The Mumbai terror attack has put Diego Maradona’s two-day trip to Kolkata in doubt.If it doesn’t work out there will be no doubt be many bitterly disappointed fans in Kolkata.However the people of Mumbai have weightier things on their minds right now.
The writer Suketu Mehta has captured brilliantly the dogged, resilient compassion of Mumbai in his book “Maximum City: Mumbai Lost and Found.”
He talk
s in the book of asking a man named Asad bin Saif, who worked at an institute for secularism, whether the chaos and slums and filth made him pessimistic about human beings. Here is how Mr. Mehta continues the story:

“Not at all,” he responded. “Look at the hands from the trains.”

If you’re
late for work in the morning in Bombay, and you reach the station just as the train is leaving the platform, you can run up to the packed compartments and you’ll
find many hands stretching out to grab you on board, unfolding outwards from the train like petals. As you run alongside the train, you’ll
be pic

ked up and some little
space will be made for your feet on the edge of the compartment. The rest is up to you; you’ll
probably have to hang on with your fingertips on
the door frame, being car

eful not to lean out too far lest you get decapitated by a pole placed too close to the tracks. But think about
what has happened: your fellow-passengers, already packed tighter than cattle are legally allow

ed to be, their shirts already drenched in sweat in the badly ventilated compartment, having stood like this for hours, retain an empathy for you, know that your boss might yell at you or cut your pay if you miss this train, and will make space where none exists to take one more person with them. And at the mom

ent of contact, they don’t
know if the hand that’s
reaching for theirs belongs to a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Brahmin or untouchable, or whether you were born in this city or arrived only this morning, or whether you live in Malabar Hill or Jogeshwari, whether you’re from Bombay or Mumbai or New York. All they know is that you’re trying to get to work in the city of gold, and that’s enough. Come on board, they say

. We’ll adjust.”
I’ve
lived for few years in Mumbai and I think that sums up the spirit of the city pretty well.The people of the city will pic

k themselves up after this latest monstrous demonstration of meaningless savagery and their compassion will endure.But when will it end?

Sublime skill
“Yoann Gourcuff’s silky touches tormented Chelse and thrilled the home support all evening. Cries of ‘Ole!’ rang out when the 22-year-old lifted the ball over John Mikel Obi and darted past John Terry, prompting a reaction from the Blues’ skipper for which he was booked. In a stadium where Zinédine Zidane used to strut his stuff, comparisons between the two mercurial playmakers are inevitable, and Gourcuff’s sublime piece of skill on 27 minutes triggered memories of the former France captain. The Brittany-born player was grace itself as he pirouetted between two tackles before seeing his dangerous

shot saved.”

And some more…

People have almost

forgotten that he could score like this.It was scored in the last 7 minutes and brought AC Milan back into the UEFA Cup game against Portsmouth.So near and yet so far for Portsmouth – who were leading 2 – 0 till then.

One of the benefits of being a World Cup-winning manager is that nobody complains if you turn up at a party and start

badmouthing the hosts – they’re too grateful you came in the first place.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi did that this week when he reprimanded his country’s professional footballers for their treatment of referees at a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of their union, the AIC.

“No one could have Italian footballers more dear to their heart than me, they made me world champion,” he said

. “But something unpleasant exists, there are bad manners on the field. Relations with opponents and, above all, with referees are rude, vulgar and taste of animosity.

“Insults, swearing, expressions of intolerance have become habitual. The referee is faced with the dilemma of pretending not to hear to save the match or sending people off and spoiling the spectacle. Either way he gets criticised.”

The problem is certainly not limited to Serie A and Lippi’s comments take him into a debate sparked by the FA’s Respect campaign in England.

Launched earlier this year, the initiative is already on the ropes as it seems to have amplified attention on the errors referees inevitably commit, producing more questions than solutions.

What can players get away with? Should refs be made to talk
to reporters after matches to explain their decisions and admit when they get things wrong?

