Vesper

we have so many great young players just starting to bubble up again fucking amazing academy so so hope Xavier Mbuyamba is the real deal at CB

Kai Havertz struggles are a red flag for United spending huge on Sancho https://www.unitedinfocus.com/news/kai-havertz-struggles-are-a-red-flag-for-united-spending-huge-on-sancho/ Jadon Sancho looms large as a potential signing next summer for Manchester United, once again. The MEN reported this week United will ‘probably’ pick up the pursuit of the winger next summer, with the club seeking a ready-made player for the position. However, Sancho should no longer be viewed as a sure bet to make an instant impact even if he did arrive. Last season he scored 17 Bundesliga goals, and this season he has none so far. That’s not the only reason United should be reluctant to pay Dortmund’s £108 million asking price, as was the case this past summer. As Sancho dominated German football last season, so too did Kai Havertz at Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old netted 18 goals in all competitions in 2019/20. Upon his move to England, Havertz has struggled. He has just one league goal and one assist in 11 games for Chelsea. His £72 million fee was a substantial figure, and Chelsea are finding out again that even spending major money offers no guarantees.

It is all up to Lampard. We have purchased some of the best players in the world for him. Great managers usually find a way to make players better. Look at Klopp. He is now, for instance, slowly moving Minamino into the CMF role (althouhg Jota's injury has postponed that a bit), and he is already looking far better. And that is but a very tiny example of his improving players. All that said, we are still a few players short of being title contenders like I said in another thread these need to be EPL proven, hard-nosed types we need harder players and EPL proven ones the 3 or 4 I would love to see (and some will no doubt make some snap in rage) all are ferocious competitors Rice Grealish (would take him all day over Sancho atm, even though he is 4 and half years older) Caglar Söyüncü or a step down, Jan Bednarek or even buy both (dump Rudiger and AC) I removed Zaha as this coming summer is it for him, as he is approaching too old to drop a shedload of cash on, and TBH, maybe is already there, and Palace will never sell him now, in January, as they are trying to sneak into the top half of the table

those two leaving is huge they are the reason why Lille finds so many diamonds in the rough

that deal never would have happened post Dec 31st, 2020 I do not think many understand just how hard it is going to be to buy younger, non established international players post Brexit due to the points system I also see the FA further cracking down and requiring more HG players, with fewer foreign shots allowed, plus they will soon also crack down on loans La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and even Ligue 1 are laughing at the EPL for this (and the no one under 18 rule) plus the 3 times now refusal to allow 5 subs a game like they all do the grubby little jelly shitkicker clubs like Burnley et al (stubbornly trying to punish the bigger clubs, when the main thing that happens will be more player injuries overall in all comps and especially fatigue ad unfortunately injuries in the European Cups) and the grubby 'Little Englanders' spread out politically nationwide are going to fuck up the 10 or so biggest EPL clubs long term (besides fucking up the UK as a whole)

Weston McKennie voted 2020 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year McKennie beat out Chrisitian Pulisic and Sergino Dest for the award https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/weston-mckennie-voted-2020-u-s-soccer-male-player-of-the-year/ Weston McKennie was voted as the 2020 Male Player of the Year, U.S. Soccer announced through a press release Friday. At 22 years old, the Juventus midfielder is the fourth youngest player to ever receive that award with the others being teammate Christian Pulisic (19 in 2017 and 21 in 2019), and retirees Landon Donovan (21 in 2003) and Peter Vermes (22 in 1988). "I want to thank everyone for this huge honor. It's been a journey, especially through these difficult times during the pandemic," McKennie said. "Our fans have stuck with us throughout and we really appreciate it. Hopefully in 2021 we can have many more memories together." McKennie earned 44 percent of the total vote, beating out other notable USMNT players like Chrisitian Pulisic (27 percent) and Sergino Dest (14 percent). The 22-year-old made headlines earlier this year with a high profile loan move to Juventus, where he immediately made an impact when manager Andrea Pirlo slotted him into the starting XI. McKennie became the third ever American to score in a Serie A match with a header against Torino on Dec. 5 that helped spark a comeback victory for his squad. He also had one of the best goals of the Champions League group stage against Barcelona earlier this month, with a flying volley in the penalty box.

