Raheem Sterling has officially completed his move from Manchester City to Chelsea. Prior to the opening of the transfer window, this would have been an unexpected signing, but here we are.
The transition
Sterling is among the few players to feature for multiple top-10 teams in the Premier League. The English winger played alongside Luiz Suarez for the Reds. He went on to be coached by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, until now, when he has left the club for the Blues. His playing style has evolved and changed immensely under the Spaniard at Manchester City.
The numbers
Sterling has joined Chelsea on a contract that spans upto 2027. The move cost Chelsea £45 million in transfer fees and a further £10 million in add on fees. Raheem Sterling has had remarkable run under Guardiola. He has made the most appearances than any current City player, featuring in 292 games. Moreover, he has scored 120 goals, making him the third-most top goal scorer for the Cityzens during this period. Sterling has made 85 assists making him the third best assist creator under Guardiola for the Cityzens.
The winger has won multiple trophies with Manchester City, these include
4 Premier League Trophies
4 League cups
1 FA cup
2 Community Shields
Raheem Sterling has played for both the Cityzens and Liverpool and will now play for Chelsea. He is among the few players to do so.
Sterling dons a Chelsea jersey. Photo Credit: Chelsea FC
Chelsea seem to be building something. They already have quite a remarkable squad depth and appear not to be done yet. With Sterling at Stamford Bridge, who will take the bench? Ziyech is rumored to be working out a transfer from Chelsea already. Pulisic, is there to stay for now. Most probably, Tuchel will pick Sterling over Pulisic at the front three, alongside Havertz and Werner/Mount, if they are to field a 3-4-3.
Guardiola’s creation
Considering the much praise Sterling had for Guardiola and Guardiola for Sterling, it’s quite a surprise to see him move to Chelsea. Guardiola has transformed Sterling into the player he is today. Will Tuchel be able to make good use of ‘Pep’s creation’?
London rivals go head-to-head (Arsenal vs Chelsea) this Sunday at the Emirates and you don’t want to miss it. Here’s why
The past matches: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Although Chelsea won the last match when these two sides met, Arsenal have had the better of them in the early years of the rivalry. In terms of goals scored in the last 10 matches between the two sides, Arsenal boast scoring 16 goals against the Blues(14) goals. Since the first four meetings between the two sides we’ve seen plenty more action on the pitch so let’s focus on what happened post 2018: Arsenal beat Chelsea 5 times, drew 2 times and lost just 3; there were 30 goals scored. Chelsea scored 18 goals vs Arsenal during this period, while Arsenal netted 12 goals.
The recent times
Although arsenal have won 2 games out of 4 past Premier League fixtures between the two sides, Chelsea have been on a solid run lately. We must admit arsenal’s form recently has not been as good as they would’ve hoped for. It is worth noting that arsenal beat Chelsea last season both home and away, taking the double from Tuchel’s side. During the first leg, Lampard was still Chelsea’s coach where as in the second leg he had been replaced by the German coach Thomas Tuchel.
Last season Arsenal won 3-1 and proceeded to take 3 more points at Stamford Bridge winning 1-0 against Tuchel’s side. An early goal from Emile Smithe Rowe sealed the fate for the Champion League winners. Arsenal went on to finish in 8th place as Chelsea finished 4th, qualifying for a Champions League spot.
The Belgian who dominated the London derby
Eden Hazard was a popular name during Arsenal vs Chelsea fixtures in the past before he left Chelsea to join Real Madrid. Chanting of his name was a normal occurrence during past London derbies due to his prowess in giving Arsenal’s defence a hard time. [Jesse Lingard, Heung Min Son, and Eden Hazard, are some of the names that cause some discomfort for the Arsenal defense].
