Vesper

Forgotten Superstars - Matthias Sammer https://thefalse9.com/2017/02/matthias-sammer-dortmund-bayern.html Most football fans who consider themselves to be experts will expect to be able to name a long list of recent Ballon D’or winners. If you asked football fans to name the last 20, I believe most would get a good majority; Pavel Nedved, Michael Owen, Andriy Shevchenko and Fabio Cannavaro are probably the toughest gets. The 21st? Perhaps a bit more difficult! The German – Matthias Sammer! An international tournament is often a place where a player can cement his spot as a member of the elite. Players like Zidane, Ronaldo and Iniesta have all managed this in recent years. Sometimes, as in Euro 2016, no one player can dominate the whole tournament. A star turn at an international tournament is often a show of real quality. At Euro 1996, Matthias Sammer was the star, showing the ability he had shown in the Bundesliga. He had already been German Footballer of the Year in 1995 and starred for Dortmund. He took over the libero position for Germany when Lothar Matthaus injured his achilles in qualification and made it his own. As much as a German side always is expected to do well, the 1996 team were not favourites and described as the poorest German side for years. The honour of favourites went to the Netherlands, whilst Italy, France, Spain and even England were fancied. The group stages went as well for Germany as they could have hoped. They conceded no goals despite being a somewhat makeshift defence. Sammer was central to that with Vogts explaining that “he called the shots in defence.” He was also the key in inspiring a win against Russia. At 0-0, he made a lung-busting run and after receiving a pass from Andreas Moller would split the defence and scored the rebound after the keeper saved his initial attempt. Croatia, containing the core of the side that finished third in the 1998 World Cup, would be the quarter final opponents. It was a tremendous game. Sammer was booked early in a highly physical game. He would create the first goal though with a driving run that became typical of him. It drew a mistake from Nikola Jerkan to win a penalty which Klinsmann slotted home. Later, Klinsmann and his strike partner Fredi Bobic were both struck down with injuries and Germany seemed to lack the cutting edge in attack without the pair. Of course the hero would be Sammer! He rose to meet a cross from Babbel and headed it off the Croatia defender. Of course, he was first to the rebound and coolly slotted it home. Perhaps his best game came in the semi finals against England. The home nation were in inspired form and grabbed an early goal through Alan Shearer. Sammer was majestic in defence as the Germans were constantly under pressure. His calmness and assurance in defence gave Thomas Helmer the license to attack and he assisted Stefan Kuntz for the equaliser. The Germans after a bout of inspired defending would emerge through on penalties. The German team should have been heavy favourites heading into a final against a Czech team they had already defeated in the group stages. They were but only marginally. The squad had been wrecked through injury and suspension. They only had 12 fit men and were given special permission to call up an extra player. Sammer was one who played despite clearly being injured. He was part of an inspired, battling performance which saw Germany prevail in extra time. Sammer was named player of the tournament for the Euro 1996 champions. He was joined by Hristo Stoichkov as the only men to win two man of the match awards in that tournament. For those paying attention to the European leagues it was no great surprise. Borussia Dortmund signed him in January 1993 and after Ottmar Hitzfeld moved him to the libero position, the team experienced great success. In the three year period from 1995 to 1997 they won two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Supercuts and a Champions League. Sammer was German Footballer of the Year two times in a row and won the 1996 Balon D’Or. That period of success for Dortmund would come to an end rather suddenly as Sammer would only play three more games after the Champions League success due to a serious knee injury. A routine operation was complicated by infection and amputation was even feted as a solution. Thankfully it did not come to that but Sammer was unable to play football again. Sammer developed into a world class sweeper but when debuting for Dynamo Dresden in the 85/86 season, it was as a striker. His Dad, who had won two titles with the club, gave him his debut. The following seasons would see him moved onto the left wing and eventually into central midfield by Ede Geyer. Being born in 1967 in Dresden, he was a staple of the East German youth teams and would make his debut for the national team at 19. He was from a football family, his dad had twice won the league with Dynamo Dresden. It was after he moved to centre midfield that both the team and Sammer would enjoy success. They won the league in 1989 and 1990, also winning the FDGB-Pokal. They reached the 1990 UEFA cup semi finals, losing to Stuttgart who would then buy Sammer for £1.1m that summer. He scored eleven goals in his debut season as they went on the finish sixth. He would also make history as the final captain of the East Germany for whom he made 23 appearances. Following reunification, Sammer would enjoy great success. He was one of a few East Germans who would start for the first unified German team. Stuttgart would then top the first unified German league prompting a move to Italian giants Inter Milan, for £5.1m. On the pitch, adapting was easy as he scored four goals in eleven appearances. He did not settle as well off the pitch and pining for a return to his ‘homeland’, he got it with a move to Dortmund. Sammer was distinctive with his red hair often matched by a red face. He always had a slight frame, his Dad saying “he had no physicality to his game” and he only “mastered tackling as the years possessed.” He was one of the greatest sweepers ever, probably only bettered by Franz Beckenbaeur and Franco Baresi. Perhaps his best attributes were intangibles rather than skills. His positioning was superb at both ends of the field. It allowed him to make his drives from deep which gave him many scoring opportunities. He also understood what he was as a player. His passing was great, not in a Modric-esque but rather because he barely gave away the ball. His determination and courage was famous, he finished a game against Borussia Monchengladbach after having his eye stapled shut without anaesthetic. He had stamina to chase down balls all day and was considered to be a great leader who inspired his teammates. Matthias Sammer is a legend, an unappreciated one. Perhaps part of that is his greatest performances came at a position which barely exists anymore. He never played flashy but always was efficient with his ability to influence games at both end. What added to his value was the intangibles. He was a winner who pushed his teammates to greater heights and that was what made him so valuable. Every coach dream’s of having a Matthias Sammer. Matthias Sammer vs Baggio | vs Juventus | 1995 UEFA Cup Semi Finals 1st Leg | 1 Assist | All Touches

Inter asked about Yarek Gasiorowski but enquiry went no further https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149495693/inter-asked-about-yarek-gasiorowski-but-enquiry-went-no-further Inter simply enquired about Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski during the summer transfer window about what it would take to get him out of Valencia. Many clubs were not aware of what Los Che were asking for, and so Inter were among the ones that asked for more information, but there were more who did so too. They wanted to know when his contract expired (it will be renewed shortly based on appearances), how much would he cost and what clauses are in his contract, because he is a player Inter like a lot, but that goes for several more clubs. There's not much more to say than that, because Yarek is not out of contract, and Valencia are asking for a lot of money. They wanted to understand the realities of his contractual situation after receiving good scouting reports. He's a player with a big future.

Contacts ongoing between Chelsea and Jhon Duran https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149437776/contacts-ongoing-between-Chelsea-and-jhon-duran There have been some rumours of Barcelona chasing Jhon Duran in the last 24 hours but let me say that Barça, at this moment, have not been active in negotiations for any striker. Obviously, they are keeping a close eye on the strikers market, but it's not something really concrete because Hansi Flick is very happy with what Robert Lewandowski is doing. Jhon Duran was really close to joining West Ham in the window as we know, but the deal collapsed after more than five bids were presented by West Ham to Aston Villa. Duran wanted to move but a deal didn't happen between the clubs. Credits to Aston Villa because they never wanted to accept those proposals, only super big money, something around £50m. West Ham only offered £42m/£43m plus add-ons with a percentage of a future sale but Villa always said no. There are now rumours that several clubs are interested in Jhon Duran and guys, I can confirm that Chelsea really tried to sign him too. Chelsea rate the player and still like the player at this moment. Contacts are ongoing, but it's not something that we can definitely update now.

Chelsea won’t find it easy to sign Castello Lukeba https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149437776/Chelsea-wont-find-it-easy-to-sign-castello-lukeba At the moment, there’s nothing concrete to report concerning a Chelsea move for Castello Lukeba. There are no talks and no negotiations ongoing. Several top clubs have been following Lukeba for months, clubs from Spain and England… but after selling Simakan in August, I don’t think it will be easy at all for any club to sign Lukeba from Leipzig in January.

Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca supports players’ complaints over intense fixture schedule https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5781981/2024/09/20/enzo-maresca-player-schedule-Chelsea/ Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca believes players are right to complain about the intense schedule and says going on strike may be one of their options to change things. Player welfare has become an escalating concern, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson among those voicing complaints about the increasingly demanding fixture list for athletes representing both club and country. Chelsea are one of the clubs most affected. They could play in excess of 70 games this season due to their involvement in the UEFA Conference League and expanded FIFA Club World Cup next summer. The new Champions League format, a 36-team league phase, has added two more games for teams involved. It is one of the reasons why Rodri, who was part of the Spain team to win the European Championship earlier this summer, warned that strike action could be considered if things get any worse. While stopping short of supporting a strike, Maresca understands why it has been mentioned as a possibility. The Italian, who represented 11 clubs over 19 years before going into coaching, said: “In terms of (the amount of) games it is too much. I don’t think we protect players. GO DEEPER Will Premier League players really go on strike? “The only ones who can do something are the players and we can help them. In the last one or two weeks some of the players have tried to explain what they think and it is a good starting point. Some of them said that (about going on strike) and it could be an idea for them.” Maresca, meanwhile, admits he has no timeframe for when right-back Reece James will return to Chelsea’s line-up following a hamstring injury. The Athletic exclusively revealed in August that he had suffered a setback in pre-season and was not going to return until the Bournemouth game (played last weekend) at the earliest. James’s recovery is taking longer than expected and Maresca said: “Unfortunately we do not have an idea (when he will be back) at the moment. “His injury is a bit delayed but the most important thing for him, and for any injury, is that they come back when they are 100 per cent fit and Reece is still out. Hopefully we can have him back as soon as possible.” Fellow right-back Malo Gusto is still ruled out with a thigh injury, so Axel Disasi will be in contention to start in their absence again this Saturday at West Ham United. GO DEEPER Maresca's big call at Chelsea: Jackson or Nkunku up front?

Full-backs moving into midfield: The many different interpretations https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5796256/2024/09/27/full-backs-moving-into-midfield-the-many-different-interpretations/ The concept of a full-back drifting into central midfield positions still seems relatively novel. Yet it’s now over a decade since Pep Guardiola started doing it at Bayern Munich, taking advantage of the fact that his full-backs were Philipp Lahm and David Alaba, two outstanding technicians who both had experience of playing in the engine room for Bayern’s youth sides. Guardiola continued his plan at Manchester City — initially unsuccessfully. The likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy struggled to get to grips with the position. Others have had more success. Oleksandr Zinchenko was a central midfielder almost permanently fielded ‘out of position’ at left-back. Joao Cancelo felt like a playmaker more than a defender. Rico Lewis is perhaps the first player groomed specifically for this in-between ‘half-back’ role — part-defender, part-midfielder. By this point, it’s not simply commonplace, but almost mandatory at top clubs. And with so many different players interpreting the role in so many different ways, perhaps it’s time to differentiate the use of these players more precisely. 1) One or two full-backs moving inside? When Guardiola first unveiled his plan at Bayern Munich, his approach involved bringing both full-backs inside into midfield together. It was almost transformative, treating those players as part of the midfield structure, with the wingers told to remain in the positions where overlapping full-backs would previously have sprinted into. But in recent years, it’s been more common to play something of a hybrid system, in part because many managers — including Guardiola — prefer his defensive block to take a 3-2 structure rather than a 2-3 structure. So when Arsenal played Brighton earlier this season, for example, Jurrien Timber pushed inside to become a central midfielder, allowing Declan Rice to become a fifth attacker, while Ben White narrowed his position and formed part of a back three. This is probably the more common version. But Manchester United have often brought both full-backs inside this season. In their defeat to Liverpool, for example, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui both shifted inside at the same time, allowing two midfielders to push on. 2) Are they there to attack or to defend? Every player on the pitch has responsibilities in both respects, of course. But the original idea of the half-back approach was keeping the back four close together, and ready to act as a defensive unit if the opposition counter-attacked quickly. So when Arsenal have used White moving infield into midfield, for example, you tend to think it’s primarily about defensive shape — here, they’re playing against a Brentford side using a counter-attacking front two, and therefore Arsenal want a good defender in that zone, rather than out wide. That’s very obviously not the thinking when Liverpool managers Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot have moved Trent Alexander-Arnold infield. That’s a more proactive move, about getting their best passer on the ball more regularly, and in positions where he can play a wider variety of passes. 3) Are they acting as a defensive midfielder or an attacking midfielder? The general understanding is that if a full-back pushes infield into the midfield zone, they are becoming a temporary holding player — most of the aforementioned screengrabs demonstrate that. But in Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last week, Josko Gvardiol’s role was more advanced — he was tasked with moving inside from left-back to become City’s inside-left, with Rodri (and, when he departed through injury, Mateo Kovacic) as the sole holding player in a 3-5-1-1. As City maintained that shape even after Arsenal went down to 10 men, Gvardiol become a penalty-box threat, and had a couple of decent efforts at goal. Again, our instinct is to group the roles together, because any full-back moving into midfield still feels like something of a novelty. But if we differentiate between a holding midfielder and an attacking midfielder in general — and of course we do — we should do the same with regard to these players too. 4) Are they a ball player or a runner? A tougher one to define, here, because most roles will combine the two. But again, you can say that for any position on the football pitch. We can probably agree that Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold and Destiny Udogie of Tottenham Hotspur are both brought inside for primarily attacking purposes. But while the idea is to get Alexander-Arnold on the ball because he can play the final pass so effectively, like for his assist for Luis Diaz at the weekend… …Udogie feels like more of a “willing runner”, helping to take opponents away from the flank, allowing Son Heung-min — Spurs’ key attacker — to receive passes and find more space out wide. Udogie is decent enough in possession, of course, and get onto good forward passes, but he’s not a playmaker in the manner of Alexander-Arnold. 5) Natural or inverted? The tendency to call these players ‘inverted’ full-backs doesn’t really make sense — the idea of inverted wingers is that they’re fielded on the opposite side to their strong foot, and cut inside and use their stronger foot to shoot. Alexander-Arnold, fielded in a narrower position from the right, isn’t really inverted when playing passes like this. But Cancelo, when playing for Manchester City from left-back, was a different case. Although he had a fondness for using the outside of his right foot, when hitting crosses like this towards the far post, he was effectively acting as an inverted winger would. There are further complications, of course, according to different formations and responsibilities with and without the ball. Guardiola has also increasingly turned to using a centre-back, rather than a full-back, stepping into midfield. But this position has become so common that it’s no longer a variation on a role, as we previously considered it — but a role in itself, with its own variations.

