HAZARD FRUSTRATED WITH CHELSEA COLLAPSE

The attacker said that it was "not easy" for his side to bounce back from two consecutive defeats after a 3-3 draw in the Champions League.

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Eden Hazard admitted that his Chelsea side should have claimed a win over Roma after taking a two-goal lead over the Italian side.
Edin Dzeko inspired his side to a strong comeback, with the Serie A outfit even taking the lead in the second half before Hazard netted to help the Blues claim a point.
After the match the 26-year-old admitted that the outcome was positive for both sides, but was less than impressed with how well his side played in a match they should have won, telling BT Sport: "It's a good game to play in and a good result for both teams.
"We should have won it. After being 2-0 up at half-time you must win, but they are good players. Dzeko is a fantastic striker.
"We gave everything to the end of the game. One point is enough, after two defeats it's not easy to bounce back."
Hazard had scored just one goal in his previous 14 games in all competitions for Chelsea, but he said that the importance of seeing his name on the scoresheet was outweighed by the team's performance.
Chelsea came back from 1-0 down to beat Atletico 2-1 at Estadio Wanda Metroplitano in September, and Hazard said that game satisfied him more.

"It's good to score, but for me scoring is not important – we played better in Madrid and I prefer this kind of game," he said.
Chelsea face Watford, Everton and Bournemouth in the Premier League before they travel to Rome at the end of October, when Hazard hopes the Blues will take a significant step towards qualification from Champions League Group C.
"At least we stay first in the group and we go there [to Roma] to win the game," he said. "It won't be easy in Roma but we go there to win because we want to finish the job early."

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CAVANI JOINS RONALDO AND VAN NISTELROOY IN ELITE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLUB

Edinson Cavani has moved closer to Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy's records by scoring in his seventh consecutive Champions League game.

The Uruguayan has been in fantastic form in the European competition, as Paris Saint-Germain have looked unstoppable in their opening clashes in 2017-18.

After Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring against Anderlecht on Wednesday, the youngster turned provider to tee up Cavani at the end of the first half to make it 2-0.
In scoring against the Belgians, Cavani has now reached a landmark attained only by the two ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid hitmen.

He will need to score in two further games, however, to level the overall record of nine set by Van Nistelrooy in the 2002-3 campaign, while Ronaldo's best came in 2013-14 with eight consecutive scoring appearances.

The 30-year-old striker brought his tally for the current campaign up to four with that goal, having previously scored twice to bring down Celtic and once in a 3-0 drubbing of Bayern Munich.
His current run also includes a goal in each leg during PSG's last-16 defeat last term to Barcelona, as well as solitary strikes against Ludogorets and Arsenal for a total of eight in seven games.
One must look back to November 1, 2016 to find the last game Cavani failed to hit the net, when the French side prevailed 2-1 over Basel with goals from Blaise Matuidi and Thomas Meunier.

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DIDIER DROGBA RELIVES CHELSEA'S UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TRIUMPH

The Blues legend reminisced on how he led the Blues to their first ever triumph in the elite European competition against the Bavarians

Didier Drogba recalled the historic feat of leading Chelsea to their maiden Uefa Champions League title against Bayern Munich in 2012.
The former Ivory Coast international was the hero of the night in Munich after smashing home a header to force the encounter into extra time.
During the penalty shootout, the striker converted the decisive spot kick past Manuel Neuer to deliver the Blues' first European topflight silverware.
The 39-year-old remembered the hostilities at the Allianz Arena that night and how Petr Cech’s heroics inspired him.
“Just before kick-off, when we came up the stairs and entered the stadium, we could see red in front of us and Bayern Munich fans to the right of us,” Drogba told Chelsea website.

“As we walked and turned we could see blue behind the other goal, and we said, 'We are not alone'.
“We were playing in their city, their stadium, their home, and we had to do something special there. Again, adversity. We said, 'Today we are not losing', but when they scored seven minutes before the end…'Oh, maybe we will!'
“But after, when I walked towards the goal to take the penalty, I knew we had won. Petr Cech had saved three penalties in total. The job had already been done.”

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ANCELOTTI SACKED BY BAYERN MUNICH AFTER DEFEAT TO PSG

The 58-year-old has been relieved of his duties after just one full season in charge of the German side as a result of their defeat in Franc
Bayern Munich have fired Carlo Ancelotti in the wake of Wednesday's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and replaced him with Willy Sagnol as interim coach.
The German champions were humbled 3-0 in their Champions League clash in Paris, and the Italian coach came under criticism for leaving Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mats Hummels out of the starting XI.

The 58-year-old defended his tactics and selection for the game, telling reporters afterwards : "I know I will get criticism, that's fine. I thought it was a good line-up for this game."
However, he faced questions from the Bayern board over some of his decisions the next day, as German newspaper Sport Bild revealed that crisis talks with the higher-ups were scheduled on Thursday
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CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge did not make it easy on Ancelotti when he said the performance was "not Bayern Munich"
and said the club needed to discuss it. Arjen Robben, meanwhile, refused to say whether the Bayern players still backed their boss .
And the Bavarian side have opted to part ways with the former PSG, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss after just one full season in charge.
"The performance of the team since the start of the season did not meet the expectations we put to them," Rummenigge said as the news of his sacking was made official on Thursday.
"The game in Paris clearly showed that there had to be consequences. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and I gave Carlo an open and serious talk today and informed him of our decision.

"I would like to thank Carlo for his cooperation and regret this development. Carlo is my friend and will remain so, but we had to make a professional decision based on Bayern's interests.
"I now expect the team to have a positive development and absolute determination, so we can reach our goals for this season."
Former Bayern and France player Sagnol takes the helm on a short-term basis, despite having limited experience as a coach. The 40-year-old spent less than two seasons in charge of Bordeaux - his only senior coaching role - before returning to Germany to assist Ancelotti.
Ancelotti leaves with Bayern sitting three points behind Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga after six games after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Hoffenheim and most recently losing a two-goal lead to draw with Wolfsburg.
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The three-time Champions League winning coach signed a three-year contract when he took over at the Allianz Arena in 2016 as Pep Guardiola's replacement.
The former AC Milan star lifted the Bundesliga title at the only time of asking, but saw his side eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-finals stage at the hands of Real Madrid. They also lost to Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final last term.
Sagnol's first game as interim coach will be away to Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

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ZAPPACOSTA WHO? UNKNOWN SIGNING SHOWS CHELSEA CAN COMPETE ON ALL FRONTS

The Blues eased to 6-0 victory against lesser opposition as they showed that they have the depth required to be competitive this season.

Antonio Conte gave Davide Zappacosta his first start at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as he rotated masterfully to show that his side can handle the demands of competing on all four fronts this season.

Qarabag are one of the weakest Champions League teams to ever come to Stamford Bridge but dropping any points would have spelled disaster for Chelsea, as their group will become more competitive with AS Roma and Atletico Madrid to come.
The Premier League champions ridiculed Qarabag with their fans chanting "Zappacosta, he scores when he wants" and "duh, duh, duh, duh... Zappacostaaaa."

This came as the relatively unknown wing-back ran some 30 yards and hit the back of the net as his cross flew in past Ibrahim Sehic in the 30th minute. This was soon after Pedro's earlier strike from the edge of the box as Qarabag failed to close him down.
Conte's side got the job done with ease and go into their huge match on Sunday with Arsenal having not needed to exert themselves. Eden Hazard came off the bench in the 57th minute to stroll to a 6-0 victory, as their star man got his needed run out ahead of tougher matches.

Qarabag seemed just happy to have made it to this level of football as they switched off again for the third and fourth goals from set-pieces. Tiemoue Bakayoko got his first goal for Chelsea and Cesar Azpilicueta scored for the first time in the Champions League.
Andreas Christensen was another positive as he looked assured and composed throughout, despite only being 21-years-old. Michy Batshuayi hasn't started this season well for Chelsea but his strikes in the 76th and 82nd minutes will have provided him with a much-needed confidence boost with Alvaro Morata in such great form.

It is hard to read too much into a victory over Qarabag but 6-0 is a thouroughly impressive scoreline in Europe's elite competition, and Chelsea didn't even play to their maximum level.
Victor Moses was jokingly mocked by Willy Caballero on the bench after Zappacosta's 30-yard run but it will be a breath of fresh air for Conte to finally have competition at wing-back. The club's six signings in the summer may not all be glamorous but they have given them the depth needed to compete on four fronts this season.
Chelsea will fear few teams in Europe, apart from maybe Real Madrid. The Blues remain England's last Champions League winner and remain the highest-ranked club in terms of their coefficient. And despite a year out of the competition, they have an outside chance of repeating the glory of 2012.

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WITH A GENIUS LIKE MESSI, BARCELONA CAN NEVER BE WRITTEN OFF

The Argentine wizard made the difference by scoring two and helping to create another in a dynamic display that shows the Blaugrana can be contenders again.
It was a symbolic scoreline. Barcelona beat Juventus 3-0 on Tuesday night in their first Champions League match since losing to the Italian champions 3-0 on aggregate in the last eight of Europe's premier club competition last season. The Blaugrana are back and with Lionel Messi, they will always have a chance.
After losing to Juve, much was made of the fact that Messi had never scored against Gianluigi Buffon, while the Argentine also failed to hit the target over two legs as Barca were beaten 5-1 by fierce rivals Real Madrid in August.

That damaging defeat, allied with a tumultuous summer in which Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain, top targets like Marco Verratti and Philippe Coutinho were not signed and it also emerged that Messi had not put the final signature onto the contract agreement announced by Barca in July, brought much doom and gloom.

The team's decline was a worry for fans of the Catalan club and president Josep Maria Bartomeu is facing a censure motion or vote of no confidence as former candidate Agusti Benedito seeks to gather sufficient signatures to force fresh elections next year.
On the pitch, however, things have gone surprisingly well since the Supercopa. Under new coach Ernesto Valverde, Barca have won their opening three league matches (against Betis, Alaves and Espanyol), scoring nine goals in that time and conceding none.

And Ousmane Dembele, who made his debut with an assist in the 5-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday, was handed his first start on Tuesday against a Juventus team missing Giorgio Chiellini, Stephan Lichtsteiner (not chosen in Juve's European squad), Juan Cuadrado, Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Mandzukic.
The France forward was bright in the first half with some neat runs, many of which were halted by fouls from the Juventus defence. However, the 20-year-old also looked lost on occasions and will take time to adjust to his new team.

But Dembele did play a part in Messi's opening goal before the break, the former Borussia Dortmund attacker linking up with the Argentine, who in turn played a one-two with Luis Suarez and placed a perfectly executed low drive into the corner from the edge of the box.
It was unstoppable and it had come virtually out of nothing. Later, the Argentine attacked down the right on a mesmerising run, his cross only partially cleared by makeshift right-back Stefano Sturaro (on for the injured Mattia De Sciglio) and Ivan Rakitic rifling home the loose ball.

And with just over 20 minutes left, Messi attacked through the middle this time, beating defenders before curling home with another fantastic finish. Again, he had made the difference - and he had done so mostly on his own.
Granted, Juventus were without several key players and time will tell how much of a threat the Bianconeri will be in this season's Champions League after losing Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan in the summer.
But Barca still have their Leo and as the team adjust to Valverde's methods, he looks ready to lead this side against the very best later on in the season. Despite a shocking summer, the Blaugrana can never be written off with Messi in their ranks.

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UEFA Champions League Draw On 24th August 2017 .

Group A: Benfica, Manchester United, Basel, CSKA Moscow
Group B: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic
Group C: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting
Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord
Group G: Monaco, Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig
Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, APOEL

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REAL MADRID STAR CRISTIANO RONALDO NAMED UEFA MEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The Blancos forward was awarded the prize ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.

The Real Madrid forward saw off competition from Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to claim the award for the third time overall.
Ronaldo struck 25 goals in La Liga last term, and 12 in 13 matches during Real Madrid's Champions League-winning campaign.
Previous winners of the award include Messi and Barca team-mate Andres Iniesta, who claimed the prize in the 2011-12 campaign ahead of the Argentina international in second.
Elsewhere, Buffon was named the goalkeeper of the season, Sergio Ramos the top defender, and Luka Modric the best midfielder, while Ronaldo was also named UEFA forward of the year, beating Paulo Dybala and, again, Messi for the award.
Women’s Player of the Year went to Lieke Martens of Barcelona, who topped Pernille Harder of Wolfsburg and Dzsenifer Marozsán of Lyon

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