CHELSEA FANSZONE

Chelsea travel to Everton for the most important match of Chelsea's season so far. A win will guarantee Chelsea's lead at the top of table will remain 4 points or even bigger depending on the outcome of the Tottenham vs Arsenal match.

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has warned Tottenham Hotspur not to expect favours from Chelsea as they are ready to fight till the last minute of the last match of the season to win the English Premier League. “Of course we have experience from winning the league two years ago,” the Serbia midfielder said ahead of Sunday’s game at Everton. “We have to stay considered until the last minute of the season. Not the last game, the very last minute. “I’m sure we’re on our best and I think the next game will be crucial for us. “I can say it’s difficult to focus game by game, but we have to do that. “If you want to win the title, you have to be ready for everything. “You have to know the Premier League is like this. This is football, it’s the Premier League, so we are focused. “We always work very hard, and we will do that until the end of the season. “In every moment, we have to be ready for everything.” Chelsea lead second-placed Spurs by four points with five games to...

Former Chelsea star, Joe Cole has pointed out John Terry’s values to Chelsea. He highlighted Terry’s work behind the scene as what makes him stand out at Chelsea. According to Joe Cole, replacing John Terry will cost Chelsea millions. Cole told the Daily Mail: "When I signed for Chelsea [in 2003], he was the first person to see me as I walked through the door. "Although he's only a few months older, he put his arm around me and it was like, 'I'll look after you' like the new kid at school, like an older brother. "Chelsea will miss that. They are a well-run club but forget everything he does on the pitch, it's the unseen things as a captain. "I remember I was having a bit of a rough time there. He recognised it and got one of the video analysts to make a compilation of all my best bits. It was a little touch but it really lifted me. "For him to even notice that... in football you're so focused on yourself and your own game, t...

The future of Eden Hazard is still a mystery, nobody can tell for sure if he will remain at Chelsea or follow his ambition of playing for Real Madrid. That said, Real Madrid are said to be interested in taking him to Spain this summer against Chelsea's wish and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte thinks keeping him will be difficult if Real Madrid come forward and the player wants to leave. "I think that it's impossible for me to take this responsibility," Conte said, as quoted on The Times. "I don't think it's possible, no [keeping Hazard if Madrid make an offer]. But not only for Eden, but for every single player." "I think, in this situation, the club has the final decision and I can tell you my opinion about the situation but I repeat the club has the final word." Meanwhile, Conte thinks that Hazard is very much happy to play for Chelsea. "I think Eden is very happy to stay with us and work with us," Conte added. "I t...

Arguably Chelsea's most improved player Victor Moses is enjoying a new lease of life at the Bridge. Moses, who was signed from Wigan had an unsuccessful first season at Chelsea and was subsequently sent on loan to Liverpool, Stoke ad West Ham before returning this season under Antonio Conte and since then he hasn't looked back. The Nigerian narrates his frustrating time away from the club: "It's frustrating when you know your manager wants to use other players ahead of you and you've got to go on loan to different clubs," he tells Sky Sports in-between striking drills. "You get injured and all of a sudden you're not getting back in the team. You can't settle well. You've got to move your kids to a new school every season… Stuff like that is always going to play in your head." "I've never doubted the ability that I've got," he says. "Chelsea is one of the best clubs in the world and I've always believed I h...

Chelsea star Eden Hazard is in awe of his manager at Chelsea, Antonio Conte. Hazard helped Conte reach his first major final in England and the Belgium believes that Conte is born to make history everywhere he goes. Hazard, in an interview with beIN Sports, said: “He (Conte) makes his own history in Italy. Now he wants to make his own history in England so I think this kind of manager they are ready to win everything. So he won a lot as a player, he will win a lot as a manager. “He used to play before so he knows what to do in training ready for the games. It's always because of him. He make the players in the right position. “Yes, of course, we are playing, but he decides how to play. We score great goals. We score a lot of goals this season. So everything is good for Chelsea. “I think it's the most important thing. Freedom when we have the ball and without the ball you know I know what to do. I go inside, I go outside, because we train a lot so I know exactly what...

