Chelsea boss Avram Grant has told Shaun Wright-Phillips he will have to fight for a starting spot in The Blues' first XI.
The England international was omitted from the squad to face Schalke in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, and is now struggling to force his way back into contention for the weekend visit of former club Manchester City.
"We have 25 players in the squad, most are international players, and we are allowed only to play 11 and five from the bench," said Grant.
"Every game we play there are five or six international players, good players, who are not in the squad. It's not personal against anyone. I'm thinking about the team. Shaun is a professional. He wants to play of course, he wants to be in the squad. He's ready for the next games. I want players to be happy at the end of the year. They will look back and say I gave my contribution to my team. Sometimes during the season they will not be happy if they are not playing. But they need to be ready for each game we need them in the future."
25 October 2007
Chelsea's Frank Lampard believes Didier Drogba is irreplaceable, and he has emphasised the importance of holding onto their star striker.
Drogba's recent revelations put his Blues future in doubt; however he has since expressed his regret at his comments and demonstrated his commitment on the pitch.
The Ivory Coast international netted the opener in the weekend victory over Middlesbrough, and then wrapped up the points in Chelsea's UEFA Champions League triumph over Schalke.
Lampard believes Drogba is the best in the business when it comes to playing as a lone striker, and he has urged the club to ensure he is happy at Stamford Bridge.
"It is important for Chelsea that he stays. Players like Didier you want alongside you," he told the Evening Standard.
"He makes his own decisions but when he is here and playing for us, even with all the controversy of the last week or two, he has put in two performances which show what he is all about. Didier is the best; it is as simple as that. There are different types of players, like Wayne Rooney, an absolutely fantastic, world-class player who comes off defenders and creates and scores. But as an out and out striker there is no one better than Didier. He has an all-round game with pace, power, is a team player, scores goals with his head and feet and holds the line. He is a great lad to have in the dressing room, will always fight to the end and the way he has played in the last 18 months there is no one better in world football."
25 October 2007
Didier Drogba's flying header gave Roman Abramovich something to celebrate on his 41st birthday - but boring Chelsea fell way short of seven-up Arsenal as London's entertainers.
Drogba's flying header sealed a comfortable Champions League win over Schalke last night - just a week after he claimed the club was "broken" and he was certain to leave.
But the Blues display was so humdrum the biggest cheer was reserved for when Liverpool's defeat in Istanbul was flashed up on the big screen.
Drogba's brilliant nearpost header and French winger Florent Malouda's early present from blundering German keeper Manuel Neuer, kept Chelsea on course to qualify for the last 16.
But they fell short of fulfilling new manager Avram Grant's pledge to produce "entertaining winning football" - in that order - and they were light years behind Arsenal's seven-goal demolition of Slavia Prague 24 hours earlier.
Grant has now overseen five wins in six matches, but he promised owner Abramovich there was more entertainment to come and said: "I don't want to look at the sky and say that's the limit, but tonight we played good, positive football and we can play even better. I respect Arsenal, and Arsene Wenger is a good friend of mine, but we are not going to use other teams as an example for the way we want to play. I'm not saying our style of play was no good in the past, but we are trying to change and we are on the way to achieving the way I want this team to play. It may not happen overnight, but tonight's result was a present for the owner because he has done so much for the club, so much for the fans and he is such a positive guy."
24 October 2007
Chelsea will still be without John Terry and Ashley Cole for tonight's clash against Schalke in the Champions League.
Terry is out for up to three weeks after undergoing knee surgey last Friday, while Cole is facing even longer on the sidelines after suffering ankle ligament damage.
There are no fresh injury worries for Avram Grant, who has welcomed Wayne Bridge back to the squad ahead of the Stamford Bridge clash. The boss looks set to tinker with his squad and Andriy Shevchenko could be set to lead the attack as the Blues look for back-to-back wins in the competition.
Didier Drogba admitted today that he fears Arsenal will stop Chelsea achieving their dream of winning back the Premier League title.
The Ivory Coast striker watched in awe last night as the Gunners put seven goals past Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Chelsea will take on Schalke 04 in Group B this evening and Drogba admits that Avram Grant's men have a lot to do to catch up Arsenal.
He said: 'When you look at this season in terms of the Premier League it doesn't look so good at the moment, because Arsenal are head and shoulders above us all and totally in charge of their football. I don't care about the weak start to the season we have made at Chelsea because there is an awfully long time left to compete for the title and, though we might be in a delicate position, I totally believe that we can end the season as Champions. The threat from Arsenal to all the other sides who think they might have the title in their sights is that they were already a team which played great football but we can all see that they are both more mature and more effective now than they were before. Even though I expect Chelsea to be capable of winning the league, I have to elevate Arsenal to the top group of favourites for the title because of the way they are performing right now.'
The striker was speaking for the first time since he gave an interview in France in which he said he wanted to leave Stamford Bridge because of Jose Mourinho's departure.
However, Chelsea's most influential player of the last 12 months has now made it clear that he wants to get back to normality.
'We are Chelsea, we have a reputation and some achievements to defend,' he added.
