..::Football II::..

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Liverpool 0-0 Everton: Few fireworks as Merseyside rivals play out stalemate

Liverpool and Everton contested a tense Merseyside derby that ended up a 0-0 stalemate at Anfield.Clear-cut chances on goal came at a premium, with Sylvain Distin’s disallowed goal in the second half proving the major talking point in a taut encounter.The result sees Everton maintain a five point lead over its rival.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers made no changes from the lineup that demolished Newcastle 6-0 last weekend, while counterpart David Moyes made a solitary change, with Darron Gibson replacing the off-form Nikica Jelavic.

Until Marouane Fellaini guided Leighton Baines’ whipped delivery just wide of the post in the 17th minute, the usually frantic fixture was uncharacteristically shy of incident.Thereafter, Everton had Phil Jagielka to thank for a couple timely blocks, with the Toffee’s captain first denying Steven Gerrard, before lunging to prevent Phillipe Coutinho latching onto Daniel Sturridge’s tidy lay off.

Sturridge squandered decent opportunities on his favored left foot, twice dragging disappointingly wide when free on the edge of the area, while Gerrard sent a free kick whistling just wide of the post as referee Michael Oliver called time on a terse first half.

After the interval a delightful pass from Coutinho, with the outside of his boot, afforded Sturridge the chance of a one-on-one with Tim Howard, though the goalkeeper did well to snuff the striker out.Distin seemed to have given the visiting side the lead after nodding home Baines’ corner, only to see the effort controversially disallowed, with a foul called on Everton as the ball was being delivered.

Coutinho’s snapshot was comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper as Liverpool chased a winner, before Gerrard powered onto Sturridge’s through ball and beyond Howard, yet couldn’t muster enough power to fire past the recovering Distin.

As the game entered its latter stages Liverpool continued to exert pressure, though Daniel Agger could only guide Gerrard’s free kick wide of the upright, injuring his wrist in the process as the game finished in a rather uninspiring stalemate.

 

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Juventus 1-0 Palermo: Vidal spot kick seals second successive Scudetto for battling Bianconeri

Juventus claimed its second successive Serie A title with a hard-earned 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Palermo in Turin on Sunday.

The Bianconeri performed poorly but fortune smiled on them, with Fabrizio Miccoli striking the post before Arturo Vidal made the crucial breakthrough from the spot, after Massimo Donati had been penalized for a senseless shove into the back of Mirko Vucinic.

With the pressure off, Antonio Conte's men could even have added a second in the closing stages, with Fabio Quagliarella thumping a shot against the bar, and even though Paul Pogba saw red late on for spitting at Santiago Garcia, one goal still proved sufficient to secure a Scudetto that has been Juve's for the taking for some time now.

Juventus had gone into the game knowing that the team needed only a draw to clinch the title but it was clear right from the very first minute that victory was the only thing on the club's mind, with wing backs Stephan Lichsteiner and Kwadwo Asamoah taking it in turns to terrorize the Palermo defense during an early Bianconeri onslaught.

For all Andrea Pirlo’s probing, though, Juventus struggled to break through a disciplined Rosanero rearguard, which was being diligently protected by Egidio Arevalo Rios, who repeatedly pilfered possession back for his side during a dynamic display.

However, Lichsteiner pulled Palermo open just before the half-hour mark with a wonderfully weighted through ball for lone striker Mirko Vucinic, who held off Massimo Donati well only to then see Stefano Sorrentino save well with his feet.

That near miss failed to lift the Bianconeri, though, and a wayward header from Pogba was the best they could muster before the conclusion of a surprisingly ineffective first half from the home side’s perspective.

In truth, the home side did not improve much after the interval and was extremely fortunate not to have fallen behind five minutes after the restart when Fabrizio Miccoli found some space in the area for the first time and very nearly made it count, unleashing a shot that deflected off Giorgio Chiellini but then came back off the base of the right post.

However, just as it appeared that Palermo might be poised to prolong Juve's wait for the title, a rush of blood to the head allowed the home side to break the deadlock right out of the blue. Pogba lofted the ball into Vucinic, who, with his back to goal, represented little threat to the Palermo goal. However, Massimo Donati inexplicably elected to barge into the back of the Montenegrin, leaving the referee with little option but to point to the spot.

Vidal unsurprisingly punished Donati’s stupidity by coolly rolling home the resulting penalty, though his task was aided by Sorrentino’s rather bizarre decision to jump ridiculously early.

Juventus suddenly looked like a different side and Vucinic very nearly doubled the home team's advantage on 66 minutes when he connected with Pogba's chip in behind, but the striker's volley was well saved by Sorrentino.

Quagliarella then rattled the bar with a thumping strike from the edge of the area, just moments after coming on in place of Vucinic, before Pogba was sent off for spitting at Santiago Garcia during an eventful ending to an otherwise dull encounter.
Palmero pushed forward in a bid to aide their bid for survival, but to no avail, with Juventus holding on quite comfortably to spark wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.

 

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Congratulations Juventus

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Milan 1-0 Torino: Balotelli boosts Rossoneri's Champions League hopes

Mario Balotelli was Milan's savior at the San Siro, as he scored in the closing stages of the club's Serie A match against Torino to seal his side a 1-0 victory.


Fiorentina's defeat to Roma on Saturday evening meant third-place Milan had a chance to increase the gap between itself and the Viola in fourth to four points, with just three rounds of league matches left to play.

Balotelli's close-range strike in the 84th minute did just that, as a lapse in concentration from Torino was punished by the former Manchester City striker.

It was a game of few clearcut chances, though Christian Abbiati and Jean-Francois Gillet did both make smart stops in the first half. The Milan shot-stopper also produced an instinctive save to keep out an effort from Paulo Barreto on the hour mark.

The Rossoneri welcomed a handful of figures back to their starting line-up for the match, as Abbiati returned in goal, and Kevin Constant, Cristian Zapata and Muntari filled gaps left by a spate of injuries to Massimiliano Allegri's squad.

The visitors created the first chance of the game, as Alessio Cerci raced into the penalty area and curled a left foot shot with his instep that was too close to Abbiati.

A decent spell from Milan followed that Cerci shot and culminated in a couple of attempts on goal from Sulley Muntari and Balotelli. But on both occasions their efforts were kept out thanks to the alert goalkeeping of Gillet.

Torino had a glorious opportunity to go one up in the 16th minute after a missed interception from Zapata, only for Paulo Barreto to fire straight at Abbiati from 10 yards. The Brazilian was set up by a fine through ball from Migjen Basha, but he could not profit from a slip by Zapata as his tame effort was gathered greedily by Milan's goalkeeper.

Balotelli has been in inspired form for Milan in recent months, but he cut a frustrated figure in the first half as a number of flicks and passes failed to come off.

In fact, his ineffectiveness even seemed to rub off on his strike partner Stephan El Shaarawy, with the Italy international guilty of some woeful touches and passes at the beginning of the second half.

It was unsurprising, therefore, to see the young forward hauled off by Allegri in the 55th minute and replaced by Giampaolo Pazzini.

As Milan resorted to long-range efforts at goal, Torino nearly took a surprise lead following a blistering counterattack between Cerci and Barreto. The former swung a cross to the latter from the right, but Barreto's half-volley from close range was saved acrobatically by Abbiati.

A driving run and shot from Robinho late on forced Gillet into making a decent stop at his near post, before Balotelli arrived at the right time to hammer home a winner minutes later.

The Italian attacker showed good composure to sidefoot the ball past Gillet in the 84th minute, after a cross from the left was headed back across goal to him by Philippe Mexes.

