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Eden Hazard reveals main change Maurizio Sarri has made to turn Chelsea back into Premier League title challengers

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Hazard

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.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard celebrates his goal against Bournemouth (Image: REUTERS)

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.

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Hazard has scored twice this season (Image: EMPICS Sport)
Maurizio Sarri has overseen four wins from four in the Premier League (Image: REUTERS)

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.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (Image: REUTERS)

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.

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“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.”

 

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Osimhen Crowned 2023 CAF Footballer of the Year

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Victor Osimhen has been named the 2023 African Footballer of the Year, cementing his status as one of the world’s top players.

Osimhen surpassed competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah for the prestigious award.

The Super Eagles forward concluded a remarkable year in the imperial Moroccan city of Marakesh, ending Nigeria’s 24-year wait for Africa’s top individual prize, last won by legendary Kanu Nwankwo in 1999.

During the event, Osimhen expressed gratitude, acknowledging the impact of Nigerian legend Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached him at the U-17 level, and the support from fans and fellow players.

“It’s a dream come true for me. I want to thank everyone who has seen me through life’s journey, in achieving my dreams and goals. I appreciate Nigerians and Africa for their unwavering support and encouragement,” he said.

Osimhen recognised the influence of Emmanuel Adebayo, Solomon Kalu, and other African legends, expressing gratitude to his role model, Didier Drogba.

The award reflects Osimhen’s outstanding performances with Napoli, where he played a pivotal role in their Serie A title run, scoring 26 league goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award, breaking George Weah’s record in the Italian top-flight.”

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Lionel Messi Secures Historic 8th Ballon d’Or Triumph

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Lionel Messi, the renowned Argentine football icon, clinched the coveted 2023 Ballon d’Or, setting a new record for the 2022 World Cup champion.

In a glamorous event held in Paris, Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami, received the prestigious award on Monday night. This achievement is widely seen as a well-deserved recognition for his pivotal role in guiding the Abiscelete to World Cup victory in the previous year.

Aged 36, Messi succeeded Karim Benzema as the recipient of this award, which acknowledges his exceptional performances during the last season when he inspired Argentina to triumph at the World Cup.

His remarkable displays in Qatar, where he led his nation to a historic victory, enabled him to surpass strong competition, notably from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Haaland secured the second spot in the final voting, with Mbappe finishing third and Kevin De Bruyne taking fourth place.

Messi, a former Barcelona superstar, left an indelible mark at the World Cup, scoring seven crucial goals. His exceptional performance led to him being named the tournament’s best player, especially after Argentina’s victory over France in the final.

While Messi’s World Cup heroics were undeniable, his final season with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was relatively lackluster. Subsequently, he made a move to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

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His former PSG teammate, Mbappe, made a strong case for the Ballon d’Or with his outstanding World Cup performance, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, including a memorable hat-trick in the final for France.

Norwegian striker Erling Haaland had a remarkable season, scoring an incredible 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City. This stellar performance played a pivotal role in helping Pep Guardiola’s team secure a historic treble in the English Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

Both Haaland and De Bruyne were nominated for the Ballon d’Or from their exceptional contributions to the success of Manchester City.

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“B Sample Reveals Presence of Testosterone in Pogba’s Test Results”

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Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba’s ‘B’ sample has confirmed the presence of testosterone, a source close to the case told AFP on Friday.

The 30-year-old former Manchester United player, a World Cup winner in 2018, faces a ban of up to four years.

The original test by the Italian anti-doping agency (Nado) showed the presence of testosterone metabolites.

On Friday, Pogba learned that the analysis of his B sample, carried out on the previous day, had produced the same result.

The player’s entourage declined to comment.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Pogba is liable to a four-year suspension, which could be halved if he proves that he was not at fault.

The ban could even be limited to a few months if the use of the substance took place “out of competition and is not related to his level of performance”.

Pogba’s representatives said last month that the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.

Testosterone promotes muscle development.

Contacted by AFP, Nado was unable to confirm this information “due to a decision by the Italian privacy authority”.

Pogba has seven days to submit his defence to Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal, which will investigate his case and request a sanction, a process that could take several weeks.

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In addition to the proceedings of the Italian sports justice system, a judicial investigation will be opened by the Turin public prosecutor’s office, as doping is a criminal offence in Italy.

Since the announcement of his positive test, Pogba has been unable to train with Juventus, the club to which he returned in July 2022 after six seasons with United.

The announcement came shortly before Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri’s press conference on the eve of the Turin derby against Torino, at which he simply said he was “sorry for Paul”.

Contacted by AFP, the club, which has also suspended payment of his estimated annual salary of 8 million euros (8.4 million dollars), did not respond.

Pogba started the season attempting to bounce back from string of injuries last season and from summer surgery.

His sample was reportedly taken at his club’s opening match of the Serie A season, a win at Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.

After the first sample tested positive on September 11,  Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta said she was “awaiting the second sample and cannot have an opinion before the results”.

“What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule,” she added.

 

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