Soccer Challenge

There he goes.Mata's move to united almost completed.I don't what effect this will have on chelsea.But am sad to see him go,hope mou is right.

A special supercar for the Special One
By Dairo Abayomi Dec 16 2013,
Clive Rose
Luxury car tuners Mansory are working on a supercar called Mourinho. I'm not making this up.
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That's right, it's the Mourinho. The car. Or more accurately, the supercar or, even more accurately, the special supercar (super special car?).
Yes, the car is called the Mourinho. Built by tuners Mansory(i.e. a company that specializes in making already rare, luxurious supercars even rarer, and superer), they will make just eleven of them, each of them carrying an expected sticker price of around €2m. Chump change. Mourinho will get the first one of course. It's unclear if he has to pay for it.
That this story is making the rounds only now, roughly a year after the original storywas published by the magazine Robb Report, purveyors of all things luxury, is one of those weird Internet quirks that sometimes sees current events ignored and somebody's random tweet or post getting picked up and going viral. I'm sure it didn't help that it was only the Russian edition of the Robb Report that carried the story, a decision that I'm guessing had something to do with a certain Russian's associations with a certain Special One

José Mourinho manages to outwit Saints with a spot of tactical flexibility
It was a battle of footballing brains at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues manager coming out on top
Sunday 1 December 201315.42 EST
Chelsea switched to 4–4–2 at the start of the second half and played longer passes past Southampton’s pressing midfield. Illustration: Graphic
By DAIRO ABAYOMI
Chelsea's victory over Southampton was about power, strength and constant tactical switches – put simply, it was a rather stereotypical José Mourinho win.
Southampton dominated the opening half with their energetic, high-tempo closing down. Mauricio Pochettino's side have frequently employed a hybrid approach this season, pressing high up the pitch before dropping into two compact banks of four once their opponents play past the initial pressure, but this was the Saints at their most proactive.
Mourinho used Ramires and Michael Essien together for the first time in the Premier League, presumably because that combination was considered most likely to take the ball past the Southampton press, but Essien's early error underlined his struggles, and Chelsea were unable to attack the Southampton defence throughout the opening period. The lack of passing quality in Chelsea's back four was also obvious – the injured David Luiz can be prone to defensive lapses, but he remains by far Chelsea's best distributor from deep positions.
Interestingly, Southampton maintained their heavy pressing despite their early lead – other sides might have played more cautiously with a one-goal cushion, especially because they seemed more dangerous when they won possession in relatively deep positions, with more space to break into. While Pochettino would have been pleased with a 1-0 half-time lead, in truth Southampton's decision-making on the counter-attack was poor, and they should have created more chances. They failed to test Petr Cech following their first-minute opener and it is likely that Southampton's energetic start contributed to their second-half decline.
Mourinho made three substitutions over the course of the match, none of which was a straight swap. His first switch, on 42 minutes, was enforced because of an injury to Oscar, arguably Mourinho's key player this season. The Portuguese coach could have introduced another attacking midfielder, Willian or André Schürrle, but instead brought on Frank Lampard, with Ramires moving right. That indicated Mourinho wanted more strength in the centre of the pitch, where Chelsea were being outfought.
The interval was an opportunity for Mourinho to change his system more dramatically, however. Essien made way for Demba Ba, who played up front alongside Fernando Torres – Chelsea were now 4-4-2 with Ramires returning to a central position but given licence to charge forward. "I completely changed the way of playing," said Mourinho. "I think we gave Southampton a second half that they weren't expecting and they couldn't cope with it…the fact we played with two strikers was a problem for Southampton …we weren't afraid to press them high, and Lampard and Ramires did that very well."Crucially, Chelsea changed their overall approach to match their new formation. Their passing was more direct, with longer balls pumped towards Torres and Ba, effectively bypassing Southampton's press.
Dejan Lovren and Jose Fonte have excelled in a high line this season, but appear more vulnerable when forced into old-fashioned, penalty box defending, and Chelsea's first two goals came from set-pieces – Mourinho's side constantly put the opposition under pressure.
Pochettino responded in turn, introducing Rickie Lambert as a partner for Dani Osvaldo and moving to 4-4-2. It is debatable, however, whether this was the correct approach for a side that looked most dangerous with their slick, one-touch midfield passing – especially as no one was crossing the ball frequently, with James Ward-Prowse already removed.
Mourinho eventually replaced Torres with the holding midfielder Mikel John Obi, who sat deep protecting the defence behind Lampard and Ramires – having played 4–2–3–1 and 4–4–2, Mourinho turned to a third system, 4–3–3, to shut down the game. The lack of creativity remains a concern, but Mourinho's tactical flexibility is Chelsea's greatest strength.

Part 2 United reorganisation and Arsenal spread play wider
Two key things happened at the start of the second half. First, Nemanja Vidic went off injured and was replaced by Cleverley, with Jones dropping into centre-back. This caused United problems: Cleverley lacked Jones’ positional sense – almost immediately conceding a free-kick for tripping Giroud, for example – and while Jones is a decent centre-back, he doesn’t have Vidic’s aerial power.
That proved to be particularly crucial because Arsenal realised they needed to exploit the wide open spaces on the flanks, and played a higher proportion of their passes down the wings. Ramsey played as more of a conventional right-sided midfielder in the opening stages of the second half, although Wenger changed to more of a 4-1-4-1 / 4-3-3 by removing Flamini and introducing Wilshere. Now, Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere played as the midfield trio while Ozil went wide-right.
And while Arsenal didn’t equalise, Wenger deserves credit for the switch – Arsenal quickly showed signs of penetrating the United defence. Wilshere provided a good forward burst to get in behind, and then Ozil’s angled run from the right should have resulted in a fine chance – he seemed to pull out at the last moment.
Sagna dominates
With Arsenal dominating possession and United remaining extremely narrow, the key feature of the final 20 minutes was Bacary Sagna getting space down the right flank, and repeatedly hitting some fantastic balls into the box. His crossing created two chances, but two of his ‘unsuccessful’ balls were actually even better deliveries. Hit into the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ between United’s back four and goalkeeper, they were begging for a touch, but Arsenal somehow failed to convert the chances.
Wenger had replaced Cazorla with Nicolas Bendtner to provide an extra aerial threat in the box, which further encouraged Arsenal to cross the ball. Meanwhile, Moyes was concerned about Sagna’s freedom so introduced Ryan Giggs in place of Kagawa, with instructions to stop the crosses. Sagna still got plenty of room, however, and this showed the fine line (just one Arsenal player providing a touch on a cross) between Moyes’ strategy being regarded as ‘highly successful’ and ‘naive’.
Conclusion
There were two different Manchester United sides here – the positive, possession-orientated side of the first ten minutes, and the increasingly defensive, narrow side that just about dealt with continual Arsenal pressure. United should have created more chances with the former approach, and made more decisive clearances with the latter approach, but there’s reason to be positive about the variation in strategy.
Arsenal were far from their best, with their passing extremely sloppy throughout the game, and pe*******on only arriving after substitutions. Sagna’s crossing was a positive, and having created goals against Napoliand Liverpool, he has been a key part of Arsenal’s season so far.

