Arsenal must score first if they are to get result at Chelsea, says Paul Merson

Arsenal must score first if they are to get result at Chelsea, says Paul Merson

Arsenal legend Paul Merson believes his old side have to score first in order to have any hope of getting a good result against Chelsea this weekend.

The Gunners travel to Stamford Bridge in somewhat unconvincing form, with their only wins this season coming against Leicester City, Bournemouth and FC Cologne.

Alexis Sanchez magic compensates for early wobble vs Cologne
Arsene Wenger has a dreadful recent record away to Arsenal’s main ‘big six’ rivals, and hasn’t won away to Chelsea since all the way back in the 2011/12 season.
Merson isn’t confident the north Londoners can eschew subjugate this time, presaging a 3-0 win for the Premier League champions.
Arsenal legend expounds the only way Gunners can eschew a drubbing at Chelsea

However, the former England international says Arsenal could make it interesting if they get the first goal, as they gain confidence in those situations, whereas they simply collapse if they go behind.
‘It’s all about the first goal. If Arsenal score first you will watch and think “wow, they look decent”,’ Merson told Sky Sports.
‘They will be confident and they have good players who look decent when they are winning.

Hector Bellerin reveals the change that sparked Arsenal's comeback vs Cologne
‘But when they are losing too many of them just go completely and utterly missing. The shape goes out of the window and if they let in the first goal it could be anything.
‘People are saying to me “what a good result against Bournemouth” but if you could have handpicked any team to play last week it was Bournemouth.
‘If Arsenal score first it will be a very interesting match but I don’t think they will.’

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Five players who scored in thier Champions League debuts

Five players who scored in thier Champions League debuts

UEFA Champions League set to kicked off last night in Europe with all the usual suspect like the holders Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and new Galacticos PSG among the contender for the 2017-18 seasons.

While Premier League champions Chelsea returns to competition after a one-year sabbatical and Manchester United also returned with Manchester City, Monaco, Atletico Madrid, Borrious Dortmund, Napoli and new entries RB Leipzig and Qarabag FK all set for this season tournament.

So many players around all the various teams set to make their Champions League debut with like Henry Onyekuru, Marcus Rashford, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Romelu Lukaku, Gabriel Jesus and Keita Balde Diao with the hope of them scoring which will mark their first ever Champions League appearance a memorable one forever.

Let's look at the past five goal scorer that have scored on the Champions League debut.
5. Tony Watt - Celtic

He made his Champions League debut on 7 November 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute for Mikael Lustig and scoring in the 88th minute in a 2–1 home win against Barcelona

4. Roberto Soldado - Real Madrid

Soldado made his Champions League debut with a lovely winning goal just six minutes into the pitch where he headed home from a trademark Beckham cross to record victory for Los Blancos against Olympiakos and a glorious personal triumph for the man himself.

3. Diego Costa - Atletico Madrid

Costa made his UEFA Champions League debut on 22 October 2013, where marked it with two goals against Austria Wien, the first coming after a fine individual effort in an eventual 3–0 group stage away victoriously triumph.

2. Faustino Asprilla - Newcastle United

The 1997-98 season was Asprilla's last for Newcastle with the sale of striker Les Ferdinand to Tottenham Hotspur and an earnest injury to Alan Shearer during pre-season, 

The Colombia striker was preferred as a first cull striker alongside the adolescent, callow Jon Dahl Tomasson with the club competing in that season's Champions League.

Asprilla scored a hat-trick for Newcastle in a 3–2 win over Barcelona, which would be his last goals for the club.

1. Wayne Rooney - Manchester United

Rooney was given the number 8 shirt upon his arrival at Old Trafford where he made his Manchester United debut on 28 September in a 6–2 home victory over Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League, scoring a hat-trick and laying on an assist.
Rooney goals made him the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League aged 18 years 335 days.

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BARCELONA CLAIM MESSI HAS SIGNED NEW CONTRACT... SO WHY IS IT NOT OFFICIAL?

BARCELONA CLAIM MESSI HAS SIGNED NEW CONTRACT... SO WHY IS IT NOT OFFICIAL?

Josep Bartomeu is adamant the necessary contracts have already been agreed, blaming "scheduling problems" for a lack of an announcement

Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu claims Lionel Messi has in fact signed a new contract, blaming "schedule problems" for the delay in announcing the news officially.
The Catalan club's star man had been under contract at Camp Nou until 2018, with speculation mounting that he will look to leave as negotiations over improved terms continued to drag on.

He told Sport: "It's all agreed and signed. There are three contracts. One with the Messi Foundation, which is signed with the president of the Foundations and the player's brother.
"There's an image rights contract with Messi, which is father has signed, who is the administrator of his company, and the employment contract, which his father has signed, who has the power to do so.
When asked what is missing to be able to announce the new deal officially, Bartomeu added: "[What is missing is] that Leo arrives and we have the official photograph and the protocol of the signature.
"The contract's signed, it's valid from the month of June, from June 30, the same day that he got married, curiously. It's been audited because it goes into the accounts for last season.
"The renewal is included in the accounts for the closing of this season. There are no problems. It's just the protocol of the signature. We're relaxed. We've had schedule problems [which is why it hasn't already been announced. 

