Chelsea Football Update: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Soccer-English premier league top scorers (Reuters)

Sept 30 (Infostrada Sports) - Top scorers of the English premier league on Monday 5 Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) 4 Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) Yaya Toure (Manchester City) 3 Romelu Lukaku (Everton) Robert Brady (Hull City) Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Robin van Persie (Manchester United) Loic Remy (Newcastle United) Gylfi Sigurdsson (Tottenham Hotspur) 2 Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) Fraizer Campbell (Cardiff City) Oscar (Chelsea) Leighton Baines (Everton) Ross Barkley (Everton) Luis Suarez (Liverpool) Edin ...

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Soccer-English premier league results and standings (Reuters)

Sept 30 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the English premier league matches on Monday Monday, September 30Everton 3 Newcastle United 2 Sunday, September 29Stoke City 0 Norwich City 1 Sunderland 1 Liverpool 3 Saturday, September 28Aston Villa 3 Manchester City 2 Fulham 1 Cardiff City 2 Hull City 1 West Ham United 0 Manchester United 1 West Bromwich Albion 2 Southampton 2 Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 1 Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1 Standings P W D L F A Pts 1 Arsenal 6 5 0 1 13 7 15 2 Liverpool 6 4 1 1 8 4 13 3 Tottenham Hotspur 6 4 1 1 6 2 13 ...

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Manchester United's David Moyes to be backed by Glazer cash in January

• Possible £50m bid for Leighton Baines and Ander Herrera

• Owners know Premier League more competitive this season

David Moyes will be backed by the Glazer family in the January transfer window should he wish to spend heavily, with the Manchester United manager considering a potential £50m move for Everton's Leighton Baines and Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera.

However, the Scot will sanction bids in the market only if he feels there is requisite value, to keep in line with club policy regarding transfers.

Given Everton rejected a £15m bid for Baines in the summer, United are conscious it may take an offer of £20m-plus to sign the left-back, as this would be the level of fee that Bill Kenwright, the chairman, may find impossible to refuse.

Any move for Herrera could require United coming close to or breaking their club record £30.75m fee to activate the midfielder's €36m release clause after Athletic refused a £25.6m bid in the summer – wanting to hold out for the full price.

There is also a recognition at United that while there was no panic during the summer window there are lessons to be learned, with one consideration being that Moyes's contract at Everton might have been bought out early so that he could start work instantly on targets, rather than wait until 1 July when the 50-year-old officially signed on.

In the event, the window ended in a final-day scramble to sign Marouane Fellaini from Everton while the proposed deals for Baines, Herrera and Real Madrid's Fábio Coentrão collapsed, as had the earlier move to buy Barcelona's Cesc Fábregas.

The Glazers' willingness to back the Scot in January reflects an understanding that the first transfer window for Moyes and Ed Woodward, the new executive vice-chairman, was always going to be difficult. Beyond this, the owners recognise that the Premier League has become far more competitive this season following the managerial changes not just at their club but also at Manchester City and Chelsea, plus the renewed investment in those squads challenging for a Champions League berth.

Tottenham Hotspur, having sold Gareth Bale for a world record £85.3m, have strengthened their squad considerably as have Arsenal, who spent £42.5m on Real's Mesut Özil.

Arsène Wenger's side head the Premier League but Tottenham are only two points behind in third place, with Liverpool, who have also made a strong start to the season, in second position.

Although Moyes and the executive vice-chairman understand that January can be a difficult market to operate in, the manager's start to the title defence – only seven points from six games, with three defeats – has confirmed the need to invest in a squad in which many of the players are ageing.

Moyes's comments about the strength of the squad and his assertion at the weekend that there are no guarantees United will qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League will have been little surprise to the hierarchy. United fly out to Ukraine before their second group game against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Donbass Arena with Moyes looking for a return to the winner's circle in readiness for Saturday's trip to Sunderland.

Alexander Buttner, who played in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion, claimed that despite the club's start being the worst since 1989, there is no crisis. "We have lost three games but we have to focus in every game and we have to fight in every game to win," said the Dutchman.

