Chelsea Football Update

Monday, July 29, 2013

B Faso's Traore shining for Chelsea

Burkina Faso youngster Bertrand Traore is making an impression on Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia

via BBC Sport - Football http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23476535

Sunday, July 28, 2013

VIDEO: Mourinho denies Moyes mind games

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho rejects accusations that he is playing "mind games" with Manchester United manager David Moyes, and decides silence is the best option.

via BBC Sport - Football http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23425487

Saturday, July 27, 2013

José Mourinho: 'Arsène Wenger is a nice guy – we won't have any problems'

• Chelsea manager once had fiery relationship with Wenger

• 'I respect him a lot – I wouldn't bet for one single problem'

José Mourinho and Arsène Wenger have repaired the relationship that disintegrated so acrimoniously during the Portuguese's first spell in English football, with the recently returned Chelsea manager claiming there would not be "one single problem" flaring between the pair over the campaign ahead.

Wenger's Arsenal side had just completed an unbeaten league campaign and were the reigning champions when Mourinho arrived in the Premier League in 2004, only for Chelsea to establish themselves as the dominant force over the next two seasons. Their rapid emergence prised apart the stranglehold imposed by Arsenal and Manchester United but while Mourinho's relations with Sir Alex Ferguson were generally cordial, his clashes with Wenger were frequent and public. Their verbal sniping prompted Mourinho's infamous accusation that the Frenchman was "a voyeur" in October 2005, adding: "There are some guys who, when they are at home, they have a big telescope to see what happens in other families … He's worried about us, he's always talking about us. It's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea. I don't know if he wants my job. He loves Chelsea."

There seemed little prospect of a recovery in their dealings after that outburst, with Mourinho armed with a 120-page dossier of Wenger's comments about his rivals and the Arsenal manager threatening legal action, retorting: "When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes.

Yet, with Mourinho having since spent time away from England at Internazionale and Real Madrid, a ceasefire has apparently been called. "He's a nice guy," Mourinho said. "I had a chance to meet him much, much better when I left England and I started meeting him in Uefa [coaching meetings], at the Euros, the World Cup. I think I met him a few times, we had dinner and so on. And when you are not in the same league and when you are not playing against each other, it is easier to get to know people, it is easier to go deeper. It is easy to speak about football, he's a very nice guy.

"I'm back in the Premier League, yes, but he's still a nice guy. I respect him a lot and I will show it always. In football, things like this happen. Sometimes, even if you are friends and respect each other, sometimes you say something the other doesn't like and you react, but at the end of the day I respect him a lot and I have the feeling that he is the same in relation to me. I wouldn't bet for one single problem between us."

Wenger and Mourinho, at 50, are the only two managers starting next season's Premier League campaign who have claimed the title and, as such, are effectively the elder statesmen of the division. They spoke at length about football at those Uefa meetings and, while the Portuguese has admitted he would not be able to contemplate going into a ninth season since last claiming silverware, a prospect awaiting Arsenal and Wenger, there is admiration for his opposite number's longevity.

"He has to teach me how (he has done it) because I want to be here 17 years," said Mourinho. "Our last conversation was that I want to be here 17 years. It wasn't uncomfortable talking because it was with other coaches, in Uefa, in Europe, so it was in a good, nice atmosphere and I enjoyed speaking with him about football. He is a person with a big culture, very open to give his opinion to things, very good."

Asked if he could go eight years without a trophy, Mourinho added: "No, because of my mentality. I would feel strange. But you can do very good work for a club without winning lots of trophies, you can. Memories in football are normally short, there is no long-term memory. People many times forget what people have done. I don't think he's affected by that. He's a big, experienced man, he has self-esteem, he knows what he did, he knows what he is doing.

"To have the respect like he has from his board is fundamental and it's not because of his nice face. It's because of the work he does and also because of the respect people have for him. So, for sure, he is happy to be there. As you know, he had all these chances to leave, all these good, important clubs interested in him, so when he refuses and he wants to stay at Arsenal it's because he loves it there. It's because he has expectations for the future."

Dominic Fifield

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/27/jose-mourinho-arsene-wenger

Friday, July 26, 2013

Chelsea eager to harness obvious talents of young Bertrand Traoré

• Club hope to sign Burkina Faso player on 18th birthday

• Midfielder impressed on tour of Asia and scored two goals

Chelsea face an anxious wait to discover whether they will be able to secure Bertrand Traoré on a full-time professional contract. The club are hoping to sign the teenager, a revelation on the side's pre-season tour of south-east Asia, on his 18th birthday in September.

Traoré was introduced as a substitute in the matches in Bangkok and Jakarta, and started the victory over Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, scoring accomplished goals in the last two games. The club had taken him on the tour as a triallist, at least the second such spell he has enjoyed with Chelsea in the last two years. The 17-year-old has apparently been in the United Kingdom on a student visa and it is unclear when that visa is due to expire.

Under Fifa regulations Traoré cannot sign a professional deal until 6 September, when he turns 18, though José Mourinho has already indicated that the player, a full Burkina Faso international with eight caps, may still fail to secure a work permit. This means he will most likely have to be loaned to a club on the continent in the hope that clearance can be gained in the future. His regular appearances for his country, with Burkina Faso ranked 42nd in the world, suggest he might eventually meet the work permit criteria.

The concern at the south-west London club is that a foreign rival – potentially one in France where his elder brother Alain, a French passport holder, plays for Lorient – who are not hamstrung by the same stringent work permit restrictions – could offer the teenager a deal in September and fast-track him immediately into their first team. Certainly, a crowd of over 80,000 were dazzled by his display in Jakarta.

Chelsea will hope the faith they have shown in the player, not least by selecting him for the three-match tour, will persuade Traoré to remain with them even if he has to seek a loan move elsewhere for at least a season. Mourinho had been shown DVD footage of the attacking midfielder playing in friendly fixtures at the club's youth academy last season and decided on the basis of those clips alone that the youngster, who made his full international debut in a friendly against Equatorial Guinea three days before his 16th birthday in 2011, should travel with the seniors to Thailand.

His form on the tour justified that faith, with a smartly taken goal against Malaysia being followed by an exquisitely curled reward in Jakarta on Thursday. "He's been working well with the manager for two weeks and scored a fantastic goal," said the centre-half Gary Cahill. "He's composed on the ball and has great confidence for such a young lad.

"I don't know the ins and outs of his situation, but he's certainly done himself no harm in the two weeks we were in the Far East. It's too early to say he's ready to do this and that, and we don't want to get carried away, but he's certainly not looked out of place in training alongside some top international players. He's slotted in nicely. He's a young lad, but I'm sure he's got a bright future at Chelsea."

While Traoré has not been permitted to feature in competitive fixtures during his time at Cobham, the London club's interest in his services is long-standing. There were reports in 2009 that the midfielder, aged 14, had alerted Chelsea scouts to his abilities while playing at the Under-17s World Cup in Nigeria. Manchester United and Marseille were also linked with moves for the Burkinabé.

The Burkina Faso sports minister had announced in August 2010, clearly somewhat prematurely, that the player would be joining Chelsea. Traoré was subsequently quoted in local media enthusing about the welcome afforded him by Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou at the club in September 2011. "They have taken me into their little group and we all speak French together," he said at the time. "They are always there to offer me advice, and they treat me like a younger brother."

Dominic Fifield

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/26/chelsea-bertrand-traore-sign

Five things we learned from Chelsea's tour of Asia | Dominic Fifield

José Mourinho seemed in holiday mood but Chelsea manager used Asia tour opportunity to start casting club's new mould

1 José Mourinho may indeed be the 'Happy One'

José Mourinho had spent the past six weeks insisting that at the age of 50 he was a changed man. More mature. Less combustible. A manager with responsibilities who, it seemed, had been affected by that tempestuous departure from Real Madrid. It is worth reserving definitive judgment for a while – this is the same man who had claimed to be "the mellow one" back in Los Angeles in 2007 only for his relationship with Roman Abramovich to disintegrate two months later – but, at least before competition exposes the streetfighter in him, early signs suggest he is re-energised and enjoying life. Mourinho has been a breath of fresh air on this tour. His energy and enthusiasm have been infectious, his excitement obvious at the prospect of a different kind of challenge this time around: working with a largely youthful squad to mould them into something special, all long-term vision combined with a recognition things must be won in the short term. "It's a different job, a different profile," he had said. "Probably leadership has to be different too. I am enjoying it. After three years at Real Madrid, this profile of job comes at a good moment for me."

Mourinho has been jovial on the training pitch. He creased up in fits of laughter back in Bangkok when one of his staff produced a lightning detector as the humidity built, the manager spying his colleague's baffled expression as he pawed at the device and asked why he had brought a breathalyser out on to the turf. He has strolled around the training pitch with a cone on his head, and suggested a journalist who mentioned "the forbidden word" (Rooney) should go and stand facing the wall "for two minutes" in mock disgrace. The notion that he might now be a Godfather figure in the Premier League, as the only European Cup winner and one of only two managers in the top flight who have won the title, seemed to leave him rather tickled, yet he intends to embrace the "responsibility" that his position brings him.

