The club owner was a spectator at the team’s Cobham training ground where he met with directors and coaches to find out why the Blues are struggling this season.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has held a second meeting with manager Andre Villas-Boas in just four days as he tries to figure out why the club have struggled this season.

According to the Daily Mail, Abramovich has told his Portuguese boss to sort out results after the Blues blew a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Manchester United, a result which left the club struggling to hold on to fourth place in the Premier League.

The Blues currently trail leaders Manchester City by 14 points, a damning gap considering their pedigree as title contenders in every year since the Russian bought the club.

It is also reported that the Russian brought in director of football Michael Emenalo for talks in a further bid to explain the team’s recent failings.

Villas-Boas has been quoted as saying he does not mind the owner coming down to the training pitch, saying, “Roman is always very interested in the running of events and it was good for the team to feel his presence.

“We touched a little bit, of course, on next year’s project but mainly on Sunday’s game.

It is alleged that Abramovich asked Villas-Boas for his team’s tactics the day before the United match and his presence at the Cobham training pitch has been taken as a sign that the manager could be under pressure with any bid for a title challenge seemingly at an end.

… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The Blues held talks with the 21-year-old attacking midfielder in January, with player almost certain to move to the England in the summer and ready to sound out interested clubs.

Chelsea is leading the race to sign Lille sensation Eden Hazard and held discussions with the attacking midfielder’s representatives in January, Goal.com can reveal.

The 30 million-pounds-rated Belgian is almost certain to leave Lille at the end of the season and spoke to Blues officials last month with a view to a summer move.

Goal.com understands Hazard also spoke to at least one other club – believed to be Tottenham – and plans to sound out other interested Premier League teams between now and the summer before deciding on his future.

Liverpool and Manchester City have expressed an interest in Hazard while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made little secret of his desire to bring the 21-year-old to Emirates Stadium.

Hazard told French television last month that he has decided he will move to England at the end of the season amid interest from a host of elite clubs across Europe.

Chelsea is in the driver's seat to land the starlet having discussed personal terms and spoken to the player's representatives in January, with Lille's knowledge, about how it plans to integrate him into the side alongside the likes of Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge.

Hazard, who has been heavily scouted by the Blues, is also attracted to the prospect of linking up with compatriots Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge.

But he is also tempted by interest from other Premier League sides, such as Arsenal or Spurs, with a regular starting spot and Champions League football the two prerequisites before he definitively agrees to a switch.

Hazard is understood to be ‘very indecisive’ about where he wants to play next season and while Chelsea is the favorite, he is slightly concerned that he may find himself out of the Blues team, like Lukaku, potentially hampering his development.

Hazard – last season’s Ligue 1 player of the year – is also a target for mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain but has expressed his desire to test himself in English football.

"I want to play in England because it a style of play that I like," Hazard told Canal+ last month. "I want to play for a big club, but also one where I will play every week.

"I've played more than 100 games in Ligue 1 so I would prefer to go abroad. I want to discover something new and playing abroad is a conscious decision."

One of the major factors in Hazard’s next club will be Lille’s asking price of around 30 million pounds for one of the hottest prospects in European football. Only a handful of clubs can afford to pay such a sum and the French title holders are believed to be willing to let Hazard hold talks with interested clubs over the next six months.

Tottenham has emerged as a surprise contender for Hazard’s signature and he has been personally scouted by manager Harry Redknapp on at least four occasions since the start of last year. Spurs are currently third in the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal, and are making plans to improve the squad for a title push should they finish in the top four this season.

But the north London club is unlikely to be able to find a move for Hazard unless star winger Gareth Bale is sold in the summer, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both ready to ramp up their interest.

Manchester City is monitoring Hazard’s situation but is mindful that the club already has David Silva, Samir Nasri and Adam Johnson who play in a similar role while it faces a battle to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

Arsenal has been continually been linked with a move for Hazard since he emerged as a regular for Lille, who he joined as a youth team player at the age of 14.

Wenger spoke glowingly of his admiration for Hazard in an interview with the Belgian press earlier this week and suggested he is ready to enter the running to sign the player.

"I like him a lot, for many reasons," the Arsenal boss told la Dernière Heure. "He has creative power, an ability to misalign opponents, his skill to make the final pass make him a player to covet.

"Hazard is a player who has a profile to play at a high level club, and Arsenal are a high-level club."

Hazard, who can play either wide or centrally behind the frontline, has played made 21 appearances in Ligue 1 this season, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists.

… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The former Argentina boss insisted he hadn't received an approach about the Emirati coaching role while a leading UAE official said he had been shortlisted for the job.

Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona has denied he has been approached to take over the UAE national team job despite the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) chairman stating the two parties were in discussions.

Maradona has been one of many big names, including Giovanni Trapattoni, Marcello Lippi, Marco Van Basten, Dick Advocaat and Abel Braga, linked with the UAE job which is currently occupied on an interim basis by Abdullah Misfir following Srecko Katanec's sacking last September.

UAE FA chairman Yousef Al Serkal told Sport360 last week a three-man shortlist had been formed and added, “Yes, we have spoken to Maradona along with two other prominent names."

However, when speaking to reporters, Maradona denied any approach had been made by the UAE FA, saying, "I swear on my grandson Benjamin's life that no approach was made about this.

"I'm happy to hear about the interest and of course it would be an honour to coach the team. I will continue to coach Wasl and I'm happy doing this that's why I'm here. I have a commitment with the club and I'm happy to prepare them for the next match."

Earlier this week, Al Serkal labelled speculation linking Trapattoni with the job as "completely baseless".
… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

Klinsmann believes it will be a tough task for the U.S. to earn a medal next summer in London but he will look to help coach Caleb Porter build a solid roster.

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Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The former Spain international, who played for both clubs, has fond memories of his time at Mestalla when Los Che were more than a match for their Catalan rivals.

Gaizka Mendieta is hoping that Valencia can roll back the years when it tackles Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal tie at Camp Nou on Wednesday night.

The former Spain international represented both La Liga outfits during his playing days but he is best remembered for his exploits at Mestalla.

Indeed, Mendieta was an integral member of the Los Che lineup which made it to back-to-back Champions League finals at the turn of the millennium only to be beaten by Real Madrid in the 2000 tournament decider before losing to Bayern Munich on penalites the following year.

However, Mendieta always enjoyed playing against Barca, which it defeated on its way to its first-ever appearance in Europe's showpiece event.

"In my day it was Valencia who, somehow, had the measure of Barcelona, when we used to face them in the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa," he told Marca.

Claudio Lopez was often the match-winner when Mendieta's Valencia used to take on the Catalans and the 37-year-old Basque believes that Roberto Soldado is Los Che's modern-day equivalent "because of the goals and the performances he is producing for the club".

Mendieta, who was capped 40 times by his country, spent nine years at Mestalla before making a big-money move to Lazio in 2001, but he was loaned out to Barcelona the following year.

… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The new Taeguk Warriors coach is already learning about the difficulties of international football, with concerns about preparation time and his players' lack of match action.

South Korea coach Choi Kang-Hee says he is concerned by star striker Park Chu-Young's lack of game action at Arsenal ahead of his nation's vital 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on Feb. 29.

Choi traveled to the United Kingdom in the past week to watch several Europe-based Koreans in action, but all all on his itinerary failed to see any playing time.

Park's lack of minutes is the most pressing concern for Choi, with the Korea skipper only managing five appearances for the Gunners since joining them from Monaco in August.

“He has at least some positive thoughts, as he is with a world-class team like Arsenal,” Choi told reporters at Incheon International Airport upon his return. “But he is not playing in games and I felt that Park is not on [Arsenal coach Arsene] Wenger’s mind.”

Choi's comments hinted he may ponder overlooking Park for the clash, which Korea must get a result from to progress to the fourth round of World Cup qualifying through Asia.

The only South Korean to take to the park over the weekend in the United Kingdom was the retired Park Ji-Sung, as Celtic pair Ki Sung-Yueng and Cha Du-Ri along with Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won all missed out.

“I haven’t really learned much [from my trip]," Choi said. "Since players in foreign leagues are not playing in their games, I have a lot to consider.”

The Taeguk Warriors boss also admitted he was concerned by the lack of time available for preparation for the game later this month, with FIFA rules requiring clubs release players only four days in advance of the international date. Given travel times, Choi said that created a difficult situation.

“In reality, if we consider each club’s situation, I think they will be able to join the team on Feb. 27,” Choi said. “But it’s impossible that those players can show a strong performance with the team in just a day.”

… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The Iraqi Football Association has lodged an official objection after Sunday's 2012 London Olympics qualifier with UAE, claiming the game's only goalscorer was ineligible.

