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The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Chelsea's billion-pound boys take charge and show clinical cutting edge
A waft of Cole Palmer's left foot; a clip from the right; a convincing victory that simultaneously made all the sense in the world and absolutely none. The biggest task Enzo Maresca faced in his first season at Chelsea had been, he suggested before this crowning moment, to convince his squad the Conference League mattered. As the entire playing staff streamed across the turf to hail Moisés Caicedo's clincher, they offered up a convincing impression of a group that had firmly grasped the message. Palmer did not quite dominate this final but he bent it in Chelsea's direction, drifting this way and that until everything around him clicked. Before his delivery on to the primed head of Enzo Fernández, they had grasped for synthesis without threatening it. After he twisted a milky Jesús Rodríguez inside out and offered up an unorthodox finish for Nicolas Jackson's collection they resembled giants against helpless waifs. For all the heated celebrations, which began in earnest once Jadon Sancho had scored their best goal, this was a title won in cold, dead-eyed Premier League blood. This chilly, gusty night in Silesia dealt the illusion of romance before surrendering to stark reality. A fun, smart Real Betis side should have been more than a goal up by half-time: they were brisker, quicker, slicker, their penalty area seemingly protected by the wall of baying, singing, whistling green and white shirts positioned behind. There was a thrill in wondering how Betis's massed support, who did not experience Chelsea's problems in selling out their allocation, might respond to a first European trophy of their lives. Perhaps they would have heralded it had Benoît Badiashile not managed to deflect Johnny Cardoso's shot wide midway through that opening period. It would have put them 2-0 ahead and, at that point, Chelsea's appetite would have been thoroughly tested. Betis were a joy to watch for spells, Isco pulling the ball down from the sky in one action and harrying back towards his own corner flag to chauffeur it for a goal kick in another. His assist was an exhibition of vision nobody else on the pitch could have produced. The left winger and goalscorer Abde Ezzalzouli fizzed into the space behind Malo Gusto, beating him for skill when the pair faced off. There was a pureness to both Betis's quality and their quest. Then the billion-pound boys took charge against a team valued at little more than a tenth of that figure. Betis could not compensate for the early withdrawals of Ezzalzouli and the left-back Ricardo Rodriguez. Chelsea were able to lock them down from the bench by wielding their physical, clinical cutting edge. Sancho, their Manchester United outcast, added a crucial spark and could console an emotional Antony, his Betis equivalent, after the final whistle. Chelsea scored 45 goals in their 15 Conference League games, conceding only 12. Until Betis's short-lived bravura show, a minor scare against Servette in the playoff round was as dicey as things got. Nobody can, or should, contort themselves into producing reasons for Chelsea not to deserve winning the competition. Their dominance has been overwhelming. But it is also difficult to make a case that it brings any broader positives for a tournament designed to elevate the continent's less heralded classes. They have been a cheat code en masse, barreling through an event that was never intended for them. Those viewing that as a melodramatic take may point to the Cup Winners' Cup, which served a similar function even if it was stocked through different means. In 1998 Chelsea won it for the second time, beating another handy Betis team in the last eight. The semi-final lineup was completed by Stuttgart, Vicenza and Lokomotiv Moscow; geopolitical caveats aside, it would hardly have looked out of place as a Conference League final four. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The Premier League, though, had nothing resembling its present overwhelming financial advantage then. It was beginning to take root but, back then, nobody would have named its fourth-placed side runaway favourites against La Liga's sixth. The expansion of Europe's club competitions, which will be more bloated than ever by England's teams and their riches next season, is in clear danger of stretching the rest of the continent too thinly. Perhaps only the top flight's three relegated sides would not have fancied their chances of making it to Wroclaw this time. None of that is to diminish Chelsea's giddy satisfaction at a job well done; at a strange, sometimes sullen season hitting the two spots that really mattered within 76 hours of each other. Nor is it to speak ill of Palmer's compelling quality, which is showing a habit of rearing up in major finals and surfaced at the right time here. That is what £40m brings you. Betis would depart the tilted playing field licking their wounds. 'I do not seek fleeting glory, but rather that of your name,' their fans' banner had read at kick-off. It is Chelsea whose letters are carved forever on to the trophy.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Chelsea and Cole Palmer storm back at Real Betis to win Conference League