 

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Manchester United 2nd Half 1ke 1ka shot 1kai​

 

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Milan 1-0 Torino: Balotelli boosts Rossoneri's Champions League hopes

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Valenciennes: Alex rises to rescue 10-man PSG

Paris Saint-Germain fell flat as the club was surprisingly held 1-1 at home by Valenciennes in Ligue 1.

Victory would have made winning a first title in 19 years a formality, but the team was to be denied by a first-half goal from Gael Danic followed by referee Castro’s controversial decision to send off home captain Thiago Silva at the end of the opening 45 minutes.

Alex did head a late leveler for PSG, which at least saved some face by avoiding defeat, even if the team will have to wait at least one more week for the title.

PSG made a nervy start to the game that was capped by the opening goal from Danic after 17 minutes. Vincent Aboubakar was given far too much room to fire a shot at goal. Nicolas Douchez could only parry into the path of the winger, who finished with ease.

To make matters worse for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, Silva was dismissed just before break for a rather benign pull on the referee’s elbow as he tried to get the official’s attention.

It seemed that the home side was to be frustrated, but Alex headed the team level with little over five minutes remaining to save face, and a point, for PSG.

PSG now faces a very tricky trip to Olympique Lyonnais next Sunday as the team attempts to lift its first league crown in 19 years. A win at Stade Gerland will secure the long-awaited title.

 

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Napoli 3-1 Inter: Cavani hat trick guarantees top-three finish for Partenopei

Napoli celebrated a guaranteed place in the Champions League next season, after recording a convincing 3-1 win over Inter on Sunday.

A week after Javier Zanetti was confirmed as being sidelined for the remainder of 2013, Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni was forced to reshuffle his back line. Fredy Guarin and Ricky Alvarez also had to be fielded as unorthodox forwards the wake of Inter's burgeoning injury list.

Walter Mazzarri had no such concerns on the night, starting Goran Pandev behind Serie A top scorer Edinson Cavani, and it was the pair who took responsibility for the Partenopei's early opener.

Pandev took control of a pass to release his strike partner, Cavani producing a masterful finish to slot the ball home. Despite the set back, the Inter came close to mustering a rapid fight back, Guarin's free kick then Alvaro Pereira's smart turn-and-shoot drawing difficult saves from Morgan De Sanctis.

Inter's endeavor was soon to pay off though, as a slick Mateo Kovacic ball found Alvarez advancing into the Napoli area, only to be barged down by the retreating Juan Zuniga. Alvarez picked himself up and promptly buried the spot kick into the low corner for a deserved 23rd minute equalizer.

Guarin tried once more to fire his side into the lead when he cut in from the flank and tested De Sanctis from an acute angle, but Samir Handanovic also had to be alert at the other end to thwart Blerim Dzemaili, who attempted to extend his recent scoring streak with a rising shot.

Zuniga eventually made up for his earlier mistake when he was brought to a crude halt by Jonathan in the Inter box. Cavani lined up the ensuing penalty, making no mistake from 12 yards for his 100th goal in Napoli colors.

Despite furtive penalty calls from Guarin and Zdravko Kuzmanovic, it was Handanovic who had to stay alert on Hamsik's attempt to prevent the scoreline from degenerating further before the halftime break.

Proccedings were brought back to life in the 66th minute when the San Paolo crowd rose in anticipation of Cavani getting on the end of Zuniga's pull back, but the Uruguay marksman made a hash of his shot to fire wide of the woodwork.

The in-demand striker was to swiftly make amends. Pandev made inroads down the left again, before swinging the ball into the center which a rash Handanovic completely misjudged, leaving Cavani with the simplest of tap ins to spark rapturous celebrations from the Napoli faithful.

Inter barely troubled Mazzarri's men until the final whistle, leaving the ambitious southern outfit to celebrate an assured return to the Champions League next season.

Inter's ninth away loss of the season leaves the club in a distant eighth position, with the prospects of European football diminishing very rapidly for Stramaccioni as the season draws to its close.

