Chelsea arrive in China today to kick-off their pre-season Asian tour with Luiz Felipe Scolari keen to assess his squad and the players fighting to impress him.
The Blues are expected to bring a virtually full-strength team, including new signings Deco from Barcelona and Porto’s Jose Bosingwa, as well as Frank Lampard who is still mulling a move to Inter.
They arrive in Guangzhou with speculation rife that Brazilian star Kaka could also move to Stamford Bridge, although AC Milan denied reports on Saturday of a world-record transfer worth £80 million (US$160 million).
If he moves, the FIFA World Player of the Year will be reunited with a manager who handed him a Brazil debut in 2002 and then included him in the squad that went on to win the World Cup that year.
Speaking ahead of the tour to Guangzhou, Macau and Kuala Lumpur, captain John Terry said everyone knew they needed to fight for their place in the team.
“We are all professionals and with the new manager all of the players want to impress him, to make sure we are a part of his plans,” the 27-year-old said. “There’s no way we can take any of the games lightly. We have strong opposition and we need to be in the best condition possible for the start of the Premier League.”
Scolari inherited the current squad from former managers Avram Grant and Jose Mourinho and so far only two players have been offloaded — Hernan Crespo on a free transfer and Steve Sidwell to Aston Villa for £5.5 million.
Shaun Wright-Phillips could follow them out the door, with Harry Redknapp keen to have him at Fratton Park alongside Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.
Striker Didier Drogba’s future is also unclear, although Scolari has insisted that he wants Drogba and Lampard to stay as he attempts to wrest the Premier League title from Manchester United and win the Champions League.
Chelsea are expected to play in front of sold out stadiums in Asia and Terry said visiting China, in particular, would be a major buzz in an Olympic year and at a time when sport in the sprawling country is on the up.
“I am looking forward to being in China and playing in front of some capacity crowds,” he said. “I have never been to the country before, but I know football is developing quickly there and that the fans really appreciate the sport. There is a real buzz about Asian and Chinese sport in particular with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it will be nice for Chelsea to be a part of that excitement.”
Chelsea will play Guangzhou Pharmaceutical tomorrow before taking on Chinese Super League team Chengdu Blades in Macau on Saturday, with the focus on raising funds for victims of the earthquake that hit Sichuan Province on May 12.
They round off the Asian leg in Kuala Lumpur on July 29 before traveling to Russia for the Railways Cup, where they will play Locomotive Moscow, with the possibility of then meeting either Sevilla or AC Milan.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS