Arsene Wenger will take Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey on Arsenal’s mini-tour of Scandinavia this weekend as he attempts to build up their match fitness in time for the start of the new season. Ramsey returned to pre-season training this week, having reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 with Wales last month. Sanchez won the Copa America with Chile and has only just come back to pre-season at London Colney. Wenger wants both players to be ready for the visit of Liverpool on 14 August and so will involve both this week. Arsenal will face FK Viking in Stavanger in Norway on Friday night, and then Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Gothenburg in Sweden on Sunday evening. Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud will not be involved, and nor will Mesut … [Read more...]
Oscar double lifts Blues pass AC Milan
Chelsea came away 3-1 winners over AC Milan, as an Oscar brace helped Antonio Conte's team end their U.S. tour with a convincing result. The West London club secured a victory in their International Champions Cup finale in front of a sold-out 64,101-strong crowd in the first sporting event ever to be held at US Bank Stadium, the brand-new, $1.1-billion home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Second-half substitute Oscar scored the decisive tally from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, after Keisuke Honda had been guilty of handling a Cesar Azpilicueta cross in the box, and then the Brazil international added an insurance goal three minutes before full-time. With star wide men Eden Hazard and Pedro, plus new striker Michy Batshuayi, on the bench in the … [Read more...]
Kante praises Chelsea boss Antonio Conte
New Chelsea signing N'Golo Kante has praised manager Antonio Conte in his first interview at the club, saying the Italian played a big role in his decision to swap champions Leicester City for the Blues. Kante joined Chelsea from Claudio Ranieri's side in a £32million deal last month, and has impressed Conte so much during his six days of training that the Chelsea manager is set to start the midfielder in the club's next game against AC Milan at the US Bank Stadium on Thursday morning. Kante has also been left impressed with Chelsea's new manager, and admitted in his first interview at the club that the former Italy and Juventus boss' passion and dedication to details was a big reason why he made the "difficult" decision to forsake Champions League football … [Read more...]
Ahmed Musa shines as Spanish champions beat Leicester in Stockholm
After succumbing to a 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, Leicester City were edged out by Barcelona in a six-goal thriller. Leicester City showed commendable resolve to go toe-to-toe with Barcelona in the International Champions Cup, though they eventually fell to a 4-2 loss in Stockholm. The Premier League champions, gearing up for their first Champions League campaign, had been thrashed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in California on Sunday and needed a much-improved second-half showing to avoid a similar outcome on Wednesday. Claudio Ranieri's men found Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi in fine form in the first half, teeing up a brace for Munir either side of the former Liverpool forward's fine individual effort. Ahmed Musa was introduced at the … [Read more...]
Salah completes Chelsea exit with permanent move to Roma
Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah has completed a permanent move to Serie A club Roma. Salah makes the move after a successful loan spell at Roma last season, in which he helped the club to third place in the table. The Egyptian joined Chelsea from Swiss club Basel in 2014 but spent the second part of that season on loan at Fiorentina before his temporary move to Roma. .@22mosalah has completed a permanent transfer to Italian club Roma... https://t.co/vVCZYpg23Y - Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 3, 2016 Roma president James Pallotta has said he wants the Serie A club to emulate the likes of Leicester City, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla by being successful on a smaller budget. A statement on the official Chelsea website said: "Chelsea Football Club … [Read more...]
Kante to play against AC Milan-Conte
N'Golo Kante will make his Chelsea debut against AC Milan on Thursday, Antonio Conte has confirmed. Summer signing Kante, who joined from Premier League champions Leicester for £32million this summer, has yet to feature for Chelsea after being given an extended break following France's run to the Euro 2016 final. The midfielder has joined up with his new team-mates for their final International Champions Cup clash against Milan on Thursday at the new $1bn US Bank Stadium. And despite only starting training with the squad last Thursday, Kante has already shown enough to Conte for the Italian to play his new No. 7 against Vincenzo Montella's Serie A side. Conte said: "Kante is in good shape and I found him in very good condition. "Now he is working … [Read more...]
Wayne Rooney Man Utd testimonial ends in stalemate
Wayne Rooney’s testimonial ended in a 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Everton. The game was streamed live on Facebook, and both managers picked strong line-ups. United and England captain Rooney played 52 minutes at Old Trafford as his testimonial against his former club doubled up as a stern Premier League warm-up. Rooney got the chance to play alongside new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a promising attacking formation that also featured Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial. The front pair linked well, with Ibrahimovic often dropping deep. “I said many years ago the perfect partner for a striker is Wayne Rooney,” said Swede Ibrahimovic in an interview aired before the game by MUTV. “He works not only for himself but for the striker and the … [Read more...]