"We are not in crisis. Of course the crowd wants to see Manchester United winning – and the players as well. If we lose we aren't happy, we want to win as well and we have to fight in every game to win. This season starts now and we can win many games. You have to trust the players and everyone. I think we can do this as a team and we're going to win games, I'm sure."

The left-back views the game with Shakhtar as a quick chance for the club to move on.

"We have to focus on Wednesday's game. Of course it's very disappointing to lose the game [against West Brom] because we played a good game and won against Liverpool [in the Capital One Cup] Now we lose at home against West Brom, so it's very disappointing for everyone."

Jamie Jackson

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Napoli next for Arsenal as Arsène Wenger contemplates gap on his CV

Rafael Benítez is the visitor as Arsenal's manager again seeks to join the exclusive club of European Cup-winning coaches

Arsène Wenger goes into a riveting Champions League fixture against the Italian high-fliers Napoli with the confession that he is obsessed by an ambition to win the tournament. He sees it as a glaring hole in his managerial record. "It is something I miss," he says. "I will try to fight very hard to fill my CV with that. But you play against Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid – every year they are there with a chance. Every year you always think: 'Let's do it', and one year it will go for you. Let's hope it will be this year."

He is about to be reacquainted with Rafael Benítez, one of only four managers in this season's edition of the Champions League to have previously won the competition, as have Carlo Ancelotti, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

Benítez, returning to London so soon after that strangely uncomfortable spell at Chelsea, arrived for pre-match training at the Emirates Stadium radiating contented confidence. In fact, after a scintillating start to his Neapolitan adventure, he is having to tone down the levels of expectation. Before their opening Champions League fixture, against Borussia Dortmund, Benítez gave a rallying call, urging his club to show the world how strong they are. Now, the message has changed. "We probably need to control the euphoria," he said.

He is happily settled in southern Italy. "It's a nice place, nice fans with a lot of commitment. It's very similar to Liverpool in the passion for the team and the enjoyment of football. You see it everywhere. That's why it has been easy for me."

The job description at Napoli was a challenging one. Effectively Benítez has been asked to take a team who have been enjoying their best football in decades, with a thrilling Champions League run and Serie A runners-up spot in the past two seasons, sell the most potent weapon and make the side better.

There was some scepticism, largely based on Benítez's previous encounter in Serie A. Picking up Mourinho's baton in 2010, he arrived at Internazionale to work with a team who had just won the treble, an extraordinary peak for a group with considerable age and experience on its side. Benítez's spell with Inter turned out to be disappointing.

Wenger believes Napoli are an entirely different proposition. "I'm not surprised Rafa is doing well," said the Arsenal manager. "Maybe his first experience in Italy he took a team who had been at a high and they were just over the hill, so that was a bit of a gamble. Napoli are on the way up. He can give them more experience and quality."

In keeping with the mutual appreciation society that comes naturally to two coaches who always got along well, Benítez was also wholehearted in his praise of Wenger. "I think Arsène Wenger is the best coach in the Premier League," said the Spaniard. (No mention of Mourinho considered necessary.)

Napoli are a substantially changed side to the team who finished second in Serie A last May. There have been major structural changes, with a new coach, goalkeeper, centre-half, centre-forward and tactical approach among the most significant shifts. There is a notable Hispanic flavour with three players arriving from Real Madrid's books (the defender Raúl Albiol and striker José Callejón accompanying the grandstand signing of Gonzalo Higuaín) and the Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina arriving on loan from Liverpool.

With Callejón and the vibrant talent of the local boy Lorenzo Insigne on either side of Higuaín, supported by the assists of Marek Hamsik, a new-look front-line Wenger regards as "dangerous" has been built in the aftermath of Edinson Cavani's expensive departure to PSG.

Insigne sums up the new spirit in the camp: "So far everything is beautiful. But we must remain humble and follow the Benítez way. I like the style. We play with the ball on the floor and this gives us confidence. Benítez has given us a winning mentality and with pleasure I sacrifice myself to contribute defensively."

Napoli play bright, fast, breakaway football and their start to the campaign has been almost flawless. They have won five of their opening six league games and were buoyant to triumph in their European opener against Dortmund.

The contest is set up intriguingly because Benítez identifies Arsenal's ball possession as their strength, and Wenger points to counterattacking as Napoli's greatest asset.

