Chelsea: Inter set their sights on Oscar & Willian

Now everything at Chelsea revolves around Antonio Conte. The Italian tactician has won over all the doubters as his team stake their claim for the Premier League title. His success in West London could also be good news for Inter and their quest to return to be one of European football’s top clubs.

As Conte moulds his Chelsea team in his style, there looks to be no room anymore for midfield duo Oscar and Willian. Both players are represented by Iranian agent Kia Joorabchian, a man close to the nerazzurri and more importantly, a man close to new owners The Suning Group. Players such as Ramires have passed from the Premier League side to Jiangsu (the Chinese Super-League club owned by Suning), courtesy of the work done by Joorabchian.

Now it’s the turn of 25-year-old Oscar to fall under the spotlight as he looks to resurrect his career. The Brazilian is tired of sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge and Serie A could be his next port of call. Inter are known admirers and if they can overcome the fact that he would be classed as a non EU player (of which only two places are allowed in the squads of Serie A) then a January move could be possible.

His teammate and fellow countryman Willian is also unhappy at his lack of game time under Conte. The 28-year-old has not been in the starting XI since October 1 against Hull City and although he has suffered personal problems due to the disappearance of his mother, Conte has inserted Pedro into his place and the Spaniard has returned to the form that everyone knows he is capable of.

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Terry fit to face United, Oscar & Willian doubts

Antonio Conte has confirmed that John Terry is fit for Chelsea’s clash with Manchester United, while Willian and Oscar are doubts for Sunday’s match.

United against Chelsea is always a huge match on the Premier League fixture list but, with only two points and two places separating the sides, it could be crucial if either side is to kick on and mount a serious title challenge.

Conte is pleased he can call upon club captain Terry against Jose Mourinho’s side despite reports suggesting he might miss the fixture.

“John is in good shape. He trained with the team. He solved his problem with his ankle. He’s available for the game,” Conte told reporters at Friday’s press conference. 

However, it wasn’t all good news for the Blues manager as he remains unsure whether Willian or Oscar will take any part in the match.

“Willian came back on Thursday morning. He trained with us but in this situation it’s important to consider all aspects,” Conte continued.

“We are all very sorry, also for Oscar, whose grandfather died. You have to make the right decision. We have tomorrow to see.”

Ahead of Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge (the first time with another Premier League side) Conte is urging the Chelsea faithful to get behind their team.

“On Sunday, our fans must have an important role, and can give us a huge advantage,” the Italian added.

“It will be a very tough game between two good teams. They will fight for the title until the end.”

More games: friv

The Inevitable Return of Chelsea FC, English Football's Original Big Spenders

As far as redemption stories go, it's unlikely to bother any heartstrings. But the life-affirming tale of how world football's first petro-giant flirted with the mediocre before returning to their own nagging, attritional ultimacy is looking like one that, this Premier League season, just 180 minutes in, may well bear out.

Chelsea aren't an easy team to like. They never have been, really, not even when Gianfranco Zola was gambolling around the pitch for them like a confused exchange student who'd only wound up playing in West London because he'd been kidnapped by the teenage smoking gang that passed for the club's squad at the time. Zola's innocence and enthusiasm irrepressible, boundless, now that he's armed with the six English swear words taught to him by Andy Myers. Zola ruining his hairline for future generations with the help of Scott Minto's Tesco wet-look gel. Zola smiling and giving a thumbs up as he's led away in a police car while Dennis Wise's eyes glint in the darkness from a bush in the caretaker's front garden. Zola writing letters in broken English to Jody Morris in prison.

But "likeable" doesn't look like winning many trophies this season, a regression to the mean after last year's Leicester Mighty Ducks and all their dilly ding, dilly donging. So, in Saturday's 3PM kick-off at Vicarage Road, we had once again the sight of Diego Costa scoring decisive goals when he shouldn't have been on the pitch; fate favouring Gary Cahill's wild, lunging shins; Cesc Fabregas winding up defensive midfielders as easily as Adrian Durham does Arsenal fans. These, we are told by the soothsayers whose noise surrounds the Premier League constantly, are the things that champions do, and it has been easy to see in both of Chelsea's performances so far signs of that old chart-topping zeal gently stirring. Yet for all the familiarity, Antonio Conte's Chelsea side seem one teetering weirdly at the brink of transition.