Current Form: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Chelsea has been a more stable side of late compared to their London rivals. However, Arsenal has a good record against the Blues and should not be rules out just yet. Chelsea, under Tuchel, beat Manchester City in the Champion’s League final, 1- 0. This marked their second Champions League trophy; Arsenal has none as per the time of this writing. Their endeavor to collect trophies did not stop their, since they went ahead to bag the UEFA Supercup trophy after beating Villarreal, the UEFA Europa winners, on penalties. Two trophies for Tuchel in a span of months.
Tammy Abraham holds up the Champions League trophy following their Champions League win after beating Guardiola’s City, 1-0 in 2020/21 season. Photo credit: Chelsea
Rudiger celebrates holding the UEFA Supercup following their win over Villareal. Rudiger will be available to play in the London derby where Chelsea go head to head with Arsenal at the Emirates. Photo Credit: Chelsea
Arsenal on the other hand have not bagged any trophy of late other than the FA Cup which they won in the 2019/20 season and a ceremonial Community Shield.
Joe Willock holding up the FA cup following their win in 2019-20 season. The player has been sold to Newcastle and therefore wont be available for the London derby. Photo Credits: Arsenal
Contrast Premier League opener matches for the London rivals
The most recent fixtures saw Chelsea easily beat Crystal Palace 3-0 to mark the start of the season, and a possible Premier League trophy pursuit. Marcos Alonso gave the Blues an early lead from a free kick. The Spaniard fired the ball right past Vicente Guaita making it 1:0. The Crystal Palace keeper was supposedly caught unawares in this case. In the 40th minute Pulisic poached a rebounce ball from Guaita to make it 2:0, generally a tap-in. Several minutes after the break, Trevor Chalobah grabbed a debut goal, scoring from outside the box right past Guaita to make it 3:0 for the hosts. Intrestingly, the fans had prior urged Chalobah to shoot, and voila, a perfect strike to mark a debut.
A Gunner side lacking character and verve
Arsenal on the other hand had a very rough start to their campaign this season. The team lacked any attacking verve as they possessed the ball largely against newly promoted Brentford. Sergi Cannos fired a strike that went past Arsenal’s defence, right past Bernd Leno, making it 1-0 for the hosts – their first Premier League goal ever.
In the 73rd minute, Christian Nørgaard headed the ball into Arsenal’s net following a long deep throw into Arsenal’s box. That marked the second goal of the night. Aubamayeng and Lacazette were missing from the squad due to an illness. Whether they would have helped better the state of the Gunners is something that is not certain at the moment.
Arsenal’s captain Aubameyang in a past shirt promotion for the club. The Gabonese international will be available to play against the Blues at the Emirates in what looks like a loosing London derby for Arsenal. Photo credit: Arsenal
Aubamayeng has of late not scored for the Gunners. This is a rather worrying scenario for Arteta since in past seasons, the former Dortmund striker has been scoring almost half of Arsenal’s goals. On the other hand, Arsenal have being rumoured to make a move for Inter’s Lautaro Martinez to bolster their attack and rake in the goals.
The presence of yet another Belgian
Going into the weekend, it is not certain whether Lacazette and Aubameyang will be available to face the Blues. Lukaku on the other hand will be available to debut for his boyhood club, following his re-signing from Inter Milan. Will Romelu Lukaku wage war against Arsenal like his fellow Belgian team mate Hazard? Mason Mount has being on form for his side creating several chances for his side, a crucial midfielder indeed. Its not certain whether Tuchel will start Kai Havertz, however if the German starts, he may pivotal to Chelsea. The German scored the only goal in a past friendly against the Gunners.
Lukaku’s comments following his return to the Bridge. Lukaku will be available for selection this weekend as Chelsea go head to head with Arsenal at the Emirates. Photo credits: Chelsea
The London derby face off between Arsenal and Chelsea
As we head into the London derby, Arsenal have history in their favour as Chelsea have form in their favour. Let’s see who will win as these two battle it out at the Emirates.
