It has been on the cards for a while, but Chelsea wasted no time in axing Carlo Ancelotti soon after their final Premier League game of the season, which the Blues lost 1-0 to ten man Everton at Goodison Park.
The club’s official statement read:
“Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Carlo Ancelotti parted company with the club today (Sunday, 22 May).
The owner and board would like to thank Carlo for his contribution and achievements since taking over as manager in July 2009, which included winning the Double for the first time in the club’s history.
However, this season’s performances have fallen short of expectations and the club feels the time is right to make this change ahead of next season’s preparations.
Carlo will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge, where he will be given the reception and respect his position in our history deserves.
Chelsea’s long-term football objectives and ambitions remain unchanged and we will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager.
There will be no further comment until that appointment is made.”
There has been much debate between fans leading up to this moment, but regardless of which side of the fence you fall, I think it’s best to remember Carlo’s legacy as being last season’s double win and wish the Italian all the best for the future.
Whether or not it is the correct decision remains to be seen, but Chelsea will now seek a replacement (they have likely got someone in mind already), who would you like to be the next man in charge at Stamford Bridge?
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Juventus coach Gigi Delneri says he will not be pressured into resigning should his side miss out on a European position next season.The Bianconeri’s 1-0 loss to Parma on Sunday left Delneri’s side requiring a minor miracle on the final day of the season if they are to finish in sixth and qualify for the Europa League.
Juventus trails sixth-placed Roma by three points and will need to defeat third-placed Napoli and hope Roma fails to pick up any points at already relegated Sampdoria.
The odds are heavily stacked against Juventus playing any European football next season, but Delneri remains defiant in the calls for him to resign after the club’s poor run.
“Why should I resign? I won’t even consider such a thing,” Delneri said.
“I do my work as best I can and I don’t think there’s any need to talk about a resignation. I have a contract, then it’s up to the club to decide what they want to do.”
“This season has been filled with many errors and strange situations. At this moment, being out of Europe, it feels tough. We’ll try to do well in the last game against Napoli and see what happens.”
Delneri was making no excuses for his side’s poor showing against Parma.
“Today we had lots of young players on the field and it’s also difficult for them to face up to a game like this,” he said.
“Parma were aggressive and we did very little to avoid defeat, so there are no excuses. Let us not clutch at straws here. There are no excuses.”
Veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo has defended his decision to join Juventus from Serie A champions Milan, saying he needs a new challenge.Pirlo spent 10 years at the San Siro, enjoying a successful stay with Milan in which he won two Scudettos and two Champions League titles.
But at the end of the 2010/11 season the 32-year-old decided it was time to move on, knocking back a new contract with Milan to sign for Juventus.
“They were 10 fantastic years with Milan. I won everything that we could win, but after 10 years I felt I needed a new challenge and going to play for Juventus is definitely a fascinating challenge and obviously something I want to do well,” Pirlo said.
“I am happy with the choice I made and we’ll just have to see what happens on the pitch.”
“That will tell us if it was the right choice for me to change team, and if Milan did the right thing to let me go.”
Pirlo also said he would love to see Juventus beat Barcelona to the signature of Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi.
“Obviously it would be great to have Guiseppe Rossi at Juventus because he is a great player and he proved that in recent years,” he said.
“Any club would be happy to have him. Let’s hope he will get to play for a great team.”
Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has not ruled out a return to the embattled organisation, citing ‘unfinished business’.Warner, also the former president of CONCACAF, stepped down from both positions in June after allegations of bribery against him, which were dropped after his resignation.
But he said on Monday, during his visit to the Port-of-Spain in his role as Trinidad and Tobago Works and Transport Minister, he had not ruled out a return to FIFA.
“I will not say no because you can never tell what the future holds,” he told the Trinidad Guardian when asked if he considered FIFA a closed chapter.
“There is some unfinished business which I will have to finish in both FIFA and CONCACAF at the appropriate time and who knows, I may go back.”
It comes after newspaper reports said CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer warned Warner about certain issues relating to the meeting between him and then FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam on May 10 and 11.
The pair was accused of bribery relating to the FIFA presidential election following the meeting and Bin Hammam withdrew from the running, leaving incumbent Sepp Blatter to be re-elected unopposed.
As a result of his resignation, the charges against Warner were dropped.
FIFA said: “As a consequence of Mr Warner’s self-determined resignation, all ethics committee procedures against him have been closed and the presumption of innocence is maintained.”
Warner’s resignation ended almost 30 years of service with FIFA and said he would reveal more about the organisation in future.
“The only expert on the FIFA in this country is me and in the fullness of time I will tell this country what FIFA is and what FIFA is not,” he said.
FIFA will further investigate a meeting of Caribbean football officials which led to Mohamed Bin Hammam being banned from football for life.Football’s governing body have sought information from all Caribbean Football Union (CFU) member associations about the meeting in Trinidad and Tobago on May 10-11.
It was during that meeting that Bin Hammam was alleged to have offered bribes to Caribbean football associations in exchange for votes in his later-abandoned FIFA presidency bid.
He was found guilty of corruption and banned for life by FIFA’s ethics committee on Saturday. Bin Hammam says he will appeal.
FIFA said in a statement: “FIFA has sent a letter yesterday 25 July to all CFU associations, asking the associations, their presidents, and any of their members with knowledge of anything that transpired during the meetings held on 10 and 11 May in Trinidad and Tobago, to provide and report all relevant information in their possession within 48 hours.
“Truthful and complete reporting will be considered in mitigation by the ethics committee when deciding on potential sanctions.”
“Any person who has relevant information but does not come forward during this 48 hour period will be subject to the full range of sanctions.”
“Following this 48 hour period, the FIFA Ethics Committee will be asked to open the necessary ethics proceedings,” FIFA said.
Roberto Mancini has been a success at Manchester City. Last year he delivered that long-awaited piece of silverware in the form of the FA Cup and sealed a Champions League spot and a chance for City to test themselves against the European elite. Mancini did a lot of this with a cautious, safety-first approach that earned him as many critics as it did fans. But last year’s glories are now in the past and Mancini must set his sights on the Premier League trophy. To do this the Italian has recognised the need to loosen the shackles and really go on the attack for the ultimate prize.
Ahead of the new season Mancini has highlighted the need for more attacking play at City and his desire to score “10 or 15 more goals than last season”. Mancini is right to target more goals and the signing of Sergio Aguero, who regularly found the net during his time in Spain, is an obvious answer to that problem.
Despite the abundance of money spent on more attacking flair over the last few years (David Silva, Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez etc..), defence was often the key to City last season. Playing with a lone striker, Mancini would often deploy holding midfielders to shield the backline. This tactic is fair enough but he often approached the big games against title rivals with the attitude of not losing. Sometimes City came away with a hard-earned point (0-0 draws against Arsenal and Manchester United that made the neutral fan want to tear their hair out in boredom) and sometimes the tactic failed. But it is the team that takes risks that wins the title, how many times have we seen United burst forward with attacking intent (despite leaving the defence momentarily exposed) to claim a late winner and more crucial points?
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But is this a risky move, why change a system that isn’t really broken? Yes City didn’t successfully challenge for the title last season but no one can doubt that under Mancini the team are developing. In a style often compared to that of grinding out a result in Serie A, Mancini often earned crucial points that may have been lost if City had opened up to attack and left themselves exposed at the back. Whilst he has bought in that attacking flair, he also has many strong defensive minded players at his disposal. Mancini is right to utilise these sorts of players (Nigel De Jong, Gareth Barry etc..) when they were faced with an attacking threat. When Mancini faced the title rivals last season Mancini pinpointed the need not to get overrun and beaten in games often labeled as ‘six-pointers’ in the race for the title.
We got the first glimpse of Mancini’s approach this season when his side faced rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield last weekend. City went on to dramatically lose that game in the final moments but few could have anticipated City taking a 2-0 lead. Despite being outplayed by United, City showed fresh intent to try and take the initiative and only defensive mistakes denied them success at Wembley Stadium.
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Despite the fact that Mancini has admitted the need for more adventure in City’s play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his old ways creep back in when times get tough next season. The manager needed to reconsider his approach for the new season if City were to challenge for the title but the Italian should not throw away all of his principles that have brought recent success to the blue side of Manchester.
Should Mancini be more attacking next season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
England’s qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil begins starts next year once again raising the hopes that our national team might finally progress past the quarter finals.
A pretty straight forward group stands in the way of the Three Lions and a new man is likely to be at the helm considering current boss Fabio Capello has declared that he’ll leave after next years European Championships.
With the supposed Golden Generation, the likes of Lampard, Gerrard and Terry, all ageing and on the way out it will be up to Capello or the new man to bring through the next batch of England stars.
Ian Wright recently gave his unique insight into who he thought would be in the starting eleven come to big kick off in 2014. (Read Here).
For England to succeed in the tournament they need a mix of young flair along with a few experienced heads. We’ve lacked any sort of leadership over the last couple of years with the captains armband being handed over more times than the box used during pass the parcel.
There are some quality young players out there who are playing regular football and will do for the next couple of years giving them some experience before the finals. Then there are the players who are more knowledgeable who will be used to the big game situations and will provide a calmer head.
I think that the 2014 World Cup could be England’s most successful of the modern era to date. Not saying we’ll win it but i’m certain the players that are coming through will put on a better show than the class of 2010.
So here is my prophesied England starting eleven for the 2014 World Cup Finals!
Click on Jack Wilshere to see the England XI for Brazil 2014 (should we qualify of course)
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Fulham have added to their options in attack by signing forwards Bryan Ruiz and Orlando Sa on transfer deadline day.
Ruiz joins for a fee of £10.6 million from Dutch side Twente, and turned down an offer from Newcastle to move to Craven Cottage according to The Daily Mail.
Alan Pardew’s side are believed to have bid £12 million for the Costa Rica international, but he was convinced to move to London by Fulham boss Martin Jol, who knows the former Eredivisie attacker from his time coaching Ajax.
Sa meanwhile, moves from Porto on a free transfer, and has signed a three-year deal with the Cottagers.
The 23-year-old former Portugal under-21 starlet spent last season on loan at Nacional, and is delighted to have moved to England.
“I am happy to have completed my transfer to Fulham and the Premier League today. This is an enormous opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to joining the team and entering the next phase of my development,” he told Fulham’s official website.
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“It’s a wonderful challenge for me and I am keen to bring my qualities to Fulham and the Premier League.”
In the 21st century, football is a sport that is driven ferociously by the national media with breaking stories and latest scandals bringing in the big bucks for newspapers, television companies and websites. With this clamour for a story that will jump to the public’s attention footballers are now being approached to be interviewed and offer their opinions on matters that should – at times – be kept behind closed doors.
In a recent video interview, Fernando Torres placed the blame for his dreadful form and goal-scoring record at Chelsea on the shoulders of his supposedly ‘slower’ teammates. Whilst there is no disputing that Torres might actually have a point, it seems illogical to voice such grievances in the press instead of keeping it ‘in-house’. With social networks like Facebook and Twitter also becoming home to the musings of footballers these days, is it right that these players are allowed to speak as freely as they do? More to the point, why do footballers have so much to say these days?
I’m pretty much expecting the argument of ‘they’re human beings and should be allowed freedom of speech’ to follow. Whilst I agree partly with the fact footballers should be allowed to speak their mind and have opinions like everyone else, their words carry a truckload of significance in both the lives of fans and others in the footballing sphere – not least, in this instance, Torres’ ‘slower’ colleagues.
Like Joey Barton before him, Torres has gone about airing the displeasure he holds with his teammates the completely wrong way. Unlike Barton, who took to Twitter when he decied to rant about Newcastle’s owner Mike Ashley and ended up becoming the most talked about footballer in the country, Torres spoke to the official La Liga website and is now insisting his words weren’t translated accurately. Regardless of whether the interview was interpreted incorrectly, and and regardless of whether what he said was taken out of context, he still shouldn’t have openly criticised his teammates in the first place. But why did he do it? Frustration, attempting to shift the blame? Or something more sinister?
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One thing that is for certain is that footballers are becoming more vocal in the written press and online, and in my opinion the amount of power they now hold in the game is the root cause. Fame and fortune have risen considerably along with the level of disrespect that players now seem to have for their clubs. Some are more concerned with keeping their name in the headlines and having their share of the limelight than anyting else.
Torres’ outburst comes just a matter of days after he was benched by manager Andre Villas-Boas for Saturday’s win against Sunderland, pushing him out of the Stamford Bridge spotlight. Would he have uttered the same words if he was still in the starting 11 or am I just clutching at straws? It’s just a theory, but I think it’s valid to say that players are now starting to come out with more controversial quotes in an effort to remain in the spotlight and garner attention towards themselves. Players know that journalists and fans will put whatever they say under fierce scrutiny and debate, keeping them relevant – whether it’s good press or bad.
Players like Torres who earn millions of pounds a year seem to have adopted a ‘no-fear’ approach when talking to the press. What do they need to worry about if they get fined or reprimanded further by their club? They earn a more money in a week than most will in a year. Some blame could be attached to the media who, in their line of questioning, could subtly coax out the responses that they know will bring in the sales for their employer. Then there is the argument that footballers should be wiser and more intelligent in how they handle certain questions and the way they answer them so not to cause controversy. People may say there is no way of telling if a footballer is being incredibly naïve or extremely astute in what he is saying during an interview.
My view is that footballers go into interviews knowing what they are going to say. They are embroiled in a perpetual crusade to remain firmly in public glare and free themselves from the risk of sliding perilously into insignificance. They feed journalists with the juicy material which they know will be splashed all over the front pages giving them prime exposure and keeping them fresh in the minds of the public.
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Steve Kean’s future at Blackburn Rovers remains in the balance as the Venkys suggested that they will be sitting down together to discuss the best way forward. The Rovers team are currently on a tour of India allowing the Venkys to showcase their football club; however with the team struggling back in England and fan protests towards the manager has somewhat soured the tour. The Venkys suggested that they will take supporter feeling into consideration, before they make any decision on the next steps forward for the Lancashire club.
Elsewhere in the news today Sir Alex Ferguson expected a challenge from City; Suarez rights off Liverpool’s chances, while the Premier League TV rights disputed.
Ferguson expected City challenge
Premier League TV rights disputed
Szczesny wants Arsenal captaincy
De Gea explains doughnut scandal
Kean’s future in the balance
Suarez rights off Liverpool chances
Gareth Bale gets accolade
Newcastle set reopen negotiations with £8m bid
Everton beat off Spurs to land £2m Bantams ace
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Liverpool join Premier League rivals in £18m chase