Jason Gannon: One of Chelsea’s most important hires – and a defining figure in Stamford Bridge future https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5795906/2024/09/27/jason-gannon-Chelsea-profile-stamford-bridge/ It was the kind of announcement that football fans rarely take much of an interest in or care about too deeply. Earlier this month, Chelsea released a statement on their website confirming that Jason Gannon had been promoted from his role as chief operating officer to president & chief operating officer. Now when it comes to communications from a club, supporters tend to focus on things like the arrival of a new signing, the departure of a popular or unpopular head coach and ticket prices. What is going on among the suits in senior management does not usually get the pulse racing too much. Without making out this latest development is akin to Cole Palmer being given a contract extension, Gannon’s presence and growing influence at Chelsea is significant. He is someone people who follow the club should, and surely will, take an interest in because he is going to play a very major part in what happens to Stamford Bridge. This is a very sensitive topic, after all. Stamford Bridge has been Chelsea’s home since the club formed in 1905 and to redevelop it is a very complicated and expensive project. Moving to a plot of land nearby at Earl’s Court would allow Chelsea to build a ground to rival the much-revered Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but going to a different site would upset a lot of people. Gannon’s experience as managing director behind the development of the much-respected SoFi Stadium, which is home to NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, is a major reason why he was targeted by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium as a possible hire to head up their stadium plans soon after they bought Chelsea in 2022. The SoFi Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 70,000, opened in 2020. It has already been the venue for one Super Bowl, is going to be the setting for eight matches during the 2026 World Cup and will stage the opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympics. Significantly, it is also able to bring in extra revenue from music concerts. Even WrestleMania 39 was held there last year. Chelsea had to be patient to prise their man away from Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Yes, the same organisation that Stan Kroenke, owner of London rivals Arsenal, heads up and includes the LA Rams, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche in its portfolio. Having over 15 years of knowledge from being employed in various positions for such a sport-centric company, let alone his sizeable contribution to the SoFi Stadium project, appealed to the Chelsea hierarchy. It took over a year for them to get their man and he celebrates his first anniversary of starting work at the club next month. Some reading this may be doing so with a shrug of the shoulders or, perhaps worse, will be treating any positive words about Gannon with suspicion, cynicism or caution. Chelsea’s record regarding senior hires over the years, including the Roman Abramovich era, has been somewhat hit and miss, especially when it comes to establishing a good rapport with the fanbase. It feels like there have been a lot of comings and goings during the Todd Boehly-Clearlake regime alone. As part of the article detailing Gannon’s promotion three weeks ago, it was confirmed that Chris Jurasek was stepping down from his position as chief executive to go back to being an operating executive with Clearlake Capital. As far as Chelsea were concerned, Jurasek had very much completed the task he was hired to do. The plan all along was for him to be in situ for one to two years — it ended up being 15 months — to help make strong hires for the management committee the owners wanted. As president, Gannon heads the committee but is not seen as all-powerful. Other key positions that have been filled and will work with him are Casper Stylsvig (chief revenue officer), Adriel Lares (chief financial officer) and James Murray (chief strategy officer and head of business operations). Chelsea have also convinced Todd Kline to resign as Tottenham’s chief commercial officer to join them instead, while Phil Lynch is going to be global head of digital after quitting Manchester United. But in the short time that Jurasek was in place he did not exactly endear himself with Chelsea followers. It was during his tenure that a long-running coach subsidy for away fans was removed and there was a first rise in general admission season ticket prices for more than a decade. Following his departure, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust released a damning appraisal of Jurasek’s ability to engage saying: “The CST first met Mr Jurasek in August 2023 ahead of the League Cup tie vs. AFC Wimbledon. During the feisty meeting, he hoped that the team performed well that night and secured three points… this set the manner for his tone-deaf tenure as CEO in which he made no effort to build a relationship with any supporter group. “The CST looks forward to working with Jason Gannon as he is promoted to president & chief operating officer. This is a positive change that the club should use to rebuild the trust and confidence of supporters.” Gannon was involved in the construction of SoFi Stadium (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) Sources at the club, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Athletic to protect their jobs, say Jurasek was not shy in admitting to those around him that he did not have much interest in football. He did not attend every match and, more tellingly, failed to hold one meeting with Chelsea Pitch Owners, the company that actually owns the freehold of Stamford Bridge stadium and the name Chelsea FC. On the odd occasion Jurasek did meet with fans, the encounters did not go positively, as the messaging from the CST above indicates. So, in some ways, Gannon had an advantage with supporters from the get-go. In saying that, Gannon has helped himself by making much more of an effort to engage. He met with CPO within a week of starting work at Chelsea and has spoken with them, as well as CST, on other occasions since. His background in sport comes across in conversations — that he is truly passionate about what he is doing rather than seeing his role as just a job. While Gannon has made it clear that he is not just going to tell people what they want to hear, he is not going through the motions or just box-ticking by interacting with supporters either. He conveys information that is useful and genuinely listens. He is more of a people person, which has come across in the way potentially divisive subject matter has sometimes been lightened with a bit of humour. Employees at the club have the same positive impression of him and highlight how he is a much more visible presence too. Despite holding such a senior position, he is regarded as someone without a big ego. He is frank, but does not mind if someone has a different opinion to his and is seen as a dynamic, approachable individual. In a period where co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake are not on the best of terms and each is exploring the possibility of buying the other party out, there have been no disagreements when it comes to giving Gannon more responsibility. Whether Chelsea rebuild Stamford Bridge or go to Earl’s Court, there are a lot of conversations to be had. For example, much was made recently of Gannon meeting with Transport for London. Talk of Chelsea making a final decision is far too premature, but sources — kept anonymous as they did not have permission to speak — stress that the club’s links with all the bodies they need to talk to about the new stadium are much stronger than they have been because of Gannon. Gannon has not pretended to know it all, but has done his utmost to learn all the intricacies as quickly as possible. Perhaps that is not too surprising given he has a doctorate in law from the University of Missouri-Columbia. The future of Stamford Bridge is going to be a huge focus, but is not the be-all and end-all. Chairing the management committee means he will help run the business side of club (the sporting side is still headed up by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart) and has to report to the co-owners regularly. Making improvements to the current stadium as it stands, even what could be considered something as minor as the quality of the Wi-Fi access, is on his agenda. Upgrading the training ground at Cobham, where Chelsea have been based since 2005, is also on Gannon’s to-do list for the next 12 months. As part of the club’s press release earlier this month, Gannon was quoted saying: “I am honoured to assume this elevated position within a club so rich in history and well-renowned across the globe. I have developed relationships with many supporters over the past year since joining Chelsea, and it is an enormous privilege to be here.” Rather than just an empty platitude, Chelsea fans might take some comfort that Gannon means what he says.

