems later on.

In the meantime, however, Chelsea were still comfortable, snuffling out United attacks without much of a problem and coming up with some quite nice plays of their own. Moses, who was on good form throughout save for issues when trying to apply a cutting edge, came reasonably close with a good run into the penalty area before he too went down in much the same fashion as Sturridge had earlier.

Thwarted by the pitch when they tried to make darting runs forward, the Blues instead resorted to clever flicks and tricks. And yes, there were a lot of them -- at one point Chelsea contrived to play three in a row -- and they paid off not at all. Teams can be guilty of being overly technical in possession, and that was an error that would bite the Blues hard in the 22nd minute.

There was absolutely no danger. Chelsea had defended well and won a goal kick. But there were plenty of red shirts stuck upfield, which made a short, central pass absolute suicide. For some reason, in a move reminiscent of his error against Liverpool last season, Petr Cech opted to ignore common sense and play the ball to the top of the box for Romeu.

The 20-year-old found himself under pressure from no fewer than three United attackers, and a piece of loose control saw him cough up possession to Anderson. The Brazilian immediately picked out Ryan Giggs, and with nobody in the area to stop him, he slotted past Cech to make it 1-0.

Cue deflation around Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had played well up to that point, and to concede in such stupid fashion was painful. Mikel responded by clattering Danny Welbeck, putting both pivot midfielders on yellow cards. Things weren't looking good -- the composure was gone and a series of refereeing decisions went against the Blues, leading to fear of getting another Mark Clattenburg-esque performance form the officials, but suddenly things turned around, all thanks to Moses.

The Nigerian had had the better of Buttner all day, and his surging run into the box was met by a spectacularly ill-advised challenge from the former Vitesse left back. With the ball already well clear, all Buttner could do was bring Moses crashing to the ground, and referee Lee Mason wasted no time at all in pointing to the spot. With Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard both out of the lineup, David Luiz took the penalty, his trademark run-up resulting in a shot blasted past Lindegaard, who was helpless to save it despite guessing the right way.

And then, twelve minutes later, the Blues went down again. David Luiz had had an excellent game up until the point where he decided to charge through the midfield with zero support, predictably coughing up the ball and sparking a rapid, vicious counterattack. Anderson fed the hitherto quiet Javier Hernandez, whose first touch took Gary Cahill completely out of the picture.

Once Chicharito is given room to shoot, he doesn't miss very often, and he didn't here, dispatching a spectacular finish past Cech to re-establish the United lead. The cameras panned to a rather glum-looking Roman Abramovich in his private box. Having seen Chelsea lose 3-2 on Sunday, the owner was forced to watch his team trudge off at halftime, once more down 2-1.

Roberto di Matteo switched things up in the second half, adding Ramires to the midfield and withdrawing Mikel. That had the effect of opening up the game, a slight worry since Sir Alex Ferguson had opted to strengthen his own midfield by introducing young prodigy Nick Powell.

The United substitute nearly made an immediate impact, letting fly with a long range shot that nearly caught Cech out with a vicious swerve, although happily said shot broke just past the goalkeeper's left-hand post. But Chelsea were dangerous as well, and when Nani and Welbeck combined to allow a quick break, Sturridge very nearly found his way through only to be denied by a last-ditch tackle from Rafael.

And Sturridge nearly came close once more seconds later when the United defence went to sleep from a corner. The visitors somehow contrived to leave the centre forward totally unmarked when Mason blew his whistle, and Juan Mata's delivery should have resulted in a goal. Instead of controlling and slotting into an empty net, however, Sturridge instead opted for the unorthodox technique of a flicked scorpion kick into the bottom corner. It went about as well as one might expect.

But there were other corners to be had, and other targets to be picked out. In the 52nd minute, Mata won a corner on the left side, and this time his cross was aimed at the robust figure of Cahill, who rose majestically over the United defence to power in a header which Rafael didn't manage to clear until it was a full yard inside the net. The Chelsea pressure had paid off, and it was all square once more.

Sensing that the Blues might be able to win the match in normal time, di Matteo made an aggressive switch, removing the (understandably) quiet Lucas Piazon in favour of Eden Hazard. Chelsea looked even more dangerous from the second the Belgian was introduced, and it looked as though they were about to enter a phase of dominance when disaster struck once more.

A United break looked to have broken down when Hernandez ran into trouble at the edge of Cech's box, but a lucky bounce allowed the Mexican striker to recycle possession. There was nothing lucky about what happened next: Nani played a brilliant one-two with Anderson, blew past David Luiz as though the centre back wasn't there, and capped his first significant involvement in the game with a brilliant chipped finish over Cech and in.

That was back to square one for Chelsea, who may well have given up after twice coming back only to leak more goals. Giving up, however, is apparently no longer an option, and the Blues went all out to get another equaliser. Chance after chance came and went -- free headers for Cesar Azpilcueta and Victor Moses were skimmed just over the crossbar before Moses fired a low shot straight at Lindegaard from a good position.

But the clearest-cut chance came when Mata went steaming into the penalty area and fired towards the net, only to see the ball rebound off Michael Keane's right forearm. It was another clear-cut penalty, only this time Mason failed to give it. It was an innocent mistake, of course, but the minds of Chelsea supporters worldwide flashed back to Sunday as they prepared to castigate poor officiating for the seemingly-probable loss.

While the fans were sulking, however, the Blues played on. Hazard won a dangerous kick after being laid out by the already-booked Scott Wootton, leaving Mata to take a free kick from the same spot that the midfielder had beaten David de Gea from on Sunday. This time, however, he opted to curl a shot over the wall, only to see it fizz high of the crossbar.

Still chances were being created; still Chelsea were wasting them. By this point, Oscar had been introduced for the disappointing Romeu, and his attacking contributions were immediately felt. The Brazilian youngster managed to open up space in the box for Sturridge to shoot, a golden opportunity for the Blues to draw level that was completely and utterly wasted when the England international fired a tame effort straight down Lindegaard's throat.

There were only three minutes of stoppage time announced, and things looked fairly dire at the Bridge. United were repeatedly able to seize possession and move the ball up the pitch, and Chelsea didn't manage to create much of anything. At 92 minutes and 30 seconds, the club's young Carling Cup run looked over.

And then it happened. The ball caroomed crazily around the United area, eventually falling to Ramires eight yards out. He had time to shoot, but as he wound up, Wootton essentially fell on top of him. There was no way that wasn't a penalty (and it probably should have been a second yellow card for the 21-year-old to boot), and Mason dutifully pointed to the spot.

With Hazard on the pitch, the services of David Luiz were not required, and the Belgian waited coolly for Lindegaard to make his move before rolling the ball straight down the middle to level the score with the last kick of regular time. In retrospect, we shouldn't have been too worried -- Chelsea had thoroughly outplayed their guests since Nani's goal and the equaliser was always coming. They were, apparently, just trying to be dramatic.

After that hammer blow to United's hopes, one would have expected the Blues to come on strong and kill off the game in extra time. That's exactly what they tried to do, coming out of the blocks very fast and seeing multiple chances open up for Sturridge. The seemingly hapless striker opted to shoot from a tight angle with his first attempted before thoroughly wasting good work from Hazard a few minutes later when it looked easier to score, but he was finally presented with the chance to be the hero in the 97th minute. Mercifully, he took it.

After the lapses in concentration that led to United goals one and two, it was the visitors' turn to gift away a goal. Hazard punted a hopeful long ball in the vague direction of Sturridge up top. The pass was, rather predictably, met by the head of Wootton, but instead of clearing it or doing anything that might possibly be construed as useful, the centre back merely knocked the ball into Sturridge's path, leaving him one on one with Lindegaard. In retrospect, it was somewhat fortunate that Wootton hadn't been sent off in the penalty incident.

At full speed and with possession firmly secured, it was simplicity in itself for Sturridge to round the helpless goalkeeper and deposit the ball into the back of the net. After being forced to come back no fewer than three times in ninety minutes, the Blues were finally ahead.

All of which made Manchester United rather cranky. Nani tried to pick a fight with Oscar after the Brazilian had the temerity to dispossess him near the corner flag, sparking an altercation which led to a booking for both players. But crankiness wasn't stopping Chelsea from continuing to press their guests deep within their own half. The next chance fell to Cahill, who won a free kick then nodded just wide from Oscar's delivery.

The Blues came rather closer from the next free kick. An aerial pass from Mata found Sturridge only for Keane to haul him down when he looked to be through on goal. It was another sending off offence -- a clear last man foul -- that went more or less unpunished, with Mason opting to show yellow rather than red, but David Luiz did his best to make up for it with a piledriver of a shot that crashed off the crossbar and away to safety with Lindegaard beaten.

Victor Moses then had a chance to kill United off once and for all when Sturridge played him in with a clever pass*. The winger raced clear of the defence only to see his low shot kept out by a flying stop from United's backup. It was yet another missed opportunity in a game full of them, and it was starting to feel as though Chelsea would regret their profligacy unless they put the game to bed.

