Champions League

CHELSEA must be prepared to act if Edouard Mendy continues making errors, says Rio Ferdinand. Mendy’s form at Chelsea has hit a rocky patch recently and he has consequently been at fault for a number of goals his team have conceded.
Edouard Mendy trains ahead of Chelsea’s game against Dinamo Zagreb later todayCredit: Getty
Rio Ferdinand has urged Mendy to cut the mistakes from his gameCredit: Getty
And following another shaky performance against West Ham, where Mendy was fortunate VAR overturned Maxwel Cornet’s late equaliser, Ferdinand has warned Thomas Tuchel may need to make a big call.
The former Manchester United defender told Vibe with Five: “I think the biggest thing for Chelsea from this game is Edouard Mendy is becoming far too involved in situations like this.
“Against Leeds, he was at fault for the first goal. This one as well. There’s been other occasions where he’s made mistakes and hasn’t been punished.
“They need to iron that out quick because he was brilliant last season, he was phenomenal.
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“He needs to eradicate those mistakes from his game. You don’t want to be in the news as a goalkeeper. The less you talk about them the better they’re doing. At the moment he’s also in the news.”
However, Tuchel himself has admitted he has no immediate plans to drop his number one.
He told reporters: “It’s a very sensitive position in football in general. And it’s not everything that’s just pure quality and about decision-making.
“It’s about the feeling…that you feel the confidence and sometimes, also, it’s having a bit of the luck.
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“In my mind, the situation is calm, we have two fantastic goalkeepers, two fantastic guys.”
Chelsea have endured a shaky start to the season despite splashing a significant amount of cash out on new signings this summer.
The Blues are back in action later today with their Champions League campaign kicking off against Dinamo Zagreb.
While Mendy has travelled, he will be expected to make way to give deputy Kepa Arrizabalaga some minutes. More

GENNARO GATTUSO is still haunted by Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League winning comeback.The Reds’ dramatic revival is considered by many to have been one of the most thrilling European finals of all-time.
Gattuso claims he saw the ‘Virgin Mary’ at the Miracle of Istanbul in 2015 when his AC Milan team were downed by Liverpool in dramatic fashionCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
The Italian is now in charge at La Liga side ValenciaCredit: Rex
Gattuso and his AC Milan team-mates had cruised to a 3-0 lead at half-time before a once-in-a-lifetime fightback.
And the former midfielder – now boss at Valencia – claims he saw the mother of Jesus during the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’.
He said: “I’ve lost a Champions League final that I was winning 3-0 against Liverpool and I saw the Virgin Mary in person.
“I think that in football you have to respect it and always be at your best.”
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Liverpool went on to score three times in a six-minute blitz shortly after the break to leave the Italians shell-shocked.
Jerzy Dudek then pulled off an heroic double-save in extra-time and pulled-off the famous “wobbly legs” in the penalty shootout to see Liverpool famously win their fifth Champions League title.
And Gattuso has used it to shape his philosophy as a manger.
As did his gaffer on the day, Carlo Ancelotti, who revealed he cited the iconic final to help Real Madrid win the La Liga title last season.
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The 44-year-old Gattuso is currently in charge at Valencia after joining them in June on a two-year deal.
He recently denied claims he rejected taking the Fiorentina job last summer because he had an agreement with Prem side Tottenham.
Instead, the Italian blames Spurs organisation on his lack of a move to London.
He claimed: “Tottenham came later, then I didn’t go there to work for things that were not true. The Tottenham managers fell for it and I paid.
“When these things happen, it becomes difficult to defend yourself, luckily at Valencia the management supported me.” More

THOMAS TUCHEL is ready to unleash Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as his masked marvel.Chelsea’s new striker has flown out for Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb just a week after having his jaw shattered in a burglary.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has flown out for Chelsea’s Champions League gameCredit: Getty
The striker is wearing a different mask to the superhero ones he has worn in the pastCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Aubameyang in a Spiderman mask playing for DortmundCredit: AFP
The 33-year-old and Reus dressed up as Batman and RobinCredit: Bongarts – Getty
Auba as Spiderman for St-EtienneCredit: AFP
Aubameyang, 33, took part in training wearing a black, full-face covering which was made-to-measure by a specialist company in Milan at the weekend.
And it is unlikely to put off the flamboyant star — famous for donning superhero masks to celebrate goals.
Boss Tuchel reckons the former Arsenal captain is desperate to ‘prove a point’ even if he must wear the hi-tech face covering.
Tuchel said: “He has taken care with his recovery. We have been able to bring everybody to do our last training here in Zagreb.
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“He has had a test with the mask, trained normally and so if everything goes well he will be available.
“He is very ambitious, very focused and hungry to play for us and to prove a point.
“That is what we felt from the first moment and he is happily invited to prove a point tomorrow.”
Aubameyang’s debut could come just four days after signing for £12million from Barcelona on transfer deadline day last week.
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Tuchel added: “If an issue comes up we will not put him in of course but there was no issue for him yesterday and I hope there will not be an issue today.
“Is he ready to start? He cannot play 90 minutes so it’s on us to take a decision about how we manage the minutes.
“He needs minutes to get his full fitness, this is clear so it’s on us to find a solution if he comes from the bench or if he starts.”
Fellow new boy Denis Zakaria is also in the squad for the Group E game as Europe’s elite competition gets underway.
Keeper Edouard Mendy has made a full recovery from Saturday when he was accused of faking injury to cover up for a mistake by angry West Ham boss David Moyes.
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Tuchel is more concerned with improving his team’s performances but is boosted by Chelsea’s England defender Reece James signing a new five year contract.
Tuchel said: “He’s a very decisive player for us and an academy player and we told you many times how important he is, of course we’re happy to have a key player with us for so many years.”
Aubameyang joined Chelsea for £12m from Barcelona on deadline dayCredit: Getty
His debut could come against Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty More