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Chelsea 2021-22: What to expect from the season ahead

27Jul

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Chelsea 2021-22: What to expect from the season ahead

Winning the UCL in grand style would relax nerves and dampen the pressure in many top teams in Europe but not at Chelsea. Four European trophies in 10 years perfectly depict the hunger for success at Chelsea and it will be the same in the coming season. Here’s a quick look at how things might be next season in the various departments of the current European champions. Goalkeeping The acquisition of Edouard Mendy from Rennes proved to be arguably the best piece of business Chelsea did last summer. With 24 clean sheets in 43 appearances, no other goalkeeper in Europe had a better season statistically. Compared to the previous season that saw Kepa Arrizabalaga fluff his lines so much, the solidity of the Chelsea backline was down to Mendy’s wonderful performances between the sti...

14Jun

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Chelsea

Mason Mount is a force that has come to stay

The transfer ban against Chelsea did them a lot of good and continues to do so even after the departure of Frank Lampard. The Englishman was tasked with managing the Blues during the torrid period of no major acquisitions and he chose to stick with one young English player who has proven that he has the quality to thrive on the biggest stage if handed the opportunity. Chelsea have never been known to rely on players from their academy but had no choice but to do so in the 2019/20 football season as the likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Reece James, and Mason Mount took up important roles in the team. Mason Mount was one player who never got the credit he deserved in his first season as a regular first-team player at Stamford Bridge. Many pundits and fans believed that he was ...

28May

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Featured

Manchester City face defining moment in club’s history

It’s all been building up to this. Since the takeover of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, winning the Champions League has been top of the club’s agenda. It’s taken a lot longer than many expected for the opportunity to present itself, but tomorrow night City face their date with destiny — the Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto. On paper, City shouldn’t have too much to fear. They are the favorites to win the match according to the Champions League odds, and with the Premier League title already in their back pockets, confidence will be high among coach Pep Guardiola’s squad. There is also the fact that opponents Chelsea have stuttered somewhat towards the end of the season, losing to Leicester City in the FA Cup final, and only narrowly making it into the top ...

28May

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Featured

2020/21 UCL Final – The clash of the billionaires and the tacticians

The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final takes place tomorrow between two English giants in recent times due to the spending power of their respective owners. The two clubs who will be facing each other in the final of Europe's elite club competition were minnows in English football some decades back but have carved niches for themselves amongst Europe's elite clubs in recent times. Chelsea FC were just there before the arrival of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Manchester City were the notable noisy rivals with no notable impact before the arrival of Sheikh Mansour. Regardless, both sides have become major players in English football since they were taken over by these billionaire figures. READ: BEST SITES FOR STREAMING LIVE FOOTBALL GAMES Both sides will face each...

17May

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Chelsea

Time for Tuchel to feel the pressure at Chelsea as fans return to earth

The events of the past week have shown that there are no guarantees in football. They have also shown that a manager is only the fans' favorite when he has the results to show in his favor. This is the present story of Chelsea as they prepare for their last two Premier League games of the season as well as the UEFA Champions League final against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in Portugal. The Blues were coming off the back of wins against Real Madrid and Manchester City and suddenly, their fans saw them as favorites for every tie. Well, the past week has also shown how the tide can turn, and how football fans can be brought back to earth. If Thomas Tuchel hasn't felt pressure in his entire managerial career, I can bet that he will feel major pressure as Chelsea's boss. The Blues ...

5May

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Featured

Can Chelsea show maturity and make Hazard and Courtois regret?

The clash between Real Madrid and Chelsea will see a Los Blancos side with a squad that have vast experience in these stages of the UCL come up against a squad with relatively no experience in this stage of the competition in the Blues. The Blues may have the advantage after the 1 all draw away at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium but every well-versed follower of the UEFA Champions League knows that the tie is far from over. The new-look Chelsea side who saw some new additions in the summer were whitewashed 7:1 by Bayern Munich in last season's UCL round of 16 under former manager Frank Lampard but have improved since then. They are currently managed by Thomas Tuchel and have done well in the competition but must now beat an experienced Zinedine Zidane-led side and eliminate them fr...

Man City showed that Paris Saint-Germain haven’t come of age

5May

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Featured

Man City showed that Paris Saint-Germain haven’t come of age

Manchester City have progressed to the final of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League after beating Paris Saint-Germain 2:0 at the Etihad on Tuesday night and 4:1 on aggregate. The fixture was a potential banana peel for Pep Guardiola and his men as they've not reached the final of the competition since his appointment as Man City boss. This is one title that has eluded the Citizens under the Spaniard and it was believed that the Ligue 1 giants could give them a run for their money. This is because there was this belief that PSG came of age, especially after they played in last season's final and eliminated the likes of Barcelona and PSG on their way to the semifinal stage of this year's competition. However, this was not the case as they fell short and performed below expectations. ...

23Apr

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Chelsea

West Ham vs Chelsea – A potential banana peel for the Blues?

The race for the top 4 is the rave of the moment in the Premier League as Manchester City are very close to title triumph. Therefore, we'll see one of the fiercest London derbies this Saturday when Chelsea travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham. This should be one of the biggest games ever between the two sides as they are fighting for a place in the top four to seal qualification to next season's UEFA Champions League. They are both tied on 55 points respectively as Chelsea sit 4th while the Hammers sit 5th. Therefore, this game has what it takes to be a cracker and one of the best games of the weekend. The Hammers have been very impressive on their home turf and the Blues have a game on their hands. West Ham last lost at home to Liverpool in January 2021 and before the...

8Apr

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Chelsea

5:2 defeat could be a one off, as Mount impresses against Porto

Chelsea put the 5:2 bashing by West Brom in the Premier League behind them as they ran out 2 nil winners against FC Porto in the first leg of their UCL quarterfinal encounter at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in Seville. The Blues were heavy favorites for a win after the draws were made but doubts came up after the defeat to West Brom. However, the Blues went into the game with the intent of clearing those doubts and did it, thanks to goals by Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell. They'll now go into the second leg which puts them technically at home at the same venue with a 2 goal lead. Day 2 of the quarterfinal fixtures was the day for the away sides to shine as Paris Saint-Germain also beat Bayern Munich 3:2 at the Allianz Arena. READ: FIFA suspends Chad and Pakistan due to poor ...

5Apr

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Chelsea

Baggies hand Blues rude awakening ahead of UCL tie against Porto

Football is one very unpredictable game that many folks should be aware of by now, and stop underrating teams. Thomas Tuchel's winning run at Chelsea was halted by the unlikeliest of teams in the Premier League on Saturday and no one saw it coming. A good one for the bookies indeed! Chelsea were hammered 5:2 by Sam Allardyce's West Brom at Stamford Bridge in the early kickoff game on Saturday and it was a big shocker. The Blues have been stingy in letting in the goals under Tuchel, but when they did, it was against 19th placed West Brom. We could say the Blues' momentum was halted by the international break but they were not the only team whose players engaged wholly in the internationals. READ: Diego Llorente reveals major shock at Bielsa’s approach The game was an eye-open...