Henry Winter 🤖“The belief to overcome challenges is paramount in sport, in life.” Ruben Loftus-Cheek. #ENG #ACMILAN #CFC
https://open.substack.com/pub/henrywinte…
https://open.substack.com/pub/henrywinte…
Emma Sanders 🤖... more from Loftus-Cheek on playing for Tuchel at Chelsea. “I also played in a 6, 8, and centre-back for one game! And also right wing-back! I’d never played in that wide position before. He suggested I'm a powerful runner and have the pace to play there, and the physicality to get up and down at speed. I was happy to play there. It was just the shock of the suggestion!"
When Tuchel appointed England manager, Loftus-Cheek hoped for a recall. "After working with him, he knows me as a player. I played quite a lot for him. I thought maybe if I’m doing well (at AC Milan) I maybe had a chance." #CFC #ENG
England forward Lauren James says fans were "too quick to judge" during her struggles at Euro 2025.
"You could have one leg hanging off, I will still tell you that I'm going to try to play." #cfc
Excellent interview from my friend @emmasmithjourno@twitter.com
Ruben Loftus-Cheek on playing for Thomas Tuchel. "When he came to Chelsea, he spoke to me about playing right wing-back. I said, ‘No! No! No!’ But I played there anyway! I played many positions under him. He values my physicality. He's a very intelligent manager." #ENG #CFC
...On Eze free-kick for #CPFC ruled out for Guehi being within a metre of #CFC wall (law changed in 2019), Webb says “there’s no doubt that Guehi commits an offence. He initially stands away from that wall but then he moves - he physically manhandles Caicedo out of the way – and creates a gap”.
As Eze free-kick goes through gap it’s deemed a “big impact” by Guehi. Goal ruled out because of “impact of his (Guehi) actions…not just the fact that he’s less than a metre away”, Webb says on his show broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT. 2/2
I imagine refs’ chief Howard Webb will acknowledge officials got the Muniz/Chalobah #CHEFUL incident wrong when he discusses it with Michael Owen on Sky Sports and TNT tonight.
Webb trying to encourage high threshold for penalising contact and trying to encourage VAR to interfere as little as possible. That intervention ruined what would have been a debut goal for Josh King. Webb bound to emphasise that PGMO is not on some mission to disallow goals.
Also on tonight’s show, Webb looking at…
Eze free-kick ruled out for Guehi #CPFC standing within a metre of the #CFC wall after push on Caicedo, and impacting wall’s ability to stop the free-kick.
Bassey #FFC pulling Mount #MUFC to the floor.
Tarkowski #EFC controversial handball v #LUFC (and hand-ball pens are relatively rare).
Gordon #NUFC red card v #LFC (no real debate on that one).
“Match Officials, Mic’d up” on Sky Sports and TNT, 7pm UK tonight.
✍️ Chelsea confirm Louna Ribadeira will spend the season on loan at FC Fleury. #cfc
Simon Johnson 🤖An explainer on #CFC’s intense end to the window.
• Delap’s hospital scan during Fulham game stopped Jackson loan
• Bayern revived talks due to Guiu
• Chilwell, George, Sterling, Disasi, Datro Fofana
• squad stronger for better PL challenge
https://nytimes.com/athletic/65912…
• Delap’s hospital scan during Fulham game stopped Jackson loan
• Bayern revived talks due to Guiu
• Chilwell, George, Sterling, Disasi, Datro Fofana
• squad stronger for better PL challenge
https://nytimes.com/athletic/65912…
Good luck to Nicolas Jackson at Bayern Munich. And good work by Chelsea’s negotiating team: £14.2m loan fee and obligation to buy £56.2m (if he plays set number of games, and he is off to Afcon). Is Jackson really a £70m striker, even in an inflated market? Thriller or off the wall?
If he plays as well as he did leading the line for Senegal against England in the June friendly, Jackson may be worth that. If he learns from watching Harry Kane how to be more clinical, Jackson may be worth that. He’s only 24, can still improve, and he’ll get more chances in the Bundesliga than in the Premier League.
But the over-riding memory of Jackson's time at Chelsea was of a player far too wasteful in front of goal. Yes, he was quick and strong, and a PL tally of 24 goals (no pens) and 10 assists in 65 games is decent. But given the quality of service from Cole Palmer and co, Jackson should have scored many more. He missed some sitters, one-on-ones that a good striker would take. 51 offsides tells a story (Hojlund 28 in 62 PL). Discipline an issue, too, daft reds and yellows. Jackson has much to work on.
Yet Bayern aren't stupid. Deal works for Bayern who don’t want to spend big now, Jackson can also play wide, and he will doubtless want to prove a point when Chelsea visit the Allianz on September 17. But is he really a £70m striker? #CFC
Florian Plettenberg 🤖
Kevin Hatchard 🎙⚽️ 🤖