Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insists he is still the right man to turn things around at the Emirates.
The Gunners were beaten 5-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday eliciting calls for the removal of the Spaniard as manager of the club.
The north Londoners have lost all of their first three matches in the Premier League and have conceded a total of nine goals without scoring once.
However, the current situation is highly likely to increase scrutiny and pressure on the under-fire head coach.
Arteta addressed the recent criticism he has received during his post-match press conference.
The Spaniard said: “I always said and I will be the one, I’ve been more critical of myself and taking the blame every single time only when we have defeats.
“I stand here today and I question myself and I have to try to have the right people around me and look at every decision that we make, that I make and try to improve it and change it if we believe that we should have done something different of course.”
Reports in England claim Willian is ready to walk away from over £20million in wages to seal his Arsenal exit.
Corinthians want to sign the former Chelsea star, but his wages – which are in-excess of £220,000-per-week – have proved an obvious stumbling block.
However, according to the Mail on Sunday, the Brazilian is ready to forgo the remainder of his hugely lucrative contract to ensure his return home can go ahead.
Willian will be paid significantly less if his deal to join Corinthians is completed.
The midfielder accepts that he does not fit into Mikel Arteta’s current plans and would rather leave the Emirates with his integrity in tact than enter potentially ugly discussions over a substantial pay-off.
The news should pave the way for Willian to join Corinthians this week.
Arsenal were faced with a similar scenario earlier this year ahead of Mesut Ozil’s move to Fenerbahce.
Ozil earned £350,000-per-week at Arsenal, but the north London clubs are believed to have continued paying the German a portion of his wages to ensure his exit.
But Willian has taken an alternative approach to his exit and is set to leave the club without a penny, saving Arsenal millions in the process.
Reports have revealed why Chelsea’s pursuit of Atletico Madrid star Saul Niguez collapsed just days before the end of the transfer window.
The Spanish midfielder is thought to be reluctant to moving to Stamford Bridge because Thomas Tuchel can’t guarantee game time.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, via The Sun, Chelsea were on the verge of agreeing a deal with Atletico before the 26-year-old rejected the Blues.
Saul is said to have wanted guarantees over his playing time with Tuchel already having several top midfielders at his disposal.
N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho and Ethan Ampadu are among those battling it out for central midfield role.
Jorginho, who was recently named Uefa Men’s Player of the Year after winning the Champions League, Super Cup and Euro 2020.
It’s believed the LaLiga champions were willing to let Saul leave during the transfer window but he will now stay in the Spanish capital.
The 19-cap international has been linked with several teams throughout the summer and Chelsea were reportedly his last chance to secure a move.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has provided an injury update on N’Golo Kante after Premier League encounter against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.
Chelsea had to sub off Kante at half-time after he picked up an injury, with Tuchel confirming that the Frenchman twisted his ankle, though he does not expect the midfielder to be sidelined for very long.
Tuchel said: “He is injured. He missed the Arsenal game because of some pain in the ankle and some inflammation, but it was nothing serious obviously because he was back in training and he started today.
“In winning the ball in this situation I think the opponent fell on his ankle and he twisted it again and he had immediately the same pain he had before the Arsenal game and he was lacking force to accelerate and we had to take him off.
“Can there be any harder challenges than going one man down and taking N’Golo Kante off at the same time at half-time at Anfield and having Liverpool playing towards the Kop? It’s a pretty tough one but we did excellent and I’m super happy with how we did and we feel like we deserved a point very well.”
Gary Lineker insists that referee Anthony Taylor ruined the pulsating encounter by sending Reece James off and awarding penalty to Liverpool.
Chelsea dug deep to score a 1-1 draw at Anfield as they spent the entire second half down to 10 men.
James was sent off for handball on the line and denying a goalscoring opportunity before Mo Salah scored an equaliser.
The rules of the game state that if a ball touches a players arm AFTER it has come off any other body part, it is not an offence.
But Anthony Taylor’s one-second glance at the VAR screen decided that Reece James doing just this was not only a penalty, it was also a red-card offence.
The legendary pundit Lineker was not happy with the referee’s decision to send James off.
He said: “A wonderful end to end game of football ruined by the ever changing silly handball laws.
“The game is about entertainment and the laws should bear this in mind. Red cards should be for obviously deliberate goal line handballs, not what we saw tonight. Such a shame.”
In the same vein, the Chelsea skipper was quizzed on whether he thought Reece James was fairly sent off and he responded by wanting to know why Anthony Taylor didn’t have a longer look at the situation.
He told SkySports: “The ref gets information from the VAR. He just goes and see’s one image and that is enough for him to give the penalty and red card.”
Jurgen Klopp has identified the reason it was tough for Liverpool to defeat Chelsea, saying the west Londoners had ‘eight players back’ defending, and claimed that the Reds drew against the ‘best team of Europe’ after being held to a 1-1 draw against ten-man Chelsea.
Kai Havertz gave Chelsea the lead before Reece James was sent for a handball allowing Mo Salah to score from the penalty spot.
Liverpool had the whole of the second half to find a winner against ten-man Chelsea, but Thomas Tuchel’s side valiantly held on for a point.
Klopp took the positives from the game though and said that Chelsea deserved a point.
He told Sky Sports after the game: “I saw a really exciting game; fast, hard for both teams. We conceded a goal – that’s not cool – but the goal we scored, the penalty we got was very deserved.
“I feel for Reece because it was tricky but it’s a clear penalty. Second half, we played good; everyone thinks against 10 men, ‘Come on!’ – there’s an advantage in possession but not in terms of the defensive structure.