"Now, he's back on September 6 or 7, we play on September 9. There are a lot of games. We will find the [right] moment."
When pushed on why the deal hadn't already been made official and released to the public, the Barca president continued: "Two months have gone by. He got married on June 30, then when he came back he went to Japan, then there was the tour.
"Then he came back... what happened? There was the Super Cup, then La Liga started, the trip to Monaco. We will find the [right] moment. I hope [within a month]."
Following the world-record departure of Neymar to PSG, there have been reports that Messi has grown frustrated at the situation at Barca and that he could be looking to move on.
Bartomeu is adamant the Argentine remains happy at Camp Nou, however, insisting that the expressions of apparent discontent he has been showing are purely because he is focused.
He said: "I don't see that [Messi being unhappy]. Focused, yes, very. I saw him the other day on the trip to the UEFA event. He was relaxed, happy. We speak regularly with the players.

"They are all happy. [Jordi] Alba was saying it today, there's alarmism. I'd say there's pessimism. It's okay. There's a good team and we're aspiring to win every trophy, like each year."

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OZIL'S GERMANY PERFORMANCES SHOW HOW WENGER SHOULD USE HIM

OZIL'S GERMANY PERFORMANCES SHOW HOW WENGER SHOULD USE HIM

The 28-year-old has always sparked debate on how good he really is. It’s clear that someone who has made the most final third passes completed (3015), created the most chances (409), 

made the most successful crosses (229) and recorded the most assists (42) in the Premier League since joining in 2013 is undoubtedly a world class player whose statistics cannot be argued with.
The midfielder will always incite an array of opinion, but his performances for Germany show he can perform better than he has shown at Arsenal

Actions verbalize louder than words and no one kens that better than Mesut Ozil. People will always have an array of opinion on the best players in world football and the German international’s sizably voluminous convivial media presence and fame makes him a facile win for ex-players, pundits who probe for someone to criticise when things are going erroneous.
The negativity circumventing Arsenal at the moment has been brought on by years of frustration at the Gunners inability to maintain a consistent challenge for a major trophy. There have been immensely colossal victories, terrible defeats and, somewhere in between, major signings, with Ozil arriving in north London for a then-club record fee of £42.5m four years ago.

The 28-year-old has always sparked debate on how good he authentically is. It’s clear that someone who has made the most final third passes consummated (3015), engendered the most chances (409), made the most prosperous crosses (229) and recorded the most avails (42) in the Premier League since joining in 2013 is indubitably a world class player whose statistics cannot be argued with.

“I believe there are different types of leaders on the field. You have the technical leader, you have the vocal one, you have the one who doesn’t talk but shows it in his desire and how he competes.
“I’m more like that: the one who isn’t as vocal as Tony Adams but will show it how he competes on the field. And you have the type of leader who will want to take a penalty in the 95th minute — this is part of being a leader as well.”

Wenger’s main problem in getting the best out of Ozil is refusal to bring in a player who can offset some of the German’s weaknesses. He would be more effective if a central midfielder with defensive qualities could play behind him, but the Frenchman continues to stick with the vulnerable midfield pivot of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey – neither of whom are defensive midfielders.
Let's not forget that this is a player who topped the league's assist chart two seasons ago with 19 - one short of Thierry Henry's record for most in one season.. Wenger certainly knows how to utilise his strengths but there is the fact that Arsenal's defensive side has been neglected in the past couple of seasons which saw them finish fifth in the last campaign.

He's been coerced to play from deep in recent games due to Arsenal's defensive deficiencies and failure to get the ball in the final third expeditiously enough. That isn't an issue for the German national team where they play with two holding midfielders and possess a defensive unit which infrequently concedes goals.
Ozil has consistently shown what he can do for club and country. He engenders an abundance of opportunities for his team-mates, opens up the pitch with his perspicacious runs and pin-point passing while he showed last season that he isn't trepidacious to score a goal - recording his best goalscoring tally at club level during the antecedent campaign.

He will always elicit, exhilarate, regale and frustrate, but that's what makes Ozil so enigmatic. Those who feel this will be his last season at Arsenal should appreciate what they have afore it's gone because once the No.10 leaves Emirates Stadium they will virtually certainly be worse off as a team and overall assailing unit.

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'MESSI IS NOT FROM THIS WORLD' - DEMBELE LABELS BARCELONA TEAM-MATE AS BEST EVER

'MESSI IS NOT FROM THIS WORLD' - DEMBELE LABELS BARCELONA TEAM-MATE AS BEST EVER

The 20-year-old is excited to link up with his new club-mates, having been inspired by them as a youngster

Ousmane Dembele has labelled his new Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi as "the greatest player in history", claiming he is out of this world. 
The 20-year-old completed his €105 million move from Borussia Dortmund on August 28, following weeks of speculation which marked him as Neymar's replacement after the Brazil star's record-breaking €222m switch to Paris Saint-Germain. 

The France international took matters into his own hands by refusing to train with the German club in order to force through his "dream move".


Now, having been confirmed as a Barca player, Dembele has shared his early memories of the Catalan club and named Andres Iniesta and Messi as inspirations.

"I remember two games especially," Dembele told Sport. "One against Chelsea, when Iniesta scored the goal to qualify for the Champions League final. When I see Andres now I remember it. I can't wait to tell him.