After Thibaut Courtois' injury that cost him the chance to play against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said after the defeat at Old Trafford that he would speak to the club management about the commercial activities that involve Chelsea players. The man at the centre of the whole incident, Courtois who got injured during NBA commercial shooting has suggested that Chelsea could cease to allow any more dangerous commercial activities till the end of the season. He told Standard Sport: "I'm sure there will be more commercial activities, but I don't think there will be anything with a ball now so no-one gets injured. "It was just unfortunate that happened. I have done worst things in goalkeeping drills that might injure me, but nothing happens. It was just silly. "I know playing basketball doing commercial activities sounds very bad and stupid, but it's what we do a lot. It's part of our job. It's a fact of...

Chelsea midfield linchpin, N'Golo Kante has been named the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year for 2016-2017 season, beating off challenges from his Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard, Tottenham's Harry Kane, Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal, Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku of Everton. Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli was named Young Player of the Year for the second successive season, Manchester City's Lucy Bronze won the women's Player of the Year award for the second time having also won it in 2014, and Birmingham's Jess Carter topped the voting in the women's Young Player category. Former England captain David Beckham received the PFA's Merit award for his contribution to the game.

It was a beautiful afternoon for all Chelsea fans at Wembley as Chelsea squared up against England's most in-form team, Tottenham, who have been able to cut down Chelsea's lead in the English Premier League to four points. The prize is a place in the final of the 2017 FA Cup. Twice Willian put Chelsea in front — from a free kick in the fifth minute and from a penalty two minutes before halftime — but Tottenham came back each time through Harry Kane's flicked header and Dele Alli's strike. Despite Tottenham posing the greater threat after Alli latched onto Christian Eriksen's exquisite long pass in the 52nd minute, the north London club had nothing to show for its dominance. And a double substitution by Antonio Conte after an hour swung the semifinal back in Chelsea's favor with Hazard arriving on the pitch with top-scorer Diego Costa. A third Chelsea substitute, Cesc Fabregas, set up Hazard's goal within a minute of being brought on. The midfielder...

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hinted that Nathan Ake is ready to start for Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final clash later today. According to the Italian manager, Ake is more than capable of replacing stand-in captain, Cahill who is currently struggling with sickness. He told chelseafc.com: ‘He deserves to have this chance to play because he has always shown me in all this period great commitment,’ Conte said. ‘He works very hard. His behaviours are great, fantastic. He never said nothing. Don’t forget he was playing every game with Bournemouth and he wanted to come and stay with us and try to work together and help us fight for the title. ‘He is a good player, he is ready to have this opportunity, this chance. He deserves this opportunity and I trust him. I have no problem taking this decision. In this system Ake has the right characteristics to be the substitute to Gary.’

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has admitted that the FA Cup semi-final tomorrow against Chelsea's closest league challenger Tottenham Hotspur will be a completely different game with a place in the final at stake. Fabregas told chelseafc.com: ‘We need to be positive, we need to stand up and focus on a very important game in a competition we have worked hard on during the season,’ the 29-year-old said.  ‘Now we are so close we want to keep it up and be in the final. ‘I don’t believe the fact Spurs are our title challenges makes a difference. In football every competition is different. You need to focus on different things. You are playing to be in a final, not for three points or one point. ‘There is not really a connection in my mind, and I think my teammates’ mind, between the FA Cup and the league. It’s a big game, a great stage, and hopefully we can go through. ‘I’m sure they believe they can beat us. We believe we can beat them. It’s on the day. Psychologically...

Chelsea defender David Luiz has described tomorrow's FA Cup opponent, Tottenham Hotspur as monsters and prophesied his love the team. David Luiz said: "For me they are an amazing team with an amazing coach in Maurico Pochettino. They are the best physical team in the League. All 11 players are monsters. I love that team. "It will be a difficult game for us. We need to be ready to play against one of the best sides in this league. But it was always going to be hard when you reach a semi-final.," Luiz told the Evening Standard. "Will we have to be monsters too? Yes. Chelsea also have some monsters and play like a monster like N’Golo Kante. We have different kind of monsters. "It will be a fantastic game, both clubs are in amazing shape. It will be a top-quality match to watch and you have to play top quality to win."

Chelsea FC have announced that long serving player, legend and captain, John Terry will leave the football club at the end of the season. Terry has been out of Chelsea's starting XI since the 4th round of the league. The Club also stated that John Terry and also departing assistant coach, Steve Holland will be honored at the club's end of the season awards. The statement reads as culled from chelseafc.com.... John Terry and Chelsea Football Club today jointly announce our captain will leave the club at the end of the season. Everybody at Stamford Bridge would like to express our enormous gratitude to John and wish him the very best of luck for the future. John has given us more than two decades of dedicated and exceptional service. In that time he has displayed the utmost pride at wearing the Chelsea shirt, something he has done on 713 occasions since his debut in 1998, scoring 66 goals. He is the club’s third highest all-time appearance-maker and has captained Chel...

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has confirmed that he has personal ambitions of playing for other clubs despite being very happy with life at Chelsea. Speaking in an interview with Téléfoot, Chelsea winger Eden Hazard discussed his future at the club. “When my name is not being talked about in relation to PSG, then it is in relation to Real, the next day maybe it is Bayern… Strangely last year my name was not being talked about in relation to anybody. I may also have personal ambitions to play at other clubs. But I am trying to focus on the present, to finish well with Chelsea this year. I have a contract until 2020. For the moment, I am here and I am good here.”

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is not happy at all with people comparing him with Chelsea's war horse N'Golo Kante. Paul Pogba pointed out how his game is quite different from Kante's. Pogba told Sky Sports: 'I've heard Kante is a top, top midfielder, which I agree with. He is a top-class midfielder for what he does. But he doesn't score many goals, does he? They don't speak about this. 'They speak about what he does on the pitch. He gets the ball, he passes the ball and he makes the game. Me, I try to do this. 'I score more goals than Kante but they still say Kante does this and does that. If you want to speak about scoring goals, you should judge every midfielder the same way. 'They only speak about the transfer and about the money. I wanted to say, in real life for a normal person, nobody can be worth £100m.'

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has reiterated his desire to stay at Chelsea for a long time and continue the rebuilding process which he started at the club this season. Conte, who has been under immense pressure from the Chinese owners of Inter Milan and AC Milan in his home land Italy to return home is planning to continue his excellent work at Chelsea. "I hope to stay for a long time here," Conte told Sky Sports. "Coaching is not an easy job and a lot depends on the results. "I like to think results are important, but they are not everything. I think for every coach our work is important every day and then to be judged. "During the game I think I show my passion and my will to not lose. I don't want to lose. I love football and I think people understand my passion. It's great to know that Chelsea fans are happy with me." Chelsea didn't start particularly well under Antonio Conte, losing back to back against Liverpool and ...

Arsenal Legend Thierry Henry has revealed reasons behind N'Golo Kante's move to Chelsea last summer. Kante who won the league with Leicester City was a wanted man with almost all the top clubs including Chelsea and Arsenal after his services but he eventually signed for Chelsea for a fee believed to be around £32m. Henry insisted that the competitive nature of Chelsea despite not playing Champions League football attracted Kante against Arsenal who qualified for UEFA Champions League. In his column for The Sun, Henry said: “Why would the leading players who can have a real impact in the Premier League and improve that Arsenal team come to the Emirates? “And I don’t base this on the fact that Arsenal look like they won’t qualify for the Champions League next season. “Not being in the Champions League didn’t stop N’Golo Kante joining Chelsea from Leicester last summer. “It didn’t stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining Manchester United. Kante was the hottest thing on the ma...

Former Chile turned Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has claimed that he left the club to become Chelsea manager after a fallout with the Chilean FA but Chelsea owner finally settled for Antonio Conte. He said: “It was like a tsunami of events, a really turbulent period. The Chilean Federation wanted to keep me no matter what. “But I explained I could not stay as there was a chance of becoming Chelsea manager “I had other options but when Mr [Roman] Abramovich came to talk I was high on his list and then came the decision to go with [Antonio] Conte.” Sampaoli has always insisted that Language barrier was the only reason why he lost the job to Conte. Fortunately won't bother Chelsea fans as their club is about to win their second English Premier League title in 3 years.