Part1 Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal: United start positively then defend extremely narrow
November 13, 2013
The starting line-ups
David Moyes recorded the first major victory of his tenure at Old Trafford.
Moyes selected Phil Jones in the centre of midfield alongside Michael Carrick, and continued with Shinji Kagawa on the left.
Arsene Wenger was without Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky due to flu, so Thomas Vermaelen came into the side and Aaron Ramsey moved right.
This was a very narrow United victory, in a match where neither side played at their best.
Both sides play cautiously
The word ‘cagey’ is generally used to describe matches that are slow to get going, but this was an interesting contest because it was simultaneously rather defensive, yet also played at a high tempo. With just one shot in the first half hour, neither side were attacking particularly dangerously, but this was partly because both sides were set up more defensively than usual.
The use of Jones in the centre of midfield gave United tenacity and fight, but also a midfielder who positioned himself more intelligently than Tom Cleverley or Marouane Fellaini might have – he cut off Arsenal’s passing angles and protected the back four, demonstrating that he’s not all about running and tackling. Jones is certainly a versatile player and yet to find a regular role in the side, but his positioning has improved over the last year or so, whether playing at centre-back or in the centre of midfield.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were also more defensive than Wenger would have liked – he indicated he wouldn’t have played two deep midifelders had Rosicky been available, and the Flamini-Arteta axis provided a good screen in front of Arsenal’s (now) relatively unfamiliar centre-back partnership. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie rarely combined in open play, and the lack of invention from United’s central midfield zone meant Arsenal were rarely pe*****ted when they had men behind the ball.
United dominate opening
But the defensiveness was expected considering the line-ups. What was more surprising, however, was that United started the game dominating possession, with 67% in the opening ten minutes. Although they did relatively little with the possession (in terms of getting it into the final third and creating chances) it was an impressive start considering many expected Arsenal’s band of passing midfielders to retain the ball from the outset and put United under continual pressure.
There’s more on this at ESPN…
Maybe Arsenal were surprised at United’s dominance, because they seemed completely unable to work the ball forward when possession was won. Having expected to control the game in United’s half, they didn’t appear to have a cohesive plan at transitions, and rarely exploited the space United left at the back.
United narrow without possession
Without the ball, United used a tactic Moyes often favoured against Arsenal as Everton boss ( and also an approach he used against a wingerless Tottenham last season) – which was to defend extremely narrow, with the full-backs remaining close to the centre-backs, and the wide players tucking inside into the middle.
Clearly, Moyes was concerned about Arsenal’s midfield dominance, and although it took a while for Arsenal to start playing, the away side did eventually dominate possession with both Ramsey and Santi Cazorla darting inside to overload the centre. United’s narrowness, along with Carrick and Jones’ deepness, prevented Arsenal playing intricate passes through the middle, and with Olivier Giroud’s lack of pace and no direct runs from wide, it was difficult to see how Arsenal were going to pe*****te the United defence.
Also deserving of a mention is Rooney, who has been very inconsistent with his defensive work over the past couple of years, but essentially became a fifth midfielder at times here. With Rooney deep, plus Kagawa and Antonio Valencia moving inside, United weren’t overrun in the middle. Interestingly, Rooney was generally picking up Mikel Arteta rather than Mathieu Flamini – the Frenchman played higher up the pitch, as if Wenger wanted a combative player to take the fight to United.
The only goal came from a set-piece: Van Persie’s near post header, from the zone Mertesacker would probably have been defending, judging by Arsenal’s format when defending corners against Liverpool.