Might it not be easier to encourage respect by upping the level of refereeing with the use of video replays rather than by ‘awareness-raising’ drives?

Jose Mourinho said

on Tuesday that Italian referees have it even harder than their Premier League colleagues because in England “there’s

lots of fair play and the game finishes with the referee’s final whistle”. In Italy, on the other hand, they’ve
to contend with a roasting in the media as well as grief from players and coaches.

Sevilla’s Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca said

he’d
seen “more replays in half an hour tonight than in four years in Spain” while taking part in a television
show on Sunday that was analysing controversial penalty calls in AC Milan’s 2-2 draw at Torino.

Lippi thinks that player associations should make moves to cut out the surliness because “a union should not just defend its members’ rights, but also their dignity”.

But I reckon this is unlikely to work too because in football, disrespect pays!

Dissent isn’t
just about letting off steam in the heat of battle. It’s also a way to pressure officials into being softer on your side in subsequent decisions. If a ref makes a dodgy call, it’s a good idea to make sure he knows so he’ll think twice next time. It’s a tactic and one that’s
hard to wipe out because it’s successful.

Lippi has won all the trophies in his illustrious car

eer. But this time he may well be on the losing side.

PHOTO:Italy coach Marcello Lippi conducts a training session in Coverciano, Aug. 18. REUTERS/Marco Bucco

A price tag has now been placed on this Harry Redknapp target, and it’s a price well worth paying!

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Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has now admitted that the club could be ready to sell Lukas Podolski – but say

s he’ll
cost €15 million.
The 23-year-old Germany striker has told the club he wants to leave in January after failing to establish himself in the first-team, and former club Cologne, who have first option on the striker, have repeatedly stressed their desire to sign the player.
Podolski has also been strongly linked with Manchester City, Everton and Tottenham.
Beckenbauer has revealed the club could be tempted to sell at the right price as the player does not fit into the Bayern system.
“Everything in life has its price,” he told Bild.
“Two and a half years ago, we paid €10m (£8.4m). Now, the fee is €15m (£13m).
“You can’t
keep a professional if he’s

unhappy, on the bench and not playing.
“Poldi does not quite fit into our way of playing. He is a top-class striker when he has space in front of him as he has the pace to run clear.
“But the teams we play against are usually very defensive, so we need players who can get into the penalty area – Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni in particular.” (Setanta Sports)

Podolski is surely one of the ideal
players out there actively looking for a move, rather than simply being rumour fodder. The German international has shown his ideal
form at international level, and has the ability

to be a Premier League success. He has been consistently linked with a move to White Hart Lane, and perhaps the links the club have with their former favourite and current Bayern Munich manager Jurgen Klinsmann could help any potential move. Do Tottenham fans feel that Lukas would be a player well worth signing?

Discuss the latest transfer gossip at the Brand New COS forum!

The Fifa world player of the year 2008 is going to be one of these……
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Steven Gerrard (England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Franck Ribery (France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).
Cristiano Ronaldo – displaying his general

humility has said

“I’m
the first, the second and the third ideal
player in the world. But there are other good candidates like Kaká, Messi and Fernando Torres. I think I did everything that’s
necessary to win and I want to continue doing even more. My aim is to win everything that’s
in front of me.”
Thankfully one of the awards he’s

most likely not to win is the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2008.That will be one of these…
Nadine Angerer (Germany), Shannon Boxx (USA), Cristiane (Brazil), Daniela (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (USA) and Ingvild Stensland (Norway).

The William Gallas saga behind them, Arsenal have reached the last 16 of the Champions League after a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev.

A late winner from substitute Nicklas Bendtner was enough to send the Gunners through with a game to spare but will Arsene Wenger have to change things if his young side are to progress further in the competition?

Vlogonthepitch regular Owen Wyatt discusses Arsenal’s chances with Joe Brock in the video above. Let us know your views.

…among other things is that Gerrard does not chuck things back and get suspended for three games.Drogba threw the famous coin back and is now is in a ‘woe is me’ lament mood.
Gerrard – who was struck by a lighter chucked from the stands – exercised restraint,refrained from chucking the thing back and now the UEFA are investigating the matter.

This Wolves man has been upset with being left out of the first team, and this has only hastened talk

of a move to either of these north London giants.

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Arsenal and Tottenham are bracing themselves for a £5m tug of war to land Wolves’ 21-year-old Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. (Daily Star)

Hennessey has found himself out of the first team at Molineux for two months up until last night, when injury to Ikeme led to the Welshman coming on as sub. He has been upset at the lack of first-team action, which may or may not have been down to the youngster possibly having his head turned by the attention given to him by some Premier League outfits scouting his every move. It hasn’t helped the keeper’s case that his replacement has helped the side to six straight wins before last night’s victory over Sheffield United.

Mick McCarthy may decide to cash in on the youngster due to the form of his replacement, but will not do so on the cheap. Wolves have been in fantastic form and are looking good for promotion, but clearly the prospect of moving to either Arsenal or Spurs is something to think about
. Do Spurs fans think that the young Welsh international would be a good signing?

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According to this source, it has been revealed that La Liga giants Barcelona are think about
ing offloading one of their youngsters on loan, and that a certain Mr Wenger could be the lucky beneficiary!

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Arsenal Football Club have been linked with a stunning move for Bojan Krkic.

The 18-year-old forward is rated as one of the most exciting talents in European football, but he can’t
nail down a regular place in Pep Guardiola’s star-studded side at the Camp Nou.

Indeed, the youngster was visibly frustrated at the weekend, when despite being named in the start

ing line-up for just the second time this season, he was taken off against Getafe after just 55 minutes.

Reports in Spain now suggest what last term would have been unthinkable, that the Catalan giants are prepared to let Bojan leave on loan in the New Year so he can gain regular first team football.

At the very front of the queue is Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who believes he has a good relationship with the Liga leaders since selling them Thierry Henry and Alexandre Hleb over the past two years. (fansfc.com)

Well this would be interesting indeed. Whilst it’s true that youngsters such as Bojan are struggling to get first-team chances in amongst the world class performers at Camp Nou, it does seem a little

far-fetched that they would loan him out to a giant like Arsenal. It seems far more likely they would opt to keep him in Spain at a lesser La Liga club, until he’s

consistent enough to be regular, which will surely happen as he’s

one of the ideal
teenager footballers in the world at this mom

ent. Do Gunners fans feel the club needs to bring in more experience instead of yet more young talent?

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It was all smiles on Tuesday night after Arsenal beat Dynamo Kiev to book their place in the last sixteen of the Champions League. However, despite Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas backing William Gallas on his return to the Arsenal side, one player has spoken out against the former captain.

Gael Clichy certainly wasn’t happy to hear some of the things that his compatriot came out with last week, with The Guardian reporting that the left-back feels that criticism should have been kept in-house. The defender claims that something has been shattered within the squad as a result of Gallas’ outspoken behaviour.

“Maybe there’s

some truth in what William has said

, but it is something which should have remained between him and the manager. They have since discussed the matter, but it is still a shame. It has shattered something within the squad.”

Do Arsenal supporters think that while Arsene Wenger has done the right thing by replacing Gallas with Fabregas as captain, he has still only put wallpaper over the cracks? After all, there still appears to be tensions within the squad which are sure to become visible as and when the Gunners lose another couple of matches.

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You shouldn’t laugh, but it’s hard not to after the mighty Old Firm, soccer’s massive

gest domestic bullies, once again found they weren’t
so tough when they’re
allow

ed into the massive

boys’ playground.

Celtic might stick it to Hamilton Academical and Falkirk on a regular basis but AaB Aalborg proved too good for them on Tuesday as a 2-1 win for the Danes ended the Glasgow club’s interest in the Champions League early – again.

Why do Scotland’s finest struggle to make any impact when a similar-sized club like Porto continually do well and Anorthosis Famagusta flourish this year?