The signings will keep on coming under this voracious Chelsea ownership but it is unlikely they will ever make a smarter one than Cole Palmer. This was his stage. Palmer stood up when Chelsea needed him most. Two gorgeous assists in the space of five minutes – one for Enzo Fernández, one for Nicolas Jackson – turned the Uefa Conference League final around and brought the west Londoners their first trophy since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago. The first of many? The predictability of the outcome did not make the feeling any less sweet at full-time. Enzo Maresca delighted in denying his mentor Manuel Pellegrini a first European trophy at the age of 71. Real Betis dreamt of a romantic finish after going 1-0 up but the financial reality took hold long before Moisés Caicedo made it 4-1 to Chelsea in added time. It was a relief to focus on the football after two days marred by idiotic violence involving supporters of both sides in the city centre. Footage on social media showed riot police using tear gas and a water cannon to combat the disorder, resulting in 28 arrests and heightening tensions to an unnecessary degree in the hours before kick-off. At least there was a positive vibe inside a stadium dominated by the green and white of Betis. There was no disguising the sense of longing emanating from the Spaniards, their desperation for their band of Premier League cast-offs to rise to the occasion in the club's first European final. Chelsea, an incongruous presence in a competition never meant for squads built at a cost of over £1bn, were under pressure to match that desire. Word of them failing to fill their allocation hardly hinted at a club gripped by Conference League fever. There was a surprising heaviness to Chelsea, who ought to have had a spring in their step after clinching Champions League qualification by beating Nottingham Forest last Sunday. The shape was wonky, the touches were loose and the early tactical was won by Pellegrini targeting the space left by Maresca's system, which had Malo Gusto drifting inside from right-back to play as an auxiliary midfielder. It was not clear why Chelsea's strategy seemed to hing on Gusto's turn as a quarterback. The Frenchman, who was one of five changes from Maresca, endured a torrid first half and was culpable when Betis went ahead after nine minutes. A slack ball into midfield invited trouble and Isco duly meted out the punishment, swivelling on the edge of the area and confounding Chelsea's defenders with a beautiful disguised pass to Abde Ezzalzouli, free on the left and unchallenged as he drove a low shot past Filip Jörgensen. Chelsea were shambolic. Maresca had gambled in defence, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah preferred to Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo in the middle, but nothing worked. Simple tasks were beyond Chelsea and Ezzalzouli delighted in tormenting Gusto. Isco, a European champion on five occasions with Real Madrid, was also a joy to watch; everything went through him. Betis called the shots. Marc Bartra stepped out of defence and tested Jörgensen from long range. Badiashile made a vital block to deny Johnny Cardoso. Maresca, who calls Pellegrini his footballing father, grew frenzied on the touchline. Chelsea had offered nothing in attack and were booed off at half-time. Maresca used the break to correct his error of leaving out Reece James. The captain replaced Gusto, who retreated having produced one of the most calamitous performances in European final history, and gave Chelsea more poise. Still, though, there was little from Palmer and his fellow creators. Pedro Neto was irritable with himself on the right. Noni Madueke was quiet. Jackson needed better service. But Betis were less vibrant at the start of the second half. Marc Cucurella was doing well against Antony, who was in Manchester United mode, and it was a relief for Chelsea when Ezzalzouli limped off. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The mood changed, Chelsea stepping up, Fernández and Caicedo taking charge in midfield. Betis looked tired. They could not get out. Palmer took over. His influence grew, culminating in the moment when he cut in from the right and feathered a cross into the middle, the ball floating away from Bartra and in off Fernández's head. Chelsea's superior pace and power came to the fore. Palmer was irrepressible. There he was again in the 70th minute, twisting and turning past the Betis substitute, Jesus Rodríguez. This time the cross was firmer; it found Jackson, who chested past Adrián to give Chelsea the lead. This was the only European trophy missing for Chelsea. They knew it was theirs when two substitutes combined, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall dribbling through and finding Jadon Sancho, whose whipped a shot past Adrian. Caicedo then capped it off, firing in from 20 yards.