Arsenal feel an extra pressure to do well in this game because they are up against Dortmund in what Wenger describes as a "double confrontation" next, while Benítez will be looking to push on against what would appear to be the weakest member of the Group F quartet, Marseille.

Friendship will be put to one side as these two wily coaches try to make ground in this complicated group. Benítez empathised with Wenger's ongoing obsession to become a Champions League winner after so many tries. "He's a great manager, great person, always top-four doing a great job. Hopefully he can win. But another year," he grinned. "Not this one."

Amy Lawrence

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Lukaku shines as unbeaten Everton leap to fourth

(Reuters) - A stunning first-half performance by striker Romelu Lukaku guided Everton to a 3-2 home victory over Newcastle on Monday to lift his side to fourth and maintain the Premier League's only unbeaten record. The 20-year-old Belgian, on a season-long loan from Chelsea, scored twice, set up a goal for teenager Ross Barkley and also had two efforts disallowed for offside in the first 45 minutes. Second-half goals by Yohan Cabaye after 51 minutes and Loic Remy a minute from time gave the visitors hope but they were largely outplayed. ...

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Everton 3-2 Newcastle United | Premier League match report

Still unbeaten Everton leapfrogged Chelsea to go fourth in the table courtesy of Romelu Lukaku, who scored two goals and made the other. It is a good thing José Mourinho is a calmer, more mature manager these days, otherwise he might be getting fed up with questions about players who are not available for selection.

Everton were good value for this victory, which could easily have been by a wider margin, though in truth they were playing a poor team.

The home side got off to a blistering start, though against opponents as accommodating as Newcastle, most teams would. Lukaku had the ball in the net after just over a minute, only to be recalled for offside, and Kevin Mirallas began the game successfully finding space to run into down the right ahead of Seamus Coleman.

It was only a matter of time before the two Belgians combined, and they did so to good effect in the fifth minute. Mirallas broke purposefully down the right, looked up to see where Lukaku wanted the ball, and played a low cross to perfection. Lukaku connected with a swing of his right foot for a first-time shot that proved too powerful for Tim Krul to keep out.

After Ross Barkley had sent a sweetly-struck drive narrowly wide Coleman was the next to break down the right, chasing a Lukaku pass with such tenacity that not even Newcastle tugs at his shirt prevented him from getting into shooting range and forcing a corner. When the ball was cleared out to him the full-back sent a rising shot embarrassingly high into the Park end, but Everton were clearly on top and emphasised the fact with an elegant second goal midway through the first half.

This time Lukaku was the creator, fastening onto to a headed clearance and biding his time before cheekily slipping an inch-perfect pass behind Fabricio Coloccini for Barkley to run on to and score without breaking stride.

Newcastle were not having one of their better days, that much was already clear, though once again one had to ponder the wisdom of Chelsea letting Lukaku out on loan when they appear to be struggling for attacking invention. Everton overtook Chelsea in the table as a result of this win, joining Liverpool in the top four. There is still plenty of the season left for early impressions to change, though it cannot have escaped the notice of someone at Stamford Bridge that the top of the table might look completely different were Lukaku and Daniel Sturridge playing in London and not Liverpool.

Lukaku helped himself to another goal before the interval, or rather he was made a present of one by some extremely unconvincing Newcastle defending. Tim Howard's gigantic upfield clearance made it all the way into the opposite penalty area, yet even so Coloccini and Krul were in a position to deal with it.

Possibly unnerved by the presence of Lukaku they both failed to take control, leaving the Chelsea loanee to bring the ball down adroitly and step disdainfully around Coloccini's despairing attempt to recover the situation. It looked as though the Newcastle captain was in for a long night, yet though he will not fancy facing Lukaku again in a hurry, he stuck at his task and managed to come out on top in a couple 50-50 challenges with the striker before the interval.

Hatem Ben Arfa brought a save from Howard with a snap-shot on the stroke of the interval, which counted as Newcastle's first attack of any note. Ben Arfa was one of their better players when he was on the ball, which was rarely, and Davide Santon also had his moments. As a team, however, Newcastle were all but non-existent. Playing opponents this flimsy, Everton could stay unbeaten until Christmas.

Yohan Cabaye came on for the second half and immediately gave the Newcastle supporters something to cheer, finding Howard's top corner with a stunning right-foot curler from 25 yards out. It was quite a goal, but as Newcastle had missed an even easier chance seconds earlier it only appeared likely to count as consolation. Played through cleanly by Vurnon Anita, Yoan Gouffran saw his shot come back off a post when he only had Howard to beat.

Newcastle had to be content with showing more fight in the second half, salvaging a little self-respect by making the game more of a contest. Loïc Rémy scored in the 89th minute to set up a tense last few minutes, but the damage had been done by their doormat impression in the first period. Not only did Everton fail to manage any more goals, Lukaku missed his chance of a hat-trick with a wild stab that went miles over the bar.

Mourinho can breathe a little more easily. He is not quite the finished product after all.

Paul Wilson

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José Mourinho's mood darkens as Chelsea arrive for Steaua Bucharest test

• Mourinho demands concentration in Champions League tie

• Torres set to start shortly after learning if he will be banned

Perhaps José Mourinho's mood had genuinely been darkened only by the incessant deluge and choking traffic that greeted Chelsea's players in the Romanian capital. More plausible, though, was the looming prospect of losing Fernando Torres to a lengthy domestic suspension and an acceptance that Steaua Bucharest, victors when the sides met at the National stadium in the Europa League back in March, represent a distinctly awkward test ahead.

The manager sat through seven questions and a little over a quarter of an hour of his media conference on the eve of this tie before a query over Kevin De Bruyne's absence offered him an escape route, the Portuguese taking leave to stride out of the room and on to the sodden turf with more urgent matters occupying his mind. His team wallow uncomfortably, third and pointless, in Group E after the sloppy opening defeat by Basel. The recovery must begin in Bucharest.

Chelsea may discover only an hour before they submit their team sheet on Tuesday whether Torres's one-match ban is to swell to a four-game absence, with the Football Association considering its options before a 6pm deadline back home, though the Spaniard will surely start against Steaua regardless. Mourinho recognises this contest must re-establish his side's credentials in the section and Torres, on his second-half showing at Tottenham Hotspur, is his most potent attacker.

The management can at least hope memories of the 1-0 loss here six months ago serve as motivation. "That's good for me," said Mourinho, reflecting upon the first-leg defeat endured by Rafael Benítez's team but overturned in the return at Stamford Bridge.

"They lost, they know why they lost, they know it's not easy and that this will be difficult again. In terms of concentration and motivation, maybe we are one step ahead from last season. Maybe last season came as a bit more of a surprise. This season they know they're going to play against a good team."

Of those who started in March, only Yossi Benayoun – who has since been released – and the injured Eden Hazard are missing this time round. The Belgian's absence with an ankle injury sustained in a challenge with Kyle Walker on Saturday – he is doubtful for Sunday's trip to Norwich – represents far more of a blow than that of his compatriot De Bruyne, who has been left at home to stew over his recent anaemic form. His agent has since indicated the player is frustrated but intent upon regaining a place in the side, in the same manner Juan Mata has already this term. He would hope to be back in contention in the weeks ahead.

This will be no occasion for players who are off colour. Steaua, despite losing Vlad Chiriches to Tottenham, have dropped only two points in seven unbeaten domestic league games and will hope the state of the pitch, relaid three weeks ago but drenched by the rainfall until the roof was belatedly hauled across the arena on Monday afternoon, acts as even more of a leveller.

"Against the weather you cannot do much, but if the stadium has a roof, I think they have conditions to try to make the pitch the best possible," said Mourinho. "It's a responsibility for Uefa because they're always worried with many things, and the pitch is a very important thing in a football match. I leave it with Steaua and Uefa, and we have to play on the pitch that will be presented to us."

Torres should be eager to maintain the resurgent form that so scarred Spurs after the interval at White Hart Lane, if not the claw which marked Jan Vertonghen.

The Spaniard scored the tie's decisive goal in the spring to propel the team into the Europa League semi-finals and will recognise that his involvement at club level until November may soon be limited to two Champions League ties. "If he is [banned], we lose a player in good form and one of our main strikers for four games," said the midfielder Frank Lampard. "But we have two other strikers, top strikers, and we've spoken about there being top competition at the club.