"And the other was a Champions League game against Arsenal. Barcelona had not done great in the first leg but in the second leg they produced a brilliant performance, with four goals from Messi.

"That's when I realised Messi's not from this world. It was incredible.


"I had a poster of Iniesta. He seemed like a different player to me: elegant, special... a genius. I watched all the Barcelona games to see how they played and the geniuses, Iniesta and Messi. After, I tried to imitate them but it was difficult.

"They do things that no one does. Messi always plays at a sublime level. He's the best player in history!"

Dembele, widely labelled as one of the most exciting young talents in world football before his transfer to Dortmund, earned a five-year deal at the Bundesliga club in 2016 following an outstanding campaign in the Rennes first team. 

Six goals and six assists in 32 German top-flight outings saw him linked with a move to Barca, before a deal was completed following confirmation of Neymar's departure.

And though his former manager, Thomas Tuchel, had tipped him to go on to be named as the best player on the planet, Dembele has stressed his focus sits with establishing himself as a first-team player at Camp Nou.

"He [Tuchel] loved me too much," he added. "Being serious, it's not a challenge in my life. My objective is to learn from the best in the world, to integrate myself into the team. I am only 20. Personal titles aren't something which motivate me."

Asked whether comparisons between himself and Neymar, Dembele said: "No. Honestly I don't think so.

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Transfer:- Arsenal confirm Kolasinac signing

Transfer:- Arsenal confirm Kolasinac signing

Interestingly, the Schalke left-back will join now join up with the rest of the Gunners squad for pre season training in July after penning a long-term contract.


Arsenal have corroborated the signing of Sead Kolasinac, who will join the club on a free transfer from Schalke. 
The north Londoners have won the race to sign the Bosnian defender, with Reports revealing back in April that they had beaten competition from the relishes of Juventus and Chelsea for his signature.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Gunners announced that the 23-year-old will join the club "on a long-term contract" and will link up for pre-season training in July "subject to the completion of all regulatory processes".
Arsenal had been keeping tabs on Kolasinac since the start of the 2015-16 season. They stepped up their interest in the last year and, as reported by Goal, the left-back completed a medical and agreed personal terms with the club at the end of April.

He scored three goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances last term as Die Knappen finished a disappointing 10th in the table.

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2016/17's Premier League underachieving XI of the season

2016/17's Premier League underachieving XI of the season 

is being listed below:

From club-record flops heading for the exit to good players who must do better – the footballers who’ve failed to live up to their potential this season

GK: Steve Mandanda (Crystal Palace)
Mandanda's move to Palace after eight years with Marseille seemed to be a signal of intent from the Eagles last summer. The 32-year-old keeper was a Ligue 1 winner – and even more impressively had been named the best goalkeeper in the division on four occasions (including for 2015/16).
Yet the France international has made just nine appearances for the south London club. Admittedly, his season was disrupted by a knee operation – but even before that, he had conceded 11 goals in four straight defeats.

In February Mandanda said it would be a "great pleasure" to return to Marseille. It looks like he may get his wish this summer.

CB: John Stones (Manchester City)
It's not Stones's fault that City paid £47.5m for him over the summer, but it certainly raised expectations. The merger of England's best ball-playing defender and the master tactician, Pep Guardiola, seemed like a match made in heaven. Right?

Well, not entirely. Stones has been directly at fault for three Premier League goals (the second most in the division) and played in all six of City's top-tier defeats. They've won seven of the 10 matches he's missed, drawing the other three. Stones finished the season on the bench, with Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany the preferred central defensive duo.

CB: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
"Think Jonny Evans would have been a better buy than Mustafi," tweeted The Mirror's chief football writer and Gunners aficionado, John Cross, after the 3-1 defeat to West Brom in April.

He could well have been right. The £35m paid to Valencia for the Germany international last summer seemed increasingly cockamamy as the 25-year-old perpetuated to accommodate as a symbol for why this Arsene Wenger team is falling short. The potential may be there (and he’s shown glimpses of what he can do), but the consistency isn’t.

CB: Ragnar Klavan (Liverpool)
With Martin Skrtel deemed past it last summer after eight years at Anfield, Reds fans could have been forgiven for thinking a younger model would be signed to fit Jurgen Klopp's high-intensity tactics.

Instead Klavan arrived, a centre-back just one year junior to Skrtel and effectively a budget version of the Slovakian at £4.2m. Liverpool have kept three clean sheets this season with the 31-year-old Estonian in the starting XI, while the four consecutive clean sheets they recorded in May were all achieved with Klaven on the bench.

RM: Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland)

Other than Jermain Defoe and Jordan Pickford, no Black Cats player has come out of this campaign with much credit.

Yet if any other player has the quality to have joined that (oh so short) shortlist, it was Khazri. The Tunisian who arrived from Bordeaux in January 2016 was key to Sunderland dragging themselves out of relegation last season, scoring in victories against Manchester United and Chelsea.

However, the winger has been virtually anonymous in 2016/17 until a late-season upsurge, with just one of his 21 league appearances coinciding with a win – a game in which he was a last-minute substitute against Watford.

CM: Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham)

Surely even Mike Ashley couldn't have hidden his surprise when Spurs agreed to pay relegated Newcastle £30m for Sissoko.

