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Ramires has been recalled to the Brazil squad by national team coach Mano Menezes.

The 25-year-old midfielder joins new signing Oscar and David Luiz in the squad that faces Sweden on August 15.

Ramires enjoyed a fine end to last season, scoring the opening goal in the FA Cup Final just weeks after his incredible chip had kick-started our comeback against Barcelona in the Champions Leage semi-final.

The former Benfica and Cruzeiro man has not played for Brazil since the 2011 Copa America a year ago.

Chelsea midfielder Obi Mikel: Torres ready for big season ahead:

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is convinced of a big season ahead for teammate Fernando Torres.

Obi Mikel has hailed the preseason form of the Spanish striker.

"You can see Fernando Torres fitting into the way we want to play and hopefully he can do the job," said Mikel, who did not believe there would be a major change of approach.

"This is what we demand from him. This season, I hope he scores more goals for us."

In the Community Shield, Torres began this season as he ended the last, with a goal, and Mikel added: "We hope he's regained his confidence and that, during the season, he will come back and become the Torres we all know.

"There's no doubt about it, he's put in effort every day in training and you can see that in his game. Hopefully, it's just a matter of things working out for him.

"When he has the chances and puts them away, I think everyone in the team will love him."

QPR non-committal on reported capture of ex-Chelsea defender Bosingwa:

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes has played down reports that the club have signed Jose Bosingwa.

The Portuguese defender was released by Chelsea at the end of last season with suggestions that he had signed a deal with the R’s but Fernandes has denied those claims although he has admitted that the player is a target for the Loftus Road club.

"None at the moment. I just focus on what we have at the moment,” Fernandes told Sky Sports News when asked for a Bosingwa update.

"We are still looking. We are still hoping to strengthen one or two areas.

"He is one of many we have talked about. I'm not exactly sure where we are on that, so let's see."

Chelsea capable of winning title – Mata:

Chelsea can back up their European title with this season’s Premier League trophy says Juan Mata.

The Spanish midfielder is well aware that it will be a difficult season for the Blues following their Champions League/FA Cup double last term but feels that Fernando Torres and new signing Eden Hazard are ready to fire in the absence of the departed Didier Drogba.

"Our main challenge this season is to win the Premier League," he told Sky Sports.

"It won't be easy because the big clubs have reinforced their squads, and I expect a hard campaign.

"Chelsea have worked well in the transfer market and now it is important for the new men to settle quickly.

"We will miss Drogba because he is a legend of the club but now is the moment for Torres and I have total faith in him.

"I also know the work of Hazard and really this man could be one of the positive surprises of the season."

Forest chiefs welcome deal for Chelsea defender Hutchison:

Nottingham Forest are delighted with their loan deal for Chelsea defender Sam Hutchison.

Hutchinson, who can play at either right-back or in the centre of defence, becomes the eighth player to be signed by manager Sean O'Driscoll ahead of the start of the 2012/13 npower Championship campaign.

Reds chairman Omar Al Hasawi told the club's official website: "Sam is held in the highest regard by Chelsea and we're grateful to them for allowing him to join us on loan.

"He is an exciting young player who has already shown a lot of grit and determination in his career, characteristics that we are sure will endear him to our supporters."

UNDER 21S READY FOR THE OFF
Posted on: Thu 16 Aug 2012

As we prepare for our first Under 21 fixture of the season against Manchester City, Nathaniel Chalobah is relishing the opportunity for some competitive action.

The 17-year-old figured in the first team's pre-season tour of America last month and had outings in Seattle and New York but is now focused on the new league format that he hopes will provide more excitement for supporters and players alike.

'It's good for the club but it's good for us too because playing at Brentford gives us a different experience, a change from Cobham and hopefully there will be more support there in the new environment,' said the versatile Chalobah.

'That's something we are all looking forward to, at Cobham games are generally behind closed doors, so to be in front of a crowd at Brentford will be a good experience. I've played for the first team in front of huge crowds in America this summer and it gives you a boost. For the team it will be a real positive if there are people there cheering us on.'

The new Under 21 format is just half of the new Academy plan, with the NextGen competition designed to test Chelsea's youngsters against the continent's best. It also provides further developmental opportunities for players remaining at the club rather than going out on loan into the Football League.

'It's good for us to have more games at this level, a lot of players are looking to break through so there will be competition among us and more chances to show what we can do, and something to look forward too aside from the Youth Cup,' reasons Chalobah.

'This is a good club and we have some of the best coaches and facilities. We're not in the first team yet but it makes sense to be here developing our games. Some people might go out on loan and get some first team football lower down. Here we can keep working hard in a familiar environment and keep learning as we play.'

City and their coach Attilio Lombardo represent a huge and unfamiliar test for the Chelsea boys at Brentford tomorrow night.

'We played Man City in the Community Shield and it was a really good game, so now we look forward to the Under 21 game. They're like us, they have good facilities and players, so it should be a good contest,' Chalobah said.

'I know of some of their players. Abdul Razak, who was on the bench at the weekend might figure, so I'm looking forward to playing against them. I've been on and off with the first team but now I want to get a real 90 minutes under my belt and it's a good way to kick off the season.'

Lampard hails progress of Chelsea fullback Bertrand:

Chelsea ace Frank Lampard is impressed by young teammate Ryan Bertrand.

Stand-in England skipper Lamps was hugely impressed by the Chelsea youngster, who came on as a sub in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Italy.

Lampard said: “Ashley is the best and will carry on playing but it is great to see people coming through.

