The CHELSEA Thread

[JoeNemesis]

 

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[JoeNemesis]

     Birthday boy Thiago Silva on his health Secrets and ambition to play into forties

As Thiago Silva celebrates his 38th birthday, the Brazilian has been reflecting on the Secrets behind his longevity and why he believes he still has plenty more in the tank

The defender is currently with the national team in France preparing for a pair of friendly matches there against Ghana and Tunisia.  In exactly nine weeks’ time, he will be hoping to lead the Selecao into their opening World Cup group game in his fourth tournament, desperate to triumph and lift one trophy that has up to this point eluded him.

While his vast experience will undoubtedly prove vital to Tite’s men in Qatar, Thiago Silva will not even be in the top 10 oldest players to feature at a World Cup and is positively youthful when compared to the tournament’s most senior representative, Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who played in Russia at the age of 45.

Yet competing on the highest levels both for club and country is not easy when you reach your late thirties and so no stone is left unturned in the quest for fitness and match preparedness.

‘It’s very important for me that I can play on this level at this age but it’s not easy, especially in the Premier League,’ he said recently.

‘When I finish training, I come back home and think about how I can repair myself for tomorrow.

‘The intensity is high from the first minute to the last one so you have to be ready all the time.  I might be 38 years old but I think I can help this team as much as possible.’

Football has changed a great deal over the course of Thiago Silva’s long career, with advancements in sports science and physiology prolonging playing careers, but our number six believes that what you do away from the training ground is just as important as what goes on in the work environment.

‘There are many things that help and players are also more professional now,’ he explained. ‘Players are like athletes today. The mental aspect is also very important.

‘You know that you need to have a calm head because if you do other things outside the field, you will be tired. That’s my opinion. The players are more professional now than before.’

Being involved at the World Cup has been Thiago Silva’s long-stated aim but he also harbours ambitions of extending his stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the length of his current contract, which expires next summer.

He uses the example of his former AC Milan team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he may come up against in the Champions League next month, as motivation to continue playing at the highest level for as long as his body allows.

‘I talk often with Zlatan and recently more often because Chelsea will play against AC Milan in the Champions league,’ he added. ‘My aim is to play until I'm 40 years old but I don’t know if it will be this level or this competition.

‘It depends on this season and we’ll see what will happen in the World Cup. It also depends on a contract extension but yeah, my aim is to play until I’m 40.’

From chelseafc.com

 

 

[JoeNemesis]

   Todd Boehly has already been told who Chelsea should sign in January amid Cristiano Ronaldo plan

Graham Potter is the latest man being tasked with getting the best out of Chelsea's underperforming attack

It's hard to know just yet, but if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isn't the man to lead the Chelsea attack beyond this season then Graham Potter will have the chance to provide his own solution to goalscoring issues that have occurred for over five years.

The new manager is working with Aubameyang after Thomas Tuchel pushed heavily for his signing in the summer window in order to bolster his forward options, and the already risky transfer now looks even more uncertain.

Given Potter will be working through and finding out how he feels about his Chelsea team in the coming weeks it is likely that Aubameyang, once he regains fitness, will be a common name on the team sheet, but Armando Broja is pushing heavily for a starting spot after impressing in training and his small cameos so far this season.

Potter, who has a track record for improving players and has already helped Danny Welbeck to his best scoring returns in the last eight years, has more quality on his hands at Chelsea but even he may still find it tough to get a historically underperforming group to start firing.

If Potter can't work his magic then he's been told where to go for new choices:  "They should be looking for a 22-year-old or 23-year-old somewhere in Europe," Stan Collymore said in April, via Birmingham Mail. "If not, then maybe [Ollie] Watkins, or even his [Aston] Villa strike partner [Danny] Ings, if they're happy to go older.

"That kind of player would score 20 to 25 goals in that team and those goals would take Chelsea a big, big step closer to what they want to achieve."

The irony is maybe that Chelsea have had several players destined and predicted to score 20 goals only for them to flop.  Be it down to creativity issues, finishing mistakes or from a system not built for certain players, over £300m has been spent on all sorts of goal scorers.

Ings himself had a poor season for Villa last term, only scoring seven goals.  His previous two years saw 34 goals with a high of 22 at Southampton.  As for Watkins, he got 11 last season following 14 in his first year at Villa.  The duo have both been capped by England, though Ings has only played three times since his debut in 2015 and hasn't featured in a squad since 2020.