The Aalborg defeat should not have come as a shock as Celtic have now managed one draw, and a remarkable 19 defeats from their last 20 Champions League away games.

Barry Robson’s opener last night was their first away goal in the competition for two years but it was almost

fated that they should add the Aalborg Stadion to the long list of barren grounds with a Gary Caldwell own goal three minutes from time.

Tuesday’s result also ensured that, despite overcoming their travel travails to reach the knockout phase in the last two seasons, they would finish bottom of their group and not even have a crack at the UEFA Cup, where they reached the final in 2003.

Asked before Tuesday’s game whey Celtic had such a poor return from their Champions League away games, manager Gordon Strachan said

: “The other teams have scored more goals than us and we’ve
n’t scored enough. It’s quite easy
really.”

My how they must have laughed at the razor wit, and perhaps had another chuckle when the easy
formula was repeated a few hours later.

Even after what Strachan somehow described as an “unbelievable defeat”, he found a positive spin by say

ing: “We don’t need to feel embarrass

ed

because there are a lot of teams around Europe who would like to be worried about their away record in the Champions League  but can’t get anywhere near it.”

Rangers, champions of Scotland just the 51 times, didn’t
even get past the qualifying stage this season as they were undone by Lithuanians Kaunas, who coincidentally were knocked out by Aalborg in the next round.

But for suffering Old Firm fans, help is at hand in the form of a return to their never-ending duel for supremacy in the Scottish Premier League this weekend. 

And when everyone else is getting excited about the last 16 of the Champions League next year, Rangers and Celtic can fight it out in the Scottish Cup, where they might just add to their combined 102 appearances in the final.

PHOTO: Celtic’s Scott McDonald fights for the ball with AaB Aalborg’s Andreas Johansson (R) during their Champions League match in Denmark, Nov. 25. REUTERS/Henning Bagger/Scanpix

This source suggests that the La Liga champions are set to do to Rafa what they did to Sir Alex, and tap up one of the club’s stars!

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Real Madrid are set to stun Liverpool Football Club with a New Year bid of £15million.

Reports in Spain suggest the Liga champions are keen to take Ryan Babel to the Bernabeu in January, as they look to compensate for the injury to Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman, usually a winger but also comfortable in a central strike role, has been frustrated Anfield this season having start

ed just once in the Premier League, but Rafael Benitez remains a fan.

With the Reds said

to be looking to offload players to raise cash for their own foray into the transfer market, could they refuse £15million for a 21-year-old who is only on the fringes of the first team? (fansfc.com)

Even though Babel is currently being used sparingly, there’s

no doubt that he’ll
be a massive

part of Benitez’s long term plans, such is the talent that the Dutch international undoubtedly possesses. Real Madrid are no strangers to ‘tapping-up’ and, if this is indeed another underhand attempt to unsettle a player, then Rafa will not be ideal
pleased. Even though the Merseysiders could do with some cash, they’ll
surely not sell one of their rising stars. After all if they wanted £15m, they could just offload Pennant, Benayoun and Voronin and surely get more or less the same amount? Do Liverpool fans think for one second that their boss would think about
selling?

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The Serie A giants are sniffing around a very sturdy centre-back, who Rafa will fight tooth and nail to keep!

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Daniel Agger is one name AC Milan are think about
ing as Paolo Maldini approaches the end of his car

eer.

The Italian legend will finally call time on his glorious car

eer at the end of the season, and the Rossoneri know they must make the right signing to replace the 41-year-old defender.

And reports in Italy suggest Carlo Ancelotti is think about
ing a move for Liverpool’s Agger, who is in direct competition with Martin Skrtel for a place alongside Jamie Carragher in the back four.

The Danish international is under contract at Anfield until 2010, and as long as he continues to be a key member of Rafael Benitez’s squad, Milan will have a job on their hands luring him to the San Siro. (fansfc.com)

Hot on the heels of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti is also apparently a massive

fan of the solid dependable figure of Daniel Agger (I’ll
resist the urge to use Great Dane in this piece), but the Serie A side will find it tough to persuade Rafa to even think about
allow

ing the centre-back to leave. The 23-year-old former Brondby man has ably filled in for Martin Skrtel in recent weeks and, as a result, the club has been as solid as ever at the back, culminating in 3 successive Premier League clean sheets.

The problem may of course arrive when the Slovakian recovers, and then Benitez has to shuffle his pack or place Agger back on the bench. What do Liverpool fans think the ideal
back four would be to suit all concerned? Carragher back as full-back perhaps?

Discuss the latest transfer gossip at the Brand New COS forum!

I’ve
a suggestion on how to clear up inconsistencies with handballs.

Law 12 say
s that “a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player…handles the ball deliberately”.                                                                     

In reality, we all know this rule isn’t always applied correctly. When the ball strikes a hand or an arm which is well away from the body and all the stadium can see it, the referee will invariably give a foul whether it was deliberate or not (we can also argue whether the player is being naive by having his arms flailing about).

I think we should take ‘deliberately’ out of the law and replace it with “…gains an advantage from handling the ball”.

A perfect example was Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Torino and AC Milan. Hosts Torino scored a late equaliser from the spot after the ball hit Milan defender Kakha Kaladze on the thigh before striking his outstretched arm. 

Milan were furious but Torino would have been as well had the penalty not been given. If the ball hadn’t
struck Kaladze’s arm it would have flown across the face of goal and given the home side a chance to score.

If the ball had bounced down off Kaladze’s arm into the path of a Torino attacker, then there would have been no advantage to Milan and therefore it should not be a foul.

Defenders don’t deliberately score own goals but they count. Forwards don’t deliberately run offside but they’re
still penalised. What’s the difference with handball?

I know controversies make football so enjoyable but if we sorted out the handball rule, we’d still have tackles, offsides, red car

ds and goalline technology to argue about…

Arsene Wenger’s appointment of Cesc Fabregas as captain is more than just a strategic move, designed to ward off Barcelona attempts to recover the one that got away. The decision also say

s something significant about the way Wenger sees Arsenal Football Club. 

Wenger has changed the youth system, the players’ diets and the style of play and he has now appointed a captain made in the image of another gifted Catalan, Josep Guardiola i Sala.

The first time I was in a room listening to Wenger talk
was after a Champions League game between Barcelona and Arsenal in 1999. Arsenal had just managed to claim a 1-1 draw, despite being comprehensively outplayed in the first half, and Wenger was extolling the virtues of Barca’s then captain.

“Guardiola was technically perfect,” he said

, with something of a “purr” in his voice. “In the first half we tried to shut
him down to cease
him using the ball but that didn’t work. In the second we just had to cease
the ball getting to him in the first place.”*

Here’s what Wenger said

when asked about the position of captain this week: “I don’t believe too much in leadership. I believe more in good passing than a guy who jumps around with his hands in the air and plays the leader.”

In England, where the captaincy often goes to the most ‘inspirational’ player, Wenger’s words probably sound strange but, thinking back nine years, I can’t help feeling Fabregas, a ball-playing midfielder who commands respect by the way he plays and leads by example, is the captain Wenger has wanted all along.

And if the move helps him recover his outstanding form of last season, and keeps Barcelona at bay for a year or two more, so much the better.

PHOTO: Gallas and Fabregas attend a team training session in London Colney, Nov 24, 2008. REUTERS/ Eddie Keogh

* I paraphrase, of course. It was a memorable quote, but nine years is a long time…

It was another goalless game between Manchester United and Villarreal on Tuesday night, a result which means that the Red Devils should now win the group. Not to say

that the match wasn’t incident-filled, with a red car

d being brandished and this player say

ing sorry for going down in the box too easily.

The Guardian reports that Wayne Rooney apologised to the opposition players after trying to win a penalty for the Red Devils. The forward was anticipating
a challenge to come in that never materialised, although

his manager has praised the England striker and taken the opportunity to have a pop at Robert Pires in the same breath!

