Curicó Unidos and Dep. Santa Cruz try to break the tie in the second half
#Curicó #Unidos #Dep #Santa #Cruz #break #tie
Thiago Silva and Co. didn’t allow themselves any slip-ups (ADRIAN DENNIS)
Chelsea FC is reaching for its first triumph in the English Football League Cup since 2015. The Blues won the semi-final second leg against second division FC Middlesbrough 6-1 (4-0) and, like last in 2022, made it to the final.
Chelsea will meet the winner of the second semi-final duel between Fulham FC with national goalkeeper Bernd Leno and record winner Liverpool FC on Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN) at Wembley Stadium in London on February 25th. Team manager Jürgen Klopp’s Reds won the first leg 2-1 at home.
The five-time cup winners Chelsea, on the other hand, went into the second meeting with Boro at Stamford Bridge with a 0-1 defeat. However, an own goal from Jonathan Howson (15th), Enzo Fernandez (29th), Axel Disasi (36th) and Cole Palmer (42nd) dispelled all doubts in the first half.
In the second half, Palmer (77′) and substitute Noni Madueke (81′) added further. Morgan Rogers (88th) scored the consolation goal for the outsiders.
2024-01-24 02:29:17
#Chelsea #reach #League #Cup #final
The 2023 winter transfer market was one of the busiest in recent years. Millions and millions of euros were spent by clubs on transfers, with the Premier League and Chelsea as the main protagonists. A year later, we review how the main movements of January of last year have fared.
Enzo Fernández (€121M)
Enzo Fernández finally scored his first goal as a Chelsea player / SPORT
The most talked-about signing of the entire winter market and the most expensive by far. Enzo Fernández starred in a true star transfer, arriving at Chelsea for 121 million euros, an inflated price after his great World Cup with Argentina just a few weeks before the transfer.
A year later, the Argentine is not experiencing a glorious period in London. Despite establishing himself in the starting team from the beginning, neither the player nor the club have performed as expected. Until this season he did not manage to open his scoring account and has only two assists in 43 games as a ‘blue’. Far from the hierarchy that was expected with his arrival.
Mudryk (70M€)
Mudryk: 36.63 km/h / EFE/AFP
Another of Chelsea’s big signings in that market that has also fallen far short of the expectations generated. After attracting attention at Shakhtar with his devilish speed and his astonishing ease at dribbling rivals and scoring goals, Mudryk arrived at Stamford Bridge with the reputation of a star.
However, time has only increased the criticism of the player in England. The Ukrainian has had a very poor performance, being relegated to the bench for several days. He has four goals and five assists in 36 games with the London team.
Gordon (45M€)
Anthony Gordon: 36,61 km/h / EFE/AFP
Many more moves were expected from Newcastle during that market, but the Magpies were very clear about who their main target was. Anthony Gordon arrived as a star signing after his good work at Everton. Although he had a difficult adaptation and was not the player expected last season, his performance this season justifies the price paid, with six goals and five assists in 19 Premier League games.
Gakpo (42M€)
Gakpo celebrates his double to the LASK/EFE
Cody Gakpo’s emergence into the World Cup and his incredible numbers with PSV caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs, but in the end it was Liverpool that took over the Dutchman. Although his numbers are not bad (15 goals in 51 games), the sensations on the pitch are not those of the decisive player expected at Anfield.
Badiashile (38M€)
Badiashile celebrates the goal that broke the tie / Chelsea FC
Another Chelsea signing, this time in the defensive sector, who came to support the new ‘blue’ project. The Monaco youth player had shown a physical exuberance that made him dominant in Ligue 1, but it is something that has barely been seen in dribs and drabs in the Premier League. In one year he only made 17 starts, despite the fact that at 22 years old he still has a lot of room for improvement.
Madueke (35M€)
Noni Madueke celebrates his goal against Luton / Agencies
Now, Chelsea’s last signing on this list. Another player who came to the Premier League from PSV and who did so as a project for the future. At only 21 years old, Madueke could not be expected to have a stellar performance in the Premier League upon his arrival, but more was expected from the winger. In these twelve months he has played 23 games (only 10 as a starter) scoring four goals.