“They were playing slightly deeper but they had eight players [back] with Lukaku up. We couldn’t use it – our shots were from distance – but it was a good game, a high-intensity game. Chelsea deserved a draw and we got a point as well.”
When asked whether Liverpool would have fared better against Chelsea without a sending off, he said they drew against the ‘best team in Europe’ of last year.
He said: “I don’t know what the result would have been 11 versus 11 but it’s really okay it’s early in the season.
“We drew against the best team of last year in Europe that’s okay. ‘Seven points from three games – let’s go. We are in good shape, we just have to carry on.”
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has singled out ‘super talented’ defender Andreas Christensen for his performance against Liverpool on Saturday, while he also provided an injury update on N’Golo Kante.
The west Londoners took an early lead through Kai Havertz at Anfield and looked very dangerous, but the game flipped on its head just before half-time when Reece James was adjudged to have handled the ball on the line.
After consulting VAR, referee Anthony Taylor showed the young defender a red card and awarded Liverpool a penalty, which they scored, with Chelsea forced to play the rest of the game with 10 men.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Blues gave a hard-fought and dogged display to draw 1-1 and Tuchel was delighted with what he saw, giving particular praise to Christensen who was named Man of the Match for his performance.
“Andreas has been very strong for us from day one. He started in the central position and finished the game in the right position, because we decided to bring on Thiago Silva and stay with the back five,’ said Tuchel at his post-match press conference.
“Andreas is very strong, he’s super talented. He loves Chelsea, he’s a Chelsea boy from the academy, this has a huge impact in the moment.
“I think he feels the trust, he knows what to do, he can absolutely help, he’s a top defender and a top guy.
“I have the feeling he’s growing every week in confidence and personality, which is good and he’s doing fantastic since day one and getting better and better.”
Since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel in January, there have been several games in which the Senegal international has been a virtual bystander. This wasn’t one of those games.
Throughout the 90 minutes, Mendy was kept busy but he stood up to most of what Liverpool had to offer. He had no chance with the penalty converted by Mohamed Salah, however. 8
Cesar Azpilicueta
Chelsea’s most experienced defender was needed throughout the first half; one clearance denied Sadio Mane an easy finish. Azpilicueta also led the rage towards Anthony Taylor after Reece James’ red card.
The Spaniard played at right wing-back in the second period and defended well against Mane and closed off any space between himself and Andreas Christensen. 8
In the middle of the back three or on its right, Christensen didn’t put a foot wrong. He stepped in when required, got his body in the way when needed, and was composed on the ball. He’s become vital. 9
Antonio Rudiger
There were times in the opening period that Rudiger was slack with his passing. Defensively, though, he was switched on against the threat of former Roma teammate Salah.
The backs-to-the-wall approach Chelsea inevitably played with in the second half meant Rudiger’s strengths came to the fore. He handled Salah well and didn’t let any Liverpool attacker get beyond him. 8
Reece James
It’s not easy to judge the academy graduate’s display. He had trouble in the early stages keeping track of Mane but delivered the corner from which Kai Havertz headed home. Then came his red card.
There was no intention on the part of James to handle the ball on the line from Mane’s shot, but it resulted in his dismissal and a Liverpool penalty that swung the balance of the game. 5
N’Golo Kante
The consistency of the French midfielder’s performances are astounding. For 45 minutes at Anfield, he closed off passing avenues, reclaimed the ball several times, and started Chelsea attacks.
Unfortunately, Kante’s ankle was landed on by Sadio Mane shortly before the half-time interval and the 30-year-old didn’t return for the second period. 8
Jorginho
The frantic nature of the game didn’t lend itself to the Italian’s talents.
Jorginho attempted to control Chelsea’s possession game but was often harassed by Liverpool’s midfielders. And in the second period, he barely got onto the ball.
He did, however, work very hard to close off space in front of the Blues’ back in the second 45 minutes. 7
Marcos Alonso
Many expected the game at Anfield to be one for Ben Chilwell, yet Thomas Tuchel kept faith in Alonso.
In the opening half, Alonso was given problems by the movement of Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott. But he showed several neat touches on the ball.
Yet had he not jumped alongside Mendy just before half-time in an attempt to clear a Liverpool corner, perhaps the incident that led to James’ dismissal doesn’t take place. 7
Mason Mount
The England international started on the left of the Chelsea attack and was a constant threat in the first half. One touch, in particular, to ease beyond Joel Matip was sublime.
Mount played a more reserved role in the second period with the Blues down to ten men, dropping into central midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho. 7
Kai Havertz
The German was caught out by the pace of the game in the opening minutes but made up for that in a big way in the 22nd minute as he looped a header from a Reece James corner over Alisson and into the corner.
Started then to have a bigger influence on Chelsea’s attacking play but was brought off at half-time as Tuchel reshuffled his pack. 7
Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian would’ve been hopeful of building on his debut goal. That didn’t happen, partly due to circumstance, of course.
Lukaku, however, wasn’t as sharp with his passing as at the Emirates last week. There was one instance he should’ve slipped in Kai Havertz on goal but instead played his pass to Mount.
The 28-year-old had very little of the ball in the second period but did have a rare Chelsea shot, which was blocked. 7
Chelsea substitutes
Thiago Silva (for N’Golo Kante, 45)
Brought on to add another experienced head to the backline, Silva was assured and showed no sign that this was his first competitive action of the season. An excellent display. 8
Mateo Kovacic (for Kai Havertz, 45)
His fresh legs were needed in the second period to help Chelsea contain Liverpool. Forced Alisson into his own save of the second period. 7
Trevoh Chalobah (for Jorginho, 85)
Given the final five minutes to help Chelsea get over the line. N/A