Do not forget Konrad Laimer really good young Austrian CMF plus they have 2 other Hungarian international starters Willi Orban Péter Gulácsi

probably, and yes, Özil was a beast in that WC

and all his 3 non league goals and 3 non league assists were against shite teams, including a 3rd tier MSV Duisburg (and they are only 1 point above BOTTOM of Bundesliga 3 table as well, so likely going down to 4th tier, and also have the worst defence in the division as well) all season long, against any sort of remotely quality team, he has one lone assist, and that was against Gladbach, the first league game of the year, 3 month ago he is off to a horrid start so far, and DID have Håland for most of it, so no excuse there also, all this is in a really high scoring league as well, this is not 91/92 Serie A, where the top 3 teams COMBINED (granted a 34 game season) gave up only 63 total goals TOTAL (AC Milan, who went undefeated, Juve and Torino) That AC Milan side, just insane the players they had 100% Italian, except for the 3 Dutch global superstars Fabio Capello's first year as the manager how would you like to have this for a GK and back 4, lolol GK Italy Sebastiano Rossi RB Italy Mauro Tassotti CB Italy Alessandro Costacurta CB Italy Franco Baresi LB Italy Paolo Maldini 100 major trophies combined for those 5, including multiple CL/European cups (5), UEFA Super Cups (5) multiple world championships (both Intercontinental Cups (2)and FIFA WCC (1) ), 5 Supercoppa's,1 Coppa Italia tile (that is crazy they only won one) 7 Serie A tiles, and a World Cup (would have been 2, but Maldini was slightly injured in 2006 and refused to come out of retirement at an international level, which he said is his only single regret in football) The only thing at least one of the 5 failed to do was win the Euro championship (Italy has amazingly only won it once, in 1968) Maldini did lose the 2000 final to France, the Trezeguet Golden Goal. All of them except Rossi were also WC runners up, they lost on pens to Brazil in the 1994 final.