 

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Cavani Patta!​

 

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Barcelona 4-2 Real Real Betis: Magical Messi puts Blaugrana on brink of title

Barcelona was forced to come from behind but managed to secure a vital 4-2 victory over an impressive Real Betis outfit at Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi began the game from the bench and would have been dismayed to see his side concede to Dorlan Pabon in just the second minute. Alexis Sanchez equalized shortly after but a stunning Ruben Perez effort restored the advantage for Pepe Mel's men at halftime.

Having missed a string of chances in the first half David Villa eventually got a goal before being replaced by Messi, who turned the game around with two goals of the highest quality.

After the 3-0 humbling by Bayern Munich in midweek, Barca's fortunes looked unlikely to improve as the club found itself behind within two minutes.

A clearance from Pinto was headed straight back at the defense by Alex Martinez and Jorge Molina helped it in behind. It appeared to be a lost cause, but the searing pace of Pabon saw him race through unopposed and meet the ball before sliding it into the bottom corner.

The home side was not behind for long, though, as Andres Iniesta glided down the left side of the box and clipped a brilliant cross to the back post which Alexis nodded in.

The Blaugrana were controlling possession and, while Betis still posed a threat on the counterattack, the team missed myriad opportunities to take the lead with Villa the chief culprit.

The deluge of chances continued but Villa, who had already wasted two golden opportunities, was twice more thwarted by the Betis keeper. Having seen his first effort saved from an acute angle, the former Valencia man failed to find the next from six yards after Cristian Tello's cutback.

The young winger then saw an effort of his own bounce off the line after rattling the crossbar and Barca's profligacy proved costly on the stroke of halftime.

With 43 minutes played Nosa Igiebor dispossessed Alexis and rolled the ball back to Perez who arrowed a stunning effort into the top corner from in excess of 30 yards.

With Barcelona still behind early in the second half, Vilanova prepared to bring Messi on and the Argentine seemed to influence things without even stepping on the pitch.

He watched from the sidelines as Villa finally got his goal, making the most of a lapse in concentration from Amaya to head his side level in the 55th minute before being replaced by the 25-year-old.

Five minutes later Messi announced himself by scoring his 45th Liga goal of the season with a majestic left-footed free kick that sailed into the top corner.

Messi was denied by the woodwork from another free kick in the 69th minute but two minutes later he finished a stunning team goal. Iniesta's flick was laid across goal by Alexis, gifting the Argentine the simplest of finishes at the end of a flowing move.

With the result decided Betis became less adventurous and the Catalan giant was able to cruise to final whistle and restore an 11 point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid with four games remaining.

 

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Messi ge 1st goal 1kath Patta!

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Vilanova: Judge my Barcelona reign next season

The Blaugrana boss admits that he may have been guilty of making mistakes during his first season in charge, but is ready to "do things differently" next term
Tito Vilanova has urged critics of his Barcelona reign to judge him next season after watching his side record a 4-2 victory over Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday.

The Blaugrana are only two points short of clinching the league title with four matches remaining, but they have faced criticism from various sections of the media for their perceived defensive frailties and elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.

However, the Barca boss is the first to admit that he may have made mistakes during his first term in charge of the Catalans after succeeding Pep Guardiola last year, and has vowed to "do things differently" in the forthcoming campaign.
"One must improve and be self-critical. It's been a tough year for injuries. The coach has not been around for over two months and it's not been easy," he told reporters.

"Next year, we'll do things differently, but it is normal because it is only my first year. If we had not managed [Lionel] Messi's injury well, he would not have reached the same match against Betis to help."Tomorrow [on Monday] I'm off to New York and back on Thursday. It was all planned, and during this process you have to be in control of everything."

Vilanova then reflected on FCB's victory over the Andalusians and felt that they displayed "character" to come back from going a goal down inside the first two minutes at Camp Nou, before challenging his players to wrap up the championship next week.

"We needed tranquility and this was the game to find it. The players were convinced too and to concede a goal in just the second minute is not easy, but we showed character," the 44-year-old added."Especially when they [Betis] score a second before the break. It was a matter of not losing our heads.