'We've set standards for ourselves and there is no way we can let them be eroded or belittled – not for any reason. We need to show our pride now and there is no way that we can spend all season losing key games and blaming it on the Jose Mourinho effect. He's gone, we are still strong and it's time to begin showing it. It's going to take a little bit of time to turn the team's attitude around and you can never ignore the impact of having missed so many key players because of injury.'
24 October 2007
Avram Grant has vowed to bring the style back to the Kings Road, saying he wants Chelsea to win with style.
Two Premier League titles came Chelsea's way under Jose Mourinho, but the brand of football produced by the Portuguese did not win him many fans – including club owner Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich is keen to see his side entertain and Grant, who has had a rocky start to his tenure, is keen on style as well as substance.
"I like to win, but the way we win is also important," Grant said ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Schalke.
"I know we cannot play all the games the best but this is our goal. To play also good football and to win games, that's what we want to see. I have a vision of how Chelsea need to play - entertaining football and results."
15 October 2007
Scotland flew out to Georgia on Monday boosted by the news that Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher may have recovered enough from injury to start in their Euro 2008 Group B qualifier.
The Scots remarkably top the group, which also includes France and Italy, and victory in Tblisi and a point at home to Italy next month would see them through to the finals.
With several squad members out through injury or suspension, Scotland have been able to call on Fletcher, back in training after suffering a knee injury a month ago.
Assistant coach Andy Watson told the BBC Website: "It's great he has been able to come in and be available for us after all the call-offs we have had."
Georgia, long out of contention, are also missing several key players through injury.
They include captain Kakha Kaladze and experienced midfielder Levan Kobiashvili, while goalkeeper Giorgi Lomaia was sent home after giving up a soft goal in last Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Italy.
AC Milan full back Kaladze and Kobiashvili, who plays for Bundesliga side Schalke 04, suffered thigh and groin injuries while playing for their clubs two weeks ago.
Teams (probable):
Georgia - Giorgi Makaridze; Lasha Salukvadze, Zurab Khizanishvili, Malkhaz Asatiani, Georgi Shashiashvili, Levan Tskitishvili, Zurab Menteshashvili, Jaba Kankava, David Kvirkvelia, Levan Kenia, Georgi Demetradze.
Scotland - Craig Gordon; Graeme Murty, David Weir, Stephen McManus, Gary Naysmith; Darren Fletcher, Barry Ferguson, Stephen Pearson, Gary Teale; James McFadden, Kenny Miller.
05 October 2007
Werder Bremen midfielders Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski are back in Germany's squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Ireland and the Czech Republic, but striker Miroslav Klose and captain Michael Ballack are still missing.
Klose has re-injured his right knee and Ballack is still recovering from an ankle operation. The Chelsea midfielder has not played since April. Klose leads the Bundesliga with eight goals for Bayern Munich.
Also missing are defenders Philipp Lahm of Bayern Munich and Christian Pander of Schalke and Stuttgart midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger.
Frings and Borowski return after missing the start of the season with knee injuries. Also back is Werder defender Clemens Fritz.
Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez is also back in the 22-man roster announced by coach Joachim Loew on Friday. Gomez missed last month's qualifier against Wales and the friendly against Romania.
Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is in the squad although he hasn't played for more than a month because of an elbow injury.
Germany leads Group D with 22 points from eight games. The Czechs have 20 points from nine games and Ireland 14, also from nine games.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Timo Hildebrand (Valencia), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)
Defenders: Gonzalo Castro (Bayer Leverkusen), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Manuel Friedrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Roberto Hilbert (Stuttgart), David Odonkor (Betis Sevilla), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Patrick Helmes (Cologne), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04), Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich)
01 October 2007
Oliver Kahn is to undergo surgery on his elbow injury and is facing up to five weeks on the sidelines.
The veteran Bayern Munich goalkeeper aggravated an existing problem during the warm-up for Saturday's Bundesliga clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
Kahn was replaced by Michael Rensing for the BayArena meeting and he kept a clean sheet as the visitors won 1-0 to open up a four-point lead over Schalke at the top of the table.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld confirmed that the former Germany No.1 requires an operation, but as yet a date is still to be set for the procedure.
Bayern could also be without Miroslav Klose for Thursday's Uefa Cup first round second leg with Portuguese outfit Belenenses due to a knee complaint.
01 October 2007
Hertha Berlin midfielder Lucio's career is hanging in the balance following a horrific knee injury.
The Brazilian caught his foot in the pitch at the Veltins Arena on Friday evening as Hertha lost 1-0 to Schalke and twisted his knee so badly that his cruciate knee ligaments, patella tendon and meniscus were all badly damaged.
The 28-year-old wing-back, who joined the Bundesliga club in January, underwent surgery in Austria on Saturday.
No definite forecast has been divulged on when he is expected to recover which has led to speculation he may never take to the field again, and reports have suggested it may be between six and nine months before the former Brazil international can even run again.
"Lucio needs enough time to come back without any pressure," said Hertha club doctor Ulrich Schleicher.
