By FRANCO PANIZO
Landon Donovan's time with Everton is nearing its end and while he may want to make an impact in
all of his remaning games with the club, this weekend's match might be at the top of his list.
Everton are set to face Chelsea in a match that will pit Donovan against the likes of John
Terry, Juan Mata and Florent Malouda.
There will be some very tense nerves in West London this weekend ahead of Chelsea's super clash
with rivals Manchester United at Stamford Bridge this Sunday. A couple of years back, this would
have been just another day in the office for the Blues, however, things have changed
drastically.
In fact, things are so bad for the Blues that a 3rd place finish for them would be
amazing.
Mais um jogo das eliminatórias da Eurocopa de 2012, foi realizado no dia 07/10/2011, na cidade de
Saint-Denis-FRA, onde jogaram as seleções da França (12º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da
Albânia (71º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Tirana 02/09/2011 ALB1:2 (0:2)FRA 1992Paris 30/03/1991 FRA5:0 (4:0)ALB Group matches1992Tirana
17/11/1990 ALB0:1 (0:1)FRA Group matches
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Michael Koukoulakis-GRE
Scout:
Florent Malouda (11.
Chelsea are expected (by the press and hopefully me) to announce the signing of Kevin De Bruyne for
a fee of around £8.5m and immediately loan him back to Genk for the remainder of the season.
I have to say this is a fantastic deal for Chelsea as it seems that Genk have lowered the valuation
of the exciting winger from £12m to £8.
Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has expressed relief at the club's recent back-to-back wins
over the Wolves and Portsmouth, and hopes that the Blues can continue to perform well.
A lack of stability has hindered the Blues' prospects of domestic success this season and with
Stamford Bridge not being the fortress it has been in recent years, Malouda admits that the team is
particularly concerned about the home form.
The transfer window is upon us and with a number of players set to move now and in the summer,
we would like to take you through a list of the players who could potential leave their clubs when
their contracts expire at the end of the season.
At look at the heavyweights making the list across the big clubs reveals that they are set to
lose very influential players in the summer.
I think right now as a Chelsea fan we want two things from today. First and foremost we want and
desperately need three points and secondly, a performance would be nice!.
No one would have imagined that we would find ourselves in the position we are in at the moment and
no one would have predicted the result on Saturday against Aston Villa.
Carlo Ancelotti is set to take over as PSG coach after he was flown into the French capital to
discuss a possible deal that would see him coach the mega rich Ligue 1 side.
The former AC Milan and Chelsea coach was among the people considered for the top job after
reports arose claiming that current coach Antoine Kombouare was dismssed.
Not having the amount of playing time which he would've wanted apparently bring a little
disappointment for Chelsea's Florent Malouda, who revealed that he still have strong desire to have
a much more important role that what his having at the moment.
The French international went on "threatening" to leave the club if nothing is changing pretty
soon as he does have several offers coming even in this upcoming winter transfer market.
Trouble is brewing for Andres Villas-Boas and Chelsea after a number of poor performances have
left them out of the title race and raised concerns from players who are willing to quit the club
if their pleas are not addressed.
Truth be said, the longer Villas-Boas stays in charge the worse it gets for Chelsea and as a
matter of fact, he should be replaced as quickly as possible (however unlikely this may be).
Florent Malouda isn't happy with his current bit-part role at Chelsea. He's ready to reevaluate
life in London, and apparently is weighing potential moves should his ambition not be met.
Is any of this shocking? Not really.
Not of the avant-garde
Malouda spoke of recent frustration with his lack of match time after Monday's 1-1 draw with
Fulham.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is dumbfounded by the heavy criticism heaped at manager Andre
Villas-Boas in the wake of the club's recent struggles, arguing that the manager cannot run on the
pitch and prevent errors made by the players.
Cech's teammate Florent Malouda made the same assertion before the disappointing 2-1 defeat to
Bayer Leverkusen last night but Villas-Boas maintained that he must take the responsibility on his
shoulders.
Chelsea seem to have lost all direction as was evident when they suffered their 3rd consecutive
loss last night. The Blues have now lost 4of their last 5 games and the future is not only looking
bleak for Villas-Boas, but also for a number of the club's stars.
Reports now emerging from London suggest that Anelka is thinking about leaving the club in the
January transfer window.
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has refused to let the increasing pressure on his team get to his
head, insisting that there is reason to stay optimistic despite a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat against
Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League.
The Blues took the lead at BayArena through a fine Didier Drogba strike at the beginning of the
second half but failed to hold on to it as substitute Erin Derdiyok punished them with a header
before Manuel Friedrich delivered a last-minute knock-out punch.
Dirk Kuyt draws Ashley Cole inside to cover for John Terry. Glen Johnson's run from deep catches
Florent Malouda unaware. And Liverpool recover from a long stretch where they were outplayed by
Chelsea to win for the second time in a row at Stamford Bridge under Kenny Dalglish. For some,
Johnson's composure in the box and skilful, left-footed finish might seem one more reason to deploy
the attacking fullback higher up the pitch.
Liverpool have recorded an important win against Chelsea with a late Glen Johnson winner.
The game was pretty even overall with Liverpool the better side in the first half and they
deserved to take the lead in the 34th minute when Maxi Rodriguez slotted away after a poor Chelsea
turnover.
Chelsea came out stronger in the second half and were rewarded when substitute Daniel Strurridge
had an easy finish at the back post.
Glen Johnson scored a sensational late winner to earn Liverpool three vital Barclays Premier League
points at his old club Chelsea.
Former Blues full-back Johnson netted a brilliant solo effort to inflict his old club's third
defeat in four league matches and leave both teams 12 points behind Manchester City.
Today was, for the lack of a better, more elegant, phrase, fucking nuts. There are several
moments in the video featured below the jump that mimic many of my initial reactions to some of the
ridiculousness that took place in today's astonishing 5-3 loss to Arsenal.
An emotional man
To better help you understand where I'm coming from, I've created a mini-timeline below the
series of moving pictures to give you some insight into what I'm talking about.
A host of Chelsea players are in action today for their respective countries as qualifying for
next year's European Championships comes to a close. Some, including Branislav Ivanovic, are in for
a nervy couple of hours.
Rant it up on an international level right here.
Bane.
Three of the Chelsea boys managed to make it on the scoresheet for their international teams on
Friday as we continue the agonizing wait for the Premier League to resume.
Juan Mata managed to beat the offside trap against Petr Cech's fellow defenders, latching on to
a nice pass and slipping the ball past his club's number one as Spain ran out 2-0 winners over the
Czechs.
By JOEY SAMUEL
When the draw for Group G of EURO 2012 qualifying was made, many believed England had been
handed an easy road to the tournament. Their path ended up being much more difficult than many
expected, but Friday they finally punched their ticket to Poland and Ukraine.
It took an intense penalty shoot-out for Chelsea to overcome West London rivals Fulham at
Stamford Bridge and advance to the next round of Carling Cup.
After a goalless stalemate, which involved another injury for Petr Cech, a knock for Daniel
Sturridge, and a red card for Alex, the Blues needed an inconclusive spot-kick from the Cottagers's
summer signing Bryan Ruiz to emerge triumphant.
Chelsea begin play in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge.
It's round three, and we open with a West London derby against Fulham. Second-rate competition
against second-rate competition, eh? Not so much.
Will not play
It would make sense for Andre Villas-Boas to make this competition a priority, similar to the
way another Portugese did in his first season with the club.
Since his much-heralded arrival this summer, plenty has been made of Andre Villas-Boas tactical
genius. Is he, as many would argue, a tactical maestro? Or as others would argue, an impostor
that's yet to face any true challenges in his fledgling career? To get to the root of this, and as
part of the inevitable hype surrounding Sunday's United fixture, we take a closer look at the
formations, substitutions, tactical adjustments, and philosophies of Mr.
In an interview that will not go over well in the Chelsea dressing room, Fernando Torres says
that his poor goalscoring record at Chelsea is due to theclub's 'very slow' and 'older'
players.
Torres says that it is the squad's lack of pace and the fact a number of players are approaching
the twilight of their careers as a key reason behind his lack of goals, but has indicated
Villas-Boas is trying to freshen things up.