Watkins is a more recent pick for Gareth Southgate having played seven times in the past 18 months, scoring twice.  The 26-year-old wasn't included in the most recent squad though and is unlikely to go to the World Cup this winter.  Part of their own attraction to Chelsea, other than the prospect of Champions League football and maybe being given a bigger chance at Stamford Bridge now Potter is in charge, is that if their scoring did improve then being at Chelsea would help their future international prospects.

On the other hand, Todd Boehly was keen to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, seven years older than Ings at 37, and the Portuguese is still being tipped to be a success.  "I think he [Ronaldo] can serve another club," former France defender Frank Leboeuf told ESPN.

"I would have loved to have seen him play for Chelsea, I think Chelsea would have been good for him because he would have been served, I don’t know with [Erik] ten Hag how it’s going to work.

"I think he has enough money to go for free and I already talked about that when he was at Juventus, and he should have done that instead of trying to get more money, where everybody can agree that he has enough, especially with his endorsements.

"He doesn’t need a salary, let's say, he can choose wherever he wants to go.  Because everybody is going to be pleased to have a player like him, when they don’t have to pay him because he is going to serve.  He can go to big, top clubs and I think he can serve the top clubs.

"If Chelsea can’t find the striker they want, if Aubameyang isn’t working for them, maybe he can go there if he goes for free.  He would have the chance again to play in the Champions League, that’s what he wants.  I wish him the best and I think he deserves the best because he has been one of the best, if not the best striker in the world."

Ronaldo is being used as a rotational option by United currently and still wants to play in Europe's top club competition.

From: football.london

[JoeNemesis]

   

Roma want to bring in Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah on loan in January

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah was incessantly linked with a loan departure during the summer, but he ultimately decided to stay after the board and then manager, Thomas Tuchel managed to persuade him that he’s a part of the club’s plans this season. However Chalobah has starred in only one match since then, and while new head coach Graham Potter could provide with much more opportunities, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he has been keeping an eye out for other options.

According to Corriere dello Sport, AS Roma have thrown their hat into the ring as one of those options. Roma failed to sign a centre back in the summer, and will attempt to bring one once the winter transfer window opens, with Chalobah high on their wishlist. Chelsea aren’t willing to sanction a permanent departure for the 23-year-old, but could be willing to send him out on loan, and the Serie A side seem to be fine with the structure of such a deal.

However, losing Chalobah would significantly reduce our depth in the CB positions. Unless we’re signing a replacement, or planning to bring back Levi Colwill or Ethan Ampadu, it makes little sense for us to lose a pivotal piece of the roster mid-season.

From: weaintgotnohistory.com

[JoeNemesis]

 

   

Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic out of Japan vs. USMNT game due to ‘slight knock’

“Breaks”? What are them?

The international breaks arrive, and so does injuries during national team duty. While Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy did not wait to leave Senegal’s squad early so he can focus on rehabing a knee injury, winger Christian Pulisic could not anticipate that after a season of small fitness issues here and there, he would still have to face them while training with the USMNT.

While Pulisic’s problem has been described as a ‘slight knock’ by our official website, it is still very annoying that our players still put themselves on the line for things such as friendlies. The one that Pulisic missed was against Japan, with the United States’ national team losing 2-0 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Germany.

He will now be evaluated daily until the 27th this month, when the USMNT heads to Spain (!) to face Saudi Arabia (!!!) in another friendly match to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

From: weaintgotnohistory.com
 

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Internationals:  Kovacic seals place in Nations League finals

Mateo Kovacic helped Croatia book their spot in the UEFA Nations League finals following a 3-1 victory over Austria on Sunday evening

The 2018 World Cup runners-up pipped Denmark and France to top Group A1 after a hard-fought win in Vienna, with the Blues midfielder playing all but the final six minutes.

They will be joined at next summer’s finale by the Netherlands, who beat Belgium 1-0 to secure their place, plus either Portugal or Spain from Group A2, and Hungary or Italy from Group A3.

Croatia made the perfect start and took the lead after six minutes when Luka Modric found the near bottom corner with a sweet strike from just inside the box. However, parity was swiftly restored when Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner headed beyond Dominik Livakovic, who recently kept goal for Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League against Chelsea.

