English Champions Chelsea FC, suffering from their worst start in 37 years, have been dealt with another worrying newsduring the international break as Branislav Ivanovic was substituted due to an hamstring injury during Serbia’s encounter with Albania.
The Chelsea FC right back had been in sensational form last year, but has been suffering from a dip in form since the start of the season. The Serbian, known for his solid performances, has been uncharacteristically porous, leading to calls for dropping him from the starting line-up. Despite such calls, Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho had retained his trust on Ivanovic, as he handed the captain’s armband to the Serbian.
The news of an injury to a player is never a good news, but Chelsea FC fans might see the positive side as they wait for Ivanovic to recover from his hamstring injury. Chelsea FC have able deputies to choose from, but it would be just a slight reshuffle in defence with Azpilicueta shifting to right-back and Baba Rahman slotting in as left-back.
The news of Ivanovic’s injury was first tweeted by Oliver Todd of the Daily Mail and was quickly followed by Serbian Football. Chelsea FC fans were then quick to circulate the news among themselves.
Petr Cech names his favourites for the Premier League title
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech believes his former club Chelsea are still the favourites for the Premier League title despite their poor start to the season, Czech paper iDNES reports.
The Czech Republic international traded the Blues for the Gunners in the summer, a decision which so far looks an inspired one as he returns to regular action for a team challenging for the title.
However, when questioned on whether the Gunners can be crowned champions, Cech says that he believes his side can challenge but feels Jose Mourinho’s men are still the favourites.
“I know that we have a team which can challenge for the title,” he explained.
“Chelsea surprise me because they have one of the best squads in the Premier League. It’s difficult to evaluate, but it’s a long season and in my eyes they are still the favourites for the title.”
Added pressure or genuine belief?
It’s difficult to assess whether Cech’s Chelsea claims are genuine or whether he is simply adding more pressure on his former side, considering their start to the season.
Jose Mourinho’s men have claimed just eight points from their opening eight matches, conceding an unimaginable 17 goals in the process.
Their title hopes already look in stark danger of being over, whereas the Gunners on the other hand have started to show their true colours in recently, thrashing Manchester United 3-0 last weekend.
In what still remains a long season ahead, it’s difficult to envisage Chelsea in their current form challenging for the title – a scenario many would have dismissed with laughter only two months ago.
Ferguson lends under-pressure Mourinho support
Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has sympathised with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's difficult start to the new campaign.
Alex Ferguson has backed Jose Mourinho to turn Chelsea's fortunes around and insists he has the support of owner Roman Abramovich.
The defending Premier League champions sit 16th in the table with just two victories from their first eight games, while defeat to Porto at the end of September leaves them third in their Champions League group.
Following a 3-1 loss to Southampton in their previous outing, the Portuguese coach insisted that he would not 'walk away from his responsibilities' during a fiery post-match press conference.
But the sympathetic former Manchester United boss does not feel Mourinho's rant was necessary and is certain he has the backing of the club and can turn things around.
"I think that Jose's press conference the other day was challenging the owner to support him in a bad time," Ferguson told American show Morning Joe.
"At times you maybe don't think you're getting complete support from everyone, but it happens. It's not always correct, and I don't think it's correct what Jose's thinking at the moment - I think he's got the support.
"He will find a solution. It may take a few weeks, but you've got to remember, he's lost his goalkeeper [Thibaut] Courtois, who's a fantastic goalkeeper.
"John Terry is in a little difficulty adjusting to his last season maybe, who knows - he played every game last season, the best central defender they've ever had - and he's in a difficult time.
"So if the spine of your team is not what it normally is, do you expect to get consistent results? I don't think so."
Chelsea will return to action after the inter
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