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May 23rd, 2008

Friday afternoon question: Is this the end of a Chelsea era?

Posted by: Mark Meadows

Even costlier miss?

The futures of coach Avram Grant and several Chelsea players are uncertain following their Champions League final defeat by Manchester United. But how many will leave?

Speculation that Grant will be axed has intensified after chief executive Peter Kenyon said finishing second in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup was not good enough.

“It’s been an interesting season, but you don’t like finishing second and as runners-up. Given the standards we’ve set, that’s not something we’ve settled for,” he said.

“We’re looking at players who have the potential to be star names. We’ve brought in one player, Jose Bosingwa from Porto, who strengthens a position which has been an issue for us. We’ll take our time to look at what else is needed, but I think that’s two players rather than 20.”

Didier Drogba’s sending off in Moscow on Wednesday could well be his last appearance in blue. The striker has never hidden the fact that a move to AC Milan appeals and the Serie A side are keen to sign him, even if they are only in the UEFA Cup next season.

Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi would also love to have former striker Andriy Shevchenko back at the San Siro. Coach Carlo Ancelotti is not so sure and media reports say Milan will only take the Ukrainian on a free.

Even Chelsea talisman Frank Lampard is not definitely staying. After a difficult period following the death of his mother, the midfielder has said he will talk with Chelsea after England’s forthcoming friendlies.

Inter Milan lie in wait if Lampard decides to move on. Would Jose Mourinho’s possible arrival at the Italian champions increase the possibility of Lampard moving? 

Claude Makelele, Paulo Ferreira, Steve Sidwell, Ricardo Carvalho, Tal Ben Haim, Nicolas Anelka, Carlo Cudicini, Wayne Bridge and Claudio Pizarro are among the other Chelsea players to be linked with a move.

Is Roman Abramovich’s empire crumbling or will a bigger, better Chelsea emerge?

Mark Meadows, Milan

PHOTO: John Terry hits the post with a penalty which would have won the Champions League for Chelsea. May 22 REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

May 22nd, 2008

Vlog on the pitch - why do English players slip taking penalties?

Posted by: Mark Meadows

David Beckham slipped and missed a key penalty for England against Portugal at Euro 2004 and now John Terry’s loss of footing has handed the Champions League to Manchester United.

Is it nerves or a lack of technique? Vlog on the pitch regulars Owen Wyatt and Jon Bramley are joined by Pedro Redig to discuss Wednesday’s final, with some fan reactions also included.

Jon thinks Chelsea deserved to win and Pedro wonders if Andriy Shevchenko should have played. Let us know your views.

Submit your comments in the usual way below or if you are feeling adventurous, load a video response to youtube or wherever tagged “vlog on the pitch” and if we like it, we’ll load it up here.

April 11th, 2008

What next for Shevchenko?

Posted by: Mark Meadows

Shevchenko and DrogbaIf a footballing-loving Martian suddenly appeared, you’d be hard pressed to persuade him that Andriy Shevchenko was once the most feared striker on our planet.

He broke records galore in seven years at AC Milan, but his two seasons at Chelsea have been utterly miserable. Injury has played a part in his fall from grace, but generally the 31-year-old has been too slow for the demands of English football and has lost his magic touch.

Why then are AC Milan so obsessed with bringing him back to the San Siro? You could count on one hand the number of players that have gone back to their former clubs and succeeded. Ian Rush (Liverpool-Juventus-Liverpool) may be one along with Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors) and Mark Hughes (Manchester United) but there are few other instances (Johann Cruyff, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham were never as good on returns to Ajax, Liverpool and Spurs for example).

Club president Silvio Berlusconi, a personal friend of the Ukrainian, may think the striker can roll back the years if he returns to familiar, comfortable surroundings. But Serie A is not the league he left. The play has got quicker, conversely because the standard is lower.

Milan have a habit of buying players when they are past their best. Ronaldo was an injury waiting to happen when he signed from Real Madrid. Now the soon-to-be ex European champions are courting Barcelona’s Ronaldinho, simply because he may come on the market because he is not as good as he was.

Think also of Inter Milan, who brought in Luis Figo when he was in decline and Patrick Vieira after he’d had his best years at Arsenal. Contrast that with English football, which is so dominant now because they buy players at their prime or just before (Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres).

To be fair to Milan, they took a gamble signing 18-year-old Brazilian striker Alexadre Pato, and it has partially paid off. Carlo Ancelotti has said Pato and Shevchenko are too similar, but that hasn’t stopped Berlusconi.

Media reports say Sheva may be given a free transfer by Chelsea. I think he should resist the temptation to return to Milan. What do you think?

Mark Meadows, Milan

PHOTO: Shevchenko with Chelsea team mate Didier Drogba, whose form has often kept the Ukrainian out of the starting lineup.  March 2007 REUTERS/Eddie Keogh