“You need a squad with players to push each other and players like Ryan and Leighton Baines can do well. I’m really pleased for Ryan. He can do anything as a left-back. He is so composed, he makes the game look really easy.

“It’s unfortunate for him that he is behind Ashley because Ashley has been the best for a long time. Ryan will get more opportunities this season and next.

“He has probably learned a lot from Ashley and he will go on and have a great career for club and country. They are good friends. The example of the way Ashley plays is enough to learn from.

“But as you saw in the Champions League final, Ryan can play in front of Ashley and give a better balance in a more advanced left-sided game.

“He can do a bit of everything and he really is as quick as lightning.”

Chelsea's Lampard full of praise for Man Utd's Cleverley:

Chelsea ace Frank Lampard was impressed by Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley during England's victory over Italy.

Cleverley was impressive alongside the Blues veteran.

Lampard said: "I thought he did very well. I am impressed with him as a lad and as player.

"Watching him play for Manchester United and Team GB, he is a very accomplished footballer. I think he has got it all at his feet.

"He has got great feet, is a good personality. I like him a lot.

"He was not fazed and that probably comes from playing at Old Trafford, playing with good players, but it is still a step up to play for England and it was his debut. He took to it and made it look easy."

Tottenham boss Villas-Boas takes fresh aim at Chelsea owner Abramovich:

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has taken fresh aim at Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

AVB is now determined to prove his doubters wrong this season at Spurs, who finished fourth last year under his predecessor Harry Redknapp.

"I think you could say that (what happened at Chelsea) has increased the desire," Villas-Boas said.

"You can never put my individual ambitions and hunger above those of the club, but I want to transfer this hunger to the players."

Tottenham boss Villas-Boas regrets his gung-ho approach at Chelsea:

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admits some regret over the way he tackled his job at Chelsea.

Villas-Boas admits he has some rebuilding to do in his new job at White Hart Lane, but concedes he must do it in a more controlled way.

"There are changes which have to be done, but I think that I won't promote that change as aggressively (here) as I did at Chelsea," Villas-Boas, who replaced Harry Redknapp last month, told a press conference.

"When things were going along smoothly, everybody is happy and you are able to progress it.

"When you are faced with a setback, it's the ability to bounce back from that setback that will keep you right on track.

"Chelsea had three negative results in a row last year, which had a tremendous impact, and when we wanted to correct things, we were always putting the fire out and never establishing what we were before.

"I think it's best to go for a progressional change. We have to respect what has been built here by Harry and hopefully I can do exactly that."

Obi Mikel: Wigan's Moses ideal signing for Chelsea:

John Obi Mikel is backing Chelsea's pursuit of Wigan Athletic attacker Victor Moses.

Mikel would relish linking up with Nigeria team-mate Moses, who is at the centre of one of the transfer sagas of the summer.

Mikel said of the Wigan forward and Chelsea target: "He's young and the club are going the right way now buying more young players, trying to develop them for the future.

"If Moses comes, he's going to be one of those, too."

Di Matteo: Chelsea determined to bridge gap with Man City, Man Utd

Roberto Di Matteo says the main goal for Chelsea this season is to bridge the gap with last term’s top two teams Manchester City and Manchester United.

Despite winning the Champions League and FA Cup last campaign, the Blues finished sixth in the Premier League and Di Matteo feels it is vital they improve vastly on that result.

"We have to try and catch up with the Manchester teams. The gap last season was big so our aim is to catch them up,” he told the club’s official website.

"All the players are looking forward to finally starting. Our aspiration is to do better than last season in the Premier League."

Chelsea boss Di Matteo explains Mata break:

Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo admits he's giving Juan Mata a rest.

The Spaniard helped his country to Euro 2012 glory before playing in the Olympics.

Di Matteo admitted: “He needs to have a break. It’s important you have a rest.”

Di Matteo demands more goals from Chelsea midfield:

Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo is hoping for more goals from his midfield this season.

As boss Di Matteo prepared for tomorrow’s Prem opener at Wigan he admitted signings Oscar and Eden Hazard together with the rest of the Chelsea midfield must shoulder the load in front of goal.

Di Matteo said: “In certain areas we are a bit light, yes. But the two strikers we’ve got are very good.

“Fernando has started the season very well, scoring last weekend. And we need the other players to chip in — Juan Mata, Oscar and Hazard.

“Frank Lampard always scores goals, Ramires at the end of last season scored goals. So I think we need to diversify it in the team.”

Tough mission for Di Matteo :

After steering Chelsea to FA Cup and Champions League success and then being appointed manager on a permanent basis, Roberto Di Matteo is aware he needs to continue delivering trophies.

Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign tomorrow away at Wigan Athletic, with Di Matteo tasked with a significant improvement on sixth place last season.

"Expectation levels are always high. It might have added a little pressure but it was always so high anyway," the Italian told a news conference yesterday.

"It's an ambitious club and we know we have to try and win trophies and be successful."

Having been made interim manager in March with the team in turmoil following the sacking of Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas, Di Matteo sparked a remarkable turnaround in the club's fortunes in the final two months of the campaign.

Di Matteo was rewarded for steering Chelsea an FA Cup final win over Liverpool and then to a first Champions League triumph with victory over Bayern Munich when he was appointed manager on a permanent basis in June.

Strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou have departed Stamford Bridge in the close season with Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar arriving as Di Matteo looks to mount a title challenge.

"All the players are looking forward to finally starting. Our aspiration is to do better than last season in the Premier League," he said.