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Nicolas Jackson's petulance leaves Chelsea's top-five bid in jeopardy
There are thousands of details that go into determining the outcome of every game, every season, every career, and yet sometimes everything can turn on a moment. If Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League this season, it will have been for a host of reasons, but one incident, not entirely fairly, will stand out: the moment 10 minutes before half-time on Sunday when Nicolas Jackson stumbled, righted himself, looked over his shoulder at Sven Botman, and then thrust his right forearm into the Dutchman's face. As the wheels of VAR slowly turned, Enzo Maresca, wearing a salmon-pink sweatshirt that gave him the air of a dad on his way to B&Q on a Saturday morning, turned to the bench, spread his arms and swore with a slight shake of his head. How could they be out of the specific bracket he needed? His diatribe at the fourth official felt performative: in his heart he knew he probably should have bought the necessary hardware more than five minutes before starting to put the shelf up, and that Jackson was bang to rights. Cole Palmer, whose capacity to wander unflappably through life continues to astound, came to the bench for a drink and shrugged, apparently entirely unconcerned, as a sub asked what he thought. Although four Chelsea players surrounded the referee John Brooks as the players left the field at half-time, the biggest scandal of the first 45 minutes was that Moisés Caicedo had escaped a booking. Yet, while Jackson's red card was an obviously decisive moment, Chelsea played rather better in the second half when they were down to 10 than they had with 11 in the first. Nick Pope made key saves from Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández and there was a distinct anxiety around the stadium before Bruno Guimarães's deflected second. Which made it all the stranger Chelsea were so poor before half-time. They had actually gained five points on Newcastle over the previous three games, without ever giving much sense that they were the form team. Aston Villa's 1-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday had added pressure, particularly given their two remaining games are against the Europa League finalists, Manchester United and Tottenham, neither of whom have shown much interest in the league for several weeks. Chelsea, meanwhile, will be without Jackson for their final two games of the season, against United and Nottingham Forest. The first half felt almost designed to highlight the oddity of this Chelsea team. They dominated the ball, but largely because Newcastle were happy to let them. Maresca favours a patient buildup, long skeins of passing designed to create a solid base and reduce the threat of a counter. It's an approach that didn't win favour at Leicester and is far from unanimously popular at Chelsea, which is why Maresca finds himself having to explain his methods so often. To an extent that's a matter of personal choice; the bigger problem is that it seems such an odd fit for so many of the players. Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke and Jackson are all better when they have space to run into – as is Mykhailo Mudryk, although he is suspended. But the status of Chelsea and the way they play means that the majority of sides they play against will end up sitting deep against them, meaning that the space so many of their forwards prefer is very rarely there. That could be a problem too with Viktor Gyökeres, should they pursue their interest in him, given the doubt over the Swedish striker is whether he gets his shots away quite quickly enough to be effective in congested situations. In that sense, once Chelsea had regained their discipline, the red card almost did them a favour: not in the sense that Jackson is a net negative, although there would be plenty of Chelsea fans willing to argue he is, but in the sense that it made them go a little more direct after half-time, forced Newcastle to play with the ball a little more. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Jackson, meanwhile, could end up being one of the casualties of the Chelsea project. He had only ever started 16 league games when he was signed from Villarreal for £30m having just turned 21. To ask him then immediately to become a frontline striker for a Premier League club was deeply unfair. Last season he showed moments of quality but also of understandable rawness and progress this season has perhaps been slower than many would have liked; but then, he is playing in a system that doesn't especially suit him, under pressure from a crowd that has little faith in him. Everybody expects Chelsea to bring in a centre-forward next season. Perhaps then Jackson can actually begin to learn his trade from a more experienced practitioner, as he would have benefited from doing over the past two years. Chelsea's capacity to attract players, of course, will to an extent be dependent on whether they are in the Champions League or not. They may have beaten the champions Liverpool last week but this was not a performance to inspire confidence. The final-day meeting with Forest looks increasingly likely to be vital.