This is not the same scowling Mourinho who departed the club so abruptly six years ago after a 1-1 home draw with Rosenborg in the Champions League. Admittedly, things may change once the adrenaline kicks in but the early signs are promising. He continues to massage the egos of his key players, and everything about Mourinho, with his assistants Silvino Louro a calming influence at his side and Rui Faria an enforcer if required, suggests he is a man at home again. This feels far more than a marriage of convenience.

2 The Rooney pursuit is likely to prove protracted

Chelsea's desire to secure Wayne Rooney from Manchester United was exposed for the world to see as the team prepared for their game against the Singha All Stars in Bangkok. News of their bid leaked and the Premier League champions have insisted that the England forward will not be permitted to leave. A second bid will be made to test that resolve, although Chelsea may choose to time that submission either after the player has handed in a written transfer request, or once United have secured a replacement.

But the offer will come and there is an increasing belief behind the scenes at Chelsea that Rooney will be their player when the transfer window closes on 2 September. He is apparently their sole remaining target, a player to complete the jigsaw and a different kind of forward to those already at the club. Fernando Torres's forte is charging into space behind defenders. Romelu Lukaku is strong, quick but raw. Demba Ba has always felt like a stop-gap. None of that trio, Mourinho believes, would naturally thrive when defenders are tight and seek to suffocate. "That quality they don't have," he said. "I will work on it with them." The implication was Rooney might provide that pedigree.

There will be issues to resolve in the weeks ahead. Torres is due to join the squad at Cobham on Sunday before they fly to the United States next week for a four-match tour. The Spain striker will want to know where he stands given Mourinho is unlikely to want to play two out-and-out forwards regularly. Lukaku and Ba, too, will be anxious for first-team football. All must be appeased somehow to maintain harmony even though Rooney, if they are successful, would surely be first choice. Chelsea visit United on 26 August, David Moyes' first home fixture in charge of the champions. If a deal is to be struck, it seems logical it may not be completed until after that occasion. Chelsea may have to wait to complete their strengthening.

3 The manager's system offers some flexibility

Those players who have been at the club over the past few years will be readily familiar with the formation Mourinho will implement. The Portuguese will play varieties of 4-3-3, sometimes using two defensive midfielders in the centre to shield his back line, sometimes using only one and asking those on either side – it was Marco van Ginkel and Ramires off Nathaniel Chalobah in Jakarta – to bustle upfield in support of the attack.

The intrigue lies less in his deep-lying midfield but in the composition of the three free-spirited players he utilises when 4-3-3 becomes 4-2-3-1. Last year's initial plan, under Roberto Di Matteo, had been to use Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar in those roles. Rafael Benítez, aware that Chelsea could be rendered defensively vulnerable with all three mavericks in the team, often opted for Victor Moses or even Ramires in one of the slots. Mourinho has already pointed to André Schürrle – an £18.7m signing who will expect to play – and Kevin De Bruyne as contenders, the latter having impressed here until injury curtailed his tour.

All will be craving the No10 role enjoyed, largely, by Mata last season but each may actually end up featuring on the flank. Indeed, the Spaniard may be destined for the right wing as Mourinho asks his wide men to cut inside on to their stronger foot. "I need to get to know him better," said the manager of Mata, another one of the six players granted extra time off after the Confederations Cup and who will report back on Sunday. "I like sometimes to play with what I like to call wingers with the wrong foot – right-footed men on the left and left-footed men on the right. He is the only left-footed player we have when we want to play with a winger on the right side, so I will play him there." Theirs is a relationship that has still to be gauged.

4 But the kids do look decent ...

The games played in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta were, as Mourinho stressed, merely public training sessions for Chelsea, opportunities to build up fitness after the short summer break even if an opportunity to instil that "winning culture" of which the management had spoken was to be grasped. Yet, even against substandard opponents, there were players on the tour who were desperate to make their mark, and some did.

De Bruyne was arguably the most impressive performer in Bangkok, drifting from centre to the wings and conjuring clever passes en route. The Belgian enjoyed a productive season on loan at Werder Bremen and has been told he has a role to play in the campaign ahead. First impressions suggest he has the quality to make waves. Certainly, his understanding with Hazard and, in particular, Lukaku seems well established. The battering ram of a striker scored in all three games and is already demonstrating better vision and comprehension as to where he should be making his runs. Centre-backs will be bullied in the season ahead, but so might opposing full-backs and even those in central midfield.