"I still believe Manchester City is the favourite. They haven't lost any key players, but (Robin) Van Persie is a good signing for (Manchester) United.

"We have to try and catch up with the Manchester teams. The gap last season was big so our aim is to catch them up."

Di Matteo said his preparations for the new season had been disrupted by the European Championship and the Olympics and it would "take a bit of time" for Chelsea to hit top gear.

Brazilian midfielder Oscar, signed from Internacional, has only just joined up with the squad after Olympic duty and Di Matteo is considering what part he can play at Wigan.

Bright days for Blues:

FINALLY, it’s here. This could well be a defining season for Chelsea after a rather lame sixth placing last time out.

Hey, at least we won the Champions League. That’s more than what other teams can brag about.

Anyway, back to the present.

Yes, we have lost the Drog but we’ve bought ourselves an Oscar.

Sure, I will miss Drogba as will other die-hard Blues fans. But it is time for our £50mil man Fernando Torres to prove his worth.

Roman Abramovich has certainly wasted no time in splashing the cash again, shipping out most of the veterans and bringing in the new guard.

Of the new faces, Eden Hazard will have to win over the doubters – after kissing the turf last week.

Forget about the awful pre-season results and the Community Shield loss. One missed backheel doesn’t make Hazard a chump and he’s definitely going to provide Chelsea with a real cutting edge upfront – something they sorely lacked last season.

Together with Marko Marin and Juan Mata, Chelsea can be assured of creativity in the middle of the park.

But, for me, the most important piece of transfer so far has to be the capture of Oscar.

I was among the sceptics when I heard of Chelsea signing a skinny and frail player. But, having seen him in action at the Olympics, I believe Oscar can cope with the physical brutality of the English game.

The boy is fast, skilful and threads a pass through the eye of a needle. He is definitely the missing piece in the Chelsea puzzle.

I daresay he is going to be the best signing to come out of Brazil thus far and, at £20mil, a fantastic bargain.

Too bad I can’t say the same for crosstown rivals Arsenal, who just seem to have gotten more pathetic by selling their top asset – Robin van Persie – to Manchester United, of all teams.

Maybe now they can rival Liverpool in terms of mediocrity.

Now, if we can just get rid of Florent Malouda and bring in that Spanish fullback – Cesar Azpilicueta (from Marseille) – the team will be perfect.

QPR sign Bosingwa

QPR have announced the signing of former Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa on a three-year deal as the Loftus Road club continue to strengthen ahead of the new season.
Bosingwa, 29, was released from his Chelsea contract at the end of last season and joins a raft of new faces through the doors at Loftus Road this summer.

A twice Champions League winner, the former Porto defender will provide Mark Hughes with further full-back options as the R's look towards the top-half of the Premier League this campaign.

Following the announcement, Hughes could not hide his pleasure at the signing, telling the club's official website: "I am delighted to bring a player of his undoubted quality to the club. He has got plenty of pace, great technical ability and all the attributes you need to be a top player.

"Jose has a lot of versatility which is something I like my players to have. He can operate right across the back and can also play the holding role in midfield.

"He's another Champions League winner, the third in the squad now with Ji-Sung Park and Djibril Cisse, and will add invaluable experience to the group. His experience is really important to us. He understands the Premier League and he understands what it takes to win games. He has got a winning mentality and that is what I want to have around the place."

Bosingwa, who has won league titles in both Portugal and England to add to his continental titles, is not eligible to make his debut against Swansea on Saturday, but is looking forward to helping the club progress in their long-term vision.

He added: "I'm really pleased to be here. I had the pick of many clubs, but the project here excites me greatly. I spoke yesterday with the manager and owner and they showed me what they want for the future of the club.

"I played for Chelsea for four years and I love Premier League football and the supporters. It is fantastic for me to stay in England. I'm happy and all of my family are happy, and that is most important. This is maybe the most important challenge of my career. I want to help my team-mates and the team with my experience.

"Now I am a QPR player, I will give my best  for the team and for the supporters. All together, we will fight for the club. We need time. We start now and in one, two or three years we can win something. We have to have passion and I think the results will come."

The Portugal full-back will wear the No. 19 shirt for QPR this season and becomes the squad's third Champions League winner, joining Djibril Cisse and Park Ji-Sung at Loftus Road.

Opposition Scouting Preview: Wigan

he first game of the new Premier League season sees Wigan Athletic welcome us to the DW Stadium in Sunday's early kickoff. We'll bring you all the team news in the general preview, and although it's difficult to get a comprehensive scouting report done in light of the fact this is the first competitive game Wigan have played in two months, (meaning we don't know what changes have been made in terms of team shape and system) seeing as Wigan provided perhaps the most tactical interest last season I thought it would still be appropriate to take a look at what Di Matteo can expect on Sunday.



This article will be written on the predication that Wigan will line up in the 3-4-3 formation that surprised so many at the tail end of last season. On paper (or rather, virtual paper), here's how it looks:



Despite interest from some of the top tier clubs in the Premier League Wigan have managed to hold onto Victor Moses, and although it seems he is line to start this Sunday, the smart money is on him lining up for the opposition by the end of the transfer window. Wigan have compensated for his imminent departure by bringing in both Arsenal's pacy winger Ryo Miyachi and Levante's Arouna Kone.

While the new attacking stars attract the headlines, it's the defence that causes the most intrigue, as a back three is a rare sight in England, although Chelsea fans will be familiar with it having faced Napoli's famous Three Tenors system in their victorious Champions League campaign last season. On the rare occasions it appears in England, it's been on one-off occasions and usually used to safeguard against Stoke.