In an interview that will not go over well in the Chelsea dressing room, Fernando Torres says
that his poor goalscoring record at Chelsea is due to theclub's 'very slow' and 'older'
players.
Torres says that it is the squad's lack of pace and the fact a number of players are approaching
the twilight of their careers as a key reason behind his lack of goals, but has indicated
Villas-Boas is trying to freshen things up.
All aboard shut the doors please! It is that time soon when the helter-skelter known as the
transfer window deadline fast approaches with many clubs hoping to bolster their squad before the
clock strikes midnight. Will Sagna and Song be joined by Malouda by the end of today? We have seen
some blockbuster moves [.
Arsene Wenger is closing in on £8million Germany defender Per Mertesacker and has completed a
£6.2m deal for Brazil left-back Andre dos Santos and there are reportedly more signings on the
way.
At least Mertesacker is a Gooner. Back ion 2004 he said: "Since I was small I was an Arsenal
fan.
It appears that both Park and Santos have been signed subject to work permits, which we need
confirmed today.
Arsenal are in advance talks with long-term transfer target Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen,
with a fee in the regions of €10M having been agreed. Mertesacker is 6' 6", which will help us at
both ends at set pieces.
The 8-2 defeat at the weekend has forced Wenger into the transfer market, rumours are flying
around everywhere.
Two deals that are virtually done will Park Chu Young join Arsenal from AS Monaco. Park is
South Korea's captain and a striker who does not have an impressive record in club football.
Sorry for the lack of substance over the past two days or so. I've been locked in a padded room
at work, Jamie's been consumed by employment, too, and Devin, well, Devin has been far too busy for
blogging. Why? He's currently on a week-long trek around London Town in which he'll be taking in,
amongst other things, a shirt signing feature EBJT and Super Frank as well as Saturday's match at
the Bridge.
Sorry for the lack of substance over the past two days or so. I've been locked in a padded room
at work, Jamie's been consumed by employment, too, and Devin, well, Devin has been far too busy for
blogging. Why? He's currently on a week-long trek around London Town in which he'll be taking in,
amongst other things, a shirt signing feature EBJT and Super Frank as well as Saturday's match at
the Bridge.
Transfer Rumors: Mata & Nasri Sign On The Dotted Line - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
With one more week left in the summer transfer window, there's still plenty of time to find and
secure necessary reinforcements (or unnecessary, if you so choose). But at the same time, there
needs to be a little haste in negotiations and decisions to prevent a deal going down to the wire,
getting gazumped (word of the day!
Chelsea came from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Stamford Bridge and join Aston
Villa, Liverpool, and Newcastle United atop the Barclays Premier League standings.
Goals from Nicolas Anelka and first-half substitute Florent Malouda, who replaced Salomon Kalou,
were enough to turn the tables on the Baggies, who had taken an early lead through last weekend's
scorer Shane Long.
Chelsea begin the Andre Villas-Boas era with a goalless draw on a not cold non-night at the
Britannia Stadium. Well-earned, but there could have been much more. Still, I, for one, am not
going to complain.
You be the judge
So we start the season with a point.
Talent for renovation gives Manchester United decisive edge | David Pleat
Chelsea have also been strengthened by an injection of youth while Sergio Agüero's creativity
will be vital if Manchester City are to offer a title challenge Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson
has the gift of moving on ageing players at the right time, and replacing seamlessly.
Rangers midfielder Kyle Hutton has hailed Frank Lampard as one of the greatest midfielders in
the Premier League following the Chelsea midfielder's inspirational performance in a 3-1 win over
the reigning Scottish champions.
Although Lampard missed a penalty that could have made the final score even more lopsided, the
England international left a strong impression on Hutton with the manner in which he controlled the
game.
The choice cuts from today's win at Ibrox. Peep the flick by The Mighty One for our third
crafty.
Singing the Blues Not content with buying Fernando Torres, Chelsea have set about stealing another
Liverpool legend by forming their own version of The Beatles. Fronted by the Blues' club chef, the
Fab Five also features Didier Drogba on tambourine, Paulo Ferreira on percussion, Petr Cech on
drums and Florent Malouda on bongos.