The midfielder was, however, coming off the back of an impressive Euro 2016 campaign with France – so while the transfer fee was steep, more was surely expected from the 27-year-old than clueless cameos from the bench. Or maybe it wasn't.

There's a player in there somewhere, but this one has looked short of too much. 

CM: Mark Noble (West Ham)

Noble's inclusion may raise a few eyebrows, but the midfielder's stock has certainly dropped in the past 10 months after an excellent 2015/16 season.

So has West Ham's, of course, after finishing seventh last term – but it's never good when some Hammers fans are calling for their homegrown captain to be dropped. This is the man that a significant section were saying should be in England's Euro 2016 squad a year ago. That seems a long time ago now.

CM: Giannelli Imbula (Stoke)

Much of Stoke's big spending over the past few seasons has gone largely unnoticed (more on that later), but it’s hard to ignore when their £18.3m record signing has been such a flop.

Signed from Porto in January 2016, Imbula was solid in the second half of 2015/16, but played just 12 league games in 2016/17 and managed only seven minutes after the turn of the year. The Frenchman is being heavily linked with an inevitable summer exit from the club. 

LM: Jordon Ibe (Bournemouth)

On the subject of club record signings we come to Ibe, a player well regarded at Liverpool but one who didn't get much game time. Cherries manager Eddie Howe hoped he could change that, paying all of £15m for the now-21-year-old last July.

That hasn't done much to improve his output, though: Ibe failed to record a single goal or assist for Bournemouth in 25 league matches this season. 

FW: Vincent Janssen (Tottenham)

It seems unfair to include not one but two players from a side that finished second in the table, but not every player seen in a Tottenham shirt this season has been a positive.

With the White Hart Lane faithful craving Harry Kane cover, chairman Daniel Levy responded by splashing £17m on Dutch hitman Janssen. The former AZ Alkmaar has since scored two league goals in 25 games, one of which was a penalty.

Janssen works hard, but currently looks doomed to be the latest striker flop from the Eredivisie.

FW: Ahmed Musa (Leicester)

Fresh on the back of their incredible title win and readying themselves for a debut year in the Champions League, Leicester paid a club record £16m (later broken by the £28m signing of Islam Slimani) for Musa last summer.

The 24-year-old, who arrived with bags of European experience from his time with CSKA Moscow, was meant to help take the Foxes to the next level.

Instead, as the club stuttered domestically, Musa increasingly became a peripheral figure. Since the club's recovery under Craig Shakespeare, the Nigeria international has appeared in just three of their 12 league games – all from the bench.

Manager: Mark Hughes (Stoke)

There were a few candidates for this in what has been a general season of underachievement, but Hughes often goes under the radar.

The Welshman is about to conclude his fourth season as Stoke boss, having finished each of the previous three in ninth. This season it was 13th. 

That record is adequate, but it’s the lack of progress that sees Hughes featured here. Over the past two years he's spent over £70m on transfers including Imbula and Saido Berahino, and also had the 

services of stars including Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic, but ultimately the Potters have still gone backwards.

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I want four more! Kane fires warning to Hull City as Tottenham star closes on Golden Boot

I want four more! Kane fires warning to Hull City as Tottenham star closes on Golden Boot

Tottenham's Harry Kane leads the Golden Boot standings and he has told his rivals that he plans to stay there by the end of the final day.

Harry Kane verbally expresses he wants to score four more goals against Hull City to clinch the Premier League Golden Boot after his masterful exhibit in Tottenham's thrashing of Leicester City.
The England international netted four times in Thursday's 6-1 rout to take his tally for the season to 26 and move two clear of Romelu Lukaku in the goalscoring charts.
Kane verbalized of his desire to boost his numbers at King Power Stdium and is equipollently determined to integrate to his tally on the final day of the season and clinch a second Golden Boot in a row.
"First and foremost, we wanted to come here and put in a good performance and win," he told Sky Sports.

"Of course I'd been thinking a lot about getting on the scoresheet and it's the first time I've scored four goals [in a game]. It's a good moment to do it.
"I was hoping to get one or two goals at least and then hopefully take it into the next game. But now I'm in the driving seat.
"There's still one game left to play so I'm not resting on my laurels. I've got to go out against Hull and get four more, hopefully.
"I felt good. Leicester made it tough for us, they came out in the second half and really put the pressure on. For us to get that third [goal] was vital and then the game opened up.
"I started to cheat a bit, get a bit lazy and wait on the last man. It was one-v-one and two-v-two at the back and I fancied my chances."

Son Heung-min scored Spurs' other two in the rout, with Ben Chilwell netting what proved to be scant consolation for last season's champions.

Son, who set up Kane's opener in the first half, believes the 23-year-old would boast a formidable goal tally had he not been sidelined with ankle injury problems this term.

"I think the pressure was down, we enjoyed the night. Every player really enjoyed the game," said Son.

"I'm really happy for H and I scored two goals, as well.

"It's very important to support him. I don't know how long he had an injury but he's still scored 26 goals. He's an unbelievable player, he can score from anywhere."

"It's very important to support him. I don't know how long he had an injury but he's still scored 26 goals. He's an unbelievable player, he can score from anywhere."

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Official: Ronaldo will not be rested for Real Madrid v Celta

Official: Ronaldo will not be rested for Real Madrid v Celta

Cristiano Ronaldo will take part for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo on Wednesday, having been rested in recent weeks.

