Chelsea is a fitter team now

November 20, 2016 |   |  Blog

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has stated that Chelsea is a fitter team under Antonio Conte than they were under Jose Mourinho.


He said that he has not run that much during a pre-season with any other teams. He said that Antonio Conte is a manager that place a lot of emphasis on fitness and that he wants to make sure that his players are ready for physical battles.

John Obi Mikel said that Antonio Conte makes use of double training sessions in order to improve the fitness levels of the players and this is definitely helping the team. He said that Antonio Conte has brought many changes to the team and that he has also changed the way the players eat. John Obi Mikel believes that this will improve the way the team plays and that the benefit will be seen during the course of the season.

John Obi Mikel admitted that Chelsea was not fit enough last season and this was evident in the way the players perform on the pitch. He said that some players lack energy last season and this was one of the reasons why the team performs poorly. He believes that things have changed for the better this season and that the players have become fitter. Read more

Philipp Lahm doesn’t appreciate Decision of European Football Associations’ Union

October 22, 2016 |   |  Blog

Philipp Lahm doesn’t appreciate and is not in agreement of the decision of the European Football Associations’ Union to increase the representation of the bigger competitions in the main draw of the European Cup.


Premiership, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A are the four biggest competitions in the continent at the moment and while, they already have quite a big representation in the main draw, UEFA reckons it needs to be increased.
Earlier, the teams finishing first, second and third in the Premiership, Bundesliga and La Liga respectively and those finishing first and second in the Serie A would make it to the main draw.

However, now there would be four representatives in the main draw from each of those competitions which means the title holders of the top divisions of some of the other countries would have to miss out and it seems unfair to Lahm.
Lahm’s side had just completed a 5-0 annihilation of a top division team from Russia, but, he still voiced support for smaller teams.
Read more

RANIERI WINS PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

June 30, 2016 |   |  Blog

The manager of newly crowned winners of the English Premier League, Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri was given the award of Barclays Premier League Manager of the Year and League Managers’ Association Manager of the Year awards on Monday.


The Italy International received the recognition for his incredible work with The Foxes this past season as the team shared the news via Twitter.

Expected to battle relegation for much of the season, Leicester stormed out of the gate and challenged for the Premier League title all season, eventually beating out Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the first top-tier championship in their history. Ranieri’s appointment last summer was initially met with skepticism, as the Italian had been sacked from his previous job with Greece and had found limited success since his stint with Chelsea.

Ranieri’s humble, laid-back approach was exactly what Leicester needed. The 64-year-old soaked up the headlines and the media attention throughout the campaign, keeping the pressure off his players. Tactically, Ranieri opted against tinkering with his team too much and used the 4-4-2 for most of the campaign, relying on his squad’s defensive prowess and raw pace. The likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez proved perfect fits for such an approach. Read more

WILSON RULED OUT FOR IRELAND

May 29, 2016 |   |  Live Soccer

Stoke City defender Marc Wilson says that he is “gutted” after being ruled out of Euro 2016.

The Antrim native had been striving to prove his fitness for the tournament in France, which starts next month. The Aghagallon bred player, who can also play in midfield, is now set to miss the tournament. Read more

Teams to look out for at Euro 2016

March 9, 2016 |   |  Live Soccer

Although there is still plenty to play for in the remaining two months across every major domestic league in Europe, players and managers alike would be forgiven for having one eye on the upcoming European Championship in France.

The former still have time to put themselves in the picture for selection for their respective national team, with their fingers firmly crossed that that remain injury-free and do not have their hopes of participating at a major international tournament dashed. Read more