Top assits in the champions league Player Team Assists
1 Samir Nasri Manchester City4
Ángel Di María Real Madrid4
3 Arjen Robben Bayern Munich3
Thiago Motta Paris Saint-Germain3
Karim Benzema Real Madrid3
Gregory Van Der Wiel Paris Saint-Germain3
7 Frank Lampard Chelsea2
Xavi Barcelona2
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid2
Marco Streller FC Basel2
Emmanuel Eboué Galatasaray2
Gabi Atletico Madrid2
Sergio Agüero Manchester City2
Raúl García Atletico Madrid2
Blaise Matuidi Paris Saint-Germain2
Dries Mertens Napoli2
Ezequiel Lavezzi Paris Saint-Germain2
Thulani Serero Ajax Amsterdam2
Heung-Min Son Bayer Leverkusen2
Danilo FC Porto2
Oscar Chelsea2
Willian Chelsea2
23 Samuel Eto'o Chelsea1
Andrea Pirlo Juventus1
Javier Saviola Olympiakos1
Andrés Iniesta Barcelona1
Didier Drogba Galatasaray1
Wayne Rooney Manchester United1
Kaká AC Milan1
Patrice Evra Manchester United1
Alexander Kerzhakov Zenit St Petersburg1
James Milner Manchester City1
Christian Fuchs Schalke 041
Cesc Fábregas Barcelona1
David Silva Manchester City1
David Fuster Olympiakos1
Filipe Luis Atletico Madrid1
Antonio Valencia Manchester United1
Juan Zuñiga Napoli1
Gonzalo Higuaín Napoli1
Rafinha Bayern Munich1
Luisão Benfica1
Philipp Lahm Bayern Munich1
Sacha Kljestan Anderlecht1
Marcelo Real Madrid1
Branislav Ivanovic Chelsea1
Pontus Wernbloom CSKA Moscow1
Mesut Özil Arsenal1
Dimitri Payet Marseille1
Arda Turan Atletico Madrid1
Maxwell Paris Saint-Germain1
Roman Shirokov Zenit St Petersburg1
Olivier Giroud Arsenal1
Keisuke Honda CSKA Moscow1
Alexis Sánchez Barcelona1
Diego Costa Atletico Madrid1
Emiliano Insua Atletico Madrid1
Benedikt Höwedes Schalke 041
Aaron Ramsey Arsenal1
Ramires Chelsea1
Kieran Gibbs Arsenal1
Delvin Ndinga Olympiakos1
Álvaro Negredo Manchester City1
Martín Cáceres Juventus1
Toni Kroos Bayern Munich1
Rurik Gislason FC Copenhagen1
Mario Mandzukic Bayern Munich1
Kostas Mitroglou Olympiakos1
Giannis Maniatis Olympiakos1
Valentin Stocker FC Basel1
Jose Holebas Olympiakos1
Federico Peluso Juventus1
Andre Almeida Benfica1
David Alaba Bayern Munich1
Sergio Busquets Barcelona1
Lukasz Szukala Steaua Bucuresti1
Kevin Großkreutz Borussia Dortmund1
Jordan Ayew Marseille1
Hulk Zenit St Petersburg1
Nordin Amrabat Galatasaray1
Lasse Schöne Ajax Amsterdam1
Robert Lewandowski Borussia Dortmund1
Douglas Costa Shakhtar Donetsk1
Dante Bayern Munich1
Zoran Tosic CSKA Moscow1
Neymar Barcelona1
Dany Nounkeu Galatasaray1
Ahmed Musa CSKA Moscow1
Koke Atletico Madrid1
Mario Götze Bayern Munich1
Giulio Donati Bayer Leverkusen1
Taras Stepanenko Shakhtar Donetsk1
Josué FC Porto1
Álvaro Morata Real Madrid1

Top scorers in the champions league Player Team Goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid8
2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic Paris Saint-Germain7
3 Lionel Messi Barcelona6
4 Sergio Agüero Manchester City5
5 Álvaro Negredo Manchester City4
6 Franck Ribéry Bayern Munich3
Gonzalo Higuaín Napoli3
Simon Rolfes Bayer Leverkusen3
Diego Costa Atletico Madrid3
Kostas Mitroglou Olympiakos3
Robert Lewandowski Borussia Dortmund3
12 Arjen Robben Bayern Munich2
Samuel Eto'o Chelsea2
Thiago Motta Paris Saint-Germain2
Didier Drogba Galatasaray2
Fabio Quagliarella Juventus2
Wayne Rooney Manchester United2
Fernando Torres Chelsea2
Umut Bulut Galatasaray2
Raúl García Atletico Madrid2
Karim Benzema Real Madrid2
Fernando Llorente Juventus2
Lucho González FC Porto2
Stefan Kießling Bayer Leverkusen2
Arda Turan Atletico Madrid2
Olivier Giroud Arsenal2
Edinson Cavani Paris Saint-Germain2
Aaron Ramsey Arsenal2
Ramires Chelsea2
Arturo Vidal Juventus2
Andre Ayew Marseille2
Mario Mandzukic Bayern Munich2
Ángel Di María Real Madrid2
Alex Teixeira Shakhtar Donetsk2
David Alaba Bayern Munich2
Seydou Doumbia CSKA Moscow2
Hulk Zenit St Petersburg2
Lasse Schöne Ajax Amsterdam2
Zoran Tosic CSKA Moscow2
Julian Draxler Schalke 042
Marquinhos Paris Saint-Germain2
Miranda Atletico Madrid2