Vitinha (€32M)
Vitinha / EFE
The only player on this list who is not a Premier League signing. In this case it was Olympique Marseille that signed the Portuguese striker for 32 million euros. After scoring 27 goals in two seasons at Braga, his performance in Ligue 1 has been very poor. Accompanying Aubameyang at the top of the attack, the striker has only six goals in 39 games played.
Rutter (28M€)
George Rutter. Center forward (Hoffenheim) – €28.2m / EFE/AFP
At the time he was one of the great promises of French football, especially in the lower categories. A Leeds team at a critical moment paid almost 30 million for him, but he was not the savior they expected and the team ended up being relegated. Rutter only played one game as a starter in the Premier and even played matches with the under-21 team. The demotion has helped him establish himself in the starting team with a good performance (four goals and nine assists in 26 games).
Sulemana (25M€)
Kamaldeen Sulemana (forward): 33.8 million euros (Stade Rennais, 20 years old) / AFP
Kamaldeen Sulemana had a meteoric rise. After exploding in the Danish league he arrived at Rennes, where he demonstrated an innate dribbling ability. Southampton took over his services looking to avoid relegation, something they could not achieve. Now playing in the Championship, where he should be one of the figures in the category, he is not being able to be decisive and has not yet scored this season.
Kiwior (25M€)
Jakub Kiwior (left), during Poland’s match in Wales / AFP
Only 22 games in all competitions for the 23-year-old Polish centre-back since he arrived at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has not fully trusted the former Spezia player, who was a bet from the club after his good performance in Serie A. In England he has not had continuity.
2024-01-05 03:42:13
#expensive #signings #winter
Chelsea’s ups and downs made a victory on a picturesque field like Luton essential. Mauricio Pochettino is in the eye of the storm this season, in which he cannot stand. It seemed like he had everything to experience a great victory, but he ended up tight. The London team was winning 3 to 0 and flourished against the humble, recently promoted team, but they slowed down and ended up calling the time when after the home team’s double discount all the ghosts appeared. Finally, the 3-2 score meant relief for the Argentine coach, who had been highly questioned in recent hours, who once again gave minutes to Enzo Fernández, already recovered from an injury that had prevented him from playing in the last two games.
Sterling, on the verge of missing a very clear scoring chance for Chelsea, when the match against Wolverhampton was 0-0… – Credits: @TV Capture
Chelsea, a great team that is still in low times, experienced a new disappointment this Sunday by losing 2-1 at Wolverhampton, in the last match of the 18th day of the Premier League. With this eighth defeat of the league season, Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino is left in a delicate situation. His team is tenth in the table with 22 points, 18 points behind the leader Arsenal and 17 from the podium, which is completed by Liverpool (2nd) and Aston Villa (3rd).
In this Sunday’s match, the only one on the English league schedule, the ‘Wolves’ opened the scoring thanks to the Gabonese Mario Lemina, who scored with a header from a corner kick taken by the Spanish Pablo Sarabia, in the 51st minute. Matt Doherty, in the area, signed Wolverhampton’s second already at 90+3. The Frenchman Christopher Nkunku, who had entered the game in the 58th minute, pulled one back for Chelsea at 90+6, scoring with a header after a cross from Raheem Sterling, but there was no time for the Londoners to avoid defeat. Chelsea paid dearly for their mistakes in the first half, in which they had a high number of opportunities, but without aim.
Pochettino speaks with Lesley Ugochukwu: the coach does not find solutions – Credits: @Rui Vieira
”We are very disappointed because I think we deserved much more. “This competition hurts you when you are not clinical enough,” Pochettino told Sky Sports. ”We are a young team. We have players who are in this league for the first time and need to adapt,” he noted. It is Chelsea’s fourth defeat in its last six games in the Premier League, a terrible balance for a team that is unable to get back on track and that is light years away from the level that allowed it to win the Champions League in 2021.
Chelsea had two very clear chances during the game, the first at 31 minutes into the first half through Raheem Sterling who missed an incredible one-on-one when he had two teammates at his side and in the second half, at 18′, the Portuguese Toti saved a shot from Frenchman Christopher Nkunku on the line that could have been 1-1.
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The goal that Sterling missed with the game 0-0
Chelsea, now owned by Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital group, has spent around 900 million pounds (1,034 million euros) on signing players in the last three transfer windows. In the last European summer he made the most expensive move in the history of the Premier League: he brought in the Ecuadorian Moisés Caicedo – from Brighton – for 133 million euros. Just six months earlier he had bought Enzo Fernández, new world champion with Argentina, for 121 million euros, from Benfica (Portugal).