Having sat out Real Madrid's last four LaLiga away games, Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the squad when they take on Celta Vigo at Balaidos on Wednesday.
Head coach Zinedine Zidane has employed a rotation policy in recent weeks to keep his star players fit for key matches in the Champions League and the LaLiga designation race.
Ronaldo was reposed in away games against Leganes, Sporting Gijon and Granada around their European quarter-final and semi-final ties, while the 32-year-old withal sat out the midweek trip to Deportivo La Coruna that preceded the Clasico against Barcelona.
However, Zidane verbalizes the Portuguese superstar will be available when Madrid look to take a three-point lead over Barca at the top of LaLiga with their game in hand in Galicia.

When asked if Ronaldo would be part of the squad or rested, Zidane told a pre-match news conference: "He will be with us."

Ronaldo, along with Isco and Lucas Vazquez, will be suspended for the final match of the domestic season at Malaga should he pick up a yellow card at Balaidos.
Despite the possibility of losing a key player for what will be a crunch match at La Rosaleda, Zidane is not concerned.
He said: "Whatever happens, if they have to play, they play. The cards as always, they'll do everything they can not to get a yellow.
"I don't know how long those players have had four yellows, so we'll keep going. This is football, you know?
"We're just keeping going until the last minute of the last game. We're not going to relax at all, I promise you that. Whatever happens, happens. We haven't won anything.
"We've just got two games left and that's it. I'm thinking positively about the game tomorrow.
"I'm not thinking about anything else, very positive, focusing 100 per cent on what's ahead of us. I'm just being positive."

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Giggs wants Sanchez at Manchester United

Giggs wants Sanchez at Manchester United

The Manchester United legend believes Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez would be a great addition for the Old Trafford side.

Ryan Giggs has urged Manchester United to make a move for Arsenal assailer Alexis Sanchez ahead of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
The Chile international's future at Emirates Stadium is in doubt after contract verbalizes were put on hold earlier this campaign, with his subsisting deal due to expire in June 2018.
Manchester City and Chelsea have since been credited with an interest in signing the 28-year-old, but Giggs feels he would be an ideal suit for United.
"Sanchez is a brilliant player," Giggs told The Express.

"His work rate, the effect he has on his team-mates, a winner. He just looks how South Americans are, tough aren't they.
"Jose Mourinho bought [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic because he is a winner.
"He had won everywhere he'd gone. Not only the effect on the pitch but off the pitch as well.
"You can just feel that Sanchez would give his team-mates a lift as well."
Sanchez has netted 26 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions this term.
See Wo gave chelsea the league

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The 5 best moments from promotion showdowns at 30 years of play-offs madness

30 years of play-offs madness: The 5 best moments from promotion showdowns

There's cause to smile, it’s that time of year when the domestic game goes gaga! Richard Edwards honours the heroes, villains and, er, terriers from the Football League’s grand finale...

The never-ending story
Charlton vs Leeds, 1987
First/Second Division play-off final replay
“It was nearly mid-summer – we were sick of the sight of each other,” laughs Peter Shirtliff, whose goals maintained Charlton’s top-flight status and consigned Leeds to another season of misery in the second tier.
It was the third time the teams had met in a week, after cancelling each other out over two legs at Selhurst Park and Elland Road. But the replay at Birmingham’s St Andrews would be winner takes all – although for Charlton their 2-1 extra-time victory meant nothing sexier than avoiding relegation, such was the original format. “When the final whistle blew the main feeling was relief,” says Shirtliff. Not just for the players...

Shots silence Wolves
Wolves vs Aldershot, 1987
Third/Fourth Division play-off final
It should have been the play-off mis-match to end all play-off mis-matches, but unbelievably Aldershot handed out a thorough beating to bottom-tier big guns Wolves, winning both legs to secure a famous 3-0 aggregate triumph. They had beaten another Premier League club, Bolton Wanderers, in the semi-final. 

I predict a riot
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough, 1988
First/Second Division play-off final
This would be the second and last time a team from the top division would have to enter the play-offs to avoid the drop – and for good reason. “It was the most poisonous atmosphere I’ve ever seen,” says Eric Paylor, senior football reporter at Middlesbrough’s Evening Gazette.
“The expectation at Chelsea was incredibly high that they would wallop these Second Division upstarts and retain their place in the First Division without too many problems.”
After a 2-1 aggregate defeat left Chelsea relegated, though, the major issue facing the Boro fans was survival of a very different kind to that which the Blues had failed to achieve. “At the final whistle the
Shed End just emptied and ran towards the Boro fans,” says Paylor. “If they had got over the fence there would have been casualties. It would have taken football back to the dark ages.”
Fortunately the North Stand defences held and 45 minutes later, at an almost empty Stamford Bridge, the Boro players emerged to celebrate in their pants – their shirts and shorts having been covered in urine thrown from the stands. Lovely. 

30-second warning
Newcastle vs Sunderland, 1990 
Second Division play-off semi-final, second leg
“We were concerned they’d try to get it abandoned,” recalled Sunderland’s Gary Owers, who was wearing the dangerous colours of red and white inside the cauldron of hate that was St James’ Park on a late May evening in 1990. Sunderland had taken a 2-0 lead and were on their way to the final when ref George Courtney informed the players that he would give them a signal when 30 seconds of the derby remained, to ensure they escaped before all hell broke loose. “He [Courtney] was cool as a cucumber,” said Owers. “He said not to worry because we’d finish the game, even if it took until 2am.” In the end Courtney was first down the tunnel, followed by 11 petrified but jubilant Wearsiders.

