Premier League
AM GLAD TOP-4 CHASE IS IN CHELSEA’S HANDS, SAYS LAMPARD
With Chelsea in an intense battle for a Champions League spot for next season, manager Frank Lampard has warned his team that it is all in their hands not to slip up at the crucial moments.
Speaking yesterday ahead of today’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, the 42-year-old said: “It (pressure) ramps up game by game. I enjoy it. That’s what we’re in it for, what it’s all about.
“The position we’re in means a lot is in our own hands. That’s the main thing. We need to get everything right that we can control. We need to handle the pressure.”
The Blues are in fourth place on 57 points, two above Manchester United and just one behind Leicester, who travel to Arsenal today.
With five games left and all to play for, the pressure is high, especially with a tight schedule.
But the positive thing about having back-to-back matches is that teams can bounce back quickly and not risk losing momentum.
The Blues have demonstrated just that, winning 3-0 at Watford on Saturday following a surprise 3-2 defeat at West Ham last Wednesday.
Lampard’s men were on a three-match winning run in all competitions following the coronavirus hiatus, and barring the West Ham loss, they are showing the consistency they need to finish in the top four.
When asked about “bouncing back”, the Chelsea boss said: “Not sure we were off track…
“Palace are a good team, very organised defensively. I want us to approach that game in the right way.”
He also praised Christian Pulisic, 21, as one to watch after the American forward scored two goals in his last four league games. But he stopped short of comparing him to former Chelsea star Eden Hazard.
“(Hazard) had a special talent straight away of being able to receive a ball and have great balance and go past players so well. He would draw a lot of players towards him to open up space for others,” he said. “Christian is more direct at times, which I like. He has an ability to break the line and run forward.
“In terms of comparison, I stay away because Eden has been here and done it. Christian has it in his hands to make a real impact over time.”
Palace, in 14th, have lost their last three games without scoring. This comes after a run of four wins without conceding.
“Chelsea looked good before the break and continued that after,” said manager Roy Hodgson.
“It would be a very difficult game. All we can do is prepare. We’ll do our best to make life difficult for them.”
Palace have no fresh injuries while Chelsea are missing Mateo Kovacic, Fikayo Tomori and N’Golo Kante, who picked up a hamstring injury in the Watford game.
Jorginho, who was on the bench for Chelsea’s past four games, could take Kante’s place today.
Lampard said: “He has been professional, he wants to play, he always trains well. We’ll see about my selection tomorrow.”
-The Straits Times
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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