Enzo Fernández watched the match from the audience – Credits: @TV Capture
Precisely Fernández, called to be the axis of the team, watched the game this afternoon from the audience, due to being injured. On Wednesday he asked to leave during the first half in the League Cup match against Newcastle – which Chelsea won. He has been suffering from pubalgia for weeks, and for now he has not been able to fully recover. In fact, his teammates consoled him after Wednesday’s victory, while he remained glassy-eyed.
The hiring of Pochettino has not yet provoked the reaction that was expected, after the chaotic previous season in terms of coaches. Boehly, who bought the club due to the obligation to sell that fell on Roman Abramovich due to the invasion of Ukraine, brought in four technical directors during the 2022/23 season: Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard.
Twelfth in the previous season, Chelsea was left out of all European cups. His efforts and motivations are concentrated in the Premier League. What has been achieved so far is very little. Taking into account Boehly’s impatience in an activity, football, in which he invests for the first time and is unaware of its dynamics, is Pochettino on the line, even though he has a contract until June 2025? ?
This Sunday’s match in Wolverhampton had been preceded by some controversy due to the protest of sectors of the fans and some protagonists of the duel when it was played on Christmas Eve. He had not played in the Premier League on December 24 since 1995. Pochettino himself had protested for personal reasons: “I am not happy because the 23rd is the anniversary with my wife and the 24th is an important date at night for Argentines. Neither the fans are happy with this decision nor am I happy with it.” And he continued: “We are going to have to train on the 25th. We can’t stop because we have another game on the 27th. I’m not going to complain, but (Crystal) Palace played on Thursday against Brighton. There is a difference in recovery. The organization should improve because it is not fair.”
The following day, the nineteenth, will be the last of the first round in the English championship and will be played from Tuesday to Thursday. On Tuesday, on the traditional ‘Boxing Day’ of December 26, Liverpool travel to Burnley’s field and Aston Villa visit Manchester United that same day. Leader Arsenal, which has one point more than Liverpool and Aston Villa, will host West Ham (6th) on Thursday. Manchester City (5th), recently returned from Saudi Arabia, where they won the Club World Cup on Friday, beating Brazilian Fluminense 4-0 in the final, play on Wednesday at Everton’s field (16th). That same day, the Chelsea and Pochettino players will test themselves in front of their own audience, at the Stamford Bridge stadium, where they will host Crystal Palace, another London team.
Conor Gallagher, the gesture that illustrates this Chelsea moment – Credits: @Rui Vieira
2023-12-24 20:41:30
#Chelsea #free #fall #lost #Enzo #Fernández #stands #Pochettino #targeted
Enzo Fernández lived two very particular days in Chelsea: in the first he was not a starter for the first time since his arrival at the Premier League and today he left the field at 30 minutes of the game.
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Consequently, Mauricio Pochettino was in the eye of the storm due to the exclusion of the World champion from the starting team. However, the former Tottenham manager explained why he took out the Argentine.
In dialogue with the media, the strategist highlighted: “He was feeling a little sick before the game. “He didn’t feel at all well, and when the game started, he didn’t go in the best way.”
“I asked him how he was and he asked to leave. Let’s hope it’s nothing important,” completed the current technical director of the London team, who saw how his team was eliminated from the EFL Cup against Newcastle on penalties.
In this way, the midfielder who emerged from River brought peace of mind to Lionel Scaloni and company ahead of the Copa América. Thus, he is expected to return in optimal conditions with the Blues.
Attention Scaloni! Enzo Fernández set off the alarms in Chelsea
The Blues coach decided to take out Enzo Fernández 30 minutes into the first half, who came out with an injury, in the qualification for the semifinal against Newcastle for the EFL Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino was forced to do without Enzo Fernández, who retired with pronounced gestures of pain 30 minutes into the first half. It should be noted that at the weekend, the player did not start for the first time since his arrival at Chelsea, due to a technical decision by the Argentine coach, in the 2-0 victory against Sheffield United in the Premier League.
2023-12-19 23:41:20
#Pochettino #explained #Enzo #Fernández #worried #Scaloni