Every loser wins 
Sunderland vs Swindon, 1990  
Second Division play-off final
It took just 10 days for Swindon Town’s world to implode. Ossie Ardiles – his knees presumably “all trembly” – had led the Robins to a famous 1-0 triumph over Sunderland at Wembley, but before long the pride of Wiltshire weren’t contemplating glory in the top flight but life in the Third Division after the FA relegated them twice for sanctioning illegal payments (although they were later allowed to remain in the Second Division after appealing). The club’s leading scorer, Steve White, described it as a “devastating blow”, but Sunderland didn’t care – they were up without even winning a game. 

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HOW DID CONTE GET HERE? TO BE LIKENED TO AS A GUARDIOLA-MOURINHO HYBRID

HOW DID CONTE GET HERE? TO BE LIKENED TO AS A GUARDIOLA-MOURINHO HYBRID

The Italian’s incredible first season in England and his road to the top of the Premier League has been a constant battle as shown in this our post.

For Maurizio Crozza, it was a stand-up sketch just waiting to happen. Imagine a slightly less imposing and slightly more Italian version of Dara O Briain. During his new Friday night show, the comic launched into a parody of the agghiacciante diatribe. Mimicking Conte’s nasal Salento accent, Crozza-Conte is besieged by lawyers. They continue to pop up in every corner – even when he’s in bed with his wife. The whole sketch is rounded off as Crozza doffs his lavish wig in homage to the manager’s artificially augmented barnet.
Conte later admitted that even his other half was a huge fan of Crozza’s impersonation. Whenever he got angry, she would chant, “Agghiacciante! Agghiacciante!” back at him. All of the stress, he joked, “was making my hair transplants fall out”.

DEMANDING CONTROL
“Our only option is to win,” he told the press. “A draw, at this stage of the season, is just the same as a defeat. And to win we have to attack.”
As Conte writes in his autobiography, Head, heart and legs: “It was there that I brought ‘my’ 4-2-4 into being – very high wingers, mobile strikers, two midfielders and a solid back four.”

Several weeks of quasi-military training passed by without result. Sporting director Pieroni, writes Conte, “started to grumble again. During the week he would always wear that irritating expression of someone who, if it was up to him, would do things differently.”
Antonio asked a couple of his staff to drive him over to the club.

WINNING: THE OBSESSION
The Italian press has likened Conte to a Guardiola-Mourinho hybrid, with the Spaniard’s vision of football and the Special One’s cunning. However, Conte is also a great educator. Pirlo played for him during the Indian summer of a golden career, yet declared him “absolutely the coach who’s taught me the most”. At the start of Conte’s tenure as Italy manager, he held a two-hour session in Coverciano’s main lecture theatre to school journalists about his philosophy of football.

It is said that away from the game Conte is great company – both kind and fascinating. Although that’s a bit like saying that away from megalomania, Donald Trump’s an unassuming chap. When he was at Juventus, Conte was once asked how much of his day he devoted to football.
“Do the maths,” he replied. “There are 24 hours in a day, I sleep for five, I spend three with my family, that leaves 16.” He forgot to mention he tends not to sleep well.

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West Brom 0-1 Chelsea:- Blues claim title with late Batshuayi winner

West Brom 0-1 Chelsea:- Blues claim title with late Batshuayi winner

Antonio Conte's side are Premier League champions for the fifth time after substitute Michy Batshuayi struck an 82nd-minute winner against West Brom at The Hawthorns. 

For most of this match if looked like the Blues would need to wait until at least Sunday to re-claim their top-flight crown, but super sub Batshuayi scrambled off the bench to net only his second Premier League goal of the season. 
Before this game the 23-year-old Frenchman had only mustered 109 top-flight minutes in 17 appearances this season, but made sure he will be remembered for more than mere cameos by scoring the goal that brings a season of Chelsea dominance to a worthy close.
The Blues huffed and puffed on the night, but were rewarded for their persistence by scoring with their 23rd shot of the match as Batshuayi finished off from Cesar Azpilicueta's cutback. Interestingly, this is the third season in a row that a Belgian had scored the title-winning goal. 

For most of the night they were frustrated: in the second half, Eden Hazard saw a deflected cross agonisingly saved off the line after he'd rounded Ben Foster and put in a menacing ball which hit two players before being stopped by substitute Claudio Yacob. 
But all's well that ended well, and Chelsea are top-flight champions for the sixth time in their history. 

MORE OPTA FACTS...
Chelsea are the first club to win the English top-flight title on a Friday since Arsenal at Anfield in 1989
Antonio Conte is the fouth Italian manager to win the English top-flight title after Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri
Conte is the fourth manager to lift the Premier League trophy in his first season in England (Jose Mourinho 04/05, Carlo Ancelotti 09/10, Manuel Pellegrini 13/14)
The Italian has won the league title in four successive seasons as a club coach (also won Serie A in 11/12, 12/13 & 13/14)

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Losing Willian to Manchester United would be a disaster for Chelsea

Losing Willian to Manchester United would be a disaster for Chelsea

With Pedro in such good form at Chelsea, Willian finds himself in a situation not dissimilar to that of Juan Mata's back in 2013-14 – and yet again it could be Manchester United who take advantage. 