Partly because of their new management, partly because of their budget, partly because of last summer's failure to add quality to the ranks, there are question marks for Chelsea all over the pitch. At the weekend, the first half was most remarkable for the joy found by Watford's midfield runners, Nordin Amrabat, Jose Holebas and Adlene "Rocket Factory" Guedioura, as they all made inroads against a Chelsea back four that still occasionally looks pissed. Not one member of the title-winning quartet seems guaranteed a future in their position under Conte: Branislav Ivanovic's marginal improvement on last season isn't, currently, enough; John Terry is old; Cahill is Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta could find himself shunted forward into a wing-back role on the off-chance that Conte decides to revert to the back three that served him well in his stints with Juventus and the Italian national side.

In midfield, Nemanja Matic operating behind the striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation feels immoral, while none of Oscar, Willian or Cesc Fabregas seem totally endorsed by their new manager just yet, the latter linked with a move away as modern tactics seem to evolve in directions that conspire against his starting presence in a champion XI. In fairness, Fabregas looked a cut above when he came on against Watford, the interception and assist for Costa's late winner the finest piece of individual play seen in the Premier League all weekend, and you'd think N'Golo Kante, a midfielder as relentless as human suffering, would be the perfect foil for the Spaniard's miniature legs and lungs. Yet Conte demands gabber football, and Fabregas is a deep house footballer. A season-long role as super-sub seems likely.

The whole situation seems summarised by the fact it's up front where Chelsea currently seem most settled, which is saying a lot when you consider the man who plays up front for them. Where will Conte go from here? At the time of writing, there's still just over a week till deadline day, and in this most constipated of transfer windows, it makes sense that things might finally start moving as Jim White inches towards his own shitty Christmas, practising his screams in the mirror, ironing his yellow tie repeatedly, rounding up the office sweepstake money as he ponders which of his colleagues might be attacked with a sex toy this year.

Serie A centre-halves Kalidou Koulibaly and Nikola Maksimovic continue to be linked with moves to Stamford Bridge, and the hope must be that one of them is paired with Kurt Zouma as hired muscle in a back three, John Terry the ageing mafia don sequestered in-between, spraying balls around with his underrated left peg like a sub-par Leonardo Bonucci – and there was no sarcasm in that statement, just an acknowledgement that this is Leonardo Bonucci: with his ability to play the kind of pass that seems to have been waiting to fall from the skies forever; Leonardo Bonucci: his right foot tearing open the wormhole that allows the ball to fall to earth like the jet engine in Donnie Darko; Emanuele Giaccherini: waking up on a hillside in his pyjamas at dawn with a song by Echo and the Bunnymen stuck in his head – while whispers of a bid for Mario Mandzukic refuse to go away.

It's in the transfer market where the irony resides here, in this story of the rise and fall and potential rise again of the first big league oil money club to lose its way. In their early splurges, Chelsea resembled a raiding gang of Viking berserkers, running rampant with £121 million that first summer as they tore 14 players from Premier League rivals and established European giants like Real Madrid and Inter Milan, a Juan Sebastian Veron dragged away screaming here, an Alexei Smertin stolen from his children there, Claudio Ranieri still somehow finding space in his long boat for Glen Johnson and three back-up goalkeepers. The season before those 14 players arrived, Chelsea had finished 4th; last year, they finished 10th and are now faced with a significantly more competitive division. Arguably, their need for new blood is greater, yet a transfer romp to match the one seen upon Roman Abramovich's arrival seems unlikely, because everyone is rich now and the market is so saturated that no one can move in it.

So it seems likely that Conte will have to make do with the players at his disposal – the players that we know so well, that we have seen both Jekyll and Hyde sides of, who must now make hay while the media glare rests on events up in Manchester. In the latest weird twist of history's weirdest ever league, it is big-spending, high-rolling, throat-cutting Chelsea who are cast uncharacteristically, and perhaps unwittingly, as a rare lighthouse of steadiness in a division defined by sea change.

Willian's new Chelsea deal reinforces midfielder's importance to Blues

Freshly arrived Chelsea manager Antonio Conte may have barely got his feet under his new desk at Cobham, but some encouraging signs for the latest regime have already emerged.

The £33 million capture of Michy Batshuayi from Marseilles saw the Londoners steal a march on London rivals Tottenham and West Ham, as well as a host of clubs across Europe who were keen to sign the 22-year-old Belgian. Where last season saw the Blues sign glamorous yet ultimately useless strikers in the shape of Radamel Falcao and Alexandre Pato, this time a hungry young hitman with his best years ahead of him has been added the squad.

In addition to that, Diego Costa has arrived back for training after a summer without international obligations and is reported be looking lean and ready for battle. It represents a stark contrast to his rather less svelte return to pre-season 12 months ago, after which he admitted that he had been less than professional with regards to looking after himself while on holiday.

The latest indication that the future might be brightening up for Chelsea was Tuesday's news of Willian signing a fresh four-year contract at Stamford Bridge. After a gloomy season for Chelsea in which Willian was the sole ray of light, it might have been tempting for the former Anzhi Makhachkala player to seek a move away to a more settled club. Instead, Willian has committed himself to the cause, with Conte no doubt sanctioning the retention of Chelsea's reigning player of the year.

The new deal will definitively eradicate the rumours that had been circulating around a possible £60m transfer to Manchester United. Whether there was any truth in those reports is hard to tell, as both Nemanja Matic and now Cesc Fabregas have also been linked to Old Trafford.

The catalyst is, of course, the installation of Jose Mourinho as Louis van Gaal's replacement at United, so all these muted approaches might just be a case of some media outlets supplying more theory than fact. Nevertheless, there can be little doubt that a 27-year-old player at the height of his career and coming off the back of an exemplary season will have piqued the interest of high profile clubs around Europe. Retaining Willian's services will have been paramount and it is to the club's credit that they have managed to do so.

Willian was one of the few bright spots during Chelsea's dismal 2015-16 season.

It is easy to see why Conte will have approved of keeping Willian at his disposal. The Brazilian is hard working and diligent in every area of his game, whether surging forward with the ball at his feet or hounding his opposite number. The Italian seeks out players that have both the professional determination to get stuck in, as well as the ability on the ball to make a difference when it counts. Willian ticks both of those boxes.

Work rate and tactical discipline have been hallmarks of Conte's teams, and in both regards Willian fits the bill perfectly. He has no reservations about getting involved defensively and his team ethic is bolstered by the fact that he is more technically adept than most other attackers when it comes to tracking back and tackling. Should the new management team seek to introduce a high-pressing game, Willian is likely to be at the forefront of that policy, using his boundless energy to harass the man on the ball and gain possession in dangerous areas.

Both manager and player should also benefit from his ability to play in different positions. Largely deployed in a wide role during his three years at Chelsea, Willian spent much of his time at Shakhtar Donetsk as a central playmaker, a role in which he blossomed and caught the attention of the wider football world. Willian played there with some success at times as last season progressed, yet his all-round qualities are such that it would not be a total surprise if Conte chose to use him, on specific occasions, in a slightly more conventional midfield role, especially when setting the team up to counterattack. In the increasingly unlikely event that Chelsea employ a three-man defence, Willian could even be used as a wing back, though that could potentially neutralise his scything attacking forays.

The new contract suggests that Willian will once again be a central figure in the team wherever he is deployed. After the standards set by Willian in the last campaign, Conte will be exhorting the other members of his squad to employ the same amount of commitment and quality so that the Brazilian is not the only one left leading the charge. If the rest of the players can be dragged up to a similar level as Willian, Chelsea supporters can look forward to an exciting and successful season.

FC Daily: U.S. find crucial Copa America win, while Brazil seeking first

It's Wednesday, June 8, and here's a look at the big stories and what you need to know around the footballing world from FC Daily.

Matches of the day

Brazil return to action against Haiti on Copa America day six, after opening the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador. Dunga's team looked lively in the first half vs. Ecuador, but wound up being fortunate to come away with a point after a Miller Bolanos goal for Ecuador was disallowed for the ball going out of play even though replays suggested it should have counted. Brazil have a 78.3 percent chance of winning the match, according to the ESPN Soccer Power Index.

Peru opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti, and are currently sitting in first place in Group B ahead of a Wednesday meeting with Ecuador. The second match of the day doesn't bode well for the Peruvians' quest to stay in first place place. The SPI gives Ricardo Gareca's team only a 24.7 percent chance of winning.

Three key points

1. Despite playing a solid opening 45 minutes against Ecuador, we didn't see the Brazil that football fans around the world have grown accustomed to seeing. The exciting wing play that stood out when the Selecao were on the attack in the first half, went out the window in the second, wrote ESPN FC's Tim Vickery. Certainly they are missing Neymar, who is being rested in favour of playing in the Olympics in Rio in August. So perhaps the "ideas" man for Dunga & Co. will be Philippe Coutinho. The Liverpool forward was at the heart of the goog things that Brazil did, but couldn't seem to find his magic touch in the final third. The 23-year-old should find more room to roam against a vastly overmatched Haiti team.



2. The U.S. needed a statement game following an opening day loss to Colombia, and Jurgen Klinsmann's team provided it with a 4-0 win over Costa Rica. Clint Dempsey opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the ninth minute and the Americans never looked back. The team looked very lively throughout, especially on the counter, where the second goal came from courtesy of a Dempsey-Jermaine Jones connection with the latter scoring. Klinsmann's team are now in second place in Group A with a 69 percent chance to advance to the final eight after group play concludes.

The other game in Group A on Tuesday saw Colombia beat Paraguay 2-1. Carlos Bacca and James Rodriguez had Colombia two goals up before the half hour before Victor Ayala pulled a goal back. But any hopes Paraguay had of finding a way back into the game were hit when Oscar Romero was booked twice in two minutes, dismissed in the 81st. Colombia are top of the group and now guaranteed of a place in the semifinals. 

3. Hopefully the Copa America is whetting the appetite of football fans around the word for another little tournament that's about to begin over in France on Friday. On June 10, France host Romania at the Stade de France on the opening day. If you aren't fired up yet, some of ESPN FC's pretournament coverage should help. We have full squad lists here, a look at team posters for each country, our #EuroRank with the top 25 players at the tournament, and a Top Tenner on the greatest Euro teams of all time.

Player of the day

With a number of Brazil's stars like Neymar, Douglas Costa and Marcelo missing out on the Copa America, this one is a toss up between Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool and Chelsea's Willian. Since the honours went to the former ahead of the Ecuador match, Willian is our player to watch at the Copa America on Wednesday. The 27-year-old was a bright spot in a disappointing season for his Stamford Bridge team, scoring five goals and providing out six assists.

Chelsea star Willian mocks Tottenham fans by pointing at gold Premier League badge

Chelsea midfielder Willian showed his feisty side as Tottenham raced to a 2-0 lead inside the first-half at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening.

Willian could be seen looking in the direction of Spurs supporters while pointing at the gold Premier League badge on his shirt which indicates their current status as English champions.

The Blues, of course, won the league last season but an incredibly disappointing 2015/16 campaign will go down as one of the worst title defenses in history.

A victory for Chelsea over their London rivals would see Leicester crowned champions with two games remaining – but goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min gave Spurs an advantage before the break.



Chelsea’s Willian was in the thick out it versus Spurs (Picture: Getty Images)

Romelu Lukaku brace puts Everton in FA Cup semis with win over Chelsea

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku produced two moments of magic to knock his former club Chelsea out of the FA Cup.

The Belgium international beat the combined defensive might of Cesar Azpilicueta, Jon Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill to score a brilliant individual opening goal.

He then finished off the visitors with a clinical right-footed strike to give his side their first visit to Wembley since the 2012 semifinal, which they lost to near-neighbours Liverpool.

Lukaku was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho but since moving to Everton in a £28 million deal he has scored 63 goals in 118 appearances and has 25 this season alone -- the first player to achieve that feat for Everton since Gary Lineker in 1985-86.

Romelu Lukaku guided Everton to a win over his former club Chelsea in Saturday's quarterfinal.

Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, attending his first match since acquiring an £85m 49.9 percent stake in the club, has pledged to provide the cash to keep their star players and he would be well advised to make the big striker an offer he cannot refuse as soon as possible.

Almost single-handedly Lukaku inflicted Guus Hiddink's first domestic victory since taking over in mid-December and to compound matters for the Dutch caretaker boss, striker Diego Costa was sent off late on after a clash with Gareth Barry which may invite further scrutiny.

The Spain international pushed his face into Barry's neck, seemingly intent on biting him, but appeared to withdraw at the last moment.

The players then embraced but Costa was still shown a red card -- and Barry followed moments later for a second booking.

While there had been no indication in the preceding 77 minutes of the brilliance which Lukaku produced, the late flurry of yellow and red cards was entirely predictable.

Diego Costa clashes with Gareth Barry following his red card.