There are two versions of the 3-4-3 system that Wigan play: the first is the more attacking style, which stresses possession football and taking the game to the opposition. The second is the defensive 5-4-1 which places a far greater emphasis on the counter attack and is the version Chelsea are far more likely to see on Sunday. The newfound creativity of the attacking three will then be crucial to breaking down a side which is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts, largely thanks to Martinez's astute management.

If we take the defenders individually, Maynor Figueroa and Antolin Alcaraz plays as aggressive outside defenders, often moving out of the back line to intercept passes and in the attacking phase. Figueroa in particular has the ability to bring the ball out of defence and retain possession. Lying in between these two is Gary Caldwell, who notably drops off and plays as a pseudo-sweeper, looking to clear Wigan's lines early so the ball stays well away from Al-Habsi.

It remains to be seen whether Martinez will break up this successful centre back combination, although the signing of Ivan Ramis from Mallorca suggests otherwise. Ramis is a strong, technical defender who has a proactive style of defending that would fit nicely into one of the outside centre back positions. He's currently overshadowed by an injury cloud, which should see Martinez retain the same selection that was so successful last season.

The centre of the park contains two similar centre midfielders in James McArthur and James McCarthy, but McArthur is the more proactive, often moving forward to press the opposition midfield, while McCarthy sits in behind and helps the side keep their shape. On the wings Beausejour and Boyce plays as wing-backs, and are vital to the system. They are required to not only assume defensive responsibilities but also move forward and support the attack through overlapping the wide players. Beausejour again on the left side is the more accomplished at this, having played a similar role for Chile at the 2010 World Cup.

However, his aggressive movements forward do leave space in behind, and with Chelsea looking to be more dangerous on the counter attack, Ramires' bursts on the break into that pocket could be crucial. Wigan will look to nullify this threat with Figueroa shuffling out to cover, although this will inevitably open up space in the back three.

The danger for Chelsea is the flexibility of the front men: Franco Di Santo plays as a static target and should not be too much of a threat for a full strength Chelsea backline, although his tireless attempts to press the opposition should not be disregarded. If David Luiz plays, he'll need to be cautious about being caught when bringing the ball out of the backs in trademark David-Luiz style. More danger lies on the flanks, where Martinez like his players to constantly switch wings and adding to the fluidity of the side by make drifting runs in front and behind the defence. Arsenal was especially culpable to the dynamic movement of Victor Moses in the spaces behind Bacary Sagna at the Emirates last season, and new signing Kone has the ability to perform a similar role, having done so for Levante especially well at the beginning of last season's campaign, where the Spanish side, for a few weeks at least, upset the natural order at the top of the La Liga table. On the other wing will likely be Shaun Maloney, who plays as more of a playmaker, drifting into central positions to get on the ball, and play incisive passes.

A final overarching concern going into the game is pressing. Chelsea need to be wary of how they approach the defensive phase, as they don't want to be caught in 2 v 1 situations on the flanks as Newcastle were away at the DW Stadium last year. This means that on goal kicks, Chelsea will need to either commit to pressing high up the pitch (and pushing the defensive line high as a result, running the risk of being exposed to clever balls in behind), or sitting back and allowing Wigan to play the ball out. If Chelsea does take the more conservative option, then the side will need to be far more disciplined when keeping its shape than they were against Manchester City.

DI MATTEO: MIDDLE HOPES
Posted on: Sat 18 Aug 2012

Roberto Di Matteo has been talking further about Oscar who this weekend is available for a Chelsea game for the first time, and about what he wants from the midfield this season.

The Brazilian international started life at Cobham on Thursday following international duty and trained for the first time on Friday morning, but the manager is prepared to use him at Wigan on Sunday afternoon if he decides that is good for the team. Oscar is one of three new attacking midfielders in the first team squad at the start of this season although Marko Marin is out of the Wigan game with a hamstring injury.

With Eden Hazard also on the scene, one of the most interesting aspects over the next few weeks will be discovering how Di Matteo intends to deploy them.

On Oscar he said: 'He is a goal-scoring midfielder, a creative midfielder as well. In his career so far he has played on the left side, he has played there with the national team, and he has played behind the strikers and the number 8 role as well in a three-man midfield - so he is quite versatile.

'He had a very good Olympic tournament and he is a young man as well, let's not forget that, and I think he will be a very good addition for us.

'He has broken through to the senior Brazil team at a young age and you need personality to achieve that.'

Although Oscar played in the Olympics, Di Matteo does not anticipate needing to give him the type of break during the season he is planning for Juan Mata, who has played a considerable amount of football over the past 12 months. The manager indicated Spain may be willing to help by not selecting the Chelsea Player of the Year for internationals this autumn.

'Mata needs to have a break,' added Di Matteo, 'and it is important as much as training is important that you have a rest and recharge your batteries and come back fresh. We will it plan it intelligently so he won't miss too much of our season.'

When they do play, the Italian is looking to the likes of Mata and Oscar to take some the goal-scoring weight off the shoulders of Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge.

'We have two very good strikers who can score goals and I'm sure they will. We need the other players to chip in - Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Lampard always scores goals, and Ramires at the end of last season scored some important goals - so we need to try to diversify it.

'With the integration of our new players into the team, there will be some changes [to playing style] because they have different abilities from players that we had last season, but the core of the team are still here and we will adapt - but I don't think there is going to be a revolution.'

Chelsea's Fernando Torres is key to Robert di Matteo surviving difficult second season syndrome

It is one thing temporarily taking charge of a team for a couple of months, quite another becoming the full-time manager. Players will usually warm to a caretaker manager, especially if he is replacing an unpopular figure. They will give him the benefit of the doubt, embrace his different training techniques because they want it to work after an unhappy time.
The Chelsea lads certainly rallied around Roberto Di Matteo following Andre Villas-Boas’s departure. The improvement was startling, culminating in that Champions League victory. Now the Italian, following his signing of a two-year contract, has got to maintain that momentum while trying to incorporate two or three new players as part of the quest to bring more attractive football to SW6.

It won’t be easy, not when you still have several dominant characters on board who are used to winning trophies playing a certain way; not when the new signings are unfamiliar with the particular demands of the Premier League where everything happens more quickly with a bit more force.

As a result, Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar will surely need time to properly adjust, not just to the football but to a strange country. Not only that, it’s difficult to see them all fitting in the same starting XI when a place also has to be found for Juan Mata.

Oscar isn’t too dissimilar to Mata in that he likes to create from a central position. Mainly right-footed, the 20-year-old Brazilian is also adept at timing his run to arrive in the box at the right time, much like Frank Lampard has managed over the past decade. Again like Lampard, Oscar loves to shoot.
Marin does too, but the German tends to run with the ball a bit more, whether through the middle or from a wide position. More two-footed than Oscar, Marin could potentially fill one of the wide slots in Chelsea’s system, which looks like changing judging by the Community Shield.

Di Matteo started with a 4-2-3-1 shape last Sunday, using Lampard next to John Obi Mikel as a deep-lying midfielder, with Hazard, Mata and Ramires supporting Fernando Torres up front.

Compared to the long-standing 4-3-3 which used three orthodox midfielders, this tweak allows another attack-minded player to squeeze into the side. At Villa Park, it also allowed Hazard to raid from the left, a position he might keep for tomorrow’s opener at Wigan.

The Belgian looks happiest when running with the ball, using his trickery and pace to commit defenders. He will not be asked to stay out wide either. The new Chelsea way demands more fluidity going forward, with more swapping of positions in the final third.

That shouldn’t include Torres though. Like Didier Drogba before him, the Spaniard must remain the focal point of attack, working the channels, holding up the ball and generally giving those oncoming team-mates something to work off.

If Torres goes walkabouts, as he did at times during his troubles last season when he could be seen dawdling on the right wing, the system breaks down.

Work mainly within the width of the penalty area – that would be my advice to a striker who, if he plays his cards right, could end up scoring a hatful of goals to return to the heights of his early Liverpool years.

And if that happens, you know that Chelsea will be firing, that their creative players will be doing the business.

At the back, meanwhile, things look very solid. Yes, they need another right-back now that Jose Bosingwa has gone but David Luiz has calmed down after his early theatrics while Gary Cahill will give you a seven out of 10 most weeks.

That back four, in fact, can expect to improve dramatically on the 46 league goals conceded last term. Nobody gets anywhere leaking so many.

In summary, then, I’d say Chelsea can look forward to a much better campaign than the disruptive one that saw them end up sixth in May. Yeah, they should do, too, after spending so much money, I can hear many cry.

That’s true, but the difference with Chelsea is that the manager would not appear to be responsible for these signings, Di Matteo did not seem to have much say in who was acquired.

Still, there is a job to be done. Winning with style – the owner demands it.

English football's historic drama about to pen vibrant new Premier League chapter to emerge from Olympic shadow
Now is the time for football to remind its myriad detractors why it is the golden sporting thread woven most tightly into the fabric of English life.

Since 1888, the distinguished Football League and now including the pulsating Premier League have served up 183,815 games and 531,726 goals in all four divisions, providing reference points in countless lives, inspiring generation after generation.

A load of toxic waste has been dumped on the national game in the past week, some of it legitimately acidic contrasting with the humility of the Olympians, but otherwise blithely ignoring history.

Football has been shaken by this criticism but the foundations are strong, dating back to the Victorian age.

This weekend will show that strength, so will the next, and the next. Football is the popular soap opera that never ends.

If the Olympian heights represent Shangri-La, a wonderful land to aspire to, then the extraordinary mix of vibrancy and venality that is English professional football simply reflects life in the real world.

It certainly seems strange that football should be so vilified, suddenly perceived as lacking resonance with the public, when so many Olympians are being feted by the clubs they follow such as Mo Farah at Arsenal. The race will be on today to see the first scorer to mark his goal with the ‘Mobot’.

So we should celebrate two great sporting institutions, the Olympics and English league football, not use one to beat the other. They owe each other.

The Premier League contributed handsomely to the public purse that helped fund London 2012: last season alone, the elite clubs paid £900 million tax on (admittedly crazy) wages, £100 million on VAT on (admittedly expensive) tickets and £50 million on stadium business rates.

But now is also the time for footballers to tone down the swearing and consider occasionally smiling, remembering the game is supposed to be about spreading joy as well as reaping in the glittering silverware and salaries. It promises to be another classic season, brimming with incident.

A House of Horrors to its critics, a House of Fun for the rest of us, the Premier League is a luxury abode divided into five levels.

Fighting it out in the penthouse again are Manchester City and Manchester United, whose duel last season gave us one of the most compelling title races.

The television audience probably still has Martin Tyler’s memorable commentary still ringing in its ears. As Sergio Aguero scored, Tyler declared: “I swear you will never see anything like this ever again — stupendous.’’

So that’s football for you, providing the season’s definitive moment 40 seconds from the end. And how did Sir Alex Ferguson react to City’s title triumph?

As only the great man knows how: picking up the gauntlet. So in comes Robin van Persie to partner Wayne Rooney in an attacking axis sure to disturb the sleep of all centre-halves.

A glance at the all-time Premier League scoring charts shows Rooney in ninth place and rising fast, having amassed 144 goals from his 10 seasons and he could overtake Teddy Sheringham (146), Michael Owen and Les Ferdinand (both 149) within the month. Van Persie needs only four more for his century. Like that well-known United fan Usain Bolt, Van Persie won’t take long.

Yet City also seem to have a new striker, a part-time caddie and full-time dismantler of defences called Carlos Tevez, who has lost weight and regained ambition.

The bond on and off the pitch with Aguero is key for City. If they can also prise Daniele De Rossi from Roma, replacing Nigel de Jong, an upgrade from economy to business, the champions will be even more formidable.

Amid all the fear-filled chatter about Yaya Toure’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, it actually should not harm City too much, seeing him missing at most only the Premier League games with Fulham (home), QPR (away), Liverpool (home) and Southampton (away). Prediction: City first; United second.

The next level down in the Premier League tower block is occupied by Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs, contesting the two remaining Champions League places.

Now free of Didier Drogba’s long, imposing shadow at Chelsea, Fernando Torres should flourish.

Eden Hazard appears to possess the strength of mind and technique to prosper but Oscar may take a while to bed in. Arsenal will need Olivier Giroud to settle fast in the post-RVP world, although Lukas Podolski should acclimatise immediately.

When last seen in London, Andre Villas-Boas resembled a tourist who had lost his map and Oyster card. After a chastening experience at the Bridge, the Lane offers AVB the chance of rehabilitating his reputation.

His first two signings, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen (famously once called Jan The Tongan on radio) look good, pret-a-porter fits. Prediction: third Chelsea; fourth Arsenal; fifth Spurs.

In the middle of the Premier League edifice is a gang of four. Brendan Rodgers reshapes Liverpool, although will still rely heavily on Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

Everton are a contender for surprise team of the season. David Moyes is an outstanding manager, Tim Howard showed his quality in protecting the US goal in the Azteca in midweek while Marouane Fellaini could be Footballer of the Year in his position behind the excellent Nikica Jelavic.

Newcastle United will continue to score goals and entertain. Slowly but surely Aston Villa will be revived by Paul Lambert, such a clever builder of teams, while Ron Vlaar looks a smart signing at £3.5 million.

Darren Bent is back and hungry for goals again. Prediction: 6th Liverpool; 7th Everton; 8th Newcastle; 9th Villa.

Below them is another floor of four. Bent’s old club, Sunderland, need more goals, a flaw Martin O’Neill works hard to remedy.

Tony Pulis’ Stoke City will be as tough to face as ever while Michael Kightly could bring some welcome guile. Martin Jol will continue to develop Fulham, although the task will be complicated if Clint Dempsey leaves.

At QPR, Mark Hughes has recruited well with Junior Hoilett. Prediction: 10th Sunderland; 11th Stoke; 12th Fulham; 13th QPR.

The usual dogfight will break out in the basement. In Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic have a manager with the tactical nous to keep them up.

Robert Snodgrass looks a neat signing by Norwich City while the hugely popular Chris Hughton will be welcomed warmly back to the elite division.

Michael Laudrup’s mere presence near the touchline will revive memories of his elegant playing days. His Swansea side are losing some of their cultured cygnets but Michel Vorm and Danny Graham should see them safe.

West Ham’s ebullient Sam Allardyce will relish his return to Premier League arenas, like an ageing rocker performing at old haunts again. West Brom’s squad is strong enough to stay up but Steve Clarke must prove quickly he is a No 1.

Southampton’s expected signing of Gaston Ramirez demonstrates they are certainly not here just for the view.

Reading will need all of Brian McDermott’s quietly inspirational leadership. Predictions: 14th Wigan; 15th Norwich; 16th Swansea; 17th West Ham; 18th West Brom; 19th Southampton; 20th Reading. Overall prediction: another rollercoaster of a season. Hold tight.

Alex Ferguson
Manchester United
“Last year was a different type of year, it’s the first time anyone has beaten us on goal difference. That is what cost us the league and It won’t happen again, trust me on that.”

Roberto Mancini
Manchester City
“United are favourites – they have played for the title always, every year for 20 years. Although we won the last championship, we can’t change this in one year.”

Roberto Di Matteo
Chelsea
“We have to try, for sure. It’s not that we’re not going to try. We have to try to challenge ourselves with the other teams, so I wouldn’t say there is no expectation [from Roman Abramovich].”

Arsene Wenger
Arsenal
“At the moment I believe we have what is needed to be ambitious and to play our game. We have to be even more of a team and work even more together to compensate for the loss of Van Persie.”

Andre Villas-Boas
Tottenham
“It’s different for us this year. It’s a new start under a new management team, but we want to build on last year. The spirit is good and the motivation is high.”

Brendan Rodgers
Liverpool
“The top four is certainly not something we’ll shy away from. It’s where a club of this status wants to be, but it’s always easier said than done. The reality over the past three seasons or so hasn’t been that.”

Tottenham to make offer for Chelsea's Meireles:

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is chasing Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles.

Meireles has attracted interest from Napoli this summer.

And the Mirror says Villas-Boas wants to move quickly to replace the outgoing Luka Modric and is keen on the Portugal international, who he signed for £12million during his time at Chelsea,

Chelsea enter season with new players, a new attacking style and confidence
Summer signing Marko Marin tells Goal.com he's confident that the new-look Blues can win back-to-back Champions League titles.