Mata, despite being a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, was ostracised by Jose Mourinho - now the Spaniard's boss at Old Trafford - and the Portuguese might this time be the benefactor of Willian's comparable scenario.

Once one of the first names on the Blues' teamsheet, the Brazilian's status as a starter has been put under threat by Pedro's best form since his time at Barcelona, while Eden Hazard's displays have made him impossible to dislodge.

But while losing Mata to a desperate Man Utd side led by David Moyes - coupled with a tidy windfall of £37 million - seemed fairly innocuous at the time, selling Willian to a team that next year will surely represent title rivals would be altogether more dangerous.

Despite his paltry tally of starts (only 13 in the Premier League), the Brazilian has recorded one of his most productive seasons to date. Contributing 11 goals in 19 starts across all competitions, the attacker's importance was perhaps highlighted best by two hugely important FA Cup goals against Tottenham.

Additionally, a double against Stoke City was vital in a game where Chelsea were struggling to find  a way through, while a stunning counter-attacking goal in the 3-1 away win at Manchester City showed true class on top of grit.

Throughout his time at Chelsea, Willian has, in stark contrast, shown a trait Manchester United are currently sorely missing: ruthlessness. Whether he has been on from the start or emerged from the bench, he has made the most of his playing time.

Yet, despite his performances, he rarely starts. Why? Well, Antonio Conte arrived to a bloated squad used to playing in the Champions League, but Chelsea failed to qualify for Europe entirely after last season's tenth-placed finish, leaving several players surplus to requirements.

Averse to squad rotation at Juventus, Conte has maintained the same stance at Stamford Bridge - and to great effect. The Italian gets the best results when he uses his tried and tested starting XI, benefiting from cohesion through a lack of injuries to his core players. As such, Willian and Cesc Fabregas have had to play second fiddle to Pedro and Nemanja Matic.

Now officially qualified for the Champions League, however, the Blues will need all of their best players ahead of a busy fixture schedule next season.

Willian was Chelsea's Player of the Season last year and, without him, the picture could have been even more bleak as Conte arrived to fix Mourinho's mess in his first role away from Italy. 

He started each of the Blues' first six games of the season under the new boss but then tragically lost his mother whilst on international duty. Conte and his staff then withheld Willian in an astute move to protect their talent. 

Pedro's run of form since then surprised many and Willian has been battling to regain his spot ever since. He has been a flat-track bully in Chelsea's cup run and devastating off the bench elsewhere, but hasn't quite convinced Conte to tinker with a team that is already successful. 

If Manchester United can somehow convince Willian into a move, then Chelsea will face a stronger title rival next season - a team with an experienced Premier League star who is hungry for more glory. 


The Blues will resist offers - and that's the right position to take - but Conte may also need to utilise the best of his man-management powers to keep Willian from getting unsettled by the lure of Mourinho. 

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Southampton 0 Arsenal 2:- Sanchez hits 20 for season as Gunners dream of top four

Southampton 0 Arsenal 2: Sanchez hits 20 for season as Gunners dream of top four

Alexis Sanchez scored on his 100th Premier League appearance before Olivier Giroud sealed a 2-0 win at Southampton that takes Arsenal fifth.

Alexis Sanchez reached 20 league goals in a season for the first time as he inspired Arsenal's 2-0 win at Southampton that narrows the gap to the Premier League's top four.

A home win over Jose Mourinho's depleted Manchester United on Sunday meant Arsenal could cut the gap to fourth-placed Manchester City to three points with victory at St Mary's Stadium, but they never looked likely in a second-rate first half.

Sanchez and Mesut Ozil had been guilty for letting the air out of numerous attacks for Arsene Wenger's side, but the duo combined sublimely to puncture the Saints' back line on the hour.

Making his 100th Premier League appearance, Sanchez celebrated his fine strike by tapping the badge on his chest in front of the travelling fans as his, and Ozil's, futures remain shrouded in doubt as their contracts wind down.

Sanchez was again involved as Olivier Giroud emerged from the bench to make the points safe and take Arsenal fifth in the table.

Arsenal face games against Stoke City, relegated Sunderland and Everton in their bid to sneak Champions League qualification for the 20th season in succession, and interventions as divine as Sanchez's in this game will be crucial.

There had been little sign of Arsenal trying to chase down the top four as the game began in soporific manner, devoid of any intensity at either end, and it was Saints who had the best chances when a contest finally broke out around the half-hour mark.

Shkodran Mustafi's tackle on Dusan Tadic presented Manolo Gabbiadini with a one-on-one chance, but Petr Cech narrowed the angles well and the Gunners' slackness was surmised when Danny Welbeck's excellent flick found Ozil but the German rejected a physical battle with Jack Stephens and the chance dissipated.

Hector Bellerin was summoned from the bench after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off, but Arsenal remained half-paced and Gabbiadini curled a free-kick wide before Nathan Redmond's arrowing 30-yarder was clawed out of the top corner by Cech.