Former Chelsea coach and now Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has highlighted what he feels are the reasons why Chelsea are top of the English Premier League after 31 rounds of matches. Mourinho was talking to the media during his press conference this afternoon. He said ahead of Manchester United's clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford “First of all, some guys (Chelsea) are fresh, some guys (United) are tired. That’s very important in football. “But, for some reason, they are top of the league. It’s not just because they are fresh. It’s also because they have individual quality and they have collective quality. “They have a certain style of play, they stick to it, they do it very well. Not every team defends with 11 players, and they defend with 11 players. “Not every team is so objective in their counter attacks. They are very objective in the counter-attack and they have individual players out of the context of the game that can also resolve the problems. So the...

Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante have been named among the six nominees for the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award. The Chelsea duo are joined by Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Everton's Romelu Lukaku and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez on the full shortlist. Kante, who was shortlisted last year for his part in Leicester's remarkable season but did not make the top three, is the bookmakers' favourite. The 44th PFA awards will be held in the Grosvenor House in London on Sunday, April 23.

Chelsea Legend Didier Drogba has admitted that Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea will benefit all parties. Drogba argue that since Lukaku has been a Chelsea fan since child hood he doesn't see any reason why the striker won't like to move to Chelsea after being sold by the club for £28m. Drogba told Sky Sports: "If he comes to Chelsea it will be great for the club. "He knows the club already and I think he wants to prove he can be successful here, he didn't get the chance to do it. "Chelsea is his club since he was young, so why not? "He wants to be the best. He's really working hard to become the best."

It's no longer news that Chelsea considered Seville manager, Jorge Sampaoli to replace Jose Mourinho last summer but finally settled for Antonio Conte and Sampaoli went To Sevilla instead. According to the Argentine, it was his lack of command of English language that made it impossible for him to be chosen as the next Chelsea boss but he has only kind words and respect for Chelsea and the owner Roman Abramovich. He said: "It filled me with joy that Chelsea thought I could be the man to lead them this season — which actually has turned out to be so successful. It was a huge compliment and I felt proud that someone as important as Mr Abramovich wanted to know my idea about football and what I felt and thought about his own team. “There were different reasons why it did not happen but just the fact he listened to me for so many hours meant a lot to me. “In the end they opted for another successful coach. “But I was grateful for their good intentions and the...

Chelsea Legend and all time highest goal scorer, Frank Lampard has revealed that he was wanted by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan during his days at Chelsea but refused them all without any regrets. He told Sky Sports Goals on Sunday Show: "There were times earlier in my career when they did, but I do not look back and regret not going, but it was certainly of interest," Lampard told the show. "Back in the day, the big Spanish clubs were involved - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan under Jose [Mourinho]. It was never: 'I'm ready to sign now,' but there were rumours and some talks behind the scene. "But I am very happy I did not take them up on any of them as when I look back on my career, particularly the Chelsea part of it, I would have missed so much. "I am very happy to have come away with that in my pocket and say that I have a real allegiance and feeling for one club in particular and did a lot there. "You can't b...

Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard believes that no English Premier League side play three man central defenders like Chelsea do. Antonio Conte changed Chelsea's formation from 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-3 after the first half destruction by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season and since then Chelsea have gone from strength to strength, leading the League comfortably with 7 seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur who have also adopted the same formation. Lampard thinks no team play it better than Chelsea: “It’s an incredible turnaround,” the Chelsea legend said of Conte’s impact. “To come in from where they were last year - they had a very difficult season. “We all know the game against Arsenal when they got beaten pretty well, and then he moved to three at the back. “The boss will be really pleased with the way they’re playing, how they know their jobs. Every player on that pitch has a system. “And people are now emulating that system throughout the Premier Lea...

