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Desailly: Chelsea should appoint Di Matteo as permanent manager

Posted on March 30, 2012 by www.soccer - facebook.com

Various other candidates have been put to Abramovich by leading agents since the dismissal of Villas-Boas earlier this month, but his former No.2 is regarded in some quarters as a front-runner.

“Mr Abramovich will do whatever he wants but I would really love to see Di Matteo keep the post,” said Desailly in an interview with Goal.com. “We are already hearing other coaches to come. Big names. Small names. Young. Old. But maybe the secret is to keep Di Matteo. Direct him on the mission and the vision the club have and see what is going to happen.

“I really think that they should give him a chance and I hope he [Abramovich] will keep Di Matteo. As the manager, yes. You just have to cover yourself a bit in the future in case you want to get rid of him. You need to fit somebody else into the club on standby in case in a year or two years’ time you decide to sack Di Matteo.”

Chelsea face Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final next month, are one step away from the Champions League semi-finals and are still in the running to finish fourth in the league.

And Desailly believes the club are benefitting from an improved relationship between the senior players and the manager following the discord towards the end of Villas-Boas’ reign.

Speaking after Chelsea defeated Benfica 1-0 on Tuesday, the former World Cup and European Championships winner said: “You can see the commitment of [Didier] Drogba, [Frank] Lampard and John Terry. It is because of Di Matteo.

“It is because Di Matteo has a clear message to them. England is a country where you give a chance to people. Di Matteo is today in a moment where you should be able to give him the chance.

“What is happening on the field, apart from the game against Tottenham, which was not a very high level game, the Napoli and Benfica games have shown that there is a spirit and something special.”

The former France international believes that the team are suffering as a result of the club’s constant managerial turnover.

“I’ve been a player and after a while the one that comes, you know he will not last,” he explained. “You are not really focused. You do not open up to allow him to deliver his message.

“Di Matteo was already inside. If he gets the job, his message has already been spread. You have seen the commitment of the players. They have not given up. They have maybe not won or been brilliant on the pitch but at least we have seen something.”

Nevertheless, Desailly believes that Villas-Boas will go on to be a success elsewhere.

He added: “With a bit of time, maybe it would have worked. He can develop his skills at another place and I’m sure he will succeed. Specifically for Chelsea it did not work.

“But we are concerned about Chelsea and I really think that the chance should be given to Roberto Di Matteo.”

    

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Arsenal Transfer Rumors: 6 Potential Partners for Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie has been Arsenal’s shining light this season, scoring crucial goals and often lifting the side up by himself when those around him cannot perform.

But that is exactly the issue with the striker: He is often overused and lacks sufficient support to help him with the duty of being the Gunners’ best player.

A forward-thinking summer could change that. If Arsenal buy one or two of the strikers that the club has been linked to, both van Persie’s comfort level and the general quality of the attack will be markedly improved.

Here are six men they could target.

    

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Madrid, Chelsea grab wins

REAL Madrid gave APOEL Nicosia a reality check in the biggest match of the unheralded Cypriot club’s history when they met Tuesday in the Champions League.

Looking to cause one of the greatest shocks in the history of the competition, APOEL came up short against the millionaires from Madrid, losing 3-0 at home to the nine-time European champions in the first leg of the quarterfinals.

All of Madrid’s goals came in the final 16 minutes at a rocking GSP Stadium in Nicosia, with France striker Karim Benzema scoring twice to take his Champions League haul to 25 goals in 41 matches and Brazilian playmaker Kaka scoring the other after coming off the bench.

“Real has advanced to the next phase of the Champions League, that’s for sure,” APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic said.

Chelsea also took a giant step toward the semifinals, beating Portuguese side Benfica 1-0 away courtesy of Salomon Kalou’s 75th-minute goal.

“It’s terrific, you couldn’t have hoped for a better result,” interim Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said. “Nothing is over – there is still another 90 minutes to play. But we will have home advantage.”

After producing one of the most diverse quarterfinal lineups in recent memory, the Champions League could easily end up having four of its usual contenders in the semifinals.

After beating Lyon in the last 16, the first Cypriot team to reach the Champions League’s knockout stages was looking to add an even more famous scalp on its historic run. But in the end the margin of victory could easily have been wider.

Mourinho, bidding to become the first coach to win the competition with three clubs, was able to celebrate a third goal approaching injury time when Benzema connected with a perfect pass from Mesut Oezil.

Di Matteo has made an impressive start to his temporary spell in charge following the firing of Andre Villas-Boas but would have faced heavy criticism had a much-changed lineup, missing stalwarts Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien, lost against Benfica.

As it was, his selection gamble paid off, with Fernando Torres starting in place of Drogba up frontcrossing for Kalou to guide home a side-footed finish to mark a rare start for the Ivory Coast forward.