absolutely agree, no clue what WC the other poster watched

The Fiver Christmas Awards 2020 Some 2020 moments – and not a mask in sight. Composite: Reuters/ITV/Shutterstock/PA/Grab Scott Murray Welcome to the 2020 Fiver Christmas Awards. We’ve long lost count of how many times we’ve done this, so don’t be expecting us to furnish you with a number now. All we know is, it’s been too many. You know it too. But despite the grinding familiarity and futility of it all, despite the absolute state of 2020, we go again. It’s a time-honoured festive tradition, see, like crackers, carols and government U-turns. So here it is, merry Christmas, everybody’s trudging on. Charge your glass with a generous shot of your cheapest aftershave, top it up with a little turps, dig out the packet of tablets you should have taken for your bad back a few months ago but decided to save for the holidays, and sink into a gorgeous haze of delight, the better to deal with the next few minutes of existence. Enjoy, enjoy. THE DAVID COOTE AWARD FOR VAR-RELATED BUZZKILL Here we are, then, with every single celebration now compromised, fans and players alike wondering what minute infraction, invisible to the naked eye, will be discovered by some glaikit po-faced bureaucrat desperate to find any reason whatsoever to spoil everyone’s fun. Are we allowed to celebrate yet? Just look at Scotland hero David Marshall, forced to wait for the check after his heroic penalty save against Serbia, the natural rhythm of the most euphoric moment of his career all jiggered. We could blame the officials who spend hours measuring the length of everyone’s armpit hair while missing manic career-threatening lunges, or the mandarins who signed off on all this technology in the first place. But this one goes to all the pompous techno-pedants who know the price of everything but the value of nothing, and proselytised for this fiasco for years. This is all on them. Pieces of work, every single one. THE LIONEL MESSI AWARD FOR BIGGEST FALLEN GIANT Granny Fiver remembers a time long ago, back in the 70s and 80s, when Barcelona were nothing more than a risible disgrace, tooling around kicking lumps out of folk , making a perennial show of themselves in Europe, straggling miles behind Real Sociedad in the league. Hey, at least they had no fancy notions. Now here we all are again, with the self-styled superclub trailing the Basques in La Liga by six points, having already lost to both Madrid clubs, minnows Cádiz, and Getafe, who are less a football club, more an abrupt exhortation to do one. But of course it all palls in comparison to that 8-2, a match during which Bayern Munich could quite feasibly have scored 13 or 14 goals. Barça more than a club all right. Més que un shower. Oof. Photograph: Handout THE DOMINIC CUMMINGS AWARD FOR FRONTING UP LIKE A MAN As captain of Manchester United, Harry Maguire clocked up more than 200 hours of brutally honest post-match deconstruction, in which he held up his hands, fronted up, promised to do better and admitted it isn’t good enough for a club like Manchester United. Every minute of it delivered in a serious tone while wearing the Politician’s Frown of Grave Concern. Bravura performances. THE KENT COUNTY COUNCIL AWARD FOR ADROIT LORRY MANOEUVERABILITY And it’s another gong for £80m Harry Maguire! Ah, the familiar squat of dejection. Photograph: DeFodi Images/Getty Images THE LEEDS-BLACKEYE ROVERS-LEICESTER AWARD FOR DETERMINED TITLE DEFENCE Hats off to Liverpool, whose absurd 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa was so comprehensive, Jack Grealish could have played most of the game wearing a slipper on one foot and a sandal on the other, just as he did when he had his collar felt during lockdown. It was the worst result suffered by a reigning champion in the top flight since Arsenal lost 7-1 at Sunderland in 1953. Speaking of which … THE ERIC CANTONA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER CARE Eric Dier, who calmly strode into the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a view to engaging in Socratic dialogue with someone flapping their neck a bit too freely. Imagine the look on our brave critic’s face as a six-foot-two professional athlete bounded purposefully over row after row of seats, breathing through his nose, with a view to delivering a what-for! The Fiver pictures Withnail, seconds after asking who in the Mother Black Cap had called Marwood a “perfumed ponce”. THE ROBBIE SAVAGE AWARD FOR FILLING THE AIRWAVES WITH NONSENSE Before the recent Palace-Spurs match, Mr Roy, a man pathologically averse to using 10 words when a thousand will do, was asked for his opinion of the in-form duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. “They’re just good players. Good players are good players, and good players are good players.” An insight into the philosophies and intellectual processes that have stood him in good stead during all those trophy-laden years at Halmstads and Malmö, to Orebo to Neuchatel Xamax, to the Swiss national team and beyond. THE RICHARD NIXON AWARD FOR VALEDICTORY SPEECH OF THE YEAR The one José Mourinho has already composed in his head, word for word, to be delivered when Spurs win the title next May. A smorgasbord of tasty items best served cold. ‘Next on the list …’ Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters THE PETER ALLISS MEMORIAL AWARD FOR GOING OFF-PISTE IN A GENUINELY AMUSING MANNER Ally McCoist walks away with this one, for his take on mean and moody Pope’s Newc O’Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, caught sneering like the love child of Marlon Brando and Billy Idol upon getting the hook against Dundee United. “I’d like a night with him at the comedy club. Just to see if we could get a wee reaction. A wee Christmas night at the comedy club. Do you fancy a bit of that, Alfredo? I can guarantee there’s never been a joke in any cracker that’s made him smile.” THE PETER WALTON AWARD FOR UNCONDITIONAL AGREEMENT Yes, that’s right. THE SAM KINISON MEMORIAL AWARD FOR PERFORMATIVE ANGER All the lads at AFTV, some of whom we’re beginning to seriously worry about now. No good can come of getting this het up, not least because things could be a whole lot worse. When Len Shackleton did for the Gunners in that aforementioned 1953 thrashing, Arsenal were left rock bottom of the First Division with just two points after eight matches. Compared to that, Mikel Arteta’s rabble are on easy street. The 1953 vintage ended the season comfortably in 12th, so history tells us there’s no need to lose the head so spectacularly quite yet. Would any of you like a nice cuddle? We’ll give you a nice cuddle. THE FRIEDRICH HAYEK AWARD FOR MARXIST CRITIQUE The group of fans at neoliberal thinktank Millwall FC, who just before kick-off against Derby County cogently made the case for laissez-faire capitalism over centrally planned economies, arguing that the absence of price signals under a socialist structure compromises the efficiency with which goods and services are provided and distributed, all the while admitting a certain irony inherent in the collectivist nature of their protest. THE MAN-OF-THE-YEAR MARCUS RASHFORD AWARD FOR MAN WHO ISN’T MARCUS RASHFORD OF THE YEAR Boris Johnson. Because every superhero needs a villainous rival to lock horns with. Think Batman and the Joker, Luke and Darth Vader, Winston Churchill and … ah, well, you get the drift. THE DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA MEMORIAL AWARD FOR ANNOYING PETER SHILTON Gazza – a man who knows a thing or two about unique, complex, misunderstood, beloved geniuses – paying his respects to El Diego on whatever TV-AM is called now. “He was an icon. He was magic! A lot of people go on about the Hand of God. It made Peter Shilton anyway. Shilts, it made you, that goal.” Across the split screen, a purse-mouthed Shilton sat staring ahead in grim silence, gently seething, almost as though he’d just received news of a deal, and we’ve signed away rights to all the fish. THE PAOLO ROSSI MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST ICONIC WORLD CUP HAT-TRICK OF ALL TIME With the greatest respect to Geoff Hurst, this goes to the great Italian himself. Not least because all of his goals against Brazil at España 82 definitely went in. BUMPER ONE-OFF FESTIVE TV & RADIO SPECIAL: ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR PERIOD Right, aye. You are joking, aren’t you? MAIL! MAIL! MAIL! Send your emails, presents and Christmas cards to [email protected]. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, WE’LL BE BACK ON … OOF, MONDAY 4 JANUARY