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Newcastle v Chelsea: Premier League
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Chelsea: Nothing fancy here – you can't look past Cole Palmer. The 23-year-old makes Chelsea tick and his mojo was back against Liverpool. A late penalty ended an 18-match goal drought and there was encouragement from a performance full of Palmer's trademark creative genius. Not that Chelsea are a one-man team. Moisés Caicedo was named the club's player of the year last week. The midfielder has continued to excel since being deployed as an auxiliary right-back. The ploy has allowed Enzo Maresca to put Romeo Lavia next to Enzo Fernández, who has been in fine goalscoring form. Nicolas Jackson's return from a hamstring injury has also sharpened the attack. As for the defence, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah will have to be at their best against Alexander Isak. Share Two enforced changes for Newcastle from the draw at Brighton last weekend. Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon replace the injured pair of Kieran Trippier and Joe Willock. That either means a change of formation (4-2-3-1? 3-4-3?) or a move back into midfield for Jacob Murphy. Botman hasn't started a game since the Carabao Cup semi-final win over Arsenal in early February; Gordon is back in the XI for the first time since being sent off against Brighton in the FA Cup on 2 March. Chelsea stick with the team that beat Liverpool 3-1. Newcastle (possible 4-3-3) Pope; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn; Murphy, Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes; Gordon, Isak, Barnes. Substitutes: Dubravka, Ruddy, Lascelles, Wilson, Krafth, Osula, Longstaff, Miley, Neave. Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Caicedo, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson. Substitutes: Jorgensen, Tosin, Badiashile, Acheampong, Gusto, James, Dewsbury-Hall, Sancho, George. Referee John Brooks. Share Here we have an English top-flight match played in mid-May between the teams in fourth and fifth place. Once upon a time that would have been a dead rubber. Dodo-dead. Doornail-dead. Dead . Not anymore. Newcastle and Chelsea meet at St James' Park this lunchtime in a match that is alive with importance, narrative and – how could we forget – cold, hard, PSR-eligible cash. Both teams are desperate to qualify for the Champions League next season; both know that, if they lose, they will probably finish the day outside the top five. With three games to go they are level on points and goal difference, with Newcastle ahead on goals scored. That's where the similarities end. The clash of styles – Newcastle's high tempo against Chelsea's patient possession – adds another layer to the contest. The lack of a title race – at one time we thought Liverpool v Arsenal would be a decider – or relegation battle has also increased the anticipation ahead of this game.. It's not Liverpool v Arsenal in 1989, sure, or even the alternate-reality Liverpool v Arsenal in 2025. But the mouth never lies, and right now it's watering big-time. Kick off 12pm. Share
Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Romeo Lavia's form pushes Chelsea's player of season into right-back role
If outlay is anything to go by, then Chelsea certainly know the value of building a strong midfield core. Yet for Enzo Maresca, knitting all his expensive components together, while also fitting them into his tactical system, has not felt particularly straightforward this season. It has been one of the big conundrums of the campaign. In late October the Italian coach dropped the £106.8million recruit Enzo Fernández, stating that he needed the 'physicality' of Moisés Caicedo (£115million) and Roméo Lavia (£58million). Lavia then struggled to hold down a place in the team, victim to recurrent hamstring issues that have left him with only ten starts. The form of Cole Palmer, meanwhile, has flourished and then fallen away with the ups and downs of the midfield