Since it was rebranded from the Uefa Champions Club Cup to the Uefa Champions League in 1992, no club has ever succeeded in retaining the title of European champions - not even Lionel Messi's Barcelona.

But Marko Marin believes Chelsea are in a good position to make history after defeating Barcelona and Bayern Munich en route to winning Europe's top prize last season.
"Yeah, [I believe Chelsea can repeat the feat]," the Blues' new midfielder told Goal.com. "The team changed a lot, but there's a lot of high quality here."

Marin is one of the major additions to Chelsea's squad this summer, joining Eden Hazard and Oscar as the club's newest key members. But while the Premier League team have certainly strengthened their playing staff, veteran Frank Lampard points out that other contenders have boosted their squads as well.
"Every year is very tough and we had an amazing year last season. We will try our best to do it and of course, it's a possibility but every other team will be stronger," Lampard explained. "Barcelona will be strong again, Real Madrid will be strong and you have the Italian teams so every year it's very tough."

It isn't a blunder by the team's scouting department that Hazard, Oscar and Marin are all versatile attacking midfielders, as Chelsea are looking to make the transition from a defensive style to an entertaining strategy that values ball movement and possession.

While previous managers have struggled to make Chelsea a more attacking side, Roberto Di Matteo appears set to change the way things are done on the pitch. The Italian, who coached the team last season on an interim basis after the departure of Andre Villas-Boas, gets offended when analysts point to Chelsea's negative tactics as the reason why they won the Champions League title.

"I think you need to correct your thinking on that," Di Matteo said during a press conference when Goal.com asked if Chelsea are transitioning from a defensive style to an offensive one. "Aside from a few matches, there were plenty of games where we put up a lot of goals."

Part of Di Matteo's feisty response is due to the fact that prior to his promotion at Chelsea, he was known primarily as an attack-minded coach. A few years ago, he led his West Bromwich Albion side to promotion with one of the most aggressive attacking styles in English football. In fact, Di Matteo was controversially fired from the club in 2011 due to their mid-season defensive woes.

Di Matteo clearly has a lot of pride in his offensive philosophy, and Chelsea players can already see that the team are looking to change their approach this season.

"We have some young players with very good technical ability, very attacking with a lot of fair," Lampard told reporters during Chelsea's recent USA tour. "Hopefully, if we can get the balance right and help them get into the team, we can have a successful season."

Gary Cahill agreed with Lampard and believes both Marin and Hazard have adjusted well to the team so far.

"I think they've bedded in really well and it can take a while [when] you first come to a new club and [have to] get used to new players," Cahill told Goal.com. "They've looked really promising, really sharp. I think we'll just go from strength to strength."

Chelsea will need their new signings to fill the void created by the departure of Didier Drogba, who left England for China following his Champions League-winning goal. Marin admits that it will take a while for the Blues to adjust after losing such a club legend.

"There's also a lot of good guys who left like Didier Drogba," Marin said. "We are a younger team now and we'll likely have to beat Barca. They are a good team too but we will do our best."

Chelsea's lack of chemistry could be partially seen in their 3-2 loss to Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend. The team's newfound focus on attack led to several mistakes at the back, including right-back Branislav Ivanovic's clumsy tackle that saw him receive a red card. However, even in defeat Chelsea had some promising signs.

Fernando Torres looked confident in the Blues' opening match, no longer being in Drogba's shadow and scoring the opening goal. Young English players like Daniel Sturridge and Ryan Bertrand should also provide added spark coming off the bench.

So if it all comes together, Chelsea's ambitions don't look misguided.

"It would be nice [to win Champions League again]," Cahill said with a slight laugh. "It was a fantastic achievement last year and obviously the game was huge because we needed [to win] the game [in order] to be a part of the competition this season.

"It was massive and obviously a great moment in the club's history. So yeah, we'll try hard for sure. "

First-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech added that the players have to live up to the ambition of the club and big-spending owner Roman Abramovich.

"Everything is possible in football," Cech told Goal.com. "We will try to go after every competition that we are in this year. We are going to aim for every trophy we can possibly get. So we are looking forward to the season and so far, it's been going great. "

Arsenal loanee in line for Wigan debut against Chelsea:

Arsenal loanee Ryo Miyaichi could make his Wigan debut but they could be missing new signing Ivan Ramis for their Premier League opener with Chelsea.

The Spanish centre-half, a £4million summer arrival from Real Mallorca, has a hamstring strain and is a doubt along with James McCarthy (back).

Victor Moses is in the squad despite interest from Chelsea, while Fraser Fyvie, Arouna Kone and Miyaichi are all in line for debuts.

Squad: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Crusat, Watson, Di Santo, Maloney, Moses, Pollitt, Gomez, McManaman, McArthur, McCarthy, Boyce, Sammon, Jones, Boselli, Fyvie, Ramis, Beausejour, Stam, Lopez, Golobart, Kiernan, Dicko, Miyaichi.

Chelsea legend: Di Matteo needs more trophies to keep his job:

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf believes manager Roberto Di Matteo needs to win more silverware to hold on to his job this season.


Di Matteo steered Chelsea to glory in the FA Cup and Champions League last season after taking over from the sacked Andre Villas-Boas.


When asked if Di Matteo needed to bring in more titles, Leboeuf said: “Yes, because he is the coach of Chelsea and they need to win trophies every year or at least fight for that.


Former France international Leboeuf won two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup with Chelsea between 1996 and 2001.