Friday December 18 2020 Football Nerd Wolves go 83 goals without an Englishman finding the net — but which team holds the record? By Ben Bloom Perhaps you didn't realise the significance of the Wolves victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night. No, not for Chelsea — but for the statisticians. Because by scoring the dramatic late winner, Pedro Neto took Wolves to 83 goals without a contribution from an English player. Nuno Espirito Santo's Portuguese revolution in Wolverhampton has been well documented, but the goals have also come from Belgium, Spain, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, France and Italy. As I've explained in this week's Football Nerd, what is even more extraordinary is that despite this streak, the club are not yet half way to matching the all-time record run of goals by imported players. Want more sport in your inbox? Sign up to receive our Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal newsletters Have a great Christmas The Football Nerd is taking a break over the Christmas period. We'll be back on January 8. A Telegraph Sport subscription is only £1 a week, or £40 for 12 months Get unlimited access The best of this week's coverage Analysis: How Liverpool's win over Tottenham so nearly went perfectly to plan for both managers Jamie Carragher: Father figure, mentor, friend — Gerard Houllier was the rock behind my Liverpool career Jim White: Patrice Evra broke football's omerta in revealing Thierry Henry story to give a rare glimpse into the unseen Man Utd v Leeds: The inside story of English football's most toxic rivalry Bilic exclusive: 'I realised on the coach back from Manchester City that I was being sacked' This week's screamer "The fact is, as he never tires of telling anyone who will listen, he has never been relegated" Jim White laments the arrival of Sam Allardyce at West Brom This week's best stat 20 Number of substitutions allowed in an FA cup match under a combination of proposed rule changes to ease player burnout and concussion risk across football. The week in a picture CREDIT: JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/AFP West Ham's Sebastien Haller scores with a spectacular overhead kick to rescue a point against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Dortmund's fall without Håland continues https://yfl.koralast.com/player/html/pCn3sk97Y8wOH?popup=yes&autoplay=1 This game will be remembered for the just-turned-16yo Youssoufa Moukoko's first topflight goal Union Berlin are amazing at set piece goals, especially corner kicks