Livakovic was forced into a smart stop from Marko Arnautovic before Kovacic saw an effort blocked by an Austrian defender as the 28-year-old sought his first international goal since November 2020. It was a homecoming of sorts for the midfielder, who was born in Austria’s third-largest city Linz, just over 100 miles west of Vienna.

The hosts had some of the better chances as the game wore on, with Livakovic expertly keeping Arnautovic at bay again, before Croatia took the lead for the second time through Hajduk Split forward Marko Livaja, who neatly converted a delivery from Tottenham’s Ivan Perisic.

Within four minutes, the result was guaranteed as Dejan Lovren’s header powered into the back of the net to make it 3-1. Kovacic was then replaced by Mario Pasalic as the visitors saw the game out comfortably to move closer to a piece of elusive silverware after so many recent achievements.

It is the perfect preparation for the World Cup too, where they will be joined in Group F by Belgium, Canada and Morocco. For now, Croatia can celebrate topping a tricky UEFA Nations League group and look ahead to the final four showdown next June.

From: chelseafc.com

[JoeNemesis]

   

It's all about the Chelsea boys 

Edited September 27, 2022 by JoeNemesis

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Happy birthday, Michael 

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Germany v England friendly 

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New besties 

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N'Golo Kante returns to Chelsea training

N’Golo Kante has returned to part training at Cobham after missing Chelsea’s last six matches with a hamstring injury

The Frenchman started our first two Premier League matches of the campaign against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, before picking up an injury in that draw with our London rivals in mid-August. 

It’s welcome news for Graham Potter ahead of a mammoth month ahead, with nine matches scheduled across October in all competitions.

It will be the first time we have played that number of games in a calendar month since December last year. 

N'Golo was joined by goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy, English duo Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah, and also Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

From:  chelseafc.com

[JoeNemesis]

   

Chelsea 22-23 Third Kit Leaked - Confirmed by FIFA 23

The various leaks of the Chelsea 22-23 third kit have been confirmed thanks to pictures and videos from the early-access phase of FIFA 23.  Thanks to dubj and NonoLoko10.  While the shirt design has been known for a while, it's interesting to see that the socks of the Chelsea 2022-2023 third uniform are white.

As usual, the Chelsea 2022-23 third jersey will be the club's last of the three main shirts to be released, likely again in September.  It will be accompanied by a full collection of similar colors.

The Nike Chelsea 2022-2023 third jersey combines a 'Sesame' (gold) base with black and orange.

It's a very basic design without any fancy graphics or patterns. The only detailing appears in the form of the rear collar panel as well as the sleeve cuffs, which are black with orange.

Gold shorts and white socks, featuring a black-orange-black hoop, complete the Nike Chelsea 22-23 third kit.

The final pic shows the Chelsea 2022-23 Third Pre-Match Shirt

From:  footyheadlines.com

[JoeNemesis]

   

Levi Colwill offers Chelsea a ringing endorsement of Graham Potter after brief Brighton experience

Levi Colwill has provided a ringing endorsement of Chelsea manager Graham Potter.

The two briefly crossed paths when defender Colwill joined Brighton on loan from the west London giants, making two appearances under Potter before the 47-year-old replaced Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea rate Colwill highly and the 19-year-old will return to the club next season after moving to the south coast as part of the deal to sign Marc Cucurella, with Potter clearly already a fan.

A huge part of Huddersfield Town’s promotion push last season, the teenager spoke in glowing terms of Potter, though insisted he was not thinking about working under his watch again while he focuses on Brighton.

Such has been the level of disruption in the Premier League of late, Potter has overseen only one game in his new role, a 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Colwill said: “He’s such a big person to be around for the team, everyone respects him on and off the pitch.  You could tell his levels are the highest they could be, I can understand why Chelsea have gone for him.”

When asked of his eventual return to Chelsea, the defender replied:  “To be honest, I haven’t even thought about that.  I can’t really think about what’s going to happen in the future.”

From:  standard.co.uk

[JoeNemesis]

   

Kanté, Mendy still out; Cucurella, Chukwuemeka doubtful with Potter ‘itching’ to get going at Chelsea

Team news from the new head coach

After a long wait, over three weeks, the first Premier League match of Graham Potter’s (hopefully long and successful) tenure as Chelsea head coach is almost here. Potter did take charge for our 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg before the international break, but this weekend feels like the true beginning of his new era.