Lukaku returned to Chelsea a player encouraged by an excellent season under Steve Clarke at West Bromwich Albion and will be anxious to secure a place in Belgium's World Cup squad for next summer's tournament in Brazil. He will feature, with Mourinho having already suggested he would have no qualms about flinging the teenager into the fray for the opening fixture against Hull City, when Torres may still be jet-lagged having played a midweek friendly for Spain in Ecuador. Van Ginkel, too, has been a steadying influence in midfield, albeit with the odd wild challenge thrown in, and offered glimpses of his huge promise. He will benefit from working alongside Frank Lampard and Michael Essien this season, experienced campaigners eager to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

Others will have to wait for their chance. Chalobah has played in defence and midfield on the tour, impressing in the latter role, but will spend the season out on loan, most likely at another Premier League club.

Josh McEachran will also make a temporary move, while Bertrand Traoré and Wallace – each of whom having shown flashes of excellence in the Far East, with Traoré a revelation – will need to find loan moves to European clubs with neither likely to secure a work permit to play in England. Islam Feruz will drop back into the Under-21s, and Jamal Blackman will spend the season as a No3 goalkeeper behind Petr Cech and Mark Schwarzer. That, in itself, will be an education for the youngster.

5 Economics take precedence over practicalities on these pre-season tours

These summer schleps around the Far East have become the norm these days. Chelsea joined Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in hopping around the region, the quartet playing in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan between them. Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are in Hong Kong at the moment playing in the Barclays Asia Trophy, with these all being exercises in growing the brand.

The pitches have not been great – Lampard's achilles was not risked at any of the venues – and the humidity stifling, but the Asia market made up 50% of the most recent overseas television deal struck by the Premier League, worth more than £1.4bn last season alone. Those figures will keep rising, and there is the motivation to visit.

All this must understandably feel rather alien to the rank and file back in the Matthew Harding upper or Shed end, but in an age of financial fair play, these revenue streams may be critical. Chelsea continue to engage and lay roots with their new fan base in distant lands – "Here to play, here to stay" was the tour logo – with the Blue Pitches laid in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur soon to be followed by one in Jakarta. There have been open training and signing sessions, the players mobbed wherever they go, with the stadia nearly always full and replica shirts out in abundance. The atmosphere in Jakarta where 80,106 crammed into the Gelora Bung Karno stadium was deafening, as it had been for Liverpool's visit. This still feels like an opportunity, and it is one this club is taking.

"Chelsea is a big club that wants to be even bigger," said Mourinho on arrival in Indonesia. "You can't do that by just winning trophies. One of the things is you need a big fan base. One of the reasons Chelsea travels a lot this pre-season is that objective. We must feed the passion we feel that is growing up around this club. I was here in 2004. I'm back in 2013 and this is great fun for me, and provokes some pride too, to feel the differences in this club's evolution here. Chelsea is becoming bigger and bigger." Events such as this, sandwiched between post- and pre-season trips to the United States, continue to spread the word.

Dominic Fifield

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/jul/26/chelsea-tour-jose-mourinho

Chelsea's Demba Ba determined to remain at club despite Rooney interest

• Senegalese says competition for places brings out his best

• Ba says: 'We will all work in the same direction'

Demba Ba is determined to remain at Chelsea for the season ahead despite the Londoners' ongoing attempts to add Wayne Rooney to their forward options, with the Senegalese confident the competition for places will bring out the best in his form.

The Senegal forward, a £7m signing from Newcastle back in January, scored six goals in all competitions for Rafael Benítez's side over the second half of last season as he eased the workload for Fernando Torres, previously the only recognised available forward at the club.

Romelu Lukaku's return from a successful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion has added to José Mourinho's options since, with the possibility remaining that Rooney could become the fourth senior striker on the books should Manchester United accept any future Chelsea offer.

That would potentially leave Ba further down the pecking order but the forward, who scored after starting the 8-1 thrashing of an Indonesian All Stars XI on Thursday, believes he will still make his mark. "I think we need competition and we welcome the best players in this club," said Ba when asked about Rooney's possible arrival.

"More competition is going to make me better anyway. All players want to play, not only centre-forwards. We will all work in the same direction, for the club, to try and win the games. I will stay."

Mourinho has started with Lukaku in each of the previous friendlies in the club's tour of the Far East, the Belgian registering in both games and adding a second-half brace in Jakarta after replacing Ba at half-time. The 28-year-old Senegalese is content, however, with his own progress towards full fitness ahead of the side's departure on Tuesday for a four-game tour of the United States.

"I feel good," he added. "It's always good to score but, at this stage, it's more about the work and running a lot on the pitch to get you condition back. It's been a good week's work with the new manager. We will see in the next few weeks. It will be exciting."

Dominic Fifield

via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/26/chelsea-demba-ba-rooney

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Rivalry will boost Torres - Mourinho

Manager Jose Mourinho thinks Fernando Torres will be boosted by Chelsea having more attacking options next season.

via BBC Sport - Football http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23459890