*Yes, I know. Make your jokes, mean people.

Fortunately, they did just that in the 116th minute. With minimal time remaining, Hazard picked up the ball on the halfway line, and ran straight at the United defence. Ramires, Sturridge and Moses all accompanied him, their weaving runs causing panic-striken red shirts to flit back and forth an a doomed attempt to contain the counterattack.

But Hazard was having none of it. Dumping Ryan Tunnicliffe to the ground with a superb turn, he then threaded an absurd pass to Ramires, who found himself bearing down on Lindegaard's goal with nobody else in the immediate vicinity. Rather than shoot, the midfielder simply jinked his way around the goalkeeper before slotting home to give Chelsea an unassailable-looking 5-3 lead.

With four minutes to go, United were absolutely not going to get back into the match, but they managed to snatch a penalty on the edge of stoppage time to make things a little less comfortable. Azpilicueta, who'd played reasonably well all evening (especially against Nani) bowled over Chicharito in the box, allowing Ryan Giggs to step up and send Cech the wrong way for his second of the match.

5-4 was a scary scoreline, but fortunately Chelsea refused to cave in, instead opting to control the match and continue to attack all the way through the final whistle. The last action of the game was another surge forward capped by Hazard skimming the outside of Lindegaard's left post with a shot from just outside the box, a stylish end to an extraordinary match.

It wasn't really a good game, mind. Chelsea have now conceded seven goals against United at Stamford Bridge in three days, an embarrassing tally, and although they won there are issues that absolutely need to be resolved. We also had to field the triumvirate of Oscar, Mata and Hazard for far longer than anyone would have liked considering the tight schedule we'll be facing for the better part of a month.

That said, it was still a hugely impressive victory. The team showed great fight in coming down from a 2-0 deficit on Sunday only to be screwed out of at least a point by terrible refereeing. Here, mistakes were made, but thanks to some very hard work from the attacking players, Chelsea were able to overcome them. No matter how one values the League Cup, it's hard to sniff at a triple comeback followed by an extra time win against United.

We Ain't Got No History - All Posts
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Capital One Cup draw: Chelsea handed potentially volatile quarter-final at Leeds United

Chelsea have been handed a potentially volatile Capital One Cup quarter-final against Leeds at Elland Road.

Chelsea Football Club
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Chelsea 5-4 Manchester United | Capital One Cup match report

It was another breathless encounter and, this time, Chelsea will not care too much about the refereeing they think went in Manchester United's favour. They were behind three times, dragged the game into extra time with a 94th-minute penalty and, finally, booked their place in the quarter-finals by the odd goal in nine.

Where to start? This was also a night when the referee, Lee Mason, booked nine different players and was fortunate, perhaps, that Eden Hazard's penalty spared him another inquest about a key decision going against Chelsea. Mason had missed a pretty obvious penalty not long before when Juan Mata's cross struck Michael Keane, United's 19-year-old centre-half, on both arms.

In the end it was largely inconsequential, thank goodness, and Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to play two raw and inexperienced centre-halves eventually counted against his team. Scott Wootton, 21, was culpable for giving away the penalty Hazard converted when he bundled over Ramires. The same player then gave Sturridge the chance to put Chelsea ahead for the first time when he failed to get enough on his header back to the goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard, seven minutes into the first period of extra time. Wootton and Keane tired badly during the late stages and the younger man was fortunate not to be sent off after fouling Sturridge when he was the last defender.

Chelsea, on the balance of play, deserved to go through. They, like United, were guilty of some terrible defending at times, but they had subjected their opponents to some draining second-half pressure after Nani made it 3-2 just before the hour. It was difficult thereafter to keep count of the number of chances they accumulated before the late flurry of goals that culminated with Ramires eventually putting in Chelsea's fifth, going round Lindegaard after some lovely play from Hazard. Even then, there was another late twist at the other end as César Azpilicueta fouled Javier Hernández to give away the third penalty of the match. Ryan Giggs completed the scoring on a night of drama, excitement and intrigue, but very little in terms of organised defending.

The tone had been set in the 22nd minute when Petr Cech played a short goal kick to Oriol Romeu and the Spaniard dithered, lost the ball and watched helplessly as Giggs picked his spot to open the scoring.

David Luíz's penalty, after Alex Büttner's badly-judged trip on Victor Moses, made it 1-1 nine minutes later but the Chelsea defender then reminded us of his own capacity for inviting trouble, running over the halfway line with the ball and being caught in possession. The Luíz slalom undoubtedly looks good when it comes off, but it also has a habit of endangering his team when he loses possession. Rafael won the ball, Anderson played the killer pass and Hernández did the rest with an angled shot.