Top assits in the epl PlayerTeam Assists
1 Steven Gerrard Liverpool4
Wayne Rooney Manchester United4
Sergio Agüero Manchester City4
Mesut Özil Arsenal4
Olivier Giroud Arsenal4
Aaron Ramsey Arsenal4
Kevin Mirallas Everton4
8 David Silva Manchester City3
Rickie Lambert Southampton3
10 Peter Crouch Stoke City2
Don Cowie Cardiff City2
Kevin Nolan West Ham United2
Frank Lampard Chelsea2
Wayne Routledge Swansea City2
Robin Van Persie Manchester United2
Patrice Evra Manchester United2
Jesús Navas Manchester City2
Matthew Jarvis West Ham United2
Chris Brunt West Bromwich Albion2
Roberto Soldado Tottenham Hotspur2
Samir Nasri Manchester City2
Pablo Zabaleta Manchester City2
José Enrique Liverpool2
Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa2
Sone Aluko Hull City2
Pablo Swansea City2
Morgan Amalfitano West Bromwich Albion2
Daniel Sturridge Liverpool2
Adam Lallana Southampton2
Peter Whittingham Cardiff City2
Yoan Gouffran Newcastle United2
Papiss Demba Cisse Newcastle United2
Sascha Riether Fulham2
Álvaro Negredo Manchester City2
Jonjo Shelvey Swansea City2
Bryan Ruiz Fulham2
Paulinho Tottenham Hotspur2
James Ward-Prowse Southampton2

Top scorers in the epl PlayerTeamGoals
1 Sergio Agüero Manchester City8
Daniel Sturridge Liverpool8
Luis Suárez Liverpool8
4 Robin Van Persie Manchester United7
Loïc Remy Newcastle United7
6 Aaron Ramsey Arsenal6
7 Wayne Rooney Manchester United5
Yaya Touré Manchester City5
Olivier Giroud Arsenal5
Romelu Lukaku Everton5
11 Roberto Soldado Tottenham Hotspur4
Eden Hazard Chelsea4
Álvaro Negredo Manchester City4
Christian Benteke Aston Villa4
Wilfried Bony Swansea City4
Oscar Chelsea4
Rickie Lambert Southampton4
18 David Silva Manchester City3
Adam Lallana Southampton3
Jay Rodriguez Southampton3
Edin Dzeko Manchester City3
Gylfi Sigurdsson Tottenham Hotspur3
Ravel Morrison West Ham United3
Robert Brady Hull City3
25 Ben Davies Swansea City2
Steven Gerrard Liverpool2
Darren Bent Fulham2
Samuel Eto'o Chelsea2
Steve Sidwell Fulham2
Leighton Baines Everton2
Gareth McAuley West Bromwich Albion2
Lukas Podolski Arsenal2
Steven Fletcher Sunderland2
Fraizer Campbell Cardiff City2
Hatem Ben Arfa Newcastle United2
Samir Nasri Manchester City2
Nathan Dyer Swansea City2
Yohan Cabaye Newcastle United2
Craig Gardner Sunderland2
Jonathan Howson Norwich City2
Morgan Amalfitano West Bromwich Albion2
Mesut Özil Arsenal2
Stephane Sessegnon West Bromwich Albion2
Ricardo Vaz Te West Ham United2
Yoan Gouffran Newcastle United2
Charlie Adam Stoke City2
Danny Welbeck Manchester United2
Yannick Sagbo Hull City2
Libor Kozák Aston Villa2
Jack Wilshere Arsenal2
Michu Swansea City2
Jordon Mutch Cardiff City2
Steven Caulker Cardiff City2
Emanuele Giaccherini Sunderland2
Leandro Bacuna Aston Villa2
Pajtim Kasami Fulham2
Saido Berahino West Bromwich Albion2
Ross Barkley Everton2
Dwight Gayle Crystal Palace2
Adnan Januzaj Manchester United2