Unfortunately, in terms of key injuries, it’s still the same as the old era, with neither N’Golo Kanté nor Édouard Mendy quite ready to play. To add to that, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka are doubtful as well.

“No they’re not [available]. They’re absolutely fine in terms of coming through their rehab stages. NG has just been on the grass with the team but not full training,. Eddie is a bit further on but hasn’t had enough to be involved at the weekend really. Maybe next week for him

“A bit of illness for Marc Cucurella and Carney, apart from that everybody is fit.”

While Potter hasn’t quite had as much time to work with the squad as this lengthy break would indicate at first sight — most of the squad have been away on international duty, and the rest were given time off — he did use this time to get settled in and get a bit more comfortable with his new environment.

That said, he’s now itching to play, and so are we. Time to scratch that itch!

“[We] used the time to get to know people in an environment without games but at the same time we’re itching to go, itching to play. That’s really where you find out about everything and you learn a lot and make an impression.

“Couldn’t really control anything in terms of how things have panned out with the cancellations. International break is what it is, then we just have to make the most of it. [...] We’re looking forward to that challenge, but the boys are ready and itching to play. Can’t wait.”

“We have to be smart with how we work, smart with how we use our time. [...] I‘ve been really positively happy with how everyone has welcomed me, the feeling I’ve got at Cobham, the training ground, the players have been amazing, very open, very honest, there’s a really good group here with good experienced players and nice young ones who are also ambitious. Good group, good mix, it’s just been really surreal because we haven’t had games and went into an international break. Looking forward to getting going tomorrow.”

Ideally, this is the start of something great and beautiful and long-term, but we all know the harsh realities of this business. Potter himself may not have ever managed a “top” team before, but he’s not blind to them either. His approach may not be as coldly analytical as Tuchel’s was this time 19 months ago, but he’s about as realistic as his predecessor when it comes down to it.

“We’ve got six weeks, 13 matches and quickly it’s understanding all the players and using them in the right way. Winning football matches in the toughest league in the world with Champions League as well. That’s going to be the challenge in the short term.”

“[Then] the challenge, a bit more than short term challenge, it’s how you align the resources you have, how you align the football idea with everything you’ve got and make it successful. The past, or resource or history doesn’t guarantee you anything in this league. There are lots of clubs that have spent lots of money and haven’t achieved things that they maybe wanted. It’s about getting everything lined up and strategy clear.

“Vital sounds a bit life or death, or dramatic, it is what it is. I can’t control people’s perception of what we do or not, rather than worry about what we’re going to do in May or June, I’m just focused on the next match and the next training session, trying to improve the team.”
-Graham Potter; source: Football.London

It’s not been an easy or straightforward start to the season, and Chelsea are still undergoing massive changes, especially behind the scenes. But hopefully we can focus on our football for a minute, and put a good run of results together over the next month and a half ... and beyond.

Let’s go!

From:weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com

[JoeNemesis]

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Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea Premier League Highlights

 

 

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Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea, Premier League: Post-match reaction

WINNER WINNER CONOR GALLAGHER YOU BAD BAD MAN DINNER

Chelsea started with plenty of controlled possession, but without posing too much danger. Conversely, Palace had practically zero possession, until coming forward once, and scoring inside of the first seven minutes.

The match resumed without much change to its flow after that inauspicious start, and it took a solid 20 minutes before Chelsea were able to finally start actually threatening the Palace goal. Mount came close, Sterling hit the post, and Aubameyang whiffed on a corner routine — but then made up for that bit of amusement with a perfect blind volley on the turn to level proceedings just five minutes before the end of the half.

Other than the mistake for Palace’s goal, and that one time Thiago Silva intentionally handled the ball to stop an attack — just a yellow, correctly, since it wasn’t a DOGSO - denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity - Chelsea were fairly comfortable at the back for long stretches. The porosity of the midfield was a concern at times however.

The second half was more of the same story, with Havertz coming close a couple times as Chelsea kept pushing on the right flank. But the breakthrough would not arrive, and Palace were often the more threatening on the counter — though neither side really posed that much clear and present danger.

And then in the final minute, Conor Gallagher broke Palace hearts and brought joy to ours with an absolutely stupendous strike.

Carefree.