The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has moved to clarify complaints from the Iraqi national team which claimed its opponents fielded an ineligible player in the 1-0 Emirati win in 2012 London Olympics qualifying in Doha on Sunday.

The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) claimed the game's only goalscorer Ahmed Ali was a player who was beyond the legal under-23 age for Olympic qualifiers.

It's understood the IFA put forward an official objection to the Asian Football Confederation on Ali's age. An IFA source said they believed Ali was born in 1984.

However, UAE FA moved quickly to clarify the situation citing that Ali's player profile on his club Bani Yas' website was incorrectly filled out.

Ali was actually born on January 28 1990, meaning he is eligible at just 22 years old. The striker has missed most of the 2011-12 season due to a tibia injury, which meant he missed much of UAE's Olympic qualifying campaign already.
… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The ex-Arsenal and England defender is reported to be the next name on the list of the mega-rich Super League club which signed Nicolas Anelka in December.

Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua are reported to be in talks over a potential move for Stoke City defender Matthew Upson.

Shenhua has already acquired the services of former Chelsea and France international Nicolas Anelka and former Bordeaux manager Jean Tigana.

The big-spending Chinese club is also known to be pursuing Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba.

However, on the topic of Upson and Drogba, Shenhua official Ma Yue told Reuters, "There is nothing confirmed. We are still in the midst of discussions."

Upson, 32, has endured a difficult campaign at the Premier League club having made just seven league appearances after joining in the summer as a free agent.

However, The Daily Mail is reporting Stoke boss Tony Pulis wants to hold on to Upson in the short term at least, after Robert Huth's appeal to overturn his red card from the weekend's loss to Sunderland failed. … [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

The Pachuca midfielder is back on form, and with many of the USA's top players struggling, he breaks into the top 10.

This week has seen both good and bad for the top players on the list.

Sacha Kljestan continued to make his case as one of the USA's best exports with a lovely free kick over the weekend. Kljestan adding goals to his game would make him even harder to ignore for the U.S. national team.

While he was scoring, the man these rankings spent so much time praising last week, Oguchi Onyewu, was struggling. The big defender picked up a red card and conceded a penalty that was converted for the games only goal.

Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu also had a rough week, with Rangers coughing up a tough loss to Dundee United in Scottish Cup action.

Those matches will all be reflected in the rankings this week as movement continues in the lower half of the board.

Age: 28 Club: Fulham Position: Midfielder Last Week: 1 Comment: Dempsey scored in one match last week and took a 3-0 loss in the other. Fulham's inconsistent play continues, while Dempsey continues to be the club's most reliable threat.

Age: 40 Club: Tottenham Position: Goalkeeper Last Week: 2 Comments: Friedel kept a clean sheet against Liverpool but couldn't get any attacking support and had to settle for a draw.

Age: 29 Club: Everton Position: Midfielder Last Week: 3 Comments: Donovan proves weekly that he can be a major part of an EPL club, but his time with Everton is running out.

Age: 32 Club: Everton Position: Goalkeeper Last Week: 4 Comments: Howard has been in good form of late but couldn't keep his club from dropping points against Wigan.

Age: 24 Club: Chievo Position: Midfielder Last Week: 5 Comments: Bradley's club took another loss over the weekend to Parma, but he continues to star in the midfield.

Age: 26 Club: Anderlecht Position: Midfielder Last Week: 7 Comment: Kljestan continues to climb up the rankings and his free-kick goal was worth moving up another spot this week.

Age: 32 Club: Rangers Position: Defender Last Week: 6 Comments: Bocanegra doesn't benefit from the fact that any time his team loses to another Scottish outfit (other than Celtic) it's considered an upset.

Age: 25 Club: Rangers Position: Midfielder Last Week:  8 Comments: Edu sits just below Bocanegra but could just as easily be just above his club teammate.

Age: 24 Club: Pachuca Position: Midfielder Last Week: NR Comments: In truth, the last two spots on the list could go to any number of players. Torres seems to be finding his form and will take the ninth spot for now with his team still unbeaten in the league this term.

Age: 29 Club: Sporting Position: Defender Last Week: 9 Comments: Onyewu had a bad week, but his form really hasn't been poor at all this season. He drops down one spot and Jozy Altidore leaves the list.

… [more]

Source: www.goal.com/en-us

De Rossi has a chance to build a lasting legacy at Roma similar to NBA veterans Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant, who have never switched teams.

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Source: www.goal.com/en-us