CHELSEA FCC
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Giving opinions to the media after a match has no novelty value for someone who has played 282 games for Chelsea, but to speak having scored a goal was a moment John Mikel Obi has waited for a long time.
It wasn't a winner but his agile hook past Fulham keeper David Stockdale was the reassurance the Blues needed late on in Saturday's game, as we returned to winning ways after two defeats and made three home victories out of three in the Barclays Premier League.
It was Mikel's first Chelsea goal since Jose Mourinho was last in charge at Stamford Bridge.
'This game was all about winning and we got the three points, and my goal was just a bonus,' said the 26-year-old.
'But I am pretty happy about it. It has been a long time and the guys have been killing me about it. They say you go to the national team and score but you don't score for Chelsea so it was good for me to get my first Premier League goal. I scored in the FA Cup a couple of times.
'I do practice scoring in training sometimes but I don't get into the positions often. Gone are the days when I go onto the pitch thinking it might be me today, for me it is about the team.'
Mikel believed his side had a good claim for a penalty for a foul on his midfield colleague Ramires that could have extended the lead prior to his strike, and after Fulham provided solid resistance early in the game, he saw merit in the way Chelsea came out on top meaning our neighbours' 49-year quest for a top-flight win at the Bridge continues.
'Fulham made it very hard for us, they sat back, were very compact through the middle and tried to counter-attack, and we couldn't pass the ball like we wanted to, but once we scored the first goal it became a bit more open,' said Mikel.
'There was commitment from the guys and we fought hard for this win.
'We wanted to put ourselves back on a winning run and we know we have the players to do it, it is just about performing, and we managed to do that.
'Our fans have been disappointed about a few performances coming into this game so we wanted to give them something.
'The manager was very disappointed with us as well, the way we played the last game against Basel.
'We were feeling a bit of pressure but if you look at this team, we have big players and a big squad and it is not all about playing when it is rosy, it is also about playing when people are not happy and you have to go out there and show character, and I think we did that in this game.'
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Everything you need to know in advance of Chelsea's trip to Goodison Park
We've been without a Chelsea game for two weeks now, but that will all change tomorrow. The Blues will head to Everton for the final Premier League game of the day, with a chance to make it ten points from the first four fixtures of the second Mourinho era. Here's what you need to know in advance of the game:
Opponent/SB Nation Blog: Everton FC, Royal Blue Mersey
Date/Time: Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 17:30 London time (12:30 pm Eastern, 9:30 am Pacific). Use this handy time converter to figure out when it will be airing wherever you might be.
Venue/Location: Goodison Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
Forecast: It looks like it will be a relatively pleasant day in Liverpool, so any traveling fans should have nice weather to watch the game in.
Chelsea FC Squad News: There is nothing new to report on the injury front, both Tomas Kalas and Kenneth Omeruo are still unavailable with long term injures while everyone else will be available for selection. The includes new signings WIllian and Samuel Eto'o, with Jose Mourinho basically guaranteeing that the latter of the pair will feature tomorrow.
There are also rumors flying around the internet that Chelsea will unveil new signing David Luis on Saturday, the bizarro world equivalent of the lovable David Luiz that has made Barcelona think that the Brazilian might be available. The new jerseys have been spotted on ebay, and are selling like hotcakes.
David_luis_medium
Everton Squad News: Everton have a few question marks ahead of this contest, but one player who is definitely not going to be taking part is loanee Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is not allowed to play against his parent club due to FA regulations, so he'll have to wait a bit longer to make his Everton debut.
Both Darren Gibson and Antolin Alcaraz returned to training this week, but neither look likely to be fit enough to take part tomorrow. James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman both suffered minor injuries over the international break, but both seem like they have a decent chance of taking part.
Television/Streaming Info: In the UK, Sky Go, Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, and Sky Sports 3D will all be carrying the game. In India both ESPN HD and Star Sports HD have you covered. US viewers have their choice of NBC or Mun2 for their coverage, while streaming will be available on NBC Sports Live Extra. There will also be live audio available to all Chelsea TV subscribers.