"Our consistency in the league has been demonstrated. Madrid have been outstanding during the second half [of the season], so we must add two points next week because Madrid will not drop any more."

 

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Conte: I'll never stop thanking my team

The 43-year-old coach heaped praise on his side for winning consecutive league titles and has cited the defeat to Inter earlier in the campaign as the worst moment of the season.Juventus boss Antonio Conte has paid tribute to his team having being crowned champion of Italy for a second successive year following a 1-0 victory over Palermo.

The Bianconeri went into Sunday's match knowing a point would be sufficient in securing back-to-back Scudetto titles and, speaking to Sky Italia after the game, the 43-year-old coach revealed he is forever indebted to his squad for successfully defending its Serie A crown.

"We are happy and satisfied. The credit goes to the players who have been extraordinary for the entire season. I am proud of them as it was not easy to win another championship," he told Sky Italia.

"The Champions League sapped some energy out of us, but the team were outstanding in all respects. I'll never stop thanking them.

"I must also thank the club and my staff, especially for their work at the start of the season because of my ban."

The 43-year-old then reflected on a number of difficult moments on the journey to retaining the title and believes the defeat to Inter in November - which ended Juve's 49-game unbeaten streak - prompted a sense of mortality within the squad.

"Most difficult moment of the season? The home defeat to Inter made us reflect on many things after the beginning of the season had gone so positively," said Conte.

"Against the Nerazzurri came our first defeat. The result brought our feet back to the ground. The match that made me feel sick to the stomach was the one at home against Sampdoria."

Juventus bowed out of Europe after going down 4-0 to Bayern Munich over two legs in the Champions League, but Conte believes the club's two recent league titles more than make up for its perceived failure on the continental stage.

He added: "The Champions League? After our elimination against Bayern, we were on the receiving end of criticism. There was talk beforehand that Juventus was not on the Bavarians level, but after the first leg I remained quiet as the German side was superior.

"The essence of Juve is winning, we always aim to win every tournament in which we participate. At the end of the season, I shall speak with the club. The fans must be satisfied, first and foremost though, because in these two years we have forged ahead together."

 

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Galatasaray wraps up league title

Fatih Terim's side has now won its domestic league 19 times, making it the most successful team in the competition's history.Galatasaray is the champion of Turkey for the second successive season after a 4-2 victory over Sivasspor sealed the league title.

Striker Burak Yilmaz scored twice, while midfielder Selcuk Inan was also on target with a double on a vociferous occasion at the Turk Telekom Arena.

The last 10 minutes did not go to plan, with the visiting side netting two consolation strikes and Umut Bulut receiving a red card, but by then the title celebrations were already well under way.

Fatih Terim’s team has now won the league 19 times in the club's history, with this success moving the team above Fenerbahce's 18 at the outright top of the all-time list. Besiktas comes third with 13 titles.

With three games left to play going into the weekend, Gala had held a seven-point advantage over rival Fenerbache, which had lost to Benfica in the Europa League semifinals earlier this week.

That meant Gala’s victory sealed the title, although ultimately even a defeat would have been enough as Aykut Kocaman’s side suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to relegation candidate Istanbul BB.

January signings Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder both started the match, with the Dutchman replaced on 58 minutes, while the Ivorian played the full game alongside Burak in attack.

Gala has won seven domestic games in a row and faces Fenerbahce next week with the title already in the bag before rounding off the league season against Trabzonspor.

 

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Congratulations Galatasaray

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Sir Alex insists red-carded Rafael was provoked by Luiz

The fullback was dismissed for a rash kick on his fellow Brazilian late on in the game, but the United boss insists it was retaliation for provocation which went unpunished.David Luiz provoked Rafael into kicking out at him by elbowing him twice in the closing stages of Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester United, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rafael was shown a straight red card late on by Howard Webb after lashing out at Luiz near the corner flag as United chased an equalizer.