Chelsea beat Bournemouth three goals to one(3-1) to maintain their 7 points lead over Tottenham in the English Premier League. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte said he's satisfied with the performance and outcome of the match especially knowing that Tottenham won their early kickoff game. He said: "I am satisfied because it wasn't easy to play this game after the win for Tottenham. But our answer was very good. We started the game with great concentration, it was a pity to concede the goal. "But I think we managed the game well in the second half, got the result a really good team in Bournemouth, good organisation and coach and we must be pleased." "It is normal when you play after your opponent that is very close, it can bring a bit of the pressure, but it is normal. I am very happy to face this type of situation to play with only four points with our opponent. I like the pressure, I like this situation because if I don’t see pressure I put it on because ...

Arsenal Legend Paul Merson has hailed the influence of Chelsea coach Antonio Conte in the English Premier League this season and submitted that 'you can't find a better coach elsewhere' Writing in his Dailystar column, Merson stated that Antonio Conte is everything Pep Guardiola should aspire to be: "Chelsea look nailed on to win the title and it’s all because of Conte. I don’t see a better manager out there right now. When he first came in he played a certain way and, when it stopped working, he changed it quickly and decisively. He’s taught his Chelsea players a new system with three at the back, and believe me that is the hardest system to learn. Look what’s happened since. Almost every team that’s played them has had to change their system to adjust to it. Even Manchester City. But where Conte has found a winning formula and stuck to it, Guardiola has found a losing one and stuck to that instead. He insists on playing a certain way and he just won’t c...

Brazil and Barcelona legend, Ronaldinho has revealed he was once close to joining Chelsea during the early years of his career but the former world footballer of the year told fourfourtwo.com that he still doesn't regret not moving to the English Premier League. He said: “I don’t regret not having played in England, but it could have been special because it’s a fantastic league,” Ronaldinho told Four Four Two. “Chelsea tried to take me there once, and some other teams were interested in signing me, too. "The league there is so fast and so intense all of the time – it’s great to watch and not boring at all. "I don’t tend to watch all 90 minutes of Premier League games, but I will see more of the highlights and the goals in the Premier League than I see of other leagues around the world."

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has hailed the influence of both Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante this season for Chelsea. Chelsea currently lead the Premier League by 7 points ahead of Tottenham heading into the match against Bournemouth later this evening. Diego Costa has picked up Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante are huge influence. Speaking to chelseafc.com, the striker said: ‘Playing with him is something beautiful,’ he said of the Belgian. ‘You are playing on the field and enjoying at the same time what he does during the minutes he is on the field, because he is a top player. At every moment I know more or less when he is going to pass the ball on to me and I also sort of know when he's going to ask me for the ball to complete the move. ‘He is a boy who impresses me every day. He has huge potential and he is a very humble, easy-going guy. A beautiful person. We get on really well while playing and I hope we stay together like this for a very long time. ‘He’s proved how ...

Chelsea will take on Bournemouth this evening as they continue to match toward their second English Premier League Title in 3 years. Chelsea leading goal scorer knows the importance of winning matches but acknowledges that losing odd matches are normal. He told chelseafc.com: ‘We are showing match after match that no matter what team we play against we are doing all we can to win,’ he said. ‘We are a compact, strong team. We give the best of us at every match. We might lose a match here and there, it is normal. But for others to win against us they really need to play an amazing match. I think we are in a very good moment and we need to go on like this for the remaining matches. ‘We know Bournemouth is a team that will be playing at home. The have some very strong and very fast players and they are capable of winning any match. So we have to play a compact match, because they are doing well and it is not going to be easy. We have to impose our best football.’ Dieg...

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed the availability of Victor Moses for tomorrow's game against Bournemouth after training with the team yesterday and today. Moses missed Chelsea's last two matches against Crystal Palace and Manchester City but said he should be ready but went on to praise his players for their performance in the absence of the Nigerian wing-back. He said: “Moses has showed to be an important player, against the two teams we showed that we can play without him. “It is important, we are a team not 11 single players. If you think to win the game with just one player you are in trouble, if you have an idea of football and work as a team you must be ready to find the right solution.” “I am pleased because it means every single player has our idea of football, it must be so. “I train 20 players in the same way, not 12 or 13, because I know during the season anything can happen and you must have players ready to play this football. “I think Zouma...