He has looked far better than I expected (thank fuck) Filip Jørgensen has looked a wee bit worse than I expected (but it is still VERY early days for him) That all said IF we are not going to move for Diogo Costa (seeems doubtful atm as his release clause is £63m) then perhaps we will stay with these 2, as almost all keepers remotely close to Costa is available to come here and who would come here are all off the board now, which is just madness plus we need to see if Mike Penders, the 19yo giant we bought, is actually going to be the real deal the only 2 keepers other than Costa who are, IMHO atm, worth looking at are 2 French keepers: the 22yo Lucas Chevalier (may go to PSG) and especially the 19yo (20yo in 5 and half months) Guillaume Restes (Barca are looking at him for a possible January move with ter Stegen out for the year now) maybe, maybe Álvaro Valles, but he will be 28 and no way should we sign him to a 7, 8 year contract, plus he only wants to move to Real Betis or Barca Guillaume Restes

Ranking each Premier League club for ‘dark arts’ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5788866/2024/09/27/premier-league-club-dark-arts-ranked/ Football’s dark arts. You may have read, heard or watched a bit about that subject this week. Wind-up merchants, rule benders, injury fakers, divers, pinchers, medical staff who love running on the pitch, time-wasters… every club has them, but how dark arts-y is your team? We can — and will — use metrics and data to help discover the best/worst offenders, but nefarious behaviour cannot always be quantified: teams should also be subjected to the eye test. Two points. First, this is a (reasonably) light-hearted exercise so, please, no nasty messages. Second, this is not a hall of shame. Far from it; teams who best utilise the dark arts tend to be more successful. A bit of devilment can go a long way and, well, nice guys finish last. Or, nice guys don’t tend to win anything. Talking of which, in reverse order, let’s start our list. GO DEEPER Infuriating, embarrassing - and funny: What players really think of 'shithousing' 20. Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou. Principled. Strong moral core. Hates cheating. Fair dinkum. Spurs play the game quickly, in a “We’ve got no time for time-wasting” manner. They were the quickest team in the league last season for getting the game moving again (24.4 seconds per restart). “I don’t believe in the dark arts,” Postecoglou said at a press conference this week. “I don’t know how to do it; it’s just not in my make up. My thing has always been, if teams are going to go down that way we’ve got to be even more disciplined to make sure we don’t get distracted.” Richarlison probably wouldn’t agree… maybe that’s why he’s been out of favour? James Maddison is always on the wind-up, but with a Del Boy-esque knowing smile and cheeky wink. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was the king at falling on the ball, talking to the ref, slowing things down and managing the game. But now? It’s just not what Spurs do, mate. xSH (expected shithousery) – 1/10 19. Bournemouth Bournemouth had a fine reputation for the dark arts in the Championship when they were managed by Eddie Howe (everyone pretend to be shocked) but only West Ham and Manchester City had fewer bookings for time-wasting or not retreating last season. Plus they’ve loaned out goalkeeper Neto — renowned for winding up opposition fans or taking the sting out of a game with an achingly long goal kick. He’s gone to Arsenal (everyone pretend to be shocked). xSH – 1/10 18. Crystal Palace Palace were probably too nice anyway — perhaps a legacy from gentleman Roy Hodgson’s era — but since losing serial free-kick-winner Jordan Ayew, or Joachim Andersen (who helped earn Darwin Nunez a red card for headbutting on his home Liverpool debut a couple of years ago) and Wilfried Zaha, for so long a strong contender for the Premier League’s most annoying player award, Palace are even softer now. Maybe if they toughened up they’d finish higher than 12th. xSH – 1/10 17. West Ham United Only six bookings for time-wasting/not retreating last season, the second-nicest record in the league. David Moyes just wasn’t that kind of manager. When told before the Europa Conference League final in 2023 that Fiorentina were going to deliberately stop counter-attacks with fouls, he said: “It will be down to the referees to sort that out. We’ll try to play a fair game. From my point of view that’s always the best way to try and do it.” Julen Lopetegui hasn’t enlisted many dark arts from his players yet. To be fair, he’s got other things to work on first. xSH – 1/10 GO DEEPER Who is the best exponent of the 'dark arts' at your Premier League club? 16. Ipswich Town The fresh-faced Premier League newbies took 37.2 seconds with their restarts against Manchester City in August, the sixth-highest of any side this season, as they desperately attempted to hold on to a *checks notes* 4-1 defeat. It’s far too soon to tell how easily they’re going to be corrupted by a bloodthirsty lust for Premier League survival. xSH – 2/10 15. Leicester City Being really annoying won’t guarantee you Premier League survival — Sheffield United took a league-high average of 31.2 seconds with their restarts last season but were relegated before May — but it might help. Leicester haven’t had many opportunities to delay/see out victories this season yet but even against Crystal Palace, when they were winning from minutes 21 to 90+2, they arguably didn’t disrupt the game enough and paid the price with a stoppage-time equaliser. Only one player won more free kicks than Jordan Ayew last season, so he’s a welcome addition to the s***housery stakes, while Jamie Vardy has always played on the edge. They could do with a Robert Huth-type figure — a true dark arts master. xSH – 2/10 14. Brighton Brighton seem more preoccupied with frivolous matters like playing nice football. They do have Joel Veltman though: he gives the impression that butter wouldn’t melt but, as Declan Rice’s red card at Arsenal the other week shows, he has another side to him. He can often be spotted positioning his body in front of the ball to be easily nudged over, and will happily take a yellow for the team with a pull of the shirt or a foul to stop a counter-attacking threat. He’s smart, too; in four seasons he’s earned 24 bookings but has never been suspended. xSH – 2/10 13. Everton There’s a smidgen of evidence this season that suggests Everton aren’t good at seeing a game out. In their past four games they’ve been 2-0 up against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and 1-0 up against Southampton (in the Carabao Cup) and Leicester, but only have one point and a cup exit to show for their efforts. If anything, they’re just too nice. Jordan Pickford can take a while with goal kicks and James Tarkowski isn’t afraid of some argy-bargy, but streetwise, underhand dark arts? This lot are an honest bunch. xSH – 2/10 12. Fulham Well, they have got four yellow cards for time-wasting this season and took seven minutes out of the game for goal kicks in their victory over Newcastle. But are very firmly middle of the road. xSH – 3/10 11. Liverpool “We didn’t waste time, we didn’t invent new cheeky things for set pieces, getting rid of gloves or whatever,” Jurgen Klopp said in May. “We just tried to fight harder than other teams. It was an incredible time.” He would say that, of course, but Klopp’s claims pretty much pass the eye and data tests — Liverpool, after Spurs, were the second-quickest at restarts last season with an average of 24.2 seconds. No wonder they only won a Carabao Cup between them. It seems Arne Slot has picked up where Klopp left off. They have no time-wasting bookings this season or any notable examples of underhand behaviour. Give it time. There is Andy Robertson, though. He brings their rating up a level. xSH – 3/10 GO DEEPER We need to learn to live with time-wasting - dark arts make football more fun 10. Manchester City “We are an honest team,” Pep Guardiola said after the draw with Arsenal. How true is that? Or are City just too busy blitzing the opposition with goals to have to worry about being proper s***houses? There’s often been talk about City’s tactical fouls — one of their assistants was seen telling players to do it on an Amazon documentary in 2018 (his name was Mikel something?). But they are very good at winning fouls when in a tight spot. For example, if they’re penned in to a corner when trying to play out, or challenging for a second ball, they’ll get across the man and draw the foul, relieving the pressure. They s***housed Atletico Madrid at their own game in the Champions League in 2022 — Koke said in the aftermath that they were “falling on the floor and wasting time” — which is no mean feat. Good at winning fouls? Yes. Rotational fouls? Well, they’ve been known to do that, too. But you wouldn’t call them masters. They also had the fewest number of bookings (five) for time-wasting or not retreating last season and were the third-quickest for restarts (25.2 seconds). xSH – 4/10 9. Manchester United United tend to spend their time scratching their heads at the goal they’ve just conceded/failed to score, but they have their s***house moments. Andre Onana was booked five times for time-wasting last season, while Bruno Fernandes’ gamesmanship, pestering of referees, dramatically falling to the floor, exaggerating injuries and holding onto the ball to delay play is of an extremely high level. xSH – 5/10 8. Aston Villa Thirteen bookings for time-wasting or not retreating last season, the second-highest in the league. And, with Neal Maupay’s departure to France, they surely have the undisputed biggest s***house in the Premier League, nay the country, in Emi Martinez, the king of the delayed penalty, or the delayed goal kick, or the winder-up of opposition fans, players, managers, anybody. “I think it’s natural,” he told The Guardian last month. “I don’t think about it, I just do it. I’m just a normal guy, a family man.” Just a normal guy. And a natural-born s***house. xSH – 6/10 7. Southampton Only just back in the Premier League and therefore any data from this season is too small a sample size, although it should be noted their restarts took 40.3 seconds on average against Ipswich last weekend as they tried to help see out a 1-0 win having taken the lead in the fifth minute (narrator: “They lasted until the 95th minute”). However, Southampton, the club who helped pioneer the tactic of stopping play to have a team talk under Ralph Hasenhuttl, are definitely no strangers to the dark arts, if West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan’s opinion counts for anything. During the second leg of their play-off semi-final at St Mary’s in May, Corberan seemed to accuse Southampton of delaying West Brom’s entry into the stadium, saying: “We were on the bus for 15 minutes waiting to find the entrance to the stadium. I don’t know why nobody came to help us or followed normal protocol.” Southampton also brought advertising hoardings in try and negate the threat of Darnell Furlong’s long throws. “They did things they probably didn’t need to,” Corberan added. Big dark arts potential here. xSH – 6/10 6. Chelsea It’s hard to have the dark arts ingrained in your team when the players and manager keep changing every five minutes, but Chelsea give it a go. They brilliantly s***housed their way to a 2-1 victory at Brighton in May, taking a season-high 50 seconds per restart in a game that saw Reece James sent off in the 88th minute before 11 minutes of stoppage time. They also had the most bookings in the league last year for time-wasting or not retreating (17). xSH – 7/10 5. Wolves Gary O’Neil may be the perennial “lovely guy, to be fair”, but that hasn’t stopped him enlisting suspect methods in a bid to win football matches. Wolves were the second-worst offenders in the Premier League last season for cards given for time-wasting or not retreating, with 15. Five of those were given to Nelson Semedo, the league’s joint-biggest waster of time. Important ‘r’, there. Yerson Mosquera escalated matters when he appeared to stick his finger in a place that Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus really didn’t appreciate on the opening day of the season. Matheus Cunha will go to ground very easily. And Jose Sa earned a reputation for staying down ‘injured’ during tense moments to break up play that season, often leading to a completely impromptu team talk. However, now that the unfortunate Mosquera is out for the season injured and Sa is on the bench, Wolves are a bit nicer. xSH – 7/10 4. Brentford Brentford may have lost Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay from last year’s squad, offering a severe blow to their dark arts rating, but anyone who has watched the Bees since their promotion to the Premier League will know that Thomas Frank loves a good s***house. They were third in the delays league last season, taking 30.1 seconds on average per restart, plus nine bookings for time-wasting or not retreating. When then-Wolves manager Bruno Lage accused Brentford of time-wasting in 2021, Frank didn’t deny it, saying: “I could ask him what he would have done if he was leading a newly promoted team?” Jurgen Klopp complimented “smart” Brentford after they beat Liverpool in 2023: “When I say they stretch the rules in offensive set pieces — and they do, don’t get me wrong, they are smart but they do — if you singled out every situation you would find five fouls.” xSH – 7/10 3. Nottingham Forest Ironically for a team who had so many decisions go against them last season, Forest more than enjoy a dabble in football’s underhand tactics. In 2023-24 they took the second longest over restarts (30.2 seconds on average) and already have four cards this season for either time-wasting or not retreating. Nuno Espirito Santo and his backroom team have long had a reputation for being touchline rapscallions, even going back to their Wolves days in the Championship when then-Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce said: “They are vociferous all the time. That’s their prerogative — we don’t quite behave like that.” In Ryan Yates, Forest probably have one of the Premier League’s most underhand free-kick winners. Yates has mastered the art of waiting for a player to make contact and then falling dramatically, all in one fluid movement, on to the ball, before transitioning into an impassioned appeal for a free kick. On average, he wins 3.05 free kicks per game. Yates is also an exceptional wind-up merchant, adept at riling opposition players with subtle fouls or leaving a bit on them after the ball has gone. xSH – 8/10 2. Arsenal “Yes, I don’t think there are many better than them at it,” Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji said last weekend. Arsenal almost gave a masterclass in seeing out a game, while having just 12 per cent possession of the ball in that second half at the Etihad. David Raya took a whole nine minutes out of the game purely by taking 45 seconds per goal kick (there were 12 of them) — a minute more than any team has taken with theirs so far this season. The average delay of their 32 restarts was 42.7 seconds, the second-highest of any team in 2024-25, while Arsenal now have six yellow cards for timewasting/not retreating this season — two more than anyone else. “You can call it clever or dirty, but they break up the game, which upsets the rhythm,” City defender John Stones told Sky Sports. “They’ve done it for a few years.” In mitigation, Arsenal have been down to 10 men in two games this season when trying to see out games, which will up their numbers, and it’s something Arteta has spoken about. In February after a defeat by Porto in the Champions League, the Arsenal manager said: “There are ways to do it. It is the way you talk to them, showing them clips, training — putting them through scenarios, pinching them a few times as well, learning from other players who do it really well and teams who are masters at it. It is something that has to be developed.” He’s managed it. xSH – 9/10 1. Newcastle United Newcastle have a reputation for dark arts under Eddie Howe that has been very well earned. Assistant manager Jason Tindall remains one of the league’s biggest wind-up merchants, playing the role of Howe’s attack dog in the fourth official’s ear, generally being active and vocal on the touchline. Goalkeeper Nick Pope is prone to getting an “injury” at opportune moments when Newcastle need to have a breather and Howe needs to have a word with his team. You can almost guarantee that Fabian Schar will go down with an apparent head injury in most matches, yet never comes off because of them, while Jacob Murphy is very much a s***houser — he waved Southampton’s Duje Caleta-Car off the field when he was sent off against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup a couple of seasons ago. And a couple of seasons ago Jamaal Lascelles picked up two separate cautions while warming up on the touchline for delaying opposition throw-ins. In April, after Newcastle won at Brentford, their manager Thomas Frank was furious with Newcastle’s tactics: “We need to look into the dark arts of football and be aware of the sportsmanship,” he said in a press conference, while also revealing that Brentford’s staff were more vocal with the fourth official because “we know that Newcastle have that strategy”, calling out Tindall specifically. Bruno Guimaraes was, by a distance, the most fouled player in the Premier League last season and he’s at it again this year, with 22 fouls won — more than any other. Second on the list? Anthony Gordon on 17. Newcastle remain the standard-bearers for the phrase by the philosopher Joey Tribbiani: “If you’re going to do something wrong, do it right.” xSH – 10/10

Graham Potter: ‘Frustration and anger’ over Chelsea sacking but no regrets taking the job https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5798766/2024/09/27/graham-potter-Chelsea-sacking/ Graham Potter says there was “frustration and anger” over the way his Chelsea tenure ended but he does not regret taking the job. Potter was dismissed seven months into a five-year contract in April 2023 after Chelsea paid a £20million buyout clause to bring him to Stamford Bridge from Brighton & Hove Albion the previous September. Brighton subsequently qualified for the Europa League under his successor Roberto De Zerbi. The 49-year-old was the first head coach appointment of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital regime and he was tasked with overhauling a squad in transition following a spend of over £500m across the first two transfer windows under the new ownership. He won just seven of his 22 Premier League matches and the timing of his dismissal denied him the chance to lead the side against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. “I worked really, really hard to get that type of opportunity,” Potter told the Telegraph. “It was about choosing the right opportunity (after the job done at Brighton). And I didn’t choose the wrong one, it just didn’t work out. “I don’t have any regrets over doing it, but, at the same time, when anybody loses their job, there’s an element of frustration, anger and maybe bitterness at some point.” GO DEEPER 'There were so many players, some had to change in corridor' - Potter's surreal Chelsea reign Chelsea spent £300m in January but won just four games across all competitions in 2023 before Potter was dismissed. He said he understood the large transfer outlay brought a demand for results but patience was needed when signing an influx of players from outside the Premier League. Big money additions Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke all joined from elsewhere in Europe. The Athletic reported that the squad was so bloated, some players had to change in the corridor and sit on the floor during team meetings. “If you spend £300m, the pressure on the team goes up.” he added. “If I’d have spent it on Harry Kane and Declan Rice, then fair enough, but at the time that was the decision.” Potter has been out of management since leaving Chelsea 17 months ago but multiple openings have come his way. The Athletic reported in June Brighton were considering hiring him for a second spell in charge after De Zerbi’s departure. He said it had not been the correct moment to re-join to the south coast club but did not rule out returning in the future. In May, Potter declined the opportunity to take the Ajax job as he felt the opportunity was not right for him at the time. He was also considered a candidate for the England position after Gareth Southgate stepped down following the European Championship earlier this summer. Potter said while international management was not off the table, he preferred the day-to-day routine of the club game. GO DEEPER England's manager search: Potter, Howe, Pochettino - and the FA's key decision-maker

