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Today’s 2-1 triumph in the FA Cup semifinal over Southampton is a certainly a really nice moment for Chelsea, who have had a rough go of it in 2018. They’ve won just five of their 13 Premier League contests and been eliminated from both the League Cup and Champions League since the calendar flipped from 2017 to 2018.
“We gave everything, we played very good football especially in the second half and controlled the game,” star forward Eden Hazard told BBC Sport after the match.
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It’s widely believed that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will leave the club at the end of the season. Those who think this will happen are actually quite strong in their beliefs. So it’s only fitting that Conte’s potential final match at the club would be against his biggest arch-nemesis of the season- Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.
With Chelsea besting Southampton 2-0 today in the FA Cup semifinal, and United eliminating Tottenham 2-1 yesterday in their semi, it’s Blues vs Red Devils, Conte vs Mourinho May 19 in the FA Cup final.
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Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi had a tale of two seasons, as he got playing time and thus regained his scoring touch upon moving to Borussia Dortmund on loan in January. He was buried on the depth chart at Stamford Bridge, but with BVB he scored seven times in ten games, including a brace in his debut.
Batshuayi became “the Batsman” again, until a serious ankle injury ended his season early. Despite the injury, Dortmund remain impressed, so much so that they are not even trying to hide their interest in acquiring the forward permanently.
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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte rejects the notion that his tenure at Chelsea can or should be compared to Jose Mourinho’s first spell with the club. It’s not surprising that Conte would distance himself from anything at all connected to Mourinho, given the ugly row, and prolonged war of words between the two men that began 2018.
Conte believes that Mourinho’s first go around with Chelsea, and the current status quo are two different eras, apparently alluding to the amount of money spent on players in the transfer windows. He also pointed out he won a title last season, his first year on the job, while inheriting a team that finished just tenth the previous season.
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Chelsea and Southampton will tangle for the second weekend in a row, and this time the stakes are very different. Saints are running out of time and chances to secure Premier League safety, while Chelsea are close to seeing the sun set on their top four finish hopes. Both however, can still acquire a trophy this season, if they win here and then beat the Manchester United-Tottenham Hotspur winner in the final.
Let’s look at the availability situation for both sides.
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Chelsea and Southampton will clash for the second time in just eight days when the two sides meet on Sunday in Wembley Stadium for an FA Cup semifinal clash. The Blues came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat the Saints 3-2 this past Saturday at the St. Mary’s. Chelsea leads the all time series between the two clubs 43-30, with 28 draws.
This will be the last chance for both clubs to get their first trophy of the season, so expect this clash to be very competitive. Let’s look at who both sides could field in their respective first teams.
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(Update: five leading candidates to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has announced, via an official club statement, his resignation, effective at the end of the season. Naturally, a football news event as massive as this has elicited reaction from all over the football community.
Many of Wenger’s former players and/or prominent members of the Arsenal community have weighed in, but what about the Frenchman’s biggest rivals? Three major Wenger opponents have all weighed in:
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When Burnley upset Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on opening day it was sign of bad things to come for the Blues this season. For Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, it’s been a year of much strife, both public and private. There’s been a ton of speculation, over the course of this season, about his potential sacking.
There has been a fair amount of action on Conte getting sack this season, and those who bet on football using the ComeOn voucher code have certainly had a lot of fun speculating on it. Expectations are higher at Chelsea than at most clubs, and if you don’t produce, then you are out. Chelsea will have their rematch with Burnley tomorrow night at the Turf Moor, and ahead of this clash, Conte described the vast difference between managing at a club like Chelsea and managing at a club like Burnley.
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Liverpool Winger Mohamed Salah is the favorite to win the PFA Player of the Year award, and later this month the winner will be announced. The Egyptian magician on the pitch did win one honor today however, as he was named to the PFA Team of the Year.
Joining him on the team today are four of the other five players named to the PFA POY short list: Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, and Manchester City duo- Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.
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Chelsea head to the Turf Moor Thursday night to take on Burnley in a match-up of what could be England’s two entries into the UEFA Europa League next season. While the Blues may be significantly favored, it’s going to be a very tough battle for Antonio Conte’s men. Burnley are riding a hot streak, winners of five in a row, and they hold a nice advantage in the all time series.
The Clarets have won 33, the Blues 23, with 16 stalemates in the all time series.
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Chelsea FC head to the Turf Moor for a midweek evening Premier League clash at Burnley FC. This match has some league relevance as Burnley are just two points behind Arsenal for sixth place, and a Europa League berth next season. What a coup that would be for a club that was just promoted in 2014 to usurp one of the Premiership’s big six.
As for Chelsea, they are seven points adrift of arch-rival Tottenham Hotspur for the final spot in the top four, meaning their hopes for Champions League next year are all but extinguished.
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Chelsea wing back Marcos Alonso has been retroactively charged with violent conduct by the Football Association. He now faces a three match ban, due to an incident in the 43′ of this past weekend’s win over Southampton.
Referee Mike Dean did not book Alonso for his tackle on Saints striker Shane Long, which happened directly in front of fourth official Roger East. The FA confirmed that neither match official saw the incident in real time, but the challenge was caught on video, and the English governing body thus chose to punish Alonso retroactively.
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