Arsenal Legend Martin Keown is soliciting for N'Golo Kante to be named Player of The Year in the English Premier League. Keown noted that though many will vote for Eden Hazard but he believes that Kante is the right man fot the accolade, highlighting his influence in Central midfielder as the major reason Chelsea are moving closer to their second league title in 3 years. He said: “If you’re looking at sheer brilliance, and a player who is touching the quality of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, then it’s Hazard, because he is magic. “But if you want to reward someone who has been the best player for the last two seasons, it is N’Golo Kante. “He’d be my choice. He’s putting out fires. Kante has revolutionised what we expect from midfield players. Football is a numbers game, and with his mobility, he changes the numbers all over the pitch. Keown praised Kante describing him as a player capable of covering two midfielders in a team: “Kante means you...

Real Madrid striker, Alvaro Morata has refused to be distracted by rumours of a move to Chelsea. The striker who played under Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte at Juventus has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea who were rumoured to have made a bid for him last summer and still retain interest in him. Some media reports have gone as far as claiming that Morata has been contacted by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte but the striker was quick to calm those ugly rumours. He said: "If Conte is continuing to call me then it will be my old mobile phone because nothing has come to me," "I feel good at Real Madrid and that is the important thing. I'm getting goals, I feel important and I have to keep it that way. "I cannot think about next season when we have the most important and hardest part of this season in front of us now. "The most important thing is that we have won against Leganes. Now we have a difficult schedule and have to win everything possible....

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has hailed Chelsea’s  2-1 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge as a very important step towards winning the league title. Hazard opened the scoring for the Blues before Sergio Aguero equalized, thereafter Pedro was brought down in the box by Fabian Delph leaving Hazard to score his second from the spot, off a rebound after City’s goalkeeper, Caballero had saved his initial effort. The second half saw no more goals but Antonio Conte knows the importance of holding on, to secure the victory after Saturday's disappointing loss to Crystal Palace: "It’s a big win for us, it wasn’t easy but when you play against City it is normal to suffer in some part of the game. I think we started as a team in the right way. At the start it was very open, with chances one side and the other side, usually I don’t like this because I want more balance. "In the second half I think we defended very well with a good balance. It w...

One of the most reliable English Premier League pundits in Italy, Massimo Marianella who works for Sky Sports has claimed that Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea is all but a done deal and also added that Sanchez and other tops players will surely arrive at Stamford Bridge next season. Massimo Marianella told Sky Italia: "I think many big players will join Chelsea in the summer as Conte wants the Blues to become credible contenders for the Champions League win. I can say Lukaku’s Chelsea move is almost done deal and reports in England claim Alexis Sanchez will also play for Chelsea next season. Many other players could also arrive [at Chelsea].” ​Talking about Conte’s future, Marianella added: “I don’t know why people keep saying Conte is considering leaving Chelsea. I don’t see why Conte should be on his way out of the club. I don’t understand these kind of rumours. Conte lives in a great city, he works for an amazing club and the fans love him"

As Chelsea prepare to take on Manchester City in a crunch Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has showered praises on his Chelsea counterpart, Antonio Conte, describing him as 'superb and maybe the best' It's such high praise from a man who is seen by many in world football as the best of his generation. Guardiola said: "My opinion about my colleague Conte is that he's superb, maybe he's the best. How he was able to make Italy play beautiful football, Juventus too, in a culture where it's so defensive. "He's an excellent manager. I learn a lot when I see his teams - Juventus, Italy and now. Their teams control a lot of aspects. It's a good lesson for me to see his teams and learn."

ON VICTOR MOSES "I don't know if he will be available We have another day to check the situation in the right way. A couple of situations we have to check and then to make the best decision for the stating XI ON TITLE RACE & PREPARATION FOR THE MATCH "At this part of the season it is very important not only for us but for many teams. For the teams that are fighting for the title, relegation zone, it is an important part of the season. We have to continue in the same way, to work very hard and keep concentration. At this point I am pleased for my players I am always seeing a great committment. "You can lose the game, but I think we didn't deserve to lose against Crystal Palace. Football is wonderful for this type of result. Tomorrow we have another game." "I think the training is always the same. If you win, lose or draw it doesn't change our idea, philosophy. We watched the game, we tried to improve on the next game, we did the same...