Mason Mount once again had an outstanding performance in a Chelsea shirt last night. Mount was instrumental in the Blues dominating performance against Atletico Madrid. Chelsea won by a goal to nil in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 knockout tie played in Romania. In the Atletico Madrid box, Mason Mount’s high press led to Hermoso’s attempted clearance falling kindly for Giroud. The Frenchman scored a wonder goal, which was his sixth in the 2020/21 Champions League season.
Mason Mount is starting to prove his critics wrong.
During Frank Lampard’s reign as Chelsea manager, he came under heavy criticism over what some fans and pundits saw as playing favorites. They claimed that Frank Lampard was not selecting the matchday lineups based on players’ form. Much of this criticism involved Mason Mount, one of the first names on the Chelsea team sheet. Mount played almost every game, even as player rotation due to the congested fixtures became the new norm following the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, he made 53 appearances in all competitions under Lampard last season. His critics felt that his return of eight goals and six assists did not justify playing that many games. His run of games continued into this season, making a total of 27 outings. Fitting that one of Lampard’s last actions in charge of the Blues was to name him captain in their 3-1 victory over Luton Town in the FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Mason Mount with former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.
With Thomas Tuchel taking over as Chelsea manager following Frank Lampard’s sacking, many saw this as the end of Mount’s run of games. And they may have thought they were right when Tuchel named the Cobham graduate on the bench for his first game in charge against Wolves. However, he has featured frequently under the German coach since then. Tuchel had some high praises for him.
I cannot tell you where the limit is, and I don’t want to put a limit on his development. It is obvious he has a lot of potential, he is a great footballer and super nice guy, eager to learn, hungry to win, open-minded, and for that, I think that for him, he can perform for any manager.
Thomas Tuchel
Mason Mount with current Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel
You can watch the midweek Premier League action on some Tv/broadcasting channels: Amazon, Bein Sports, Dstv as well among others. The English Premier League match week 21 has been quite eventful. Lot’s of great matches were served to fans worldwide. Manchester City fired one goal past Sheffield United. With this result, they maintain the top spot. Manchester United shared spoils with Arsenal. They have maintained the second position for the second game week running. A win against West Ham has pushed Liverpool back to the top 3. This has happened at the expense of a Leicester City loss. A slight slip changes the outlook of the EPL table. This makes the EPL even more enjoyable. As the title race continues taking shape, more matches are set to be played this coming week. The big question is, where can you catch the matches live? Worry not, for the solution lies here.
WhereToCatchTheEPLMidweek Action
Tuesday The 2nd Of February
Sheffield United vs. West Brom 1800Hrs(GMT), 2100Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Variety 2
Bein Sports HD 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Arsenal 1800Hrs(GMT), 2100Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Premier League
Supersport Football
Bein Sports HD 1
Man United vs. Southampton 2015Hrs(GMT), 2315Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Grandstand
Supersport Premier League
Bein Sports HD 1
Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace 2015Hrs(GMT), 2315Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Variety 2
Bein Sports HD 2
Wednesday The 3rd of February
Burnley vs. Man City 1800Hrs(GMT), 2100Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Grandstand
Supersport Premier League
Bein Sports HD 1
Fulham vs. Leicester City 1800Hrs(GMT), 2100Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Premier League
Bein Sports HD 2
Leeds United vs. Everton 1930Hrs(GMT), 2200Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Football
Supersport Football Plus
Aston Villa vs. West Ham 2015Hrs(GMT), 2315Hrs(EAT)
Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Chelsea 2000Hrs(GMT), 2300Hrs(EAT)
Supersport Premier League
Supersport Grandstand
Bein 4K
Match of the week
This is the undisputed match of the week. A London derby is always one to look forward to. Who does not look forward to a derby match? What makes it even more remarkable is the fact that Jose Mourinho is facing his former employer. A cracker surely awaits. Man United versus Southampton is another match to look forward to. Both clubs have been promising this season. Will Arsenal soldier towards the top 4 with a win against Wolverhampton Wanderers? An exciting match week awaits.