So much has been written about what happened when these sides met on Sunday and, specifically, whatever Mark Clattenburg reputedly said to Mikel John Obi and Mata, it seems to have been almost overlooked that the two sides both came away from that match with considerable questions about their defending. In truth, their reconfigured line-ups – Sir Alex Ferguson made 10 changes to his United team, and Di Matteo settled on six – fared even worse. The night was rife with carelessness.

Chelsea, though, played with the greater urgency in the second half and had the stronger, more experienced bench. Ramires and Hazard were among the substitutes and their introductions had a significant impact.

Sturridge had passed up two presentable opportunities by the time Mata, Chelsea's best player, swung a corner over from the left and Gary Cahill issued another reminder about what a handy knack it is when a centre-half can cause problems in the opposition penalty area. His header had flashed past Lindegaard and gone a yard behind the goal-line by the time Rafael turned it against the crossbar and out.

This was the first spell of the match when Chelsea were clearly on top but they were level for only seven minutes, Nani scoring with a lovely, clipped finish, bursting into the penalty area and dinking his shot over Cech at the end of a cultured exchange of passes involving Hernández and Anderson.

What followed was an extraordinary succession of near-misses, desperate clearances and wasted chances in front of Lindegaard's goal. United always carried menace in their own attacks but they were in a dishevelled state by the end. Ferguson withdrew Büttner after a difficult first half for the Dutchman, moving Rafael to left-back and Darren Fletcher to the right of defence. In the circumstances, it was probably no surprise they were so vulnerable.

For Chelsea, reflecting on a trip to Leeds United in the last eight, it will not make up for what happened on Sunday, when their unbeaten record in the league was sacrificed. Yet it still represents a satisfying evening's work, particularly given how close they were to going out.


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John Terry Ban: On-field Implications – Cahill & Azpilicueta To Benefit?

IF you pick up a newspaper today, you will find very little about how Chelsea will cope in a footballing capacity without John Terry, now that he has decided not to appeal against his four-match ban for an FA misconduct charge. He will now miss four crucial matches in Chelsea’s season. Is there sufficient quality [...]

The post John Terry Ban: On-field Implications – Cahill & Azpilicueta To Benefit? appeared first on Football Analysis.

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The John Obi Mikel Years: Part One

EARLIER this month, John Michael Obi, or Mikel as he is now known worldwide, played his 250th match for Chelsea. That's quite an achievement considering the Nigerian – who speaks with more-than-a-hint of a British accent – is only 25 years old. 6 seasons in to his Chelsea career, his contribution is still being belittled [...]

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Manchester United fans outwit Chelsea rivals but Blues have last laugh | Richard Williams

Manchester United fans mocked Chelsea's predicament with banners about the Mark Clattenburg row on an evening of more humour than rancour

With Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand omitted from Wednesday night's team sheets, at least there was no tiresome scrutiny devoted to the otiose pre-match handshake ritual as Chelsea and Manchester United met for the second time in four days, and that small mercy was followed by a larger one.

After so much controversy arising from the first encounter, this was an evening devoted almost entirely to football, with Chelsea reversing Sunday's result to ensure their passage into the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup and gain a little consolation for that first home league defeat at United's hands in 10 years.

Echoes of the previous match were inevitable, and they began with United's fans in the top tier of the old Shed End displaying a large red and white banner that would have brought a rare smile to the face of the man who is currently England's most controversial football official: "CLATTENBURG: REFEREE, LEADER, LEGEND."

Diagonally opposite it on the north‑west corner of the Matthew Harding Stand, the blue and white original version retained its traditional position: "JT CAPTAIN, LEADER, LEGEND." Absent from this fixture, John Terry was nevertheless present in the minds of the visiting supporters, with biting chants about the centre-half after the announcement of the lineups, and again at half-time as they celebrated snatching a 2-1 lead.

Nor did their display of invention end there. Seven minutes into the match Victor Moses directed a raking cross from the right into the path of Daniel Sturridge, who found space behind United's two novice centre-backs but with his first touch, 15 yards from goal, tripped over the ball. The interrogation arrived in an instant: "Are you Torres in disguise?"

After the rancorous atmosphere that overtook Sunday's match, it was good to hear some humour at the Bridge, even if it was all one way until the 94th minute, when Eden Hazard's penalty sent the tie into extra time. Until that moment Chelsea were still smarting from the failure of Mark Clattenburg and his officials to chalk off Javier Hernández's winning goal on Sunday.