Sanchez was anonymous in the first half and was guilty of passing straight to Saints players to kill two chances shortly after the interval, but the Chilean's next involvement was breathtaking.

Ozil too came to the party with an incisive first-time pass to dissect the Saints backline and find Sanchez, who sat Maya Yoshida and Stephens down with a juddering turn before beating the onrushing Fraser Forster.

Forster was sharp to keep out Granit Xhaka's deflected thunderclap of a shot and the goal clearly sent jolts of confidence through the visitors as they controlled possession and stifled Saints' attacking chances.

And the late-season hunt of the top four was set in motion when Sanchez picked out Ramsey and his cross was nodded home by an unmarked Giroud.

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Bolt tells Mourinho to sign Arsenal star 'Sanchez'

Bolt tells Mourinho to sign Arsenal star 'Sanchez'

Convincingly, Usain Bolt hopes Manchester United's need for speed will lead them to Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

The Manchester United mega-fan Usain Bolt has told Jose Mourinho to plot a summer raid on Arsenal for their star man Alexis Sanchez.
Sanchez's deal at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of next season and the Chile international is reportedly hesitant to pen fresh terms after another season spent out of the title picture.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken confidently about the prospect of securing Sanchez's services for next season, despite apparent interest from Bayern Munich.
But Olympic sprinting legend Bolt says Sanchez should quit the Emirates and has talked up Old Trafford as the right destination for a player he recognises shared speedy talents in.

He told Fox Sport Vivo: "I know that he plays for Arsenal, he should leave.
"He would be great [at United], he's a player I've always said over that years who is great at picking the ball up and creating chances for other people. He's proven himself to be one of the best."
Eight-time Olympic champion Bolt's interest in football will continue after his athletics career as the Jamaican pursues a career in the beautiful game.
Bolt the 'Olympic sprinting legend' has regularly spoken of his desire to play for Manchester United, and will get a footballing education at Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund after he ends his glittering sprinting career at this year's World Championships.

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Shocking: France's new president Emmanuel Macron used to be a left-back

France's new president Emmanuel Macron used to be a left-back 

Macron, who is originally from Amiens will become France's youngest-ever leader after winning Sunday's election with 66.1% of the vote, took to the pitch during his student days at the National School of Administration.
The 39-year-old was registered as a player by the French Football Federation (FFF) from 2004 to 2007, and turned out in the French amateur leagues every Saturday morning with his fellow students at the Emile Anthoine Staidum.
The 2006/07 season proved to be his last as an amateur footballer, as he made the full transition from football into politics and investment banking.
Macron on his campaign trail spoke of being a keen Marseille fan.

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The 'heartwarming' tale of Radamel Falcao's spectacular rebirth

The 'heartwarming' tale of Radamel Falcao's spectacular rebirth

An unexpected career comeback He looked an irreparably broken player at Manchester United and at Chelsea, but the Colombian striker has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in Monaco

Nevertheless, the trophy-winning upsurge of a club powered by an oligarch’s billions is not often the place to look for an uplifting story of human struggle. Yet set amid the private casinos, gleaming yachts and charitable tax rates of Monte Carlo is exactly that.
Monaco may well be the plaything of Dmitry Rybolovlev (personal fortune: $7.3bn, personal art collection: $2bn) but the club have also facilitated a spectacular rebirth of one of the great pure goalscorers of the modern age – a rebirth that is all the more magnificent for being utterly unforeseen.
Three months ago at the Etihad Stadium, when Radamel Falcao thundered onto a long pass, muscled John Stones to the floor and planted an exquisite chip over Willy Caballero into the back of the Manchester City net, it was almost laughable to think that this was the same striker who'd spent two years trundling around in the Premier League with the kind of forlorn lethargy which spelled out in no uncertain terms that his career at the top had been consigned to history.
Indeed, the Colombian’s time at Chelsea and Manchester United was so depressingly fruitless, his powers so obviously diminished, that his place within those club’s squads was generally accepted to be a sign of his agent’s incredible abilities rather than his own.

The throwback From Time
For those who had witnessed his colossal displays at Atletico Madrid in 2011/12 and 2012/13, it was difficult to watch. For two seasons in the Spanish capital, Falcao was a magnetic spectacle, a centre-forward who was both wholly modern and gloriously old-fashioned.

In an age of false nines and multi-faceted forwards, Falcao was a pure, pared-back No.9, who pursued his remit of scoring goals with a single-minded barbarity that brought to mind the great centre-forwards of the '90s: Batistuta, Shearer, Ronaldo.

Yet as much as he was a throwback he was also at the game’s cutting edge, able to lead the line on his own, to score any and every type of goal ("You have to be as complete as possible, you have to be able to do everything, or you won't score goals,” he once said) and in possession of the sort of bronzed, muscle-bound physique that spoke of the most modern application of conditioning, nutrition and sports science.
His highlights reel from those two years – a full 70 goals in total – is a thing of visceral beauty, notable for his admirable commitment to celebrating every goal like it's the decisive strike in the World Cup final (call it Inzaghi Syndrome), but also for how varied his repertoire of finishes is.
He possessed the uncanny faculty to evoke either savagery or subtlety depending on what the situation demands (his penchant for a chip was plenty conspicuous back then, as well).
We hope he will replicate that in the champions league this as they take on Monaco.

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