The EPL table is bound to change as soon as match week one completes. While some clubs push for the title, others will be fighting for a top-four finish. Hopefully, you will enjoy this one, won’t you? Always here to ensure you know where you can watch Premier league matches every week.
Marcus Alonso once sidelined, had a prolific performance today against Burnley as he helped Chelsea win the match. The Spanish fullback had been sidelined from the Chelsea lineup since September for every Premier League match. Was there anything between Lampard and Marcus Alonso?
Frank Lampard occasionally fielded a back four, and once a while a back 3, with two fullbacks, Reece James and Chilwell. When Chelsea played a back four, Alonso would end up not featuring also. His teammates, on the other hand, Azpilicueta, Reece James and Chilwell were preferred to him. It was rumoured that he had a fallout with the then manager Frank Lampard. Of course, Lampard denied such claims on the press.
A clean slate
Alonso alongside Pulisic celebrating Alonso’s goal vs Burnley. Phot credit: Chelsea FC
Under Thomas Tuchel, former PSG manager, Marcus Alonso has made his first Premier League appearance since last year. Thomas Tuchel in a previous press briefing, stated every player had to fight for his position. It is now clear that Chilwell, Emerson Palmieri, and the thirty-year-old will have to fight for the Left Back/ Left Wing Back (LB/LWB) role.
Thomas Tuchel fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Burnley’s usual 4-4-2 formation. This gave the Spanish fullback a chance to start for Chelsea considering Chilwell had begun in the previous league match for Chelsea.
Chelsea started the game with an early goal from Cesar Azpilicueta. The Blues added another in the dying embers of the game. This time, it was an Alonso goal. He controlled the ball with his chest, flicking it with his knee then firing straight over Nick Pope’s head with his strong foot. The goalkeeper was helpless in this situation. That made it a 2:0 win for the Blues. Quite a notable perfomance by Alonso ensuring Chelsea defeated Burnley. Following this win, Chelsea is now 7th in the Premier League standings. Everton and Aston Villa are following closely with a game in hand.
Considering how Chelsea is playing, if Tuchel continually fields a back three formation, the Chelsea fullbacks are bound to get more goals or and assists. Moreso, considering that the first goal was assisted by Hudson Odoi, who was playing at the Right Wing Back (RWB) position.
Chelsea and Burnley players lining up for a set piece. Chelsea won 2:0. Photo credit: Chelsea FC
Prolific fullbacks
With multiple players to choose from for the Left back /Left Wing back position, let’s see whether Tuchel will keep preferring Alonso over Chilwell and Emerson Palmieri. Who would you pick in the starting line up, Chilwell or Alonso?
Chelsea’s newest signing Thiago Silva has shrugged off concerns he might struggle to adapt to the Premier League pace. Critics have continued insisting that the Brazilian veteran could find it rough at Stamford Bridge. Read how foreign players adopt the premier league.
Adapting to the league
The 36 years old centre-back on Tuesday, brushed off concerns that he would struggle to come to live up to the English top-flight speed. The defender joined Frank Lampard’s side from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last month.
Silva believes he will play a big role in helping Chelsea’s young squad reach peak performance. This he asserts is prominent after the team’s expensive rebuild.
The former AC Milan player is expected to make his debut in Chelsea’s League Cup match against Barnsley on Wednesday.
He said although the Premier League had not previously held great appeal for him, he is willing to put his back to notable duty. More about the story here.
Lampard’s side finished 33 points behind champions Liverpool ast season. Liverpool also beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last Sunday to underscore the gap between the teams.
With all his experience in football career and everything he has won,he said it is paramount to show to the younger players that just playing matches is not enough. The Brazilian international said he could help instil a winning mindset at the club
Silva feels that Chelsea needs preparation to be as ready and in the best state possible. He said they need to see how important it is to win things.
Thiago says its people who are successful winners that are remembered. Moreover, he gave an example of Manager Frank Lampard, hailing him as having accomplished so much.
Frank Lampard as Chelsea coach
Sealing the defence
Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is set to become the seventh senior Chelsea signing in a hectic summer. The oddity is especially notable due to the Corona virus pandemic that has thrown the sporting world into unchartered waters. More more articles mentioning Corona virus here.
Kai Havertz, one of the latest Chelsea’s signings, scored a hat-trick playing vs Barnsley in Carabao Cup. Chelsea won the match. The Blues thrashed Barnsley six goals. Moreover, they kept a clean sheet with Thiago Silva, making his debut in the blue shirt.
From left, Tammy Abraham, Kai Havertz and Hudson-Odoi celebrating a goal vs Barnsley. Photo Credits Kai-Havertz
Tammy Abraham opened the scoring sheets following a poor back pass to one of Barnsley’s defender. Mount threaded the ball past Barnsley defense, setting up Havertz’s first goal for Chelsea. Overall, poor defensive decisions by Barnsley defenders, coupled with the prowess of the Chelsea forwards, ensured four more goals were scored. Barkley, Giroud, and Tammy Abraham each scored one goal. The man of the match, Kai Havertz, scored a hat-trick, his first, vs Barnsley.
Havertz is awarded the match ball vs Barnsley. Photo Credits Kai-Havertz
Ridiculed
This hat-trick against Barnsley is Kai Havertz’s first in his senior career. This match was his 153rd appearance in competitive football. The 21-year-old has been at the center of a lot of ridicule in social football circles because of his previous performances in a Chelsea shirt. He has failed to score or assist in last matches. Furthermore, zero chances created. However, he is a young and rising talent and will take some time to adapt Premier League football.
Kai Havertz vs Liverpool today: 45 minutes played 0 goals 0 assists 2 passes completed 0 successful dribbles 3 step overs 1 good haircut
Frank Lampard fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation in this match, with Tammy Abraham playing upfront. Hudson-Odoi played in the Right Midfielder position, whereas Mount played on the Left Midfielder position. On the other hand, the German youngster played as the CAM. It seems he has played out of position in past matches, based on his performance in this match.
Kai Havertz during a past match vs Brighton. Photo Credits Kai-Havertz
In his first Premier League match versus Brighton, he had a deeper role in midfield. Lampard fielded a 4-2-2-2 formation in this match. Against Liverpool, he was fielded as a false 9. Chelsea played a 4-3-3 formation in this match. Afterward, he was subbed after Christensen earned himself a red card. After conceding two goals against Liverpool in the second half, Lampard shifted to a 4-4-2 formation. If the goal was to prevent more goals, the change in formation worked.
Some tweeps deemed the move to pick Kai Havertz was to boost his confidence. He will probably feature this Saturday in their away match to West Bromwich Albion. Havertz’ hat-trick has definitely created expectation among Chelsea fans. Will he replicate his good run Bundesliga here?
The premier league is set to resume in mid month with a tight fixture for Chelsea. On Monday, 14th September, the blues clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at 20:00 (EAT). On 20th September, Chelsea will meet the Reds, Liverpool, in what will be their real premier league opener for this season. The two sides have played 65 times and Chelsea has won 26 games, while Liverpool won 22 matches. The teams have recorded 17 draws. However, recent statistics have shown the Liverpool side getting stronger and Chelsea weakening. Last season, Chelsea had an average of 1 goal per match, while their opponents Liverpool scored an average of 2.5 goals per game. If these statistics are anything to go with, this Stanford bridge derby will be electrifying. Later in the month, Saturday 26th September, Chelsea will play West Bromwich Albion. The other notable game in October is the match between Chelsea and Manchester United set for the 24th October 2020. For more Chelsea fixtures for this season, visit their official website of Chelsea Fc news.
Arsenal
FA Cup winners (Picture source: Supersport)
After a successful season, Arsenal is set to come back strongly in the premier league starting on 12th September with a clash against Fulham at 12:30 (EAT). They will play West Ham United the following weekend on 20th September at 14:00 (EAT). They are set for a derby on Monday 28th September when the gunners clash with Liverpool at 20:00 (EAT). All eyes will be watching this derby since the teams have met 229 times, and Liverpool has won 89 matches, while Arsenal won 80. The teams have recorded 61 draws. Last week’s match in the Community shield confirmed that Arsenal remained to be a strong side against Liverpool. If they bet their cards on Aubameyang, anything can happen. In October, Arsenal is set to play two more derbies against Manchester City and Manchester United in the Premier league
Premier League Champions, Liverpool are leading on the league table with 86 points followed by Manchester City who are at 63 points. Below them are 4 clubs who are battling it out for the third and fourth position. Fighting to win a spot at the UEFA Champions League are Leicester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolverhampton respectively. These clubs had a good run in the league and are separated by not more than 3 points. The foxes at 55 points and a goal difference of 29 had a chance of extending the one point gap between them and Chelsea yesterday but lost 2-1 to Everton at Goodison Park. Chelsea on the other hand also lost 3-2 to West Ham and gave up their chance of being third on the league table. Leicester will be hoping to redeem themselves as they host Crystal Palace on Saturday. Chelsea will also be playing against Watford on Saturday hoping make up for lost points.
With only two points behind the South West London club, Manchester United hopes to catch up to them by winning their game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday. This is not a tough fixture for the club based on their current form and their winning streak plus their home advantage. It would not be very costly for them to loose this game. Wolves who are only behind Manchester United because of a lower goal difference are also putting effort to secure a spot at the top four. The West midlands club haven’t lost a game after the restart and have been pretty impressive in the way the gain points. They will be hosting a rejuvenated Arsenal on Saturday hoping to get points to fit for the UCL qualification. It is a pretty tough fixture for them, but taming the wolves has been easy this season.
For the Red devils and Wolves, there is another alternative for qualifying to the Champions League, which is by winning the UEFA Europa League, a competition set to return on 5th August.
After the FA Cup quarter finals clash over the weekend, four clubs; Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City proceeded to the Semifinals of the tournament. Arsenal were drawn to face the title holders, City and Chelsea were drawn to face Manchester United and it doesn’t get bigger than this. This is definitely going to be a London vs Manchester affair as the four clubs who have had a history of rivalry face each other for domestic cup glory.
United against Chelsea has been quite a one sided fixture since the Reds haven’t lost a game in their last 6 meetings. This season alone, the two clubs have met thrice, twice in the Premier League and once in the EFL Carabao Cup and United have emerged victorious in all the games. It’s a pretty embarrassing domination for the blues considering they’re both currently in the clash for the top 4 spot in the League Table. Frank Lampard is obviously working on a plan to beat Manchester United because being beaten in 4 out of 4 games would not look good for them. United on the other hand are currently on fire with a 14games unbeaten streak and a squad in top form. Both clubs seem optimistic about proceeding to the finals and hope to add this silverware in their trophy collection. The two will meet at Wembley on Saturday July 18th behind closed doors.
Arsenal on the other end will seek to beat a club they haven’t won a game against since April 2017.Manchester City has beaten the Gunners in all their last 7 meetings and this seems to be a very tight fixture for the red Londoners. Arsenal has never lost in a FA Cup semifinal against Mancity and has defeated City in their last 5 meetings in their FA Cup. They are currently not in their best form with a number of their key players injured. Pep Guardiola, who will meet his former assistant coach, Mikel Arteta for the second time this season, isn’t intending on loosing this crucial game. He is clearly seeking his second domestic trophy this season. The two will meet in the weekend of July 18/19 at Wembley stadium. The Finals of the tournament will be on 1st August on the same venue.
Photo Credits: Skysports Official Twitter Account @SkySports