Arsenal Legend and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson is convinced that Arsenal won't have any problems collecting £50m from Chelsea for the services of Chilean star Alexis Sanchez this summer. The outspoken pundit believes if Arsenal managed to do it before, they will succeed doing it again "I think Sanchez will leave this summer," Merson told Sporting Life. "I don't think Arsenal will finish in the top four and if they don't finish in the top four then I don't see him staying.   "I know the way Arsenal work so there is no way they will let Sanchez leave for nothing if they can get £50m for him in the summer.  They will have no qualms in selling him to Chelsea. Arsenal will have no choice - if Chelsea are the team that are prepared to pay £50m then Arsenal won't let him see his contract out.     "People say, 'Oh well, they won't sell to Chelsea', but they sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United so they won't be fusse...

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has urged his fellow teammates to forget about Saturday's loss to West Ham and focus on beating Manchester City tomorrow. Costa pointed out how important the match against City will be. If Chelsea lose to City it will be the second time they will lose two matches in a row after defeats by Liverpool and Arsenal earlier in the season. Diego Costa does not want a repeat and said: “Now is not the time to let ourselves down,” said Costa. “We should keep our heads up and think ahead for the next game since it will be very important. A match against a big team will always be an important game. After a loss at home and with a rival closing the gap this importance only grows. “We know this game against Manchester City will be a six-point affair since if we win the game they will (practically) be out of the title race while we keep the advantage. “It also depends on the match between Tottenham and Swansea. In any case, we will do our best....

According to British tabloid The Daily Mail, Manchester United manager admitted that their struggles started straight away when they failed to sign N'Golo Kante from Leicester City last summer as the midfield general moved to Chelsea instead. According to the report, Mourinho wanted to use Kante like he used Claude Makelele during his first spell at Chelsea in other to push Herrera and Pogba more forward. The report states: "Jose Mourinho has told Manchester United to prioritise the signing of a specialist holding midfielder player after blaming their lack of a Premier League title challenge on failing to land N'Golo Kante last summer. Mourinho wanted Kante as the perfect defensive foil for Paul Pogba immediately after agreeing to take over at Old Trafford but had to concede defeat early on in the pursuit when the Leicester City’s French international made it clear he wanted to join Chelsea. The calculating United manager started to build for next season by allow...

Two-time interim coach of Chelsea, Guus Hiddink has opened up on what he felt hampered the performance of Eden Hazard last season. Hazard was one of the culprits pick out by Chelsea fans along with Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa as the player who forced Jose Mourinho out of the door at Chelsea last term. According to the man who replaced Jose Mourinho on interim capacity, Guus Hiddink, Eden Hazard had many problems which includes injuries and it made it difficult for the Belgian to play at his best. He said: "Costa, Hazard, Fabregas were being booed. I didn’t know what their role was with Mourinho. And I didn’t ask. I said to the players, ‘Don’t come with stories about the past.’ Because then it becomes, ‘Did he mistreat you?’ All that." "(Hazard) came back in my last three or four games, the old Hazard. Maybe he was affected by people saying he was to blame for the Mourinho situation. Also, he had injuries. But I think he can go to the level of the big two...

Chelsea suffered their 4th defeat of the season after losing 1-2 to Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. It was a difficult afternoon for Chelsea after the international break. Fabregas opening goal was canceled out by Wilfred Zaha before Christian Benteke put the visitors ahead few minutes later. Antonio Conte alternative his usual shape, played 3-5-2 with Fabregas in place of Willian as Pedro filled-in for injured Victor Moses at right wing back. Despite the disappointment of not getting anything out of the game, Conte refused to make excuses or blame anyone for the loss but thought Chelsea deserved at least a draw. Conte said: "I think today we deserved at least to draw, I don't want to say to win but to draw. We created many chances to score, we dominated the game against a team very strong with really good players. It is a pity, but I think today it wasn't our day." According to Antonio Conte, Pedro who deputized for Victor Moses did a good job. "Vict...