A round-up of news and view relating to Chelsea over the past 24 hours.
Petr Cech has spoken after Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Shakhtar last night. The keeper, who was superb in Donetsk, hopes his side can use the loss as a wake-up call ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Stamford Bridge this Sunday. Cech said that the match was good preparation, as United have similar skill on the counter attack to Shakhtar.
David Luiz also said that Chelsea’s performance in Donetsk was “a shock” and that Shakhtar deserved to take all three points.
Cech may end up as Chelsea’s captain for the weekend’s match, with Frank Lampard an injury doubt. Lampard limped out of the game in the Ukraine after only 18 minutes with a calf injury, and Roberto Di Matteo has said the issue is a recurrence of an old injury.
Lampard has been a subject of speculation over a move to LA Galaxy, but a spokesperson for the MLS club has said they are not pursuing a deal for the England midfielder. In Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Robbie Keane, Galaxy already have their three designated players who they are able to offer contracts over the salary cap, so one of them would have to leave for Lampard to get the lucrative offer reported.
Manchester United may also have lost a midfielder for the weekend’s match after yesterday’s action, with Shinji Kagawa a doubt after twisting his knee. Goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard has already been ruled out of the trip to Chelsea with a thumb injury so David De Gea will continue his run of starts.
John Obi Mikel is set to be rewarded for his fine start to the campaign with a new five year deal. The 25 year old is the final year of his current contract, and as the senior defensive midfielder in the squad, Chelsea are keen to settle his future.
With Chelsea and Spurs both reportedly vying for Willian’s signature, the Spurs boss Andre Vilas-Boas today cooled the speculation surrounding a move fom his club for the Shakhtar forward. The Brazilian was excellent in the Ukrainian club’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last night,
image: © Ben Sutherland
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