Champions League

CHELSEA’S season has been appalling by the club’s usual high standards.The poor campaign has also been reflected off the pitch with levels reportedly dropping among the squad.
Chelsea have had a shocking season by their standards with some players reportedly asking to leaveCredit: Getty
Interim boss Frank Lampard has failed to raise standardsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
The Blues have been through three managers with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter both being sacked, while Frank Lampard is set to leave at the end of the season.
While performances on the pitch have been a shambles, The Telegraph suggests it has not been much better off it.
The report suggests that at least one player missed the team bus after oversleeping during a post-training nap.
It also claims that at least six players have made it clear they want to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
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It is also reported that others have even stopped bothering to do their laces for training.
It is thought that this is down to the ability to go unnoticed due to the swollen nature of the squad.
The number of players have also caused other issues with some having to sit on the floor during team meetings and get changed in the corridor.
While the response from the squad to a player being late for the team bus has been suggested as a shake of the head or a smirk.
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It has been repeatedly reported that club legend Lampard has spoken to the players in individual meetings about raising the standards, however, he has not managed to get through to them.
It could not have been a worse debut year for new owner Todd Boehly.
The American businessman is set to take a further step back from running the club and relinquish control to appointed executives.
In January, he stepped down as the interim sporting director with the aim of slowly relinquishing responsibility to executives that were bedding in.
Todd Boehly has spent over £600million on new playersCredit: PA
The 49-year-old helped the club to an unprecedented spend on the transfer market as stars such as Enzo Fernandez, Wesley Fofana, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling arrived.
Despite spending upwards of £600m, it could not help push the club back up the Premier League table, with a bottom-half finish confirmed.
It will be the club’s worst finish in the league since their 14th-place in 1993-94 regardless of what happens in their final game against Newcastle on Sunday.
Chelsea also exited both domestic cup competitions to Manchester City before being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked early on in the seasonCredit: AFP
Then Graham Potter was axed despite being handed a long-term contractCredit: PA
Lampard is expected to be replaced by former Tottenham and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the campaign.
The Blues have also frozen their men’s season ticket prices for a 12th straight year, with the announcement accompanied by a statement acknowledging the season’s disappointment.
It read: “This season has not produced the results that any of us want. We know what we are working towards, but equally we know that will require hard work, determination and commitment.
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“We all want to see Chelsea back where we belong and to share many more winning moments together at Stamford Bridge.” More

ERIK TEN HAG celebrated guiding Manchester United back to the Champions League with a bike ride. The Dutchman, 53, oversaw United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday.
Erik ten Hag was spotted riding his bike after securing Champions League footballCredit: Splash
The Manchester United boss has been side riding his bike in the pastCredit: Splash
The Dutchman begged Red Devils chiefs to back him in the summerCredit: Splash
And the result confirmed the Red Devils’ status as a Champions League competitor for next season, leaving bitter rivals Liverpool out of luck.
Following the Old Trafford thrashing, Ten Hag was spotted out on a bike ride in Cheshire on Friday.
With the summer fast approaching, he was seen with his jacket draped over the front of his bike.
He donned a long-sleeve light grey shirt, paired with black trainers and dark grey trousers.
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However, despite good progress in his first year, he believes there is still much work to be done.
This begins in the summer, with Ten Hag begging Man Utd bosses to get him “better players”.
Speaking after the win over Frank Lampard’s struggling Chelsea, he told Sky Sports: “It is a good base to build on but standards have to go up and demands have to rise.
“We have to work in the summer with this squad but we also have to strengthen in the window with this squad.
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“We want to compete for the title but it has to be realistic. It is what is there.
“Now, we are far away so there is a lot of work to do but we need better players if want to compete for the highest.”
Harry Kane tops the list of transfer targets for United, with Ten Hag said to be “obsessed” with the Tottenham ace.
However, knowing Daniel Levy’s tough negotiating skills, United have drawn up a six-man shortlist of strikers if Kane proves to be unattainable.
Elsewhere, stars such as Declan Rice and Mason Mount have been linked with moves.
Defender Kim Min-jae and Jermaine Frimpong are other stars tipped to be targeted by the Red Devils this summer.
Ten Hag has been spotted out on his bike before.
He was spotted enjoying a cycle with wife Bianca early in the season, before being pictured out and about on Valentine’s Day. More

RAFAEL Benitez told a two-time Champions League winner to “go away” because he was 30 after becoming Everton manager.The former Liverpool manager endured a difficult six-month spell in charge at Goodison Park after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in 2021.
Rafael Benitez told one Everton star to “go away” after he arrived at Goodison ParkCredit: PA
His links to the Toffees’ cross-city rivals angered many Everton fans, with some members of the squad also falling out with Benitez.
One such player was midfielder James Rodriguez, who had previously played under Benitez at Real Madrid.
However, the Colombian failed to make an appearance for Everton after Benitez’s arrival and he was sold just two months later.
Rodriguez had been signed by Ancelotti in September 2020 and provided 15 goal contributions in 26 appearances in his first season.
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Those numbers did not help his chances of starring for Benitez, though, with the Spaniard taking exception with Rodriguez’s age.
“When he arrived at Everton on the first day, he told me, ‘Go away. You are 30 years old and I want young people, who have energy’,” Rodriguez told Noticias RCN via Sport Witness.
“I had had a spectacular year with Everton, so I wasn’t going to start fighting with him.”
It is not the first time Rodriguez, who won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid, has hit out at his former boss.
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James Rodriguez had won the Champions League twice with Real MadridCredit: EPA
James Rodriguez predicted Rafael Benitez would be sacked by EvertonCredit: PA
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Back in January, he revealed: “I was at Everton for a year but I would have liked it to be longer. It went well, very well, I’m leaving due to a coach, because if not, I would stay.
“The coach (Benitez) told me on the first day of pre-season, ‘you are old, you are already 30 years old, I prefer to have young people, with energy. So, find yourself a club’.
“I told a leader, after three months he will be out, I have already worked with him.
“I told him after three months look for me and after three months he (Benítez) was already out. Then came Lampard, he has won some games and has managed to save the club.”
Now 31, Rodriguez has since played for Al-Rayyan in Qatar and Olympiacos.
He is currently a free agent after being released by the Greek giants in April. More