azpi as RWB and zouma as RCB, anyone?

First of all, congratulatins! We win

TLDR:
-Roman want Neymar. Conte tell Big Boss he prefers Sanchez and Lukaku over Neymar.
-Lukaku gaduh with his Everton teammate as Everton draw match with MU.
-Diegoal escapes further ban problems for challenge with City's defender Kompany.
-Stamford Bridge press box can view both home and away clubs managers reactions, Conte and Guardiola, their reactions on sidelines can be viewed clearly.
-Our impressive defender on loan, Christensen will be recalled for a closer look by Conte during pre-season. I think Ake and Christensen are good backup for our current defenders.
-We are looking for right wingback Mose backup finally. Our scouts are monitoring Atalanta ace Andrea Conti and Jeremy Toljan of Hoffenheim. While Conte was at Juventus, he is said to be tracking them. More Italian flavor to Premier League?

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte tells Roman Abramovich he wants Alexis Sanchez or Romelu Lukaku over Neymar
GOSSIP
Tom Olver for Metro.co.ukWednesday 5 Apr 2017 9:16 am

Antonio Conte has reportedly told Chelsea he would prefer to bring either Alexis Sanchez or Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge over Neymar.

Reports suggest Roman Abramovich offered to pursue the signing of Barcelona superstar Neymar but Conte informed Chelsea’s owner over dinner that he would rather that the club chased other targets at the end of the season.
It’s believed Chelsea are increasingly concerned by Inter Milan’s interest in Conte and Abramovich will be doing everything to please the manager in the summer transfer window.
The Times claim that the Italian has made Arsenal forward Sanchez and Everton striker Lukaku the club’s primary attacking targets ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

There’s growing speculation that Sanchez is pushing for a move across London to Chelsea, with the Chilean yet to agree to a new deal at the Emirates.
Lukaku, meanwhile, rejected a new five-year contract worth £140,000 at Everton last month and is widely expected to leave Goodison Park in the summer.

It’s understood the Toffees value Lukaku at around £70million so a summer deal for the Belgian will not come cheap.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/05/chelsea-boss.../#ixzz4dR3ttvmH
Romelu Lukaku in huge bust-up with Ashley Williams in Everton’s draw with Manchester United
Chris Davie for Metro.co.ukTuesday 4 Apr 2017 11:06 pm

Romelu Lukaku was involved in a heated bust-up with Ashley Williams during Everton’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Tuesday evening.
Williams was spotted berating Lukaku in the second half of the match at Old Trafford.
But Lukaku responded with a shushing gesture towards the Everton captain, who was then pulled away from the argument by Gareth Barry.
After the match had ended, Lukaku had a conversation with United midfielder Paul Pogba on the pitch, and the Everton striker was seen throwing his arms in the direction of the tunnel.

Williams was sent off in injury time after stopping Luke Shaw’s goal-bound strike with his arm and Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a last-gasp equaliser from the penalty spot.
‘The manager will want that intense drive, that determination, that arguing between team-mates for the good of the team, but he wouldn’t want that lack of respect for the shushing,’ Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport after the game.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/04/romelu-lukak...united-6554401/
Diego Costa to escape ban for Vincent Kompany clash
Chris Davie for Metro.co.uk Diego Costa is set to face no further action from the Football Association for his tackle on Vincent Kompany in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
In the second half at Stamford Bridge, Costa fell to the ground in a challenge with the City captain, but as he was on the floor, the Chelsea striker pushed his studs into the Belgian’s thigh.
Referee Mike Dean saw the incident at the time and awarded a free-kick to City, but did not punish Costa with a yellow or red card.
Under FA ruling, incidents are not allowed to be re-evaluated, meaning that Costa is in line to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
‘We’ve heard about possible retrospective action, I don’t think any action will be taken,’ former Premier League referee Howard Webb told BT Sport.

‘Mike Dean is in a good position, he sees the situation and penalises Costa.
‘There’s no other foul apart from this action by Costa than to put his foot in to stop him.
‘If there was a foul before that and this happened afterwards, then maybe the FA might want to look at it as an act as violent conduct.

‘But because this is the foul that Mike Dean penalises, then he’s seen it, he’s made a judgement on it, and the FA don’t re-referee situations when the referee has seen it.
‘Is it violent conduct? It’s a subjective call, he puts his foot but doesn’t follow through, I think it’s worth a yellow card but falls short of violent conduct.’

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/05/diego-costa-.../#ixzz4dR4XpM9D
Antonio Conte wins absorbing touchline tussle

Thursday, April 06, 2017 Gerry Cox

The view from the Bridge, the Stamford Bridge press box, is the worst in the Premier League, especially if you are unlucky enough to be stuck at the back, where the low overhanging concrete beams give the impression of a Second World War bunker. It makes anything above head height on the pitch almost impossible to see.

In the old days of teams like George Graham’s Arsenal, who liked to hoist the ball long and high, you would struggle to see much of the ball for most of the game.

But it does give a superb view of the two dugouts, and an unrivalled opportunity to see at close quarters how the men under most pressure in the modern game conduct themselves.

So with Chelsea against Manchester City, what better sideshow can there be than observing the touchline antics of Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola? The two men are similar in so many ways, but polar opposites at times.

Both arrived in England last summer with reputations of the highest order and expectations to match. Barely six months separates them in age, they both had playing careers at the highest level, and have taken the same standards of excellence into management.