“They are not the only challengers, there are seven clubs who could potentially win something and there are only four trophies overall,” he continued.


“Chelsea they have to show more because we expect something special from Chelsea and we want them to be the contender for the Premier League, and all of the cups.”

UNDER 18 REPORT: CHELSEA 6 MANCHESTER CITY 1


Our Under 18s began the new season in devastating fashion with a 6-1 victory against Manchester City at Cobham.

Reece Mitchell and Jordan Houghton gave us an early two-goal advantage, and while City hit back before the break through Devante Cole, second-half strikes from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jeremie Boga, substitute Charlie Colkett and Fankaty Dabo rounded off a fine display.

Adi Viveash named a fairly young side for the season opener, although it was littered with some more experienced players. Mitchell Beeney started in goal, while John Swift skippered the side in the heart of midfield. Mitchell was the focal point of a front-three, and there were also starts for both Alex Kiwomya and Loftus-Cheek, both second-half substitutes for the Under 21s last night.

It was a bright start from the Blues, with the midfield trio keeping the ball well and not hesitant in looking for the killer pass.

Kiwomya did well down the right-hand side inside the opening couple of minutes, fizzing a teasing ball across the face of the goal with Mitchell narrowly missing out.

At the other end, meanwhile, it took a desperate, last-ditch block from Dabo to keep the scores at bay as Cole looked set to pull the trigger for the visitors.

The Blues had started the better of the two teams, and we were rewarded after fifteen minutes when we went in front.

Kiwomya, who had been a constant threat early on, delivered a delightful ball into the path of Mitchell, and as the keeper attempted to narrow the angle, the striker calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner.

The goal appeared to galvanise an already dominant Chelsea side further, and seven minutes later we doubled our advantage.

Some neat footwork by Boga earned us a free-kick deep in the City half, and a well-worked set-piece saw Conor Hunte's expert delivery headed home at the back-post by defender Houghton.

As a spectacle, it was entertaining stuff, and somewhat against the run of play, City reduced the deficit just after the half-hour mark.

George Swan played a wonderful flighted pass into the path of the diminutive Spaniard Jose Pozo, who used his pace to get beyond Kevin Wright before his cut-back was fired home by Cole.

City, clearly buoyed by the goal, began to pour forward in numbers, and they were almost level a couple of minutes later, only for Beeney to make a fantastic save with his feet from Coleafter the striker had been afforded far too much time and space.

Stung into action, we began to impose ourselves on the game again, and Loftus-Cheek was unlucky with a strike from the edge of the box.

The away side almost struck a decisive blow right on half-time, but the Blues had Wright to thank for keeping us in front when he cleared off the line from George Glendon, after a neat interchange between the midfielder and Pozo.

Pozo was beginning to have a major influence on proceedings, and he split us open again with the last action of the half, and with Cole bearing down on goal, Mitchell Beeney made two wonderful saves in quick succession to send us in at the break with a slender lead.

The second half couldn't have started any better for the Blues, as we restored our two-goal advantage within minutes of the restart.

The ball was played into Loftus-Cheek just inside the penalty area, and in one swift movement, the tall, imposing midfielder produced a turn and finish of supreme quality to make it 3-1.

The manager made our first substitution of the match just before the hour when he replaced Kiwomya, who had run himself into the ground in what were sweltering conditions, with Ambrose Gnahore.

There had been a distinct lack of goalmouth action throughout the second half, with much of the game being played in and around the midfield area.

However, in the 68th minute the game was put out of City's reach when Boga made it 4-1 with the goal his performance had merited, firing into the bottom corner from distance after exchanging passes with Mitchell.

The effective Loftus-Cheek was then replaced by Colkett, a young, enterprising midfielder for the closing stages, while Swift made way for Alistair Gordon.

With almost his first touch of the game, Colkett finished off a wonderful move involving both Boga and Mitchell to make it 5-1, taking one touch to bring it under control before calmly dispatching his strike into the top corner.

The second-half strikes had understandably knocked the stuffing out of the visitors, and as the clock ticked down it was one-way traffic.

Gordon forced a decent save out of Lawlor, while a minute later Mitchell almost finished a flowing counter-attack after rounding the keeper, only to see his effort hit the side-netting.

Dabo, outstanding throughout, put the seal on the victory when he scored from close-range after his initial effort had been well saved by Lawlor to cap a ruthless, dominant display by the home side.

Viveash, somewhat understandably, was delighted with the performance, but warned them not to get too carried away.

'It's a very positive start to the season and I thought it was a good game,' said the manager. 'We started really well and scored two great goals.

'They changed their shape, with Pozo moving out to the right, and we conceded. Mitchell Beeney then made three good saves as they got on top, but we responded well towards the end of the half.

'Loftus-Cheek lit up the game with a wonderful goal to make it 3-1, and from that point on we really drove the game, and it's important to remember we had three players [Hunt, Boga and Colkett] who are Under 16s.

'I've been very excited with the forward play of our group from the first day of pre-season, it's exciting to watch. We scored some great goals and it was a really pleasing day, but it's all about developing players, and they still have a lot to learn.'



Chelsea (4-3-3): Mitchell Beeney; Fankaty Dabo, Jonathan Muleba, Kevin Wright; Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Charlie Colkett 70), John Swift (c) (Alistair Gordon 72), Jeremie Boga; Alex Kiwomya (Ambrose Gnahore 58), Reece Mitchell, Conor Hunte.
Unused substitutes:Ben Killip, Dion Conroy.