Romeo Lavia set for Chelsea return after recovering from injury – Enzo Maresca https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5799094/2024/09/27/romeo-lavia-Chelsea-injury-return/ Chelsea have been handed a boost as Romeo Lavia is set to return to the squad for Saturday’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion. Lavia has been ruled out for the last five weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered in training. The 20-year-old made just one substitute appearance last season, after joining for an initial £53million from Southampton, due to a variety of injury issues. The midfielder was Chelsea’s best player against Manchester City in a 2-0 defeat last month and his only other appearance was as a late substitute against Servette four days later. “Romeo Lavia is available for tomorrow,” Maresca said. “We have one more session now and then we will decide (how much he can play). The most important thing is that finally he is back.” Lavia’s presence will increase competition for places and give head coach Enzo Maresca the chance to play him instead of, or alongside, Moises Caicedo. Caicedo joined Chelsea for a British record fee of £115m from Brighton last year and faces his former club at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League tomorrow. The 22-year-old came under a lot of negative scrutiny for his performances in the first few months of his Chelsea career, but has been performing at a high level throughout 2024. GO DEEPER Chelsea and an unfamiliar feeling of... sheer positivity Maresca feels Caicedo can still get better but wants him to ignore all the talk about how much he cost. “He is a top player, he is very good,” Maresca added. “But like all top players he can improve things and for sure he can improve. The way he is playing in this moment is fantastic. “About the price it is not a Moi (Caicedo) problem, it is the market that decides the price. Most of the time because clubs pay a lot of money for players, we expect that kind of player to always be the best. “It is not like this. Moi has to enjoy, has to play, work hard but the most important thing is he has to always be happy and enjoy football, to not think about the price because it is not his problem.”

Enzo Maresca calls on Chelsea players to attend matches even when not selected https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5799245/2024/09/27/enzo-maresca-Chelsea-players/ Enzo Maresca has told his Chelsea players they must attend home games even if they have not been selected in the matchday squad. Maresca has put the rule in place since taking over this summer and several first team players, including Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Marc Cucurella, attended the club’s 5-0 win over Barrow in the midweek Carabao Cup third-round tie, rather than being given the day off. Chelsea players have attended games they were not picked for before, but Maresca has made it an official guideline to encourage unity. The Chelsea head coach explained: “I don’t know whether we say it is a rule but when there is a game the players have to be there. In a normal team you have to behave like a team. “For sure it will happen tomorrow (against Brighton and Hove Albion). If there is a problem and some of them cannot come then that is not a problem. “In terms of culture I think it is quite normal that if my team-mate is playing a game, I am there before the game to support him and I am there after the game to support him in case he wins, loses, does well or does badly. “I think it is normal for them to be there whether it is Premier League or Carabao Cup, whatever competition. If we want to create something then these small things they are very important.” GO DEEPER Palmer and Jackson are the Premier League's best partnership - Chelsea need to build around it

