Chelsea FC, currently on international break, reside in second place, due to being one goal behind Liverpool in the goal differential tie-breaker. The two clubs, along with Watford, have taken all three points from their first quartet of matches. They are the only three sides to go perfect in their first four matches.
While it’s a break period, there is still plenty of news topics to discuss today, so let’s take a spin through the latest news items and notes making the rounds on the internet today.
-FIFPro, the worldwide players’ union, asked their membership to select one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards for their FIFA FIFPro World 11 list.
The Premier League landed 18 players on the list, which is based on performance during the 2017-18 season. Chelsea landed two current players, and three overall from last season- forward Eden Hazard, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielder N’Golo Kante.
NBC Sports has the whole list over at this link.
-Elsewhere in Hazard news, his teammate Antonio Rudiger has deemed him the second best player in the world, and even places him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
“For me, the best player in the world is Lionel Messi, then Eden Hazard,” the 25-year-old Germany international said according to Metro UK, h/t Naij.com
Finally, Guus Hiddink, former Chelsea interim manager, is back to leading a team again. He’ll take over the China U21 team, and he’s tasked with making sure they qualify for the 2020 Olympics. The World Game has more over at this link. Hiddink did some fine work this summer as a pundit for FOX Sports during their World Cup coverage, but the Chelsea community remember him best for his stint as caretaker manager in 2015-16.
Hiddink took over when Jose Mourinho was sacked in early December, and took a very low table team that was floundering, and guided them to a mid-table finish.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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