They were even less inclined to smile when Ryan Giggs opened the scoring after a hideous misunderstanding between Petr Cech and Oriol Romeu. When both their defensive midfielders, Romeu and Mikel John Obi, were shown early yellow cards, they might even have harboured the suspicion that Lee Mason, Wednesday night's referee, had not taken kindly to the club's complaint against his colleague 72 hours earlier.

Before the match Chelsea had confirmed the lodging of an official complaint against Clattenburg for allegedly directing a racist insult at Mikel on Sunday, having decided not to go ahead with a similar charge for a remark supposedly aimed at Juan Mata. Even by the debased standards of behaviour on display in the Premier League, this is a very nasty business and one can only hope that, whatever the outcome of the Football Association's inquiry, Chelsea will be seen to have based their case on a decent evidential foundation.

On the pitch, the foundation of their defence will give them cause for concern. David Luiz, having equalised from the penalty spot, allowed United to regain the lead when he lost possession during a characteristic ramble upfield and could only watch as Hernández took advantage.

In terms of quality, this game was some way below the standard set by the first hour on Sunday, which was about as exhilarating and absorbing as 60 minutes of English football gets. The goals rather than the general play gave the match its dynamic, and for those fed up with refereeing controversies it was a relief when one of the officials spotted that Rafael da Silva had been two feet behind the goal line when he cleared the header with which Gary Cahill made the score 2-2.

United regained the lead with a lovely Nani chip, and their fans were virtually monopolising the fun at this Hallowe'en party all the way to the fourth minute of normal time. They were also seeing Sir Alex Ferguson field no fewer than five young players from the north-west: the centre-back pairing of Scott Wootton, a 21-year-old from Birkenhead, and Michael Keane, a 19-year-old from Stockport; the 18-year-old forward Nick Powell, from Crewe; the 19-year-old midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe, from Bury; plus the better-known Danny Welbeck, 21, from Longsight, already a full international.

Keane and Powell showed distinct promise, but it was poor Wootton who barged Ramires to concede the penalty that ensured extra-time before misdirecting an attempted clearance into the path of Daniel Sturridge for the goal that gave the home side the lead for the first time in the tie.

"We want Clattenburg," the United fans sang as their side tried to hang on to another 3-2 scoreline, but in the end they were forced to give best to opponents whose manager exploited the depth of talent on his bench to swing the match with further glimpses of the kind of football the new-look Chelsea can produce.

Off the pitch, however, this remains a club seemingly unable to play its way out of controversy.


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Read more... Manchester United fans outwit Chelsea rivals but Blues have last laugh | Richard Williams

Chelsea to meet Leeds after seeing off Man Utd

Chelsea were the comeback kings as they claimed a thrilling 5-4 win over Manchester United to reach the League Cup quarter-finals.

After the stormy events of Sunday’s Premier League clash which was marred by controversy and a race row, this time the pair put on a goal fest that enthralled Stamford Bridge.

Following the drama of Arsenal’s 7-5 win at Reading on Tuesday, this match had similar thrills and spills on Halloween night.

Ryan Giggs had put United ahead when he cashed in on a mistake from Petr Cech. The Chelsea keeper put Oriol Romeu under pressure with a goal kick and Anderson nicked the ball away and Giggs finished into the corner.

But David Luiz levelled with a coolly-taken spot-kick after Alex Buttner had tripped Victor Moses.

Still, United looked dangerous on the counter and Luiz erred by giving the ball away to Anderson and he set up Javier Hernandez to score – just like he had done controversially in Sunday’s league encounter.

A powerful header by Gary Cahill put Chelsea back on level terms, but Nani stunned the hosts when he played a neat one-two with Anderson and then dinked the ball over Cech .

But there was more to come and Chelsea left it late, just like Arsenal. And young United defender Scott Wootten had a nightmare spell that saw Roberto Di Matteo’s men turn the match around.

First the Liverpudlian teen bundled over Ramires in the box in injury-time and Eden Hazard stroked home the spot-kick to level at 3-3. Wootten’s poor header then gifted the ball to Daniel Sturridge, who rounded Anders Lindegaard and slotted home for 4-3 early in extra-time.

Ramires added the fifth before United gained hope when Cesar Azpilicueta crashed into Hernandez and Giggs made it 5-4 from the penalty spot.

But Chelsea saw out the final two minutes of added time to book a date with Leeds United in the quarter-finals.

"Leeds and Chelsea have a bit of history so it should be an interesting game," said Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s defence of the League Cup ended as Brendan Rodgers’ selection gamble backfired, as former club Swansea progressed to the last eight with a 3-1 win.

The Northern Irishman left the Welsh club in the summer to take over from Kenny Dalglish but it was the visitors who had the last laugh.

Chico Flores and Nathan Dyer put the Swans 2-0 up with 17 minutes to go, and although Luis Suarez pulled one back, Jonathan de Guzman made sure of the win in added time to loosen the eight-time winners’ grip on the trophy.

It was only Liverpool's 10th defeat in 102 League Cup games as the home team.

At Carrow Road, two late strikes and a penalty save from Mark Bunn ensured Norwich’s passage through as they beat Tottenham 2-1.

Gareth Bale, who had torn Norwich apart here last season, seemed to have put the visitors on course for victory when he drove home a 20-yard shot in the second half.

But two goals in the last six minutes gave the Canaries victory. Alex Tettey’s shot flew in off the out-stretched leg of Jan Vertonghen and then Simeon Jackson pounced on an error by Hugo Lloris to make it 2-1 with three minutes left.

The drama did not end there, however, as Kyle Walker was upended in the Norwich box by Marc Tierney a minute later. Clint Dempsey stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Bunn saved the American’s shot.

QUARTER-FINAL DRAW

Leeds United v Chelsea

Swansea v Middlesbrough

Norwich v Aston Villa

Bradford City v Arsenal

 

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Ref 'called Mikel a monkey'



POLICE yesterday launched an -investigation into claims referee Mark Clattenburg called Chelsea's John Obi Mikel a "monkey".


Daily Star :: Football Feed
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Chelsea forced to drop Mata complaint due to lack of proof

Chelsea last night admitted that they do not have sufficient evidence to pursue one of their original two claims against referee Mark Clattenburg – but they stand by the allegation that the referee racially abused the midfielder John Obi Mikel during Sunday's Premier League defeat Manchester United.

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Read more... Chelsea forced to drop Mata complaint due to lack of proof

Chelsea forced to drop Mata complaint due to lack of proof

Chelsea last night admitted that they do not have sufficient evidence to pursue one of their original two claims against referee Mark Clattenburg – but they stand by the allegation that the referee racially abused the midfielder John Obi Mikel during Sunday's Premier League defeat Manchester United.

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Read more... Chelsea forced to drop Mata complaint due to lack of proof

League Cup draw: Leeds to face Chelsea

Leeds are drawn at home to Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup, while League Two Bradford will play Arsenal. Chelsea News
Read more... League Cup draw: Leeds to face Chelsea

MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 5 MANCHESTER UNITED 4 (AET)

Eden Hazard netted a late, late penalty to make it 3-3 at the end of normal time as the Blues flirted with elimination before goals from Daniel Sturridge and Ramires were enough to make the quarter-finals... Chelsea
Read more... MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 5 MANCHESTER UNITED 4 (AET)

Chelsea lodge formal complaint

Chelsea have lodged a formal complaint with the Football Association over "inappropriate language" they claim Mark Clattenburg used against John Obi Mikel in their acrimonious defeat to Manchester United.

Independent.ie - Soccer RSS Feed
Read more... Chelsea lodge formal complaint

Chelsea draw Leeds away in the Capital One Cup quarterfinals

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Chelsea advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Capital One Cup with a victory over Manchester United on Wednesday, and they have now been drawn against Leeds United. Leeds will host the game, as they were the first ball drawn. With the results of the last several days, this has now become a ridiculously watered down competition. The complete draw is as follows:

Leeds United vs. Chelsea FC

Swansea vs. Middlesbrough

Norwich vs. Aston Villa

Bradford vs. Arsenal

The quarterfinal round is scheduled for the week that Chelsea are away at the Club World Cup, so Chelsea's game will be played on December 19, 2012. All three of the other quarters will have already been played when Chelsea kick off, so we'll already know the potential semi-final opponents before we take the pitch in an attempt to get there.

With the fixture list being extremely congested in mid-December, I'd expect to see Roberto Di Matteo approach the quarters with a very similar approach that he took against United. It might also be a last chance for Lucas Piazon to get a run before the transfer window re-opens, and I'd have to think he's going to be considered for a loan spell in the spring. If Chelsea reach the semi-final round, it will be a two legged affair with our ACoN contingent unavailable for the second leg.


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Chelsea lodges Clattenburg complaint

Chelsea has lodged a formal complaint with the Football Association over 'inappropriate language' it claims Mark Clattenburg used against John Obi Mikel in the acrimonious defeat to Manchester United. The World Game
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Chelsea trio in Brazil squad

Chelsea trio David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar and Spurs' Sandro have been included in the squad for Brazil's 1000th game. Sky Sports | Football News
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2012/10/31/chelsea-trio-in-brazil-squad/

Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

On paper, it seems like Chelsea has a significant advantage over Swansea City, but apparently nobody told that to Ki Sung-Yueng. The Swansea midfielder has said he's "not afraid" of Chelsea and thinks they can take down Robert Di Matteo's squad.

Chelsea currently sits atop the Premier League table with 22 points. Swansea has half as many points as Chelsea, 11, are is stuck in 11th place. 

 

Where: Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales

When: Saturday, November 3rd, 11 a.m. EST

TV/Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go 

 

Chelsea comes into this game knowing it is a must-win. While Swansea is a solid squad, they are an opponent that Chelsea has to beat, especially at this stage in the season, with Manchester United and Manchester City each trailing by a mere point.

If Chelsea relinquishes their first-place position, it may be difficult to get it back, especially if they move down to third.

They will count on Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, both of whom have scored four goals in the Premier League this season, to continue leading them on offense.

But this match will come down to the two goalkeepers. Petr Cech has been outstanding for Chelsea, conceding just nine goals and saving 31 shots in his nine starts.

His opponent in net would normally be Michel Vorm, but Vorm went down with a groin injury and will be replaced by Gerhard Tremmel, who is ready for his chance.

Last Saturday, in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Man City, Tremmel came in with about 30 minutes remaining, and he is prepared to lead Swansea over the next eight weeks.

Vorm had been spectacular, but was hurt diving to save Carlos Tevez's game-winning shot in the 61st minute. 

Before seeing Chelsea on Saturday, the Swans have a Capital One Cup match against Liverpool at Anfield, so Tremmel will get a little bit of preparation.

Swansea looked stingy against Manchester City last Saturday, and will hope to build on that momentum against Liverpool, so they should come out in great form against Chelsea.

Swansea also enjoys home-field advantage against Chelsea, but I don't think that'll be enough to hold off the European champions.

 

Prediction: Chelsea 3 Swansea City 1 

Read more Chelsea news on BleacherReport.com

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Read more... Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Blues lodge Clattenburg complaint

Chelsea have lodged a formal complaint with the FA over "inappropriate language" directed at John Obi Mikel by referee Mark Clattenburg. Football365 | Chelsea
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Mark Clattenburg admits he wishes he'd NOT sent off Fernando Torres

Mark Clattenburg has admitted privately that he wished he had not sent off Fernando Torres in Sunday's toxic fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United. Chelsea | Mail Online
Read more... Mark Clattenburg admits he wishes he'd NOT sent off Fernando Torres

Chelsea inquiry leads to formal Clattenburg complaint

Chelsea have lodged a formal complaint with the Football Association over language used by referee Mark Clattenburg towards Jon Obi Mikel in the club's controversial 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday Football news from ESPN.co.uk
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Di Matteo likely to rest Mikel & Mata in Capital One Cup clash with Manchester United

Juan Mata, Mark Clattenburg, John Obi Mikel - Chelsea-Manchester United

The Chelsea manager is set to rest the star duo along with several other key first-team players, following the weekend controversy involving referee Mark Clattenburg

Goal.com News - Chelsea FC
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New race row engulfs game

English football is in danger of being dragged through another bitter racism saga after police launched a formal investigation into whether Mark Clattenburg used "inappropriate language" towards Chelsea stars John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata. Chelsea MAD
Read more... New race row engulfs game

The Podding Shed #22: I’m Sure We Used to Talk About Football

The Podding Shed #22: I'm Sure We Used to Talk About Football In which our toilers on the allotment of life discuss the matches against Spurs, Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United, the Mark Clattenburg affair, and the merits of Radio 4 and astrology.

The Podding Shed is also available on iTunes. You can subscribe directly to the Podding Shed RSS feed here.

The Podding Shed #22 Show Links

Chelsea FC Blog
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Projected Chelsea lineup against Manchester United in Capital One Cup

Juan Mata of Chelsea (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Still reeling from a massively disappointing and controversial loss this past weekend against Manchester United, Chelsea have the chance to make amends tonight on Oct. 31 2012 in a Capital One Cup clash. Fernando Torres will be ruled out for his red card over the weekend while John Terry continues his four match suspension. Frank Lampard is still believed to be ruled out due to injury and will most likely not see action. Gary Cahill and David Luiz will maintain their place at the heart of defense but their supporting cast will be thought to look much different. Oriol Romeu is expected to make an appearance in the heart of midfield alongside of John Obi Mikel. While Eden Hazard and Ramires get a rest with Victor Moses and Marko Marin set to make the starting 11, Juan Mata is expected... Chelsea News
Read more... Projected Chelsea lineup against Manchester United in Capital One Cup

English referee Clattenburg faces racism probe

October 31, 2012 12:30 AM

LONDON (REUTERS) - Referee Mark Clattenburg is facing allegations he used racist language towards a Chelsea footballer, the English players' union boss confirmed on Tuesday as police and the Football Association continued their investigations.