Chelsea team news: Samuel Eto'o will make his debut against Everton
Chelsea team news: Samuel Eto'o will make his debut against Everton today, The 32-year-old former Cameroon international striker will feature against The Toffees at Goodison Park Samuel Eto'o is set to make his debut for Chelsea against Everton at Goodison Park.The 32-year-old former Cameroon international striker, who signed from Anzhi Makhachkala in the summer transfer window, is likely to start from the bench.Blues manager Jose Mourinho said: "He will be selected and when you are selected as a striker you play - you start or finish the game."It is the area where I make more changes during the match," added the Portuguese, who reported no injury problems with Chelsea players returning from the international break.Samuel Eto'o says hate of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho turned to love Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o has revealed that his close relationship with manager Jose Mourinho began with the two men hating each other.The 32-year-old says the Portuguese was a key factor in his move to Chelsea after the pair combined to win the 2010 Champions League at Inter Milan. The relationship I have with Jose is something really interesting At the start it was based on hate but that gradually grew into love.The relationship I have with Jose is something really interesting, At the start it was based on hate but that gradually grew into love."Eto'o has signed a one-year deal with Chelsea, having moved from Russian Premier League team Anzhi Makhachkala on a free transfer.The four-time African Footballer of the Year became the highest-paid player in the world when he moved to Anzhi in 2011, but has taken a £10m paycut in his annual salary, from £17m to £7m, to join the Stamford Bridge club.Speaking at the launch of the first of nine graphic novels about his life, Eto'o said he was looking forward to working with Mourinho again, even if they had several run-ins during their time at Inter."I remember a game when we were fighting and we said some terrible things to each other," Eto'o said. "We both regretted it afterwards. But I like him because he talks through problems, he handles things like a man. Those are qualities I like. Every time I have the chance to work with him, I will seize the opportunity."Eto'o went on to say that it was the Chelsea manager's straight-talking that set him apart.Play media Eto'o will be selected - Mourinho"Jose is more than a coach to me. He is a man who talks the language of truth," he said."It is really important to have someone who tells the truth all the time. In our business sometimes we have people who don't."The Cameroon striker claimed he had not expected to leave Russia this summer, despite the club's billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov selling off his biggest earners to significantly reduce the club's budget Eto'o said it was a phone call from Mourinho that changed his plans."I was feeling good in Russia, but then I got the phone call from Jose Mourinho asking me to come here," he said. "I thought it was another exciting chapter for me and I am really glad to be here. Chelsea is a fantastic club."Eto'o started his career at Real Madrid but was loaned out to Leganes and Real Mallorca before making a permanent move to Mallorca in 1999. The striker, part of the Cameroon team that lifted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002, won the Copa del Rey before joining Barcelona in 2004.During his time at the Nou Camp, he won the Champions League twice - in 2006 and 2009 - scoring in both finals, as well as winning the Spanish league three times.In 2009, Barcelona paid Inter £40m plus Eto'o for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the striker went on to win the Champions League again in his first season under Mourinho at San Siro.
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Juan Mata insists he is happy at Chelsea despite lack of action
Midfielder Juan Mata insists he is happy at Chelsea despite widespread speculation about his future during the recent transfer window.
The Spain international, 25, was named Chelsea's player of the year last term.
But he has played only 65 minutes of competitive football for the Blues this season under boss Jose Mourinho, who returned to take charge in the summer.
"It's normal in every transfer window that there are lots of rumours but I'm happy here," Mata told Chelsea TV.
"It's been a very, very good two seasons for me here, maybe the best of my career, and what I want this season is the same.
"I'm looking forward to achieving as many trophies as we did the last two seasons and hopefully this is going to be a good season for us again."
Mata was linked with moves to Paris St-Germain and Arsenal as the transfer window drew to a close, despite Mourinho's insistence that the player was not for sale.
The former Valencia player has found opportunities limited so far this season, with Marco van Ginkel, Andre Schurrle, Willian and Kevin De Bruyne joining Eden Hazard and Oscar in the competition for attacking midfield places.
Monday, 2 September 2013
HUTCHINSON HEADS TO HOLLAND
Sam Hutchinson has moved to Vitesse Arnhem on loan.
The 24-year-old defender, who has made six Chelsea first team appearances, will play in the Netherlands having spent last season on loan in the Championship at Nottingham Forest.
That move came six months after Hutchinson, who is a product of the Chelsea Academy, resumed his playing career having recovered from a knee problem that had forced his retirement for a year and a half.
He made nine appearances, six of them starts, at Forest and after working hard on strengthening work during the close season, the target for the player is important playing time in the Dutch top flight.
Also moving from Chelsea on loan today is Ulises Davila, who will spend a second season in Spain.
The 22-year-old Mexican attacking player, signed by Chelsea in August 2011, was last year at Spanish second division team Sabadell where he made 37 appearances. He returns to that division
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LUKAKU LOANED OUT
Romelu Lukaku will spend a second season on loan at a Barclays Premier League club with a move to Everton completed.
The 20-year-old striker's season at Goodison Park will follow on from a year of significant progress at West Bromwich Albion when he featured in 38 games and scored 17 goals, becoming the highest-scoring teenager in the Premier League since Michael Owen in 1998/99.
Lukaku, who is in the Belgium squad for their World Cup qualifier against Scotland on Friday, made three substitute appearances for Chelsea at the start of this season and since joining from Anderlecht in the summer of 2011, has made a total of four starts and 11 substitute appearances for the Blues.
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