Declan Rice and Chelsea: His exit, where he would fit in, his future https://theathletic.com/2259864/2020/12/18/declan-rice-chelsea-west-ham/ It could have all been so different. Rewind the clock to Chelsea’s match at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night and the home side are on the counter-attack. It’s the last minute of an intense Premier League game and most of Chelsea’s exhausted players have been caught up field, looking for the winner. Vitinha plays the ball toward Pedro Neto and… Declan Rice intercepts. The final whistle goes and the game ends 1-1. Mini crisis averted. But of course, Rice wasn’t wearing blue that night. Instead, Neto capitalised on the visitors’ naivety to hand Chelsea their second successive defeat. Rice is still at West Ham, whom Chelsea meet on Monday under huge pressure to avoid a hat-trick of defeats. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Rice is the missing piece in Chelsea’s jigsaw. The club aimed to make him their last big signing in the previous window, but no bid was forthcoming because they were unable to sell the fringe players required to raise the revenue for his signature. After spending over £200 million on five players, even multi-billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has a cut-off point. But the month of January will present Chelsea with another opportunity to renew their interest and West Ham fans have already begun anxiously counting down the days until the deadline on February 1. Chelsea would not be in the position of having to collate “Bank of England” money, as West Ham manager David Moyes put it, for Rice’s signature had they not released him from the academy at the age of 14. It’s a mistake they rue to this day. “You looked forward to Declan arriving in the evenings, because when you went out to train, he’d be wanting to play one-touch with the coaches. Then it’d be, ‘Come on, let’s play crossbar challenge’, then, “Come on, let’s play two-v-two’. He was like a Duracell Bunny, he just didn’t stop.” Coach Michael Beale knew Rice, who he says first started training with Chelsea at six or seven, was something special from a very early age, especially once he started working with the youngster while in charge of the under-10s in the club’s academy. Rice was surrounded by talent in his age group and as has been well documented, one of his team-mates was close friend and current Chelsea regular Mason Mount. But Beale, who is now a first-team coach at Rangers under manager Steven Gerrard, saw enough in Rice to feel like he stood out in his own right. “I remember once we were playing Arsenal away at Hale End,” he says to The Athletic. “We were in the changing room with the boys who had travelled on their own, and then there was the bus outside with the other lads. There was a massive downpour and they delayed the kick-off, so there were the under-10s, the under-12s and the under-14s. Declan was in the under-12s at the time and he entertained the under-10s and the under-14s in the dressing room on his own, doing impressions, doing jokes, dancing and singing. He was an 11-year-old boy without a care in the world. “He made going to work a joy. He used to take the mickey out of the coaches as well, in that lovely, cheeky chappy way. Training was better for Declan being there, so I’m glad I didn’t experience Chelsea without him. The players in the under-16s knew him when he was an under-10. He was always mucking about with the older kids, the life and soul of the party.” Being told he was no longer wanted by the club he adored was no laughing matter, though. It was his father Sean who broke the news to him when he returned from school one day. The news had been delivered over the phone, was completely unexpected and little explanation was provided. For a family of devoted Chelsea fans, it was devastating. Declan wasn’t the only family member to cry that day. So what went wrong? Well, for starters, it should be noted these things happen, especially at a club with an academy as successful as Chelsea’s. Sometimes, nothing “goes wrong”. Eddie Nketiah, now at Arsenal, is another one from the same age group that they allowed to slip through their fingers. Given the competition ahead of them, neither were deemed good enough. Other teams will have similar examples. But Rice’s cause wasn’t helped by not having one specific position. He started in midfield and was later dropped back into centre-half. In his final year, family members were frustrated at seeing him played in a variety of roles. “One week he was left back, the next he was at right wing,” a source tells The Athletic. “It got to the stage where it seemed like the only position he didn’t play in was in goal.” Another source has revealed how the sports science department told the staff that he was still going through a growth spurt just a few weeks before he was released and that patience was required. Either communication was an issue or their advice was simply ignored. In fairness, Rice was aware of his own physical shortcomings at the time. Reflecting on what happened in an interview while on England duty last year, he said: “I was like Bambi on ice — I was all over the place. My body just wasn’t used to itself, so I wasn’t running properly.” Mason Mount and Declan Rice flank then-senior striker Franco Di Santo, with Reece James on the far left Another insider has suggested that the acquisition of Sweden Under-16 defender Joseph Colley from Brommapojkarna had something to do with it. He arrived soon after Rice’s departure. “Perhaps it was just too much traffic,” he said. “In academies, there is a danger of just looking for the next best player and forgetting what you have already. I know one of the coaches, who I obviously won’t name, felt they made a mistake when it happened. I’m sure others will accept it was one too now but hindsight in football is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to players who are that young.” Beale had already left for Liverpool when he heard what had taken place. He couldn’t believe it. “It hurt me,” Beale admits. “That’s how much I felt for the kid. “It was a shock. He was going through a growth spurt, but I thought the club would stick by him because of everything he gave in terms of his personality. When you looked at the size of his dad and his brother, I always felt Declan would have the growth spurt. “Whether he would have kicked on at Chelsea, whether his pathway would have been stunted and he wouldn’t be the player he is today, no one will ever know. But one thing for sure is that I was certain when Declan left that he would go on to be a footballer.” Luckily for Declan, Beale wasn’t the only one to think that way. Fulham were on the phone to dad Sean within hours of Chelsea’s decision and he was training with them that very evening. It wasn’t long before West Ham were making a call, though. Dave Hunt was West Ham’s head of academy recruitment at the time and appreciated Rice’s qualities better than Chelsea did. “There were always a lot of good games between West Ham and Chelsea at that level and in my job I would always be there to watch,” he explains to The Athletic. “Dec always stood out for me. Whenever we played Chelsea I watched him closely. “He was so elegant. He would always be a leader, even at the age of nine. He also played with fun and enjoyment. That sticks out. It wasn’t just because he was a good player. He always gave a level of performance no matter whether Chelsea won or West Ham won. He was consistent. “I actually found out Chelsea had let him go from Declan’s cousin, who we had at West Ham. He just told me one night, ‘My cousin has been released’. I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Are you sure?!’ I couldn’t understand it, but I wasted no time in talking to the family and got him a trial at West Ham. “On the first day he was involved in a session, he was the best trialist I’d seen. A trial player normally comes from the park, this kid was from Chelsea. He had a better understanding of the game than most because he’d been coached at a very high level in the game.” One might assume that the heartbreak of seeing his dream disappear would have taken some getting over and be carried into the next phase of his career. It would be understandable. Tony Carr, West Ham’s director of youth development, suggests it wasn’t too much of an issue. “When you’ve been told by your boyhood club, ‘You’re not good enough for us’, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s going to knock your confidence massively. But it is a credit to his determination that he wanted to prove he had what it took to be a professional player. “I saw a little bit of shyness at first. We didn’t go into much detail when we spoke about Chelsea because you don’t want to go over old wounds. It was up to us to make our own decisions, to go by what we saw rather than be influenced by what had happened before. “Part of what we did was to rebuild his confidence and give him praise when it was due. He covered a lot of the basics. He was good in possession, had a good eye for a pass.” However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at West Ham either. They too had their doubts about a lack of physicality. When he turned 16, Hunt had to argue the case just to keep him on as a scholar while