Following Russia’s invasion of the sovereign country Ukraine, the UK government imposed sanctions on several Russian Oliarchs on Thursday morning. This is particularly significant for Chelsea football club which is owned by Roman Abramovich who has not given verbal support to Russian president Putin’s actions however he has not condemned the invasion either. Abramovich made much of his vast fortune thanks to being a close associate of the Russian president. Sanctions place important restrictions on the running of Chelsea FC. I reported last week what it would mean in terms of Chelsea’s ability to buy new players in the summer however the tough sanctions mean that Chelsea will find it very difficult to operate their business and compete in the Premier League. The club will not able to do any business such as selling merchandise, selling tickets for matches, buying or selling players. They will be able to pay staff and to pay for services already received including food and drink in their various bars and restaurants. It also puts on hold any improvement to Stamford Bridge which has been ordered by the footballing authorities. One immediate problem for Chelsea is the limit of £500k expenses for each match played and only £20k for away game travel including Champions League matches.Only season ticket holders will be able to attend matches unless Chelsea allows fans into the ground for free. All of Roman Abramovich’s assets have been frozen in the UK and this includes his business interests and his London properties valued at over £200million. On Wednesday night the Abramovich 140metre super yacht ‘My Solaris’ hurriedly left the port at Barcelona to avoid being confiscated and was heading out into the Mediterranean and on to a neutral country where it will be safe.
United lack belief in Rangnick and passion for the fight
On Tuesday morning United players were shown videos of Crystal Palace winger and match-winner Wilfried Zaha running past players against in-form Wolves and then running back at top speed to help his own defence. Philippe Coutinho led Aston Villa’s demolition of in-form Southampton with some inspirational play upfront and then seconds later was dashing back to help out at the back. Now compare that with United when they lost possession and players such as Rashford, Fred and Fernandes just trotted around, making no effort to retrieve the ball and stood watching as Harry Maguire and his defence struggled to hold City’s attacking forwards. I wrote last week that the problem with United is not an ongoing war between Maguire and Ronaldo for the captaincy. It is a lack of belief in their manager Ralf Rangnick. Several players are questioning his training methods claiming he just isn’t good enough. They also point out that Rangnick only won the cup in Germany and wasn’t even a coach when he joined United from the Russian league where he was a Sporting Director at Lokomotive Moscow.
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£500k for the Gunners
Arsenal players have been promised a bonus of £500k if they make the top four and qualify for the Champions League. They sit fourth at the moment and overtook woeful Manchester United at the weekend and they also have two games in hand. The Champions League can bring to a club approximately £50million. Some players have extra financial deals written into their contracts if they play in the Champions League. Arteta wants two new strikers and a midfielder this summer and qualification will help to attract the top available talent. The club have confirmed they will spend big money at the end of this season so Arteta can push for the league title next year.
Klopp presses for five subs
Jurgen Klopp is once again pressing all the buttons to get the league to allow five substitutes per game. He believes it is for “the good of the game”. The Liverpool supremo says the number of matches being played at the moment is crazy and is a danger to the players. Klopp said this week, “We played a final on the Sunday, then Wednesday, then Saturday and now Tuesday. If you can’t make changes that’s actually a horrible schedule. We have pushed each other to insane levels the last few years.
Eddie has the Black & Whites cheering again
The new Saudi regime at Newcastle have been praising manager Eddie Howe for taking a failing group of players, adding three new names and producing some sparkling results. When he took over as manager the Black & Whites couldn’t buy a win but now things are very different. When Eddie arrived Newcastle were down in 19th place in the PL table and only five points away from relegation safety. They now sit in 14th place and have earned an impressive 16 points from a possible 18 in their last six games. I witnessed the incredible atmosphere at St James’ Park in the win against Brighton at the weekend and the spirit of both players and supporters was extraordinary. Newcastle suddenly believe in themselves and Howe has brought the best out of players such as Ryan Fraser, Joelinton and Joe Willock. Combined with new arrivals Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Kieran Trippier Newcastle are no longer an easy win. Defender Fabian Schar was set to leave this summer when his contract expires however the centre half is now keen to have new contract talks with the club. He said, “When you see where we were a few weeks ago and where we are now, the difference is huge and the change in the team is massive. We are now eight games unbeaten!” Ten-per-cent owner Amanda Staveley was all smiles and congratulations for Eddie Howe this week and suddenly that Saudi backed January spending spree is paying dividends.
Chelsea players leave Russia
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent isolation in sport, all foreign players have been told that if they play for any Russian teams they can tear up their contracts and leave – until June 30th and they can play for a different club in the meantime. This affects players such as Chelsea’s Victor Moses who plays for Spartak Moscow. Ex-Norwich boss Daniel Farke has also left Krasnodar without managing a single game and both club and manager agreed to terminate his contract. One of Chelsea’s future bright stars is Faustino Anjorin who was sent out on loan to Lokomotive Moscow by Thomas Tuchel so he could gain first team experience. Anjorin broke his metatarsal bone in his foot and returned to the Blues and decided not go back and subsequently joined Huddersfield for the rest of this season. A lucky escape given what followed his departure.
Rashford considering his future at United
Manchester United face an in-form Tottenham team this weekend with the London club fresh from their 5-0 thrashing of Everton. Unfortunately the United dressing room is a far from happy place to be. The talk around Manchester this week is the news that Marcus Rashford is considering his position at the club. He has been out of form lately however with the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood he expected to play against Manchester City. Rashford has been telling friends that he fears his England place is threatened if he is not playing regular first team football. I have heard that England manager Gareth Southgate is reviewing Rashford’s position in his team so Marcus has every right to be worried. He has started only 11 Premier League games this season and was forced onto the substitute’s bench when manager Ralf Rangnick decided to play 19-year-old Anthony Elanga against City. Rangnick decided to play with Bruno Fernandes as a false number nine with no recognised striker in the middle. Rashford and Jesse Lingard, another player who intends to leave this summer, came on in the 64th minute. Rangnick has recommended to the United board that they should sign a young upcoming striker this summer which will put more pressure on Marcus. Eric Bailly is another who is unhappy with his lack of game time. Under Rangnick he is fifth choice centre-back and is questioning Rangnick’s selection of an out-of-form Harry Maguire playing every week while he watches from the sub’s bench.
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