   

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The Kids are Alright

Other than the usual rumours and speculation it’s been a pretty slow few days news-wise with the exception of Arsene Wenger supposedly cleaning house in the offseason when several players are possibly going to be sent packing. These include the likes of Manuel Almunia, Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, Andrei Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci, Carlos Vela, Denilson, and perhaps Park Ju-Young. It’s estimated that with these players off the books the Gunners will save several million pounds a year.

However, some of that money’s going to have to go back in the team as Wenger needs to re-sign Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott, and is reportedly trying to get Alex Song to sign a new deal with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also in line for a pay raise. Also, Wenger hopes to sign a couple of big-name players in the next transfer window.

One of the more interesting articles floating around today, by Dan Coombs, listed a few of the young Gunners that could make a difference in the first team in the next few years. I’m sure Arsenal supporter Roger Daltrey wasn’t singing about them in Pete Townshend’s Who Classic ‘The Kids are Alright,’ but the title’s appropriate for this quartet of players.

Joel Campbell:This 19-year-old Costa Rican striker could very well be the best of the bunch at the moment. He’s currently on loan with Lorient of France’s Ligue 1. Campbell stood out last year while playing for Costa Rica’s Under-20 side and had quite a few teams interested in him. Arsenal managed to get him to sign on the dotted line though last summer. Campbell showed just how good he is when called up for his nation’s senior team and scored against Spain in a 2-2 draw towards the end of last year.

He then played in the testimonial match for former Wales’ manager Gary Speed earlier this year and managed to net the winning goal against Wales. The reason Campbell was loaned to Lorient in France was because he had some problems with his work permit in the UK. Getting that mess sorted out should be one of the Gunners’ priorities in the offseason as this kid should be located in England as soon as possible.

He’s still got quite a bit to learn, but has the potential to be a football star no matter who he’s playing for. He’s only scored twice in his first 18 matches with Lorient, most of them as a substitute, and if he can add a few more his confidence will build. It’s likely that he’ll be loaned out again next year to develop some more unless he has an exceptional training camp prior to next season.

Serge Gnabry:
This 16-year-old midfielder was born in Stuttgart, Germany and was signed by Arsenal prior to the current season after Manchester City also showed interest in him. He’s strong and fast and knows where the opponent’s net is. He’s comfortable playing behind a striker as well as on either wing and has played for Germany’s Under-16 and Under-17 national squads.

Gnabry’s father is from the Ivory Coast and his mother’s German. He grew up as a Barcelona supporter and played with local teams until his father finally let him join Stuttgart’s Under-13 setup, after hesitating at first as he didn’t want him to play with a pro academy. The youngster’s also an accomplished sprinter and competed at numerous track and field meets in his homeland. He claimed he never lost a race, but had to make up his mind if he wanted to play football or keep on running.

Gnabry was named the best player of the tournament in 2010’s Nike Cup. His Stuttgart team won the event and Arsenal offered him a week’s trial with their Under-16 side squad. He was so impressive the Gunners signed him and he moved to England last July when he turned 16 years old. He then went on to play for the Gunners’ Under-18 team and played in the reserves against Chelsea this March. He also lined up against West Brom for the reserves along with Johan Djourou, Marouane Chamakh, and Andre Santos and managed to score.

Chuks Aneke:
Aneke is an 18-year-old English midfielder who’s currently out on loan at Preston North End. He’s been with the Gunners youth system ever since he was seven years old. He’s starting to get noticed now as he matures as a player. He also spent some time earlier this season with Stevenage of the First Division. Aneke managed to thrill Preston supporters by scoring against Bury in his debut with the club, which was his first goal as a pro.

Arsene Wenger has likened him to Yaya Toure and at 6-foot-3 he may one day fill those boots. Aneke debuted for Arsenal’s first team earlier this season when he suited up for a Carling Cup match against Shrewsbury. He’s now learning his trade with Preston and could be loaned out again next season or stick around London and play a few more Carling Cup contests. His confidence should be sky high at the moment with one goal in one game with Preston and he’s now got the opportunity to show what he’s made of until the end of the season.

Benik Afobe:
The 19-year-old Afobe is an English striker and currently out on loan with Reading of the Championship League after spending last year with Huddersfield and scoring eight goals for them. He’s been impressing scouts since he was 16 and was named to England’s Under-21 team last August to replace Danny Welbeck. However, he’s missed most of this season due to a serious groin injury. Afobe possesses strength and speed and Arsenal will be keeping their eye on him as he attempts to get Reading back into the Premier League.

     

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Benfica v Chelsea: Frank Lampard is right. We miss the old Chelsea

Well, can they? The odds now are that Chelsea will progress to a Champions League semi-final against Milan or Barcelona. Not bad for a side outside the qualifying places at home and stuck in familiar flux. All at Stamford Bridge await Roman Abramovich’s next big whim. In the meantime, they are keeping busy in a competition they have come to understand intimately through many continental adventures. Success in the return leg would bring a sixth semi-final appearance in nine attempts.

This 1-0 win over one of the most evocative names in Europe was an organisational victory over a mediocre side who borrowed their shooting boots from Mr Magoo. No grand extrapolations can be made, except that Chelsea still possess the necessary resilience to pull off results like this. On his old turf, David Luiz was Chelsea’s outstanding player. He may not relish the uglier aspects of Premier League defending but on nights like this his elegance prevails.

The beauty of sport is that it offers rolling shots at redemption.

But that possibility was closed to Lampard when Roberto Di Matteo started with him on the bench, along with Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, fellow warhorses from Chelsea’s brightest era.

Lampard gave his diagnosis at the weekend on Chelsea TV. The most influential midfielder in Chelsea’s Premier League history was simply setting out the facts – yet the words must have arrived with a clunk for Abramovich, whose message to the elite coaches of Europe is: “Could anyone I’ve not yet hired and fired please take one step forward.” The omission of Lampard, Essien and Drogba probably owed more to fatigue and the need for speed against Benfica than oligarchichal revenge. Yet again, though, we were reminded that no Chelsea team-sheet can drop without accompanying intrigue. Selection is often more interesting than their play. Which is part of the problem.

Lampard’s observation was not about politics but quality. With Salomon Kalou’s 75th-minute counter-strike they maintained their reputation for defiance on Europe’s grandest stage. Nobody disputes, though, that Chelsea have regressed. They are way off the peaks of the Jose Mourinho years and the 2008 Champions League final appearance in Moscow. Streisand, again: “Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?”

The best XI of the Abramovich years would contain several from last night’s squad: Lampard, John Terry, Petr Cech, Drogba and arguably Paulo Ferreira at right-back, for his sterling work in Mourinho’s title-winning sides. But Ferreira, who is way past his prime, is still out there: the go-to right-sided defender for a huge match in which the consistently mediocre John Obi Mikel, and Raul Meireles were the two central midfielders.

It is in this vital area that Chelsea’s generally realistic fans would have most to grumble about. With Kalou pulling the play left, and Ramires hugging the right, a central pairing of Mikel and Meireles bears no comparison to the great Chelsea engine rooms of Lampard, Essien (in his pomp) and Claude Makelele.

A pre-match game of pick the best Abramovich-era XI brought votes for Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas, Arjen Robben, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Eidur Gudjohnsen: all no longer present. In other words – it generated nostalgia for better players than Chelsea now possess.

This was Lampard’s point. And the proof is in the Premier League table. The one signing Chelsea could parade before their major rivals as a top acquisition is Juan Mata, who runs the subtlety department all alone and worked in vast tracts of space here behind Fernando Torres.

Still, a virtue of extreme wealth is that it allows the richest owners to rip it up and start again. Less well-endowed teams are lumbered with their errors, as Liverpool are finding.

Waiting down Europe’s track, probably, are Milan or Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, who would not need the hallucinogenic refereeing of Tom Henning Ovrebo to beat this Chelsea side. The sense is of a club waiting for the next big thing to happen and trying to look busy while Abramovich decides what it should be.

In the imposing Stadium of Light, with its resident eagles and half-time ritual of paper-aeroplane launching, Torres was sharp and eager without locating the target and Ramires was consistently effective. At the back, Luiz excelled in the ground where his suave defending persuaded Chelsea to pay £23 million for him, and Terry, who is ignoring his injuries, slugged it out with the combative Oscar Cardozo.

This game looked every inch a sideshow to the main Champions League action. It remains hard to believe that the eventual winner was on show in this eagle’s lair. On 67 minutes, after Jardel had drawn a fine save from Cech, Lampard finally joined the drama, replacing Meireles, who is miscast in defensive-midfield positions.

Lampard’s presence reassured the wedge of Chelsea supporters whose hopes had seldom risen above a respectable scoreline here and a repeat of the Napoli heroics at Stamford Bridge.

With all this uncertainty, and silence from above, the world’s best club competition still offers a shot at salvation for the least impressive Chelsea side of the Abramovich era. The impetus will evidently have to come from Terry, Lampard, Drogba, Ashley Cole, Luiz, Essien and Ramires, who remain the club’s biggest assets, along with Mata, who could do with a few kindred spirits around him.

Torres can still join this core. It remains impossible to give up on him. His breakaway on the right and cross to Kalou broke the deadlock and punished Benfica for their inaccuracies. If anyone knows the words to The Way We Were, it must be Torres.

    

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