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Now for something completely different: Oscar's first interview

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I'm tired of crappy news. Let's talk about something positive instead.

Published just before Sunday's debacle and quickly lost in the subsequent furor, the Telegraph's Jason Burt sat down with Oscar for the Brazilian's "first interview since joining Chelsea." I'm not sure what the exact definition of a first interview is - I'm quite certain that the 21-year-old has talked many times with Chelsea TV and others - but that's probably beside the point.

If you had even just an inkling of doubt that Oscar is nothing but a humble kid with his head screwed-on straight and who is appreciative of all his gifts and opportunities, this interview will set your mind at ease. He has football in his genes - both his father and uncle were considered local talents with great potential - but remains conscious of the fact that circumstances often play a large role in who actually gets a shot at the big time:

They needed to earn money and weren’t able to go to the next step – it’s not always possible for everyone to make that step, however talented, because, trust me, they were talked about in the town as great players who could make it as professionals. But circumstances worked against them.

Tragically, Oscar's father has not been able to witness his son's rise to fame. He was killed in a car crash when Oscar was just three.

My father is not here but, maybe, through my uncle he gets some message because my uncle is very, very proud of me.

I do wish [my father] was here to see me at Chelsea, can you imagine what he would think, me playing for such a big club? But things happen in life and you simply have to deal with it. I’m happy.

Hop on over to the Telegraph to read the rest, including his thoughts on adapting so quickly to the English game and life in London (special thanks to David Luiz, Ramires, and Lucas Piazon), on playing as a trio of wizards with Juan Mata & Eden Hazard, and on what the future may hold.

Spoiler alert:

"I have the same ambitions as Chelsea – I want to win all the competitions. [...] I hope, I believe, I will improve at Chelsea and I will stay here for many, many years."

We Ain't Got No History - All Posts
Read more... Now for something completely different: Oscar's first interview

Brazil's 1000th game: Kaka, Chelsea trio in squad announced

Real Madrid star Kaka and Chelsea trio David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar figure in the squad released Wednesday for Brazil's 1000th game, a friendly against Colombia in the United States.

Football - News | NDTVSports.com
Read more... Brazil's 1000th game: Kaka, Chelsea trio in squad announced

FA launch investigation into Chelsea claims referee Mark Clattenburg used racial language towards John Obi Mikel

Referee accused of using racist language towards John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata during Chelsea's acrimonious defeat to Man Utd.

Chelsea Football Club
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PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V MANCHESTER UNITED - PART TWO

Same venue, same teams, different competition from which one will exit tonight for certain… Chelsea
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Rio Ferdinand: Football is under microscope after latest 'race' allegations

• Game's 'under microscope like never before', Ferdinand tweets
• Manchester United face Chelsea in the Capital One Cup

Rio Ferdinand has reminded the Football Association that football is "under the microscope" as the governing body decides whether to charge Mark Clattenburg following Chelsea's claims that he used "inappropriate" language towards Mikel John Obi and Juan Mata.

While the claims against the referee included an alleged "racial slur" against Mikel during Manchester United's 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Ferdinand had led the protests the previous weekend regarding how the FA had dealt with the case involving John Terry and Rio's brother, Anton.

In a tweet the United defender wrote: "Will b interesting t see how this alleged 'race' or 'insulting' language episode pans out, our game is under the microscope like never before".

Manchester United play Chelsea again on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.


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Football: Chelsea | guardian.co.uk
Read more... Rio Ferdinand: Football is under microscope after latest 'race' allegations

League Cup - Team news: Chelsea hit by suspensions

All the team news for Wednesday night's Capital One Cup clashes, with Chelsea missing John Terry, Fernando Torres and Branislav Ivanovic. Chelsea News
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Chelsea skipper John Terry doing double training during race ban



CHELSEA skipper John Terry is doing double training sessions as he serves out his four-match ban.


Daily Star :: Football Feed
Read more... Chelsea skipper John Terry doing double training during race ban