Both are skilled in the art of mind games, with Guardiola doing his best to pile pressure on Conte ahead of this fixture by suggesting the Italian is now the best in the business, and perhaps he can teach Pep a thing or two. One of those lessons could be in media management, with Guardiola prone to outbursts of spikiness, earning him a reputation as a tad paranoid.

Conte, by contrast, is almost schizophrenic in his change from Jekyll to Hyde once the whistle blows. The quiet and urbane Italian, appears to develop ‘touchline Tourettes’ when he is in the technical area.

And so it was last night. All hugs and smiles before kick-off, both in the tunnel and on the touchline, Conte and Guardiola were the best of enemies during 90 pulsating minutes. Both immaculately dressed in dark designer suits, Conte was waving his arms and shouting himself hoarse from the start, while Guardiola stood with hands in pockets, almost nonchalant.

It was a different story once Eden Hazard fired Chelsea into an early lead. Conte celebrated briefly before calmly returning to his place, while Guardiola looked despondent, squatting in front of his assistants with his back to the play, wondering what to do. He was soon fired up when Sergio Aguero appeared to be tripped as he ran in on goal, and the coach showed traces of the speed of old as he raced down towards the linesman. Fourth official Bobby Madley was across quickly to intervene but Pep would not be calmed, for a few minutes at least as he protested at the injustice. When Aguero equalised shortly afterwards, Guardiola allowed himself a little fist pump before returning to berate and debate with Madley whether his striker was vindicated.

The touchline drama did not stop there. While Guardiola divided his time between watching his players and turning to his coaching staff, Conte was in a world of his own, kicking every ball, putting each of his players in position shouting what must have been barely audible instructions in the highly charged atmosphere.

When Hazard scored again, Guardiola looked in despair to his assistants, scratching his head as if wondering what he needed to do. He tried changing tack, switching Kevin de Bruyne and Leroy Sane to opposite flanks with good effect. Conte made a similar move with Pedro and Hazard, and the chances came and went for both sides.

As the game moved into stoppage time, with City on top and pushing hard for an equaliser, Conte took advantage of a break in play to get the crowd going, urging them to sing the way he urges his players on throughout the 90 minutes. As the final seconds ticked away, he walked anxiously to check the time with the officials, and the final whistle went, gave a relieved fist pump of his own, before turning to Guardiola for a cursory and good-natured hug, before joining his players in celebration of the victory that will probably mean they will go on to lift the title, hugging them as they left the pitch.

Guardiola, too, walked out on to the turf to console his players, who now have little chance of winning the league.

It was exhausting to watch, enthralling, entertaining, and absolutely absorbing. And who knows? Guardiola may just be right about Conte being the best manager in the world.

Source: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/...sle-447096.html
Chelsea call back Christensen

Date: 6th April 2017 at 1:05am
Written by: Joe McHugh
Antonio Conte wants to give Andreas Christensen his chance at Chelsea.

According to a report in The Express the young defender will be recalled from his loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach and given the chance to impress net season.

Christensen has nailed down a place in the Gladbach defence and looked comfortable playing in the Bundesliga, wining last season’s Player of the Year award at the club.

The young Dane is in the second season of a two year loan deal with the German side who would love to keep him on a permanent basis.

Conte has other ideas however and is keen to see how the 20-year-old fares in pre-season as he tries out different defensive formations.

Chelsea could pick up a £15,m transfer fee for Christensen any time they like but as he seeks a to put his own marker on the side Conte will check out the young Dane in pre season before finalising his transfer window spending plans.

Source: https://thisisfutbol.com/2017/04/blogs/prem...ck-christensen/
Antonio Conte targets Italian ace or German Under-21 star to solve Chelsea headache

Posted by Ron Carne April 4, 2017

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is reportedly stepping up his efforts to sign a new right-back with two names in particular emerging on his shortlist.

With Victor Moses picking up an injury this past week, the Italian tactician deployed Pedro in the right wing-back slot on Saturday only to see his side fall to a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

While they still boast a seven-point advantage over nearest rivals Tottenham at the top of the Premier League table, it was a reminder that they perhaps don’t have the strength across the squad needed.

It’s claimed by The Mirror that Conte has already started to identify summer targets with scouts sent to watch Atalanta ace Andrea Conti, while Jeremy Toljan of Hoffenheim is also a possible option.

It’s added that Toljan, 22, has been tracked by Conte since he was in charge at Juventus, and with 15 Bundesliga appearances under his belt so far this season, he will only have continued to develop his game and gain experience.

As for Conti, he continues to enjoy a stellar campaign for Atalanta as they continue their march for a Europa League qualification spot, as he bagged his fifth goal of the season at the weekend in a 5-0 win over Genoa.

Adding quality and depth will be pivotal for Chelsea this summer as they will have to contend with a return to the Champions League which will put added stress on Conte’s troops.

As with any top club around Europe, he’ll be aiming to have two top options in each position moving forward, and with a lack of depth behind Moses, the right-back position is seemingly going to take precedence this summer.

Source: http://www.caughtoffside.com/2017/04/04/an...elsea-headache/

but Fabregas already struggling hard to get time in the starting team... cabaye would be benched forever.
i think Conte will probably prefer someone tougher and stronger to boss the mid

if Kante start be like Fab, Fab later kena sold de.
suddenly i see Conte try adjust Kante become little bit like Fab.
 

Cannot sell fab, need his vision and passing

arsenal also start to deploy 3 at the back to positive effect. its becoming mainstream now