Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic | Serbia & Chelsea Superstar

England manager Gareth Southgate has heaped praise on the performance of Callum Hudson-Odoi following his team’s 5-1 win over Montenegro on the road. The Chelsea graduate was handed his maiden start for the Three Lions on the night and he managed to produce a solid display with an assist to boost.
Speaking after the game, Southgate was pleased with the showing of the Blues graduate, who was surprisingly picked into the squad despite his reduced game. He said: “I am really pleased, the game was a simple one, we talked all week about using our width and using our wingers and our wingers were very productive on the night.

“Callum Hudson-Odoi put in a fabulous performance in which showed what he showed us all week. I don’t need to speak, his performance spoke. With young players it is always up to them. You can see the talent, the application with us has been excellent, he has got to continue that, this is a great step forward for him. “But like any player you have got to continue to improve.”

Former Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen believes Chelsea will continue backing Maurizio Sarri for the head coach role despite the club’s 6-0 embarrassment at the hands of Manchester City last weekend. The Blues manager has come under fire with the club’s losing streak on the road and of late, this has contributed to question marks regarding his future.

However, speaking to Optus Sport, Sorensen has said that the Blues hierarchy will maintain their faith in the Italian tactician with the opportunity to turn things around, he said: “That’s where you have to trust the people in charge at the club. They choose the direction of where you’re going and they’ve gone with Sarri. And they, you would expect, have to buy full into that and you need time. I know in today’s day and age you don’t have it. You look at [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer and there will be talks now that he doesn’t deserve the manager’s job because they [Manchester United] lost. So it is really tough.”

Chelsea shot-stopper Willy Caballero has praised the impact of Kepa Arrizabalaga since joining the Blues from Athletic Bilbao in the summer. The Spain international was pursued from the Spanish side on a world-record fee for a keeper in the summer and he has since been a regular feature for the Blues while being ever-present for the league duties.

Speaking to reporters, Caballero highlighted that the Blues were keen on signing a keeper, who is comfortable with the ball at his feet and this has certainly been the case with Arrizabalaga satisfying the requirements. The Argentine added that he was expecting the 24-year-old to have a tricky beginning in the Premier League but he is pleased that the former Basque player has settled seamlessly.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has urged the club to pursue another ball-playing midfielder after Jorginho endured a tough game against Newcastle United in the Premier League. The Italy international has been Sarri’s undisputed pick for the holding midfield role but the club are currently lacking a back-up option with the same attributes after the departure of Cesc Fabregas.

Speaking to reporters, Sarri admitted that Jorginho had a concern during the Magpies game but he could not change things, given he does not have a player on the bench with the same passing attributes as the Italian, he said: “Today Jorginho was in trouble and on the bench there wasn’t a player for that position.”
Meanwhile, the manager added that he requires an option behind Jorginho in the ranks, although he is unsure whether the club are making progress towards recruiting anyone, he further told: “I need an option for Jorginho. I have no idea. It’s not too much [of a worry for me]. [If] the club is worried, I don’t know. The club knows very well my opinion. I need the player there [in that position]. It depends on the club decision, I think. I cannot do anything more.”

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said that the Blues must act on the contract situation of Eden Hazard in the near future amid the constant speculation linking him with Real Madrid. The Belgium international has openly admitted his ambition of playing for the European champions over the past year and this has increased speculation regarding his future with his Blues contract expiring in 18 months’ time.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sarri stressed that the club must solve the Belgian’s contract saga in the forthcoming months, although he has no power on his side to influence the attacker’s decision, he said:"I think we have to solve the problem. If we want to plan the future, we have to solve this problem.I don't know [what Hazard is thinking], but I think that it's time to decide. I have not the power to do this. "I am the coach. I want to speak to him only about the position on the pitch."

Spanish heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly planning a surprise winter approach for Zenit St Petersburg defender Branislav Ivanovic as they seek to overcome the concerns at the heart of the defence. The Catalan giants have managed to recover of late with Samuel Umtiti returning from a lengthy knee injury but there remains the lack of depth with Thomas Vermaelen still on the sidelines.

Amidst this, the Spanish champions have been linked with several high-profile players to fill the void but according to Goal.com, Ivanovic has been highlighted as a cut-price to fulfil the role. The former Serbia international presently has only eight months remaining on his existing deal with Zenit but the club are likely to exercise the option of a one-year extension.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has refused to discuss the club’s prospects of challenging for the Premier League title this season. The Blues have got off to a flying start with eight wins and three draws from their opening 11 matches and the run of results sees them within two points off league leaders Manchester City.
Despite this, the Blues are only considered the third favourites for the title among the bookies and speaking to TalkSPORT, Sarri has admitted that the Blues may not have an easy path ahead to match the reigning champions, he said: “No! I thought that the first two months could be very difficult for me. I’m very lucky to work here the same as I did in Naples.

“I think in this period of the season, it’s very important for us to stay close to the top. We knew very well at the beginning that there was a gap – the gap between us and the top last season was 30 points and it’s very difficult to cover this gap in only six months. We’re trying to do it but we know it will be very difficult. I think this record [longest unbeaten record for a new PL manager] is not because of the coaching, it’s because of the team.”

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is under a lot of pressure to turn around a start to the campaign at the club, but there are widespread suggestions that he may be sacked in the next few weeks. However, it does not seem to hinder his plans to scout for new players who may be fit for featuring in the United red. It has been revealed that Mourinho will be making a trip in order to watch a game between Serbia and Montenegro in the UEFA Nations League.

Mourinho was able to breathe a sigh of relief after watching his United team get a 3-2 victory over Rafa Benitez’ Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Despite falling 2-0 down in the first half, United came up with a stunning comeback in the second half. It was a remarkable comeback that keeps Mourinho in the job at least for a few more weeks. The Portuguese has come under a lot of criticism for singling out players, defensive tactics, and being at war with the board for lack of support in the transfer market. Since the start of the campaign, it has been downhill for Manchester United who have also been playing like a team without confidence or creativity.

Lazio director Igli Tare has confirmed that the club are close to sorting out fresh contracts with Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The duo were unquestionably the top performers for the club during the course of the 2017/18 season and Tare has indicated that an announcement over an extension could be made by the end of the month.

Speaking to reporters, Tare said: “It’s a matter of days for Immobile and Milinkovic-Savic’s contracts. The agreements have been there for a while and I think it’ll be finalised at the start of next week. It has been a difficult start to the Serie A season for Lazio, who scraped 1-0 wins over Frosinone and Empoli after losing to Napoli and Juventus. I agree that we’re in a position that we are not accustomed to being in, as we were always surprise outfits, whereas this year we declared that we wanted to be protagonists.”

Serbia international Aleksandar Mitrovic has made the permanent move to Fulham from Newcastle United. The 23-year-old spent the second half of the previous season on loan with the Cottagers where he was influential towards their promotion and he has now joined them for a club-record fee of around £22m.

“I’m very glad and happy and proud to finally be here and officially become a Fulham player. I’m happy to the moon and back. I have love for the fans. They’re amazing fans and I have a really good connection with them. This is a big club and last year we made history, we did big things, and I want to continue this. We want to keep making big things, and with all the fans behind us I think we can go far,” he told the club’s official website.