Why left-wing German club St Pauli are selling their stadium to fans: ‘It’s the home of the people’ The first cooperative in football history: At a packed meeting in Hamburg on Tuesday night, the club presented its plans to over 3,000 of its members. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5793285/2024/09/26/st-pauli-stadium-cooperative/ St Pauli have unveiled a unique route to become more competitive: they are going to sell their home to fans. Beginning next month, the German club will start selling a majority stake in the Millerntor-Stadion to their own supporters after forming the first cooperative in football history. At a packed meeting in Hamburg on Tuesday night, the club presented its plans to over 3,000 of its members. The response was positive, albeit curious. This is a radical solution, but then clubs like St Pauli are facing complicated problems. They are European football’s pre-eminent left-wing club and were promoted back to the Bundesliga last season for the first time since 2011. Unlike in England, where promotion to the Premier League ensures a quick, substantial windfall, German football’s broadcasting revenues are not so generous. It means that St Pauli are relative paupers in their new division. Annually, their wage bill this season is estimated to be around four per cent of Bayern Munich’s. On Sunday, following three straight defeats to begin the season, they earned a creditable 0-0 draw with RB Leipzig, who spend eight times as much on their playing squad. The route to parity is blocked by legislative restriction and also by ideological design. The legislation impacting St Pauli is German football’s 50+1 rule, which means that a controlling share (50 per cent plus one share) of any club must remain with members, preventing external investors from ever gaining full control. It protects clubs from falling into the wrong hands, but also deters the wealth that can transform a club’s future. The ideological design element is to do with the club’s values and its commitment to social responsibility. St Pauli do not accept commercial income from gambling or cryptocurrency firms, among other industries, and that has helped preserve its identity, but at the cost of revenue, which impacts their ability to win matches. But how much does footballing performance matter? It depends who you ask, which is why finding a compromise matters. Oke Gottlich has been chairman of the club since 2014. Before the game against Leipzig, sat high in the Millerntor, he told The Athletic that the idea for a cooperative has been on the agenda for most of the last decade. “Maybe six or seven years ago, we discussed the possibility of a cooperative for the first time, and how we might be able to set one up, learning from a team like the Green Bay Packers, and how it could impact football. We discussed the different ways in which it could happen. Should we maybe transform the whole club into a cooperative? “Not everything was possible. St Pauli is a strictly membership-driven club and didn’t want to effectively outsource it (beyond the existing members). But we thought about which of our assets might be appealing for a cooperative, or to people who might want to join a cooperative, and we started discussing the stadium.” The Millerntor is worth an estimated €60m (£50m/$67m). The plan is to sell shares in the new cooperative and then use the resulting revenue to purchase a controlling stake in the stadium — raising up to €30m in the process. The club will use those funds to pay off debt, including from the pandemic shutdown, and invest in its sporting infrastructure. A four-person board, drawn from long-term supporters who live and work locally, has already been appointed and the share sale is due to begin in October. One share will cost €850 (£709/$948). While there are no restrictions on how many can be bought, multiple shares will not equal multiple votes, meaning that no shareholder can exert more democratic power than any other. A staggered payment plan will also be made available. In addition to their voting rights, shareholders will receive a potential annual dividend, expected to be between 1-3 per cent. Owners will be able to sell their share in the future, but not for profit, only for the amount they originally paid. But the influence is the compelling aspect. Members of the new cooperative will have the right to propose and vote on new business initiatives relating to the stadium, the level of annual dividend that they will receive, and the social, cultural and sporting activities that take place at the Millerntor. Essentially, they will determine what happens at the stadium whenever it’s not being used for football. The club will continue to receive all matchday revenues, but the shareholders will determine the rate of the club’s rent and how much the cooperative earns from St Pauli. “We assume that the members will be in favour of St. Pauli, not against us,” Gottlich says, “and so they could decide to either reduce the rent if we were in third or fourth division, or to increase it if we’re doing really well. “This is a very good thing, because it gives the cooperative flexibility. People could say, ‘Oh, we need more money to try to qualify for Europe, so we’re going to stage a job fair or boxing fight, then reduce the rent and help the club to invest in other areas, in its youth academy, perhaps.’” The cooperative, which is being promoted by the club using social media and videos such as the one below, will also vote on what to do with any surplus it earns, which potentially enables it to have an impact on the wider community. It will also hold elections for its own supervisory board. This is an unprecedented step in football and so, naturally, there are questions — many of which are unanswerable at the moment. The new organisation does promise a lot of bureaucracy, so it remains to be seen how agile it can be. The fact that anyone can buy shares, rather than just existing members of the club, also raises a question: what happens if shares fall into the hands of those who do not have the club’s best interest at heart? Gottlich says all potential purchases will be scrutinised. As a safeguard, all shareholders will need to submit a written application for membership of the cooperative, which will then be subject to the board’s approval. “There are also certain red lines,” Gottlich explains. “For example, according to the statutes, if the cooperative wanted to sell the stadium to, say, Red Bull, then the club would have the right to say no.” The statutes of the new organisation will also prevent it from interfering in the operational business of the club itself, or from making decisions that would harm St Pauli. It is a dramatic step but, while not quite a trend, German clubs are increasingly in the mood for creative solutions to football’s inequalities. Last year, the 2.Bundesliga team Fortuna Dusseldorf began a pilot scheme which saw fans admitted to three home games at their Merkur Spiel-Arena for free. Fortuna are a traditionally big club, but have fallen on hard times and, as a reflection of that, have in recent years only averaged half of their stadium’s 55,000 capacity. The hope is that the ongoing scheme, named ‘Fortuna fur Alle’ (‘Fortuna for everybody’), will create a virtuous cycle of media and commercial interest in the club. All three games sold out in the first year and the club have expanded the scheme to four games this season. While it remains too early to judge it a success, it has — initially at least — drawn a positive response for original thinking. GO DEEPER The team making tickets free - and hoping to do it for every game in five years St Pauli’s initiative is more elaborate. If successful, other departments within the club could seek admittance into the cooperative, too, potentially expanding its reach across — for example — the women’s football division, the youth facilities, the triathlon department or the Pipes & Drums section, and so on, throughout the club’s network. Should new training pitches be built? Should the stadium’s corners be filled in? If the answer is yes, members will vote — electronically — for the board to procure financing and construction options, and then vote again on whether to accept them. Even for a club as habitually democratic as St Pauli, these are steps into football’s unknown. But they are steps that Gottlich feels compelled to take. “It makes sense,” he says, gesturing through the windows at the stadium below, “because this is very symbolic. It’s the home of the people, where we call come together for games, and it’s part of everybody’s community.”

Cuz it is Millwall F.C.? 😕

Morata shaved his head

AC Milan running riot Morata and Pulisic both have scored plus Theo

Chelsea: Enzo Maresca hints at Ben Chilwell U-turn after suggesting defender should leave Left-back made first appearance since April during Carabao Cup win over Barrow https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/maresca-chilwell-Chelsea-fc-latest-news-premier-league-2024-b1184605.html Enzo Maresca has hinted Ben Chilwell could still be set for a role at Chelsea this season. The Blues head coach publicly suggested the England international may be better served finding a new club over the course of the summer, with Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga preferred at left-back in his system. Chilwell spent part of the summer training away from the first-team squad at the club’s Cobham base but a move away did not materialise despite links with Turkish clubs. Maresca then brought the 27-year-old back into the fold for the 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barrow on Tuesday night after including him in Chelsea’s 25-man squad for Premier League competition. When asked about potentially turning to the former Leicester defender during the season, Maresca said: “Yes, in the moment we need him, why not? I said already many times and I will say again that, as long as Chilly is with us, he is a Chelsea player. And if we need him, we give him a chance and minutes." Pressed further on whether he regrets telling Chilwell to find a new club, the Italian added: “We all make mistakes. Probably yes; probably no. I am here to take decisions. Sometimes they are good decisions and sometimes they are not good. "The only thing I can say is that there is not any bad intention from me. It is just to see things and try to think about the best things for the club." Read More Romeo Lavia offers Chelsea major injury boost as Enzo Maresca addresses Reece James latest Chelsea vs Brighton: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

VAR chalked it off

1 nil PSG Marquinhos

Paris Saint-Germain vs Stade Rennais https://www.vipleague.pm/ligue-1/paris-saint-germain-vs-stade-rennais-1-live-streaming https://top.soccerstreams100.io/event/fra-1/rennes-vs-psg-live-soccer-stats/706477 https://sportshub.stream/event/рsg_rеnnеs_226528373/

Dorgu starts

AC Milan vs Lecce https://www.vipleague.pm/serie-a/ac-milan-vs-lecce-1-live-streaming https://top.soccerstreams100.io/event/ita-1/lecce-vs-milan-live-soccer-stats/712172 https://sportshub.stream/event/mіlаn_lессе_226526179/

looks a baller and also very big, especially for his age (he is only 14 in that video)