Daily Archives: September 22, 2021

Crystal Palace star Zaha heaps praise on Chelsea loanee Gallagher, identifies particular quality he brings to team

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Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has been singing the praises of Chelsea midfielder Connor Gallagher following his fantastic impact on-loan at Selhurst Park.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “He’s a very good player to be honest, the thing he brings is that energy that we need, I’m sure everyone has seen it.

“Having Macca [James McArthur] next to him as well, he runs around as well. Obviously its been a couple of games but everyone can see Conor’s potential because he’s young, so he’s only going to get better.”

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira equally praised Gallagher after the win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Chelsea loanee was excellent in centre of midfield as Palace claimed an emphatic 3-0 victory at Selhurst Park.

“Conor loves football,” he said. “The energy he is bringing to the team is fantastic.

“He’s got a lot of energy and he would play well under any manager because of the passion he has for the game.”

Chelsea loanee assesses his performances so far, says “I’m enjoying playing here”

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Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour has given his verdict over his loan move to Norwich, saying “I’m enjoying playing here.”

Speaking of loan midfielders, Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour has been speaking about his period so far with Norwich City.

Talking to the Canaries official website, he said: “I’m enjoying playing here.

“Of course, I want to win and hate losing, so it’s a difficult one to answer, but I’m learning every day and in the games, so I’m enjoying playing here.”

Thomas Tuchel reveals plan to pair Lukaku, Werner in Chelsea attack

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Thomas Tuchel has indicated his desire to start Timo Werner up front alongside club record signing Romelu Lukaku.

Wednesday night clash against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup could give Tuchel the chance to experiment.

Tuchel said: “Timo can play with Romelu, that is sure, and he did very well at Tottenham the last 25 to 30 minutes of the match.

“That gave us a clear impression of how dangerous these two can be together.

“There was some disappointment to brush off Timo’s shoulders from the Euros during the summer, and from the first games here I think he was not happy with the performances in the beginning.

“We were not absolutely happy because we know that he can be much more of an attacking threat than he was.

“But in the last training sessions he was more relaxed, more fluid in his movements with more confidence, and that’s why we put him on early against Tottenham because we saw his development.

“We had him in dangerous positions around Romelu, he was not too far out on the pitch, he was in and around the box and he had his chances, and the assist which was well done.

“In training he moves more freely and his decision-making is with more confidence.

“There are clear signs that he is in a good way, and I hope he can show and prove it tomorrow.”

Thomas Tuchel sweats over Edouard Mendy’s injury ahead of Manchester City clash

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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel faces anxious wait to know if Edouard Mendy will be fit for the Premier League clash against Manchester City, saying it is a “race against pain and time”.

The shot-stopper missed Chelsea’s 3-0 away win over fierce rivals Tottenham with a hip injury.

And he’s due to miss Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa too.

But tomorrow’s game is not the worry for Chelsea in terms of getting Mendy fit.

They have Kepa Arrizabalaga or Marcus Bettinelli to fill the hole left by the 29-year-old.

Saturday’s six-pointer against City, however, will be a concern for the Blues.

Champions League-winning boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed Mendy’s absence for Wednesday.

And says an appearance on Saturday against City depends on how much pain the keeper is in come training on Thursday.

The German said: “Mendy cannot play [against Villa]. He is not training so far.

“We will try to do everything for Saturday and to reintegrate him tomorrow in individual training and hopefully in Thursday’s team training but not yet.

“It’s a matter of the amount of pain and the loads that we have for the players and there was quite some intensive games.

“I think it’s possible [he could play against City] but it’s a race against pain and a race against time so let’s see.

“Hopefully he will be back in team training on Thursday and if this goes well he can be ready for Saturday but I don’t know right now.”