nine others in his age group were handed professional contracts. Then there was a significant turning point one summer. Carr adds: “I remember Declan had a period where he was playing for our schoolboy teams and when he came back for pre-season, he’d grown three or four inches and looked tall and slim. One of the coaches said, ‘He might make a centre-half as well’. We played him there and he did very well there too. “He just grew in stature and couldn’t be ignored. He’s been fast-tracked ever since. Before he made his professional debut aged just 18 for West Ham (against Burnley in 2017), I sent him a text wishing him good luck. I told him, ‘Don’t be fazed by it. Be natural. Do what you’re good at’. He sent a text back saying, ‘I will, don’t worry’. There was real confidence in his reply and I remember thinking, ‘Good on you’. “He is an example for any young player that gets released by a big club, that it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. I bet Chelsea will be kicking themselves. But it’s been to West Ham’s benefit. We took the chance.” One of the regular questions asked by readers whenever Chelsea have been linked with Rice is: why? A key factor is his versatility, that experience of being employed as a centre-half in his youth as well as a defensive midfielder. When Rice was on the wishlist in the previous window, the plan was to use him primarily at the back. But now that Thiago Silva has arrived and made such a big impact there, the desire is to use him, mostly, in front of the back four. As explained in September, playing as a holding midfielder is not regarded as N’Golo Kante’s best position because of his desire to go searching for the ball on occasion. Coach Frank Lampard wants someone to sit and constantly offer that protection, which would allow Kante to disrupt opponents further up the pitch. However, Rice is used to operating in a two-man midfield at West Ham, in either a 5-4-1 formation or 3-4-3 and 3-4-2-1. He has been combining well with Tomas Soucek in particular. He hasn’t played on his own in Lampard’s preferred 4-3-3 system. However, Chelsea try to have one of their more attacking midfielders drop close to Kante to help provide support, so you could see the France international and Rice being used in the same way. A 4-2-3-1 formation would also work for the pair and allow Kai Havertz to be used as a No 10. Chelsea have had issues with injuries so Rice’s record of featuring in more games than any West Ham player since the start of the 2018-19 season is clearly a plus. Over the same period, only Wolves captain Conor Coady (7,920) has more minutes than Rice (7,594) among Premier League players. Statistics that compare him to other central and defensive midfielders in the Premier League since the start of last season (there are 101 of them) show that Rice might not stand out in one particular department, but he is a good all-round player, which is a positive given his age and scope for improvement. Here are just a sample of them, which were compiled before West Ham’s victory over Leeds on December 11. He’s a pretty good reader of the play when it comes to interceptions and blocked passes: his return of 4.0 per 1,000 opposition touches ranks him 28th out of those 101 midfielders, though he trails the Chelsea figures of Kante (6.3) and, interestingly, the much-criticised Jorginho (5.4). You’d probably expect to see a boost in those numbers should he move to Chelsea because the team as a collective is looking to apply more pressure to opponents than West Ham do. Per Statsbomb data on fbref.com, West Ham apply pressure to just 14 per cent of opponent touches in the middle and defensive thirds of the pitch — the lowest figure in the league — whereas Chelsea do so on 20 per cent of opposition touches, the eighth-best in the competition. Rice’s tackling ability is elite, as we can see using data from smarterscout, a site which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world, producing a score between 0-99. According to their data, Rice is rated 98 out of a possible 99 for duels out of possession for a defensive midfielder, a criterion that considers how good a player is at one-on-one tackles given the quality of players he’s duelled with before. That’s backed up by his “true tackle” win rate (59 per cent), which is the proportion of tackles he wins cleanly without getting shrugged off or committing a foul. It is the ninth-best figure (out of 101) for those in his position. In the air, he’s pretty good too. As per smarterscout, his aerial duel ratings — which, again, are adjusted for the quality of opponents he’s had to go up against — is 64 out of 99 from set pieces and 76 out of 99 from open play. It’s actually fairly unique to find a player who is above average in the Premier League in terms of winning duels from set pieces and in open play, out of possession and in possession. Rice is rated 60 out of 99 for dribbling ability too, so is not bad on the ball either. Looking for players with similarly consistent figures across so many departments on smarterscout, the list is small: Nemanja Matic, Rodri, Sergio Busquets, Emre Can and Tiemoue Bakayoko, who is on loan at Napoli from Chelsea. Rice’s passing is also impacted by the style of the team he plays for and the role he performs. He very rarely steps over the halfway line, receiving the ball in the final third just 4.1 times per 90 minutes (86th out of 101 players). He also passes into the final third six times per 90 minutes (54th out of 101 players). His strength is in his tidiness in possession: his turnover percentage — the proportion of times that he loses the ball when he has possession — is just 14.8 per cent (26th out of 101 players). There is plenty of room for improvement and moving to a leading side like Chelsea, who are theoretically packed full of superior players, should help him fulfil his potential even more. So now we have examined what he could bring to Chelsea, what are the chances of him arriving at Stamford Bridge soon? There has already been perhaps a significant development for Rice personally. The Athletic has been informed by multiple sources that he has changed agents and is now represented by his father. Given Sean is a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge, you might think that will hand Chelsea a clear advantage in any negotiation. But such thoughts would be premature. Besides, West Ham’s stance hasn’t changed. If anything, their positive start to this season — they are separated by just one point and one place in the table — has stiffened their resolve. One contact suggested that even if Chelsea match West Ham’s £80 million valuation in January, it will be rejected. Chelsea’s first task will be to find the funds to give West Ham any kind of quandary. Their priority is to reduce the size of the squad significantly and players on the periphery will be made available to buy. But January is a much tougher month to get the kind of prices director Marina Granovskaia demands. It will be even harder this season due to the impact of COVID-19 on football teams’ finances. Several people, including one agent with a close connection to Chelsea, suggest that because of all this, a switch is much more likely to happen at the end of the season than in January, if at all. Transfer targets can always change. It is believed West Ham have offered Rice a new long-term contract and are encouraging him to sign it rather promptly. But it is understood Rice is in no rush. Another insider told The Athletic that the England international will take some convincing to sign an extension to his current deal, which expires in 2024. Not only do Chelsea have the obvious emotional pull, but the source claims Rice wants to join a club that can challenge for silverware regularly. West Ham won the last of their three FA Cups 40 years ago. In contrast, Chelsea have lifted 16 trophies in the last 17 years alone, including five Premier League titles and a Champions League. One thing is for sure, Rice is unlikely to force the issue by handing in a transfer request. He has too much respect for the West Ham fans. But as one associate suggested: “There is no easy way to leave West Ham for Chelsea. There is no such thing as a perfect exit. West Ham supporters will never be fine with him going there. If he really wants to go to Chelsea, it might be a case of short term pain for long term gain. He may have to just rip the Band-Aid off.” Inevitably, the former coaches who helped him progress have mixed feelings on the matter. “I’m a West Ham fan and I’d be devastated if he went,” Carr says. “But sometimes that’s the nature of the game. You develop someone and the big guns are going to come calling. It will be a massive profit if it happens, the biggest the club have ever made. If Chelsea throw silly money at you, it’s tough to resist.” Even while trying to help Rangers win the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 2011, you get the impression Beale is willing for Rice’s story to come full circle. “It’s very rare that a boy leaves and goes on to make the club wish they had him and I think that’s the scenario Chelsea are facing now. They let a boy go, he’s gone away and really kicked on. It’s worked out for Declan in the long term and if he goes back to Chelsea, that would be amazing.”