"If it happens, people will have to step up. I really believe in the squad we have, the young players we have, and we have to take on board the new manager's ideas. I know he's a winner. He's shown that not just at Chelsea. We need to bring that all together and, in the squad, we believe we can do big things. But it's no good talking about it. We need to do it.

"We lost the game here in the first half last season because we started slowly. We have to start this time at the top level given the position we find ourselves in [in the group]. If we turn up, think we're Chelsea and just need to play to win the game easily, it'll be no good for us. That's not going to happen."

Dominic Fifield

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/30/jose-mourinho-chelsea-steaua-bucharest-champions-league

Manchester United consider setting up new women's football team

• United discarded women's team in 2005

• Club currently coaches females until age of 18

Manchester United are reviewing whether to have a women's football team, with the champions having discarded their last one in 2005.

While many of the elite Premier League clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool – who won the Super League title on Sunday – all have sides, United offer coaching to females up to the age of 18 as part of their community-engagement programme, which occurs through its centre of excellence.

The club confirmed to the Guardian that they could again have a team, once a full assessment is made.

A spokesperson said: "These matters are looked at from time to time and the club is reviewing this again. Once that review has been completed, the club will evaluate the findings and make a decision."

Jamie Jackson

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José Mourinho's mood darkens as Chelsea arrive for Steaua Bucharest test

• Mourinho demands concentration in Champions League tie

• Torres set to start shortly after learning if he will be banned

Torres should be eager to maintain the resurgent form that so scarred Spurs after the interval at White Hart Lane, if not the claw which marked Jan Vertonghen.

Dominic Fifield

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Mourinho cuts short news conference

Manager Jose Mourinho walks out of a Chelsea news conference after being irritated by questions about Kevin de Bruyne.

via BBC Sport - Football http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24341228

Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea

Preview followed by live coverage of Tuesday's game between Steaua Bucharest and Chelsea in the Champions League.

via BBC Sport - Football http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24249945

Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea

Preview followed by live coverage of Tuesday's game between Steaua Bucharest and Chelsea in the Champions League.

via Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Chelsea | BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24249945

Irritated Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho walks out on media

Manager Jose Mourinho walks out of a Chelsea news conference after being irritated by questions about Kevin de Bruyne.

via Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Chelsea | BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24341228

De Bruyne questions trigger Mourinho walk-out

By Ben Lovell-Viggers (Reuters) - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cut short his Champions League news conference in Bucharest on Monday and walked out after becoming riled by questions about his team selection. Mourinho, preparing for the London club's Group E match against Steaua on Tuesday, was upset after being quizzed over the omission from the squad of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The Chelsea coach said he was not impressed with the way the Belgian played last week against Swindon Town in the Capital One (League) Cup, nor with his recent performances in training. "He was not selected. ...

via Sports News Headlines - Yahoo News UK http://uk.news.yahoo.com/bruyne-questions-trigger-mourinho-walk-174833882--sow.html

Soccer-De Bruyne questions trigger Mourinho walk-out (Reuters)

By Ben Lovell-Viggers Sept 30 (Reuters) - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cut short his Champions League news conference in Bucharest on Monday and walked out after becoming riled by questions about his team selection. Mourinho, preparing for the London club's Group E match against Steaua on Tuesday, was upset after being quizzed over the omission from the squad of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The Chelsea coach said he was not impressed with the way the Belgian played last week against Swindon Town in the Capital One (League) Cup, nor with his recent performances in training. "He was not ...

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Swift exit for angry Jose

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho walked out of his pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League clash with Steaua Bucharest after taking exception to a question about absent forward Kevin De Bruyne.

via Sky Sports | Football News http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8950418/

José Mourinho storms out of press conference over De Bruyne omission

• Mourinho says he is tired of being questioned over his team

• 'I don't like that you only ask about the players not selected'

José Mourinho walked out of his pre-match press conference having taken issue at questions over the absence of Kevin de Bruyne from his squad to face Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League group stage.

After a few perfunctory questions about the Champions League game he was asked to explain why the Belgian was not joining the trip. "This is fantastic because no one asks me about [Juan] Mata," he replied. "You have spoken about Mata for three weeks. Now you're asking about Kevin.