ARSENAL 0 CHELSEA 3
17-11-2013
Summary
The youth team defeated Arsenal 3-0 this morning (Saturday) thanks to a fantastic first-half hat-trick from Jeremie Boga. The victory makes it six wins out of seven games in the league for Adi Viveash's Under-18 side.

Over to you Jose..
November 14, 2013 3:14 AM
demba-ba-chelsea-premier- league_2971815Losing to Newcastle away and managing to scrape a point at home against the Baggies has floated a few question marks over Jose Mourinho’s return to The Bridge.
The 2-0 defeat at St James’ was an unmitigated disaster, especially given the fact that Liverpool and Arsenal met each other on the same day and Liverpool also bungled so Chelsea had the perfect chance to create a gap at the top. That opportunity was missed, and Jose must avoid any more foul-ups if he is to add to his existing collection Barclays Premier League titles.
Chelsea have not looked to be in great form in any of their games this season, but they have been winning anyway. Gritty and ugly wins have become their staple, and the Blues boss was furious that his team collapsed at Newcastle. He told The Guardian:
“I told my players nothing,” said a man who has never won a Premier League game at St James’ Park. “After the match it’s time to cool down. I never say anything to them immediately. I hope there’ll be a reaction. I’m angry and frustrated with the team but I’m part of the team and I’ll look at myself as well.”
This is a Newcastle side that have struggled to make any impression on top teams for the past 12-18 months. The game was a strange one where Chelsea enjoyed more than 60% of possession. However, they could not do anything of note with it. Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata simply didn’t achieve anything of worth.
That trio of players have only ever lost two Premier League games they have all started in, but they still have not totally clicked as a partnership. But what Chelsea actually need is a player who is slightly different. Someone strong, direct, and single minded in his approach.
Instead, they have Hazard, Mata and Oscar playing short passes near the edge of the box, with little to no pe*******on. Chelsea fans have high expectations and it has to be said, that this season is turning out to be hit and miss. Not the Chelsea way. Stamford Bridge routinely sells out, the box office is always under siege, online ticketssnapped up. These fans have a tradition of supporting a team with a tough mentality. Chelsea need some tougher recruits.
The striking position is another tough dilemma for Mourinho. He made the mystifying decision to let Romelu Lukaku join Everton on loan, and must now get the best out of the three that are left.
Fernando Torres has shown some life in recent games, but reverted to his regular Chelsea self in the game against Newcastle. It’s the same old story with Fernando. If Torres can get himself going on a consistent basis, Chelsea will be a tougher proposition.
So, they need a world class striker. Samuel Eto’o looks a shadow of the player who used to rip apart defenses at Barcelona. Rumours persist that Wayne Rooney could be targeted The Daily Startalking up a £35m deal. Frankly, the chances of this happening are slim to none. Rooney is resurgent at Manchester United this season. Why would he move?
The Premier League has never been so open as it is this season. The reason being that the quality is up across the board. As we saw this weekend when Chelsea were lucky to sn**ch a point at home to West Brom, of all people. Last season, Tottenham achieved their highest points haul in a season and still only managed to finish 5th.
As a result Premier League ticketsare flying, stadiums have never been busier. It used to be the case that it was The Championship where anyone could beat anyone, but we’re rapidly approaching a similar circumstance in the top flight.
The International break, ordinarily a nuisance for Premier League sides, may well come as a timely break for the Blues. Give them a chance to regroup and refocus.
Jose’s next game is away to West Ham United. A game that is likely to be a grueling affair, as Big Sam sets up yet another game using his unique system of 4-5-0. Striker-less, the Hammers are proving difficult to break down. Let’s hope the Blues have a strategy in place to counter this