THE SECRET SCOUT: Chelsea's teenage defender Valentino Livramento has the power and pace to play as a forceful right full-back https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9065789/THE-SECRET-SCOUT-Chelseas-Livramento-power-pace-play-forceful-right-back.html Our scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star. Here is his verdict on Chelsea starlet Valentino Livramento for Sportsmail.... WHAT HAS HE GOT? Reece James cemented his place in the Chelsea team after a good loan spell, and I wonder if this teenager from Croydon can emulate his colleague. A loan would be an advantage now. Although he has only just turned 18, Livramento has the power and pace to play as a forceful right full-back in men’s football. I like the way he maintains his speed over long distances. Once he gets into his stride, he is difficult to contain. A loan would be an advantage now. Although he has only just turned 18, Livramento has the power and pace to play as a forceful right full-back in men’s football. I like the way he maintains his speed over long distances. Once he gets into his stride, he is difficult to contain. In the game I watched, with the opposition playing narrow, he was often able to find space on his flank to receive the ball and advance. Timing his runs, he surged forwards. The opposition left back was shrewd, forcing Livramento inside. But this did not deter him and he kept control of the ball. He showed confidence and was a regular release-ball. His defending was adequate and he did not lose composure. He also showed awareness to cover his centre-back when play was developing on the opposite side. WHAT DOES HE NEED? A couple of times he did run into traffic and may have used his speed to play a simple one-two when trapped and forced inside. Once, when the opposition winger side-stepped him on his left, he stopped his opponent in his tracks with a mistimed tackle, but this was not the norm. One of the younger players in the Chelsea academy side, he is a homegrown asset who could well move through the ranks within three seasons. A loan spell in the lower-league hurly-burly would help Chelsea assess his future. He is certainly strong enough.