"You are impressed in the players who are not playing. He was not selected. It was my decision. Only 11 can play and I tried to decide, by what they do on the pitch when they play and in training …

"This fellow knows me for nine years and that I make mistakes, but I try to be honest all the time. I was honest with Juan because of what he's done in training and what he's done in the game he played, and so he plays. With Kevin I didn't like the match he played against Swindon, and I didn't like the way he was training. But you only ask about the guys who were not selected. Thank you."

With that he upped and left, apparently turning over a chair in the process.

Belgium's playmaker Eden Hazard will take no part in Romania following injury. Fernando Torres was included despite facing a domestic ban following his dismissal and altercation with Jan Vertonghen in Saturday's draw at Tottenham.

It is a match Mourinho's side need to win to get their campaign back into shape following their loss to Basel of Switzerland in the first round of matches.

Also absent from the squad was Marco van Ginkel, who is out for six months after knee surgery, while Michael Essien was not listed in the squad when it was submitted.

Chelsea lost 1-0 at the National Arena this year in the last 16 of the Europa League before overcoming Steaua at home and going on to win the competition.

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José Mourinho storms out of press conference over De Bruyne omission

• Manager says he is tired of being questioned over his team

• 'I don't like that you only ask about the players not selected'

José Mourinho walked out of his pre-match press conference having taken issue at questions over the absence of Kevin de Bruyne from the squad to face Steaua Bucharest.

After a few perfunctory questions about the Champions League game he was asked to explain why the Belgian was not on the trip. The manager responded by saying: "This is fantastic because no one asks me about [Juan] Mata. You have spoken about Mata for three weeks. Now you're asking about Kevin.

"You are impressed in the players who are not playing. He was not selected. It was my decision. Only 11 can play and I tried to decide, by what they do on the pitch when they play and in training...

"With Kevin I didn't like the match he played against Swindon, and I didn't like the way he was training. But you only ask about the guys who were not selected. Thank you."

With that he upped and left, apparently turning over a chair in the process.

Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard will take no part in the tie following injury. Striker Fernando Torres was included despite facing a domestic ban following his dismissal and altercation with Jan Vertonghen in Saturday's draw at Tottenham.

It is a match Mourinho's side need to win to get their campaign back on track following their loss to Basle of Switzerland in the first round of matches.

Also absent from the squad was Marco van Ginkel, who is out for six months following knee surgery, while Michael Essien was not listed in the squad earlier when it was submitted.

Chelsea lost 1-0 at the National Arena earlier this year in the last 16 of the Europa League before overcoming Steaua at home and going on to win the competition.

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/30/jose-mourinho-storms-out-press-conference-chelsea

Football Weekly: West Brom heap more misery on David Moyes

AC Jimbo has Iain Macintosh , James Horncastle and proper journalist Owen Gibson in the Football Weekly pod to pontificate on a weekend of Manchester-flavoured misery, with both United and City losing in pretty ropey fashion. Can the Red Devils and the Citizens bounce back in the Champions League, with tricky ties away at Shakhtar and at home to Bayern Munich respectively? Shirely not.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal continued their impressive start, Luis Suárez scored a brace for Liverpool - which is appropriate considering he was suspended for etc etc - and Fernando Torres showed his nasty side as Chelsea drew with Spurs.

Sid Lowe and Rafa Honigstein help us muddle through the rest of the European fixtures, and we get mighty excited by Steve McClaren's imminent appointment by Derby County.

Have a listen and let us know what you think on the blog below.

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The Fiver | David Moyes's tribute to Manchester United's 70s heritage | Jacob Steinberg

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LIKE MR ROY'S LIVERPOOL, MINUS CHRISTIAN POULSEN

Curses to the dastardly Football Association for making Manchester United play West Bromwich Albion at home on Saturday – if David Moyes didn't know any better, he'd smell a rat. And curses to Lord Ferg for winning the title in such style last season, thus ensuring that United would have to play in Big Cup this season – if Moyes didn't know any better, he'd suspect Lord Ferg did it on purpose, just to make him look bad, in the same way that he had the league wrapped up before April despite possessing a squad without a midfield. Finally, curses to the board for failing to sign Victor Anichebe this summer and, again, to Lord Ferg for selling Darron Gibson to Moyes when he was Everton manager, just so he wouldn't have him when he joined United. That Lord Ferg, always one step ahead.