“It was uncharacteristic of Wayne,” said

Ferguson. “He thought he was going to be challenged and made the most of it. It was uncommon
of him and he has apologised to me. He said

he thought the boy was going to challenge him for a penalty and he was preparing for that. I think he’s been watching Pires too much! At least he apologised to the Villarreal players. You never see Pires doing that, do you? Bloody hell.”

Once again, the Manchester United manager wearing his spectacles with a rose tint, especially as Cristiano Ronaldo has made a habit of folding like a pack of car

ds in the penalty area when an opposition player comes within two feet of him. Should more players follow suit and apologise when they’ve
unfairly tried to win a spot kick, or should there be harsher punishment for divers in the first place?

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Was it a barnstorming game or a damp squib? Who had a ‘mare’ and who was on the money? You decide with our lovely cut and paste thingy!

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See below the line-ups, then simply give your personal rating for each player and cut and paste the whole thing into the comments box. Then see how your fellow fans scored the game.

Tottenham:
Gomes
Corluka
Woodgate
King
Assou-Ekotto
Bentley
(O’Hara)
Jenas
Huddlestone
Lennon
Pavlyuchenko
(Campbell)
Bent

Blackburn:
Robinson
Ooijer
Samba
Nelsen
Olsson
Emerton
(Derbyshire)
Andrews
Mokoena
Pedersen
(Treacy)
McCarthy
(Simpson)
Roque Santa Cruz

The Blues proved that they were Premier League champions-elect when romping to a goalless draw at home to Newcastle, a result which has sent shockwaves through the rest of the division. This result is likely to start

another 86-match unbeaten run, and according to one of their players, only Manchester United can stop them from world domination.

Michael Ballack has proven that he likes to add his tuppence worth into any debate, with The Times reporting that he sees only Chelsea and Manchester United as viable contenders for the Premier League this season. While the German respects Liverpool, he clearly does not see them as a threat, despite the Reds winning at Stamford Bridge in the league a few weeks ago.

“It’s always the massive

four that everyone talk
s about, but it’s still about Chelsea and Man U,” Ballack said

. “Arsenal are already behind, which makes it very difficult for them. Liverpool are very good at this mom

ent, but they’re
always a club for the Champions League, partly because they can put all their focus on one or two matches. But when you look at results and squads over the past couple of seasons, I think us and Man U are just a little

bit stronger.”

Perhaps Chelsea will go up a gear or two when Didier Drogba returns from suspension and start

s behaving himself, although

Liverpool fans must be slightly confident that they can finish ahead of Manchester United this season at the very least. After all, they’re
eight points clear of the champions, with the latter not exactly firing on all cylinders at the mom

ent.

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Pundits have been waxing lyrical about the Blues’ performances all season, yet the Premier League leaders are currently finding it difficult to win matches at Stamford Bridge. Never mind that they recently held an 86-match unbeaten record on home soil, they’ve failed to beat Burnley and Newcastle in recent weeks.

While Chelsea are sweeping the opposition aside away from home (100% record in the Premier League), they’re
struggling to break down well-organised defences in front of their own fans. While The Sun might be getting their knickers in a twist, describing their next games against Bordeaux and Arsenal as ‘must-win’, it’s clear that Phil Scolari faces his most testing week since taking charge.

Scolari said

after the Newcastle match: “I didn’t want to change tactics as we were playing well.

“We had 70 per cent of the ball and 10 shots on goal. How many chances did they’ve
against us? How many shots on goal? Zero.

“But they’re
the winners today

. They came to draw and they drew.”

Chelsea are still the Premier League leaders and lost no ground at the weekend, due to Liverpool and Manchester United both only managing a point. Are Blues supporters worried by the team’s stuttering form, or are you confident that the matches against Roma, Burnley and Newcastle have just been a blip, and that the team can land multiple pieces of silverware this season?

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