Marc Guehi to be handed chance at Chelsea? https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/chelsea/transfer-talk/news/guehi-to-be-handed-chance-at-chelsea_426971.html Marc Guehi will reportedly be provided with an opportunity to impress Chelsea boss Frank Lampard in 2021. The defender has spent 2020 on loan at Swansea City, making a total of 30 appearances for the Championship outfit in all competitions. Having made a positive impact at the Liberty Stadium, the England Under-21 international will want to further progress his career in the Premier League next season. While a loan exit to a top-flight club is a possibility, The Athletic claims that Guehi will spend pre-season with the Blues. Although there are several players ahead of the prospect in the Stamford Bridge pecking order, departures are expected to take place during the next two transfer windows. Guehi made two starts for Chelsea in the EFL Cup last season, including during a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

Former Chelsea striker returns to training and aims to face old club again https://www.chelsea-news.co/2020/12/former-chelsea-striker-returns-training-aims-face-old-club/ When Chelsea were drawn against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League this week, many Chelsea fans automatically thought about a reunion with a former player. Diego Costa spent three good seasons at Chelsea, and Blues fans have a real affection for the striker who became a cult hero. Things didn’t end well though and the Spanish international fell out with Antonio Conte and headed back to La Liga to re-join Atletico Madrid. Costa has been nursing a rare blood clot injury in his leg, but Marca are reporting that he aims to return now in time to face his former club in Europe. Further to this, his club have tweeted a picture of Costa in training today simply saying ‘back.’ An image that will send chills down Chelsea spines. It will be an emotional return for both parties though, Costa had a good time in London and scored many good and important goals.

Lucy Bronze has become the first English player to win either the Best FIFA Player or FIFA World Player of the Year. Gold.

Ballack comments on comparison between Chelsea's Havertz and Leverkusen's Wirtz https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/ballack-comments-on-comparison-between-chelseas-havertz-and-leverkusens-wirtz/ Michael Ballack has played down comparisons between Chelsea star Kai Havertz and Bayer Leverkusen’s teenage sensation Florian Wirtz. Leverkusen just cannot stop producing these unbelievably talented attacking midfielders, can they? After Havertz joined Chelsea in the summer, the Bundesliga side have already found a replacement in Wirtz. The 17-year-old has four goals and five assists in just 16 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen; an incredible feat for such a young player. Unsurprisingly, there have been suggestions that Wirtz might even have more potential than his one-time teammate. Former Chelsea and Leverkusen icon Ballack believes it is too early to compare the two. “That can’t be said yet, because Kai Havertz was also able to mature for a few years,” the former Germany international told Sport1. “It is Wirtz’s first year as a regular player. But he does it well above average.” While Ballack said the teenager is improving and has caught up well physically, he still thinks what Havertz did at Leverkusen was unheard of. “Wirtz is a different type than Havertz and is smaller. “Havertz’s statistics were unparalleled at his age, so be careful with comparisons.” In his last season at Leverkusen, Havertz managed 16 goals and eight assists in all competitions. Some Chelsea fans understandably have reservations about the 21-year-old after his recent poor performances, but recent bias might have influenced some people’s opinions of him. Havertz might have taken more time to adapt than some would expect, but his record speaks for itself.

4 3 1 2 (also could be a 4 4 2 diamond)

the troll is calling you a fake Chels fan The worst insult in football: ‘plastic’ Abusing the other team’s fans for being fake is fun. But the demand for football authenticity is a mug’s game. https://www.spiked-online.com/2013/05/30/the-worst-insult-in-football-plastic/

bollocks means tosh, bullshit, like something that is rubbish, nonsense it literally means balls, nuts, ie. testicles also, you can use it another way by adding dog's 'My new flat is the dog's bollocks' meaning it is really posh, nice, great, the best there are ales and beers named after that saying, for instance