However, after paying tribute to United's 70s heritage by losing to West Brom, Moyes has issued a rousing call to arms before the daunting trip to Shakhtar Donetsk in Big Cup on Wednesday. "It has become a harder competition to win, with the spending power of some of the big teams in other countries," Moyes whimpered, sinking deeper and deeper into his chair until he was sitting under the table, where Ashley Young was also hiding. "With the emergence of all the good Spanish players and Spanish teams and now you have PSG – the competition has become much more open than it was in years gone by." Aye, right, much harder than when United beat Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Internazionale and Juventus on their way to completing the Treble in 1999. This could turn out to be Mr Roy's Liverpool, minus Christian Poulsen and on a far grander scale.

Moyes's seemingly defeatist attitude may chime with the experiences of Everton fans, some of whom had grown tired of the handbrake football in big matches. That, though, is a thing of the past under Roberto Martínez, whose unbeaten Everton side will go five points above United and up to fourth place if they beat Newcastle tonight. But he's not just excited about a thrusting, attacking, youthful, resourceful team that is growing in stature with each passing game – Martínez is looking forward to an evening under the Goodison Park lights too. "It reverts back to a proper, classic environment to enjoy your football," he tooted. "The special feeling that floodlights brings to Goodison is unique and that's when the players look forward to playing those sort of games." Meanwhile, a few miles down the road, the Moyesiah continues to turn wine into water, before drowning in it and pointing the finger of blame at Robin van Persie, even though it was Phil Neville who forgot to pack the armbands.

• Join Jacob Steinberg for minute-by-minute coverage of Everton 3-1 Newcastle at 8pm.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There are loads of James Richardsons and they're great but I have my edge because I've been there, I've experienced it, I've played at the top. They can't turn round to me, the players, and say what the hell do you know? Well they can but … it's very rare" – Gary Lineker reveals that AC Jimbo is only 48 England goals, a successful stint at Barcelona and a prolific role in attack for Spurs away from finally getting a gig on Match of the Day.

• Donald McRae's full interview with the Match of the Day presenter.

FIVER LETTERS

"In fits of boredom I randomly select an old copy of the Fiver to read which are stored in the darkest depths of Outlook Express … Quote from 8 April 2003: 'When he decides to move upstairs at Manchester United, burgundy-faced boss Alex Ferguson will be replaced by burgundy-faced boss Steve McClaren.' So go on Fiver let's have some more predictions for the future like: When he decides to move upstairs at Manchester United, burgundy-face boss David Moyes will be replaced by burgundy-face boss Darren Ferguson" – Wayne Lovett (who the Fiver predicts will not be winning the letter o' the day prize).

"In my office-induced ennui this afternoon, I Googled 'Who is the secret footballer?' and was rewarded with this link. And because the website is probably more entertaining to read than the book itself, I no longer have to demean myself by writing pedantic emails to you in the hope of receiving the book as a reward" – Daniel Rice.

"[Friday] Fiver's opening sentence says 'Like a piece of volcanic rock in a stone wall at the north end of a hay field in Buxton, there are some sentences that have no earthly place in a story about football.' Would you like to try that one again, as it is implying that a piece of volcanic rock is a sentence?" – Mark Robinson (and no others).

Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our letter o' the day prize is Daniel Rice, funnily enough, who gets a copy of the newly updated paperback edition of I Am The Secret Footballer.

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BITS AND BOBS

Schecond Schoice Schteve is working on his Derbyshire accent as he prepares to be appointed as Nigel Clough's successor at Derby County.

Liverpool have won the league … their ladies that is, who beat Bristol 2-0 yesterday to end Arsenal's nine-year dominance in the women's Super League.

Eden Hazard has been ruled out of Chelsea's Big Cup match at Steaua Bucharest tomorrow due to some unspecified leg knack. While Kevin De Bruyne has been left at home due to ongoing form-knack.

