Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Graham Potter was always going to find himself under intense scrutiny after succeeding Thomas Tuchel last September, and has barely lasted seven months in charge. The managerial merry-go-round has returned once more in west London, where club legend Frank Lampard will this week take interim charge while a host of free agent big names are linked for the summer months. Continue reading “Graham Potter was doomed at Chelsea from Day 1, but poisoned chalice moves on”
World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, signed in the dying hours on deadline day this past Tuesday, made his Premier League debut for Graham Potter’s Chelsea side but the midfielder couldn’t inspire his new teammates to produce more than a frustrating goalless draw with west London rivals Fulham, who defended valiantly with centre-back and captain Tim Ream in particular. Continue reading “Chelsea 0-0 Fulham: Ream rescues Cottagers as £106m man Enzo Fernandez makes Blues debut”
After conjuring up magic to save Real Madrid from the brink of elimination against PSG in the previous round, it was again Karim Benzema’s night – this time in west London – as two first-half headers and pouncing on Edouard Mendy’s early second-half mistake has now confined Champions League holders Chelsea to an unenviable second leg recovery mission on April 13. Continue reading “Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid: Benzema hat-trick leaves UCL holders with mountain to climb”
Federico Chiesa’s winner, 11 seconds into the second-half, felt inevitable after multiple warning signs were ignored but typified just how Chelsea – with their 73% possession and half-chances galore – laboured through proceedings in Turin. If Thomas Tuchel’s men are going to successfully defend their Champions League crown, they can’t afford more displays like these. Continue reading “Juventus 1-0 Chelsea: Chiesa the catalyst as ponderous Blues stifled in Turin”
Liverpool and Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the new Premier League season continued on Saturday night with a 1-1 draw at Anfield, but this latest meeting wasn’t without controversy and tempers flaring on both sides after Reece James’ contentious dismissal in first-half stoppage-time, changing the complexion of an entertaining clash between two title hopefuls.
Continue reading “Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Havertz, Salah ensure points are shared in tense affair”
After an eventful first campaign in England packed with trials and tribulations, Chelsea creative midfielder Kai Havertz scored the Champions League-sealing winner overnight in the biggest game of his blossoming career to date – sinking Premier League champions Manchester City. Continue reading “Kai Havertz seizes big moment as Chelsea seal second Champions League triumph”
Considering what has proved an arduous campaign for all involved this term, it feels fitting two big-money summer signings – Manchester City centre-back Rúben Dias and Chelsea forward Timo Werner – helped their respective sides to earn a Champions League Final berth on May 29.
Continue reading “Rúben Dias and Timo Werner, the tale of contrasting summer signings”
Chelsea ended their Champions League group unbeaten, one point above Sevilla and will go into Monday’s last-16 draw as Group E winners after their 1-1 draw with Krasnodar. Frank Lampard made multiple changes to the side that overcame an early deficit to beat Leeds three days prior, but is expected to make more ahead of their tricky Merseyside trip this weekend. Continue reading “Preview: Everton vs Chelsea – Tricky away trip awaits Lampard’s men on Merseyside”
Chelsea’s Premier League campaign gets underway with a tricky away trip to the south Coast, as Brighton await on Monday evening. Two weeks after a 1-1 draw at the Amex, the Blues return in a competitive capacity and target a statement win away to last season’s strugglers. Can Graham Potter’s men surprise the side who narrowly secured a top-four finish last term? Continue reading “Brighton vs Chelsea Preview: Lampard’s men target winning start in tough test”
Bayer Leverkusen and Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will be expected to progress into this summer’s DFB-Pokal Final, as the pair are heavy favourites in their respective cup ties against fourth-tier Saarbrucken and a depleted Eintracht Frankfurt side this midweek. Continue reading “DFB-Pokal semi-final previews: Saarbrucken-Leverkusen and Bayern-Frankfurt”
Kai Havertz made Bundesliga history on Friday night, as Peter Bosz’s much-changed Bayer Leverkusen side battled hard to earn a slender but important victory over SC Freiburg – a win taking them third ahead of the weekend’s fixtures. Continue reading “SC Freiburg 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Havertz pokes home winner in hard-fought win”
Last week, Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro insisted that Kai Havertz will not be sold for a cut-price transfer fee, regardless of financial implications caused by the coronavirus. Here’s why their stance on the highly-rated playmaker is justified…
Continue reading “Why Bayer Leverkusen are right to stay firm with their stance on Kai Havertz”
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