Luiz appeared to rile his fellow Brazilian in the seconds leading up to the incident by forcefully shielding the ball, and was caught on camera smiling as he lay on the floor after being kicked.

"It was the elbows," Sir Alex told Sky Sports after the match. "He retaliated. That’s always happened. The player that retaliates always gets the bigger penalty. It was quite clear that Luiz has elbowed him, twice actually, and it’s rash what he’s doing. He’s a young lad and he should know better that retaliation never works.

"I wouldn’t say it was violent conduct. The referee hasn’t even seen it, I don’t think he can see it at all. But he’s gone with the fact that Luiz has rolled about on the floor and I think that’s convinced him it’s a red card."

The United boss also criticized the performance of Webb and the actions of Chelsea players during the match, though he conceded the Blues were worthy winners.

"We weren’t getting anything from the referee," he added. "It was a bit of a lucky goal – it’s deflected off of Phil Jones – so we had bad luck for that but I can’t make any excuses for my players in terms of our performance. Certainly the referees’ decisions went against us I thought. They surrounded the referee all day, four and five players all the time. I think that affected the referee.

"We’ve taken our foot off the pedal in a big way and there was no real edge to our game all day and I think Chelsea have deserved to win. Unfortunately it’s controversial, it sometimes is when you play Chelsea, quite a lot of times. But we can’t complain, we didn’t play well enough."

 

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Benitez: Tottenham clash will be a 'final for both teams'

The interim manager guided his side to a vital win over Manchester United to take pole position in the race for Champions League football.MANCHESTER -- Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez believes Wednesday’s clash against Tottenham will be a "final for both teams" as his side closes in on a place in next season's Champions League.

A win against Spurs at Stamford Bridge will guarantee the Blues a top-four finish thanks to their far superior goal difference, following their dramatic victory at Manchester United on Sunday through Juan Mata's deflected 87th-minute strike.

"Wednesday will be a final for both teams," Benitez told reporters. "We are in the driving seat and hopefully we can get three points against Tottenham. If we win we’ll be in the Champions League, but obviously Tottenham are a good team.

"It’s still crucial for us, but it’s even more important to them. I think there will be a great atmosphere in Stamford Bridge."

Chelsea took advantage of a lackluster performance from United to leapfrog over Arsenal and jump back into third spot.

"It’s one step forward and an important step forward," Benitez said of the win. |It’s massive for us because we knew we had to get six or seven points to guarantee the top four.

"I think United, after winning the title, have been a little more relaxed. You can understand after winning the title that some players didn’t give 100 percent. When you have to win and you have to be in the top four you put something more."

Mata's winner appeared to be going wide before flicking in off the inside of Phil Jones' leg, but Benitez hailed his all-round play during a game lacking in real quality.

"Mata could have been player of the year for everything he did for us," he said. "He’s scored goals, made assists and been a very influential player in the games."

 

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Conte: Coaching Juventus is a dream

The Bianconeri boss insists there is no reason for him to leave following their latest Scudetto triumph and is planning to hold talks over his future.Antonio Conte has admitted that he has realized "a dream" by taking charge of Juventus in the wake of the side's Serie A title success.

The Old Lady beat Palermo 1-0 on Sunday to defend the Scudetto in convincing style, having accumulated a 14-point lead over Napoli, but the coach has been linked with a summer exit following reports that he and the club are at an impasse over the organization's transfer policy.

Nonetheless, Conte is ready to hold talks with the Bianconeri hierarchy over their future plans after confessing his love for the reigning Italian champions and has outlined his ambitions of launching another assault on the Champions League next season.

"The future? I'm feeling great at Juventus and at the place where I always hoped to be when I started coaching," Conte told Sky Sport Italia. "My dream was to coach Juventus when I was a player here and to win, especially after only two seasons, is exceptional.