And former Manchester City technical director Mike Rigg has been appointed as the FA's head of talent identification which, the Fiver can only assume, will involve lots of time spent on ancestory.com looking for links to England in the family trees of Barcelona youth players.

STILL WANT MORE?

Arrows? tick. Dots? tick. A 3-5-2 formation including free-roaming strikers? tick. It's Michael Cox on Liverpool's tactics.

DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! Or at least do it in a bit when it's up.

Just why were Juventus doling out the Twitter LOLs at Torino? Find out in Paolo Bandini's Serie A round-up.

For the first time this century, Atlético beat Real Madrid in the league: and only 70 of their fans saw it live. Sid Lowe has the latest from Spain.

Raphael Honigstein has no doubt written about the German football this weekend, since that's what he usually does. However, he hadn't done so by the time these Still Want Mores were written, so we'll play it safe and just say Raphael Honigstein is a German.

Sean Ingle's column is about bringing the Rooney Rule into England, the guidelines by which minority candidates must be interviewed for top NFL jobs rather than one which compels people to wear headbands that make them look like the baddies from Home Alone.

Fans of discussions about promontories and cliff tops that overlook the sea, will be disappointed to learn that out Talking Points blog is actually about the weekend's Premier League action.

And Jeremy Alexander went to Fleetwood and wrote about its lighthouses. Which is nice.

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JUST THE BED TO GO … £60 ANYONE?

Jacob Steinberg

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Arsène Wenger tones down early talk of Arsenal as league winners

• Wenger concentrating on next match against Napoli

• Rafael Benitez is a proven, top-class manager, he added

Arsène Wenger believes it is "absolutely ridiculous" to talk about Arsenal as Premier League winners so early in the season and urged his side to concentrate on their European aspirations against Napoli on Tuesday.

Arsenal capitalised on slip-ups by their rivals to move two points clear at the top of the table with victory at Swansea on Saturday.

Although Wenger may well have masterminded a superb winning run since the opening-day defeat by Aston Villa, the Arsenal manager insists you are only as good as your next game, which will see Rafael Benítez come to the Emirates Stadium looking to put a dent in qualification hopes for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

"You believe 100% or you don't believe, so that is how much our belief [in the title] is," said Wenger, who reported no fresh injury worries and could welcome the Czech playmaker, Tomas Rosicky, back into the squad.

"In our job the most important thing is to have a good balance between ambition and humility; ambition because of course we want to win [the league], but humility as well because we know we have only played six games and to speak today about the title is absolutely ridiculous.

"What we have done is to continue to have the same ambition and I think the team has a good humility level and is conscious that we want to improve."

Wenger added: "What people forgot about is we are on a very long run, since March we have not lost a game and if you put that [the defeat to Villa] into perspective it was just one single game that we lost in 21 now, so I think it was a combination of factors.

"All this together made the situation a little bit explosive, but purely on the results perspective it [the Villa defeat] was an accident that can happen. It was just about responding with the qualities that we already have in our group."

Arsenal, who beat Fenerbahce in the play-off to reach the Champions League group stages for a 16th consecutive season, opened their European campaign with victory in Marseille.

Another three points against Napoli would put them in a strong position in front of the double-header against Borussia Dortmund, last season's beaten finalists who lost in Naples.

"We are in a tough group. If you look at the teams Marseille, Dortmund and Napoli, they all play at the top of their league and in big football countries, so you feel of course for us it is vital to continue our run and to come out of the group," said Wenger. "But you know as the well the importance of the home games will be decisive in a group of that quality."

Arsenal were close to signing Gonzalo Higuaín from Real Madrid in the summer, before the Argentina forward moved to Napoli. Wenger, though, insists there is no need to reflect on what might have been, with Arsenal landing Mesut Özil from Real in a club-record £43m deadline day transfer.

"It is not the best moment to talk about transfers today. He was on the market as you know and several clubs were in for him. I do not think it needs to be talked about again."

Wenger feels Benítez deserves great respect, the former Valencia, Liverpool and Internazionale coach having landed another top European job following what was a testing but ultimately successful campaign as the interim manager at Chelsea.

"He is a top-class manager, he has proven that, so when you are confronted with his teams, you know it will always be difficult," Wenger said. "But we are up for it, we want to do it and we have the confidence to do it."

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