• Just two changes from the Salzburg match, one enforced (Chilwell in for the ailing Cucurella) the other tactical (Fofana for Azpilicueta), but also a more strict back-four formation (4-3-3/4-2-3-1/4-2-2-2 depending on situation).
• RLC on for Jorginho early in the second half, with Jorgi favoring his right hip as he walked off, wincing as he did. Broja & Gallagher on for Auba & Havertz for the final 15. Pulisic gets a few minutes at the end.
• First Chelsea goal for both Auba & Gallagher

Next up: AC Milan at home on Wednesday

From: weaintgotnohistory.com

[JoeNemesis]

  

AC Milan boss Pioli expects Chelsea struggle as he could be without nine players for clash

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli expects a struggle against Chelsea as he could be without nine players for Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

Like Chelsea, Milan managed to secure a win in their league match, a 3-1 victory against Empoli, this weekend.

The reigning Serie A champions, however, paid a big price for the win.

Three of their players; Davide Calabria, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Simon Kjaer, picked up injuries in the match,

This extends the list of injuries at Milan with nine players potentially out of the Chelsea game (via Sky Italia).

Pioli remains confident in his team, although he admitted that, after watching Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, he expects a tough challenge.

From: thechelseachronicle.com

[JoeNemesis]

 😂

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Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea, Premier League: Post-match reaction

WINNER WINNER CONOR GALLAGHER YOU BAD BAD MAN DINNER

Chelsea started with plenty of controlled possession, but without posing too much danger. Conversely, Palace had practically zero possession, until coming forward once, and scoring inside of the first seven minutes.

The match resumed without much change to its flow after that inauspicious start, and it took a solid 20 minutes before Chelsea were able to finally start actually threatening the Palace goal. Mount came close, Sterling hit the post, and Aubameyang whiffed on a corner routine — but then made up for that bit of amusement with a perfect blind volley on the turn to level proceedings just five minutes before the end of the half.

Other than the mistake for Palace’s goal, and that one time Thiago Silva intentionally handled the ball to stop an attack — just a yellow, correctly, since it wasn’t a DOGSO - denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity - Chelsea were fairly comfortable at the back for long stretches. The porosity of the midfield was a concern at times however.

The second half was more of the same story, with Havertz coming close a couple times as Chelsea kept pushing on the right flank. But the breakthrough would not arrive, and Palace were often the more threatening on the counter — though neither side really posed that much clear and present danger.

And then in the final minute, Conor Gallagher broke Palace hearts and brought joy to ours with an absolutely stupendous strike.

Carefree.

• Just two changes from the Salzburg match, one enforced (Chilwell in for the ailing Cucurella) the other tactical (Fofana for Azpilicueta), but also a more strict back-four formation (4-3-3/4-2-3-1/4-2-2-2 depending on situation).
• RLC on for Jorginho early in the second half, with Jorgi favoring his right hip as he walked off, wincing as he did. Broja & Gallagher on for Auba & Havertz for the final 15. Pulisic gets a few minutes at the end.
• First Chelsea goal for both Auba & Gallagher

Next up: AC Milan at home on Wednesday

From: weaintgotnohistory.com

[JoeNemesis]

  

 

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Report: Todd Boehly unwilling to offer 31-year-old Chelsea player contract he wants, he could leave for free

Reports have claimed that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is currently unwilling to offer N’golo Kante the contract he wants.

According to Mail Online, the Frenchman is looking for a four year deal to remain at the club, and could leave for free next summer if the situation is not resolved.

The 31-year-old has been absent from the Blues squad since the second game of the season, where he picked up an injury late against Tottenham.

In this time, the Blues have struggled to replace the qualities that they lose without him, with them enduring a very average start to the campaign.

Graham Potter issued some encouraging news that he was getting to a lot better stage in his recovery, although he won’t be available for tonight’s key Champions League game against AC Milan.

However, the new man in charge will have no impact on discussions regarding Kante’s contract, with Mail Online suggesting Boehly is only offering a two year contract, with there being an option for a third.

This is the same deal offered to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when he signed for the club, with him joining at the age of 33.

However, the report goes on to say that Kante is pointing to the four year deal offered to Kalidou Koulibaly earlier this summer as a reference point, with the pair being the same age.

Losing Kante would be such a big loss to the Blues, with there being no one else in football who can do what he does to the standard he does it.

It would take a world-class signing to even start to try and replace the Frenchman, with Jude Bellingham one of the only obvious options available next summer.

While the owners are obviously weighing up his injury situation when making him a contract offer, they should not forget just how dominant he is when fully fit.