There were more fouls than shots in a scrappy, over-physical first half which surprisingly saw only two bookings.

It was absolutely no surprise Costa was one, cautioned for jumping into Barry in retribution for the midfielder's foul on him earlier which the Chelsea striker felt should have warranted a yellow card.

Pedro's heavy touch took the ball out of play after he skipped past Robles but it was not until the 44th minute there was a save of any note as Joel Robles tipped over Willian's free kick.

Costa came closest to breaking the deadlock just before the hour but having skipped past Ramiro Funes Mori and Robles, his shot from the acutest of angles rolled along the goal line and past the far post.

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied compatriot Lukaku after Cleverley's incisive through-ball but was powerless to deny him when he stepped up a gear 12 minutes from time.

When he picked up the ball wide on the left there appeared little danger but Lukaku set off with such drive and determination Chelsea's defenders just could not handle him. Having weaved his way past four players, he confidently stroked home.

His second, from the other side of the penalty area, was less spectacular but equally clinical.

Chelsea knew the game was up but Costa's decision to clash with Barry was patently ridiculous, considering what had gone before.

His red card was swiftly followed by another after Barry's foul on Cesc Fabregas, but it could not dampen Everton's celebrations as Chelsea's last hope of silverware went the same way as Costa.

Chelsea's season bites the dust: Lukaku hammers final nail in Blues' coffin

The Blues were beaten by their former striker at Goodison Park, with the Belgian scoring two excellent goals to all but end their campaign

So there it is, Chelsea’s season is dead and they have an old boy to blame. Romelu Lukaku, so desperate to prove a point against his former club, came back to haunt the Blues, sending two superb finishes past Thibaut Courtois to dump them out of the FA Cup and take Everton to Wembley.

There are few better poster boys for Chelsea’s failed transfer policy; Lukaku always had the talent, and now he has the club at which to shine.

While Diego Costa returned to his old habit of self-sabotage, Lukaku bided his time and scored two excellent goals. The first, a brilliant solo run that saw him power his way past two defenders and turn Gary Cahill inside out before slotting under Courtois, exemplified all that is good about his game. How Guus Hiddink must have wished he had the Belgian up front instead of the idiotically impulsive Costa.

While Lukaku scored two exquisite goals, Costa treated the Everton defenders to an array of kicks, jabs and petulant dives. Come the end of the game he had more grass stains on his shirt than shots on goal. He was sent off in the 83rd minute after a downright stupid clash with Gareth Barry, who himself was dismissed later on.

He cannot continue to play in such a manner, especially if he wishes to stick around after Hiddink’s departure, as his exploits are beginning to cost his team-mates. With their key man intent on self-destruction, the Blues had little option but to play around him, probing the channels instead of playing to the Spaniard.

Everton’s defence – which is yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup - stood firm once again, with Phil Jagielka and Ramiro Funes Mori forming a diligent, physical partnership. One must have the brains and the brawn to combat Costa.







In truth, the Blues failed to truly test Joel Robles in the Everton goal for much of the match. Cesc Fabregas and Willian appeared to delight in remaining on the fringes of the match, never truly making a decisive impact despite receiving the ball in promising areas. The Spaniard’s most telling contribution came when he was kicked by Jagielka as he attempted to clear the ball, leading to a delicious Willian free-kick that forced Joel into an excellent reflex save. It was the only difficult stop he had to make. 

Unlike at Manchester United there is little excuse for such stodgy play at Stamford Bridge; Hiddink has allowed his players to express themselves as they wish under his management, and has unshackled the admittedly fiery talent of Costa and revitalised the previously timid Pedro.

Yet at Goodison Park there was very little evidence of any progress from the eventual toxicity of Jose Mourinho’s reign, as Chelsea appeared unwilling to try to win the game for fear of losing it, unlike Everton, who sensed a chance late on and went for the jugular.

By contrast, Chelsea knew that victory in the famous old competition represented their last chance to salvage a modicum of pride from what has been an embarrassment of a season.

And so, as Lukaku’s strikes rippled Courtois’s net, a collective gasp will surely have rung out in the Stamford Bridge boardroom.

No Premier League champion has performed quite as pitifully as the west Londoners and, while Hiddink has steadied a sinking ship, they must improve rapidly if they are to have any chance of even qualifying for Europe under their next permanent manager, likely to be the current Italy head coach Antonio Conte.