Sports
Eden Hazard reveals main change Maurizio Sarri has made to turn Chelsea back into Premier League title challengers
Maurizio Sarri’s walks with his dog during the international break will be relaxing ones after his perfect start as Chelsea boss.
Sarri is looking forward to some quality time over the next fortnight with his canine friend Ciro, who has now joined him in England.
And it will be well-earned thanks to a job well done so far that has put Chelsea among the Premier League’s early leaders.
His new side have begun the season with four wins from their opening four games, making him just the sixth new boss to achieve that feat.
The Blues have rediscovered the happy knack that champions, and the best Chelsea sides of recent times, have possessed of finding a route to victory no matter how they get there.
Sarri has retained his best player – Eden Hazard – who is playing with a smile on his face and, ominously for the rest, has started the season in match-winning form.
And one of the most important pieces of his ‘Sarri-ball’ puzzle looks to be in place already.
A devastating counter-attacking outfit at their best under old boss Antonio Conte, Chelsea have wasted little time getting to grips with Sarri’s demand to dominate possession.
For the fourth game running, the Blues have hogged the ball – 63 per cent against Huddersfield, 62 against Arsenal, 81 against Newcastle and now 73 per cent against Bournemouth.
Once again they had to wait patiently for all that possession, pushing and probing to pay off against the Cherries.
Ultimately, though, it did and, for the third game in a row, they won it late on, thanks to goals in the last 20 minutes from sub Pedro and Hazard. But if Conte’s buzzword was “work”, one of their new Italian leader’s appears to be “improve”, and they will need to to fully adopt ‘Sarri-ball’.
The Cherries would have had a few too many presentable opportunities for Sarri’s liking.
And he admitted “we need to be careful with the distribution of the ball when we are in the pressing phase” as, when they got it wrong, it left Chelsea vulnerable to a counter attack.
As for the other end of the pitch, Hazard said: “We just need to play quicker. The manager doesn’t like it when we just keep the ball at the back.
“He wants the ball moving forward. We are trying to do this in training and also when we have a game.”
But, after falling well off the pace last season, the west Londoners’ start has marked them out as genuine title contenders, along with Manchester City and Liverpool.
Four of the five previous times the Blues have won their opening four games, they have gone on to win the league.
Hazard added: “We want to be champions at the end, even if we know it is hard.
“City we know are very, very strong, Liverpool are strong, Tottenham are very strong, so we will see at the end, but we want to be on the top.”
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.
This development was announced by the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday, following the approval of the NFF Executive Committee based on a recommendation from its Technical and Development Sub-Committee. Labbadia’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Born on 8th February 1966 in Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning two caps for the German national team. His club career included stints at prominent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. Notably, he won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 1994.
Labbadia’s coaching career has seen him manage top-tier clubs such as Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License and is well-regarded for his tactical acumen.
With his appointment, Labbadia becomes the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Höner notably guided the Super Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic on Saturday, 7th September in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali. The team will also play four additional qualifying matches in October and November as they aim to secure a spot in the 2025 AFCON, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The Super Eagles, placed in Group D, will face familiar foes Benin Republic, who recently defeated Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the AFCON qualifiers, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month, also sees Nigeria taking on Libya and Rwanda, both of whom are also part of the Super Eagles’ group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Labbadia’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the Super Eagles look to regain their dominance on the African continent and secure qualification for both the AFCON and the World Cup.
Finidi George has stepped into a new role as the technical manager for NPFL side, Rivers United, following his resignation as coach of the Super Eagles.
During his brief tenure with the Eagles, George’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan cast doubts on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification, prompting calls from fans for his dismissal.
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Nevertheless, Rivers United, the 2021-22 champions, expressed optimism in a statement on Wednesday via their official handle about having the former Eagles international manage their team.
“Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years,” the statement read.
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Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Manager of Rivers United FC, welcomed George, stating, “We are delighted to have Finidi George join our team. His appointment marks a new chapter in our club’s history, and we are committed to working together to achieve success.”
Expressing his gratitude to the club, an elated George remarked, “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I thank the Sports Commissioner, the General Manager, and the supporters for their confidence in me. I am committed to working hard and making the team win.”
Inter Milan were taken over by US fund Oaktree on Wednesday after the Serie A champions’ outgoing owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a debt worth hundred of millions of euros.
In a statement, Oaktree announced they had “assumed control” of Inter after the non-repayment of a “three-year loan to Inter Milan’s holding companies that matured on 21 May 2024 with a total balance due of approximately 395 million euros ($428 million)”.
Chinese conglomerate Suning have relinquished control of Inter to Oaktree three days after the team were officially crowned Italian champions for the 20th time.
Suning borrowed 275 million euros at over 12 percent interest three years ago to pay staff and players as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the finances of clubs across Europe, putting up their controlling stake in the club as collateral.
“Oaktree is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for the long-term prosperity of Inter Milan, with an initial focus on operational and financial stability for the Club and its stakeholders,” Oaktree continued.
Inter became a powerful force at home and abroad after Suning acquired the club in 2016, with seven trophies including two Serie A titles and two European finals.
Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised to this year’s championship, winning the Scudetto with five matches remaining by beating AC Milan in a thrilling local derby.
Oaktree, which manages $192 billion in assets, said they are “committed to working closely with Inter Milan’s current management team, partners, the league and governing bodies to ensure the Club is positioned for success on and off the pitch”.
Inter ended up in the hands of Oaktree in a manner similar to the way another US fund, Elliott Management, took control of their local rivals Milan in 2018.
Elliott became Milan’s owners when Chinese businessman Li Yonghong was unable to repay a loan he had taken out when he bought the club from the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest the previous year.
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