"It's right to sit down with the club in a serene way, I will always be grateful to [president] Andrea Agnelli. I will always have a debt towards him and I hope that all matters regarding the club remain transparent.

"I want everything for the good of the club. Raising the bar means that we still have to fight for the Scudetto, but also improve our progress in Europe.

"Fans are calling for the Champions League, but we must be realistic and figure out where we can go."

 

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Chelsea should target Mourinho over Pellegrini, says Kenyon

The former Blues chief believes Mourinho would give any team the "maximum chance of winning" but indicated his differences with Roman Abramovich could make a return difficult.Former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon believes that Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is the best man for the job to replace interim manager Rafa Benitez ahead of next season.

Mourinho won six trophies in three years with the Blues, including two successive Premier League titles, and is rumored to be on his way back to West London after an uneven spell with the Spanish giant. Kenyon revealed the club is looking at a number of candidates, including Malaga's Manuel Pellegrini, but indicated the self-proclaimed 'Special One' would definitely be his top choice.

"If I was at another club and looking for someone who would give me the maximum chance of winning, it's Jose Mourinho," Kenyon told BBC Radio 5 Live. "You've got one of the best clubs, one of the best owners and one of the best coaches - it's a hard combination to resist.

"I'd need some other very strong candidates to look elsewhere, and you'd have to say he's very much on the shortlist.

"Pep Guardiola would have been up there [as a candidate] but he's not available. Manuel Pellegrini you would definitely look at. But if I was looking at Pellegrini or Jose, Jose would win hands down."

Mourinho left Stamford Bridge in 2007 by mutual consent, but his disagreements with club owner Roman Abramovich were well documented, and Kenyon, who left Stamford Bridge himself in 2009, acknowledged the need to clear the air.

"They're both very strong individuals and before this appointment happens, if it happens, there will be an awful lot of discussion between those two," Kenyon said. "It's a very different team now, that is at a very different part of its evolution as a major European team, and clarification is needed over players.

"Given the past history that they both know each other, they have both worked with each other, all that does is heighten the need for some of those things to be ironed out before the appointment is made."

 

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Chelsea loanee Lukaku plays down Drogba comparisons

The Belgian striker, currently on loan at West Brom, believes he is his own player, despite similarities with the Ivory Coast star, and has hailed his loan spell with the Baggies.Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, currently on loan at West Brom, has played down comparisons between himself and former Blues striker Didier Drogba.

Lukaku, who turns 20 next week, has often been described as 'the next Drogba' and has done little to curb such comparisons following an explosive breakout year with the Baggies. The Belgian ace, who has scored 14 league goals for the Hawthorns outfit, believes he is his own man, though he thanked Drogba for his guidance while at Chelsea.

“Didier and I do have a similar style,” Lukaku told FIFA.com. “I learned a lot from him, and I’m delighted to have had the chance to rub shoulders with him for a year.

“But there's only one Didier Drogba, just like there's only one Romelu Lukaku.

“Players like Drogba and [Nicolas] Anelka took me under their wing and showed me how things worked in the Premier League. And now I’m happy to be able to spread my own wings.”

Lukaku believes he needed to step out of the Stamford Bridge shadows and prove his worth on the pitch, hence his decision to move to West Brom on loan. While he has enjoyed an excellent campaign, leading the Baggies in scoring, he recognizes the need to continue to improve if he wants to fulfil his dream of winning the Ballon d'Or.

“I had to put my reputation on the line, because I had a lot to prove,” Lukaku continued. “I’d been criticized a bit, and I wanted to respond in my own polite way – by performing strongly on the pitch.

“I’m only 19. It goes without saying that I’ve still got a lot to learn. First and foremost, I need to keep my feet on the ground. I thank God every day for the opportunity to play in the Premier League. I know that not everyone gets this kind of chance, especially at my age.

“I can and I must improve every area of my game. Perfecting my skills is the only way I’m going to get better. Winning the Fifa Ballon d’Or is actually a dream of mine.”