Hazard apologises to ballboy

Rafael Benitez has revealed Eden Hazard exchanged apologies at full-time with the Swansea ballboy(Charlie Morgan) that he appeared to kick during Chelsea's Capital One Cup exit on Wednesday.



Hazard was shown a red card deep into the second half of the 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium, after he showed his frustration when the ballboy refused to return the ball to the Belgian.



The youngster was helped away from the pitch as he winced in pain after receiving a boot to the ribcage area, but Benitez said both parties resolved their differences in a meeting that took place in the changing rooms after the match.



"I didn't see the incident from the bench, but afterwards the boy came in to talk to Hazard, and both apologised to each other," Benitez told Sky Sports.



"The boy knows he was wasting time, Hazard was frustrated because he wanted to get the ball back. They apologised, they made a mistake, and that's it.



"We're disappointed because we lost a player but the best thing is to move forward."



South Wales Police will not investigate the incident after the youngster said he would not press charges.



In a statement Chief Superintendent Josh Jones, of South Wales Police, said: "South Wales is aware of the incident involving a ballboy at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea. We are making arrangements for him to be interviewed. South Wales Police takes such matters very seriously.''



However, the ballboy met with police at the stadium and revealed that he would not be taking any further action.



Reflecting on Chelsea's dire performance, which saw them barely threaten despite needing to score twice to rescue the tie, Benitez said the damage was done in the first leg.



"We didn't take our chances in the first leg, and we didn't take our chances in this leg. Credit to Swansea," he said.



The Chelsea boss also refused to blame referee Chris Foy, who turned down a first-half penalty appeal when Demba Ba went down in the area, saying: "It does not matter, we cannot change this. We didn't take our chances."

Top-selling official EPL player jerseys

Robin van Persie’s popularity at Manchester United since joining from Arsenal in the summer is demonstrated by news that his is the best-selling official Barclays Premier League shirt in North America this season.



Figures released by Sporting ID, which produces the names, numbers and sleeve badges of the Barclays Premier League, show that the United forward, who has scored 11 Premier League goals so far, leads his United strike partner Wayne Rooney, who was found to have had the best-selling shirt in the League’s history. In third is Chelsea striker Fernando Torres.

"North American soccer fans support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else"

Robert Thayne

United States striker Clint Dempsey is the biggest mover, rising to sixth after his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur in August. Dempsey is the first US player to make the top 10 in North American sales.

"North American soccer fans continue to support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else, often waking at 4am to catch games on TV," said Sporting iD’s global sales and marketing director Robert Thayne. "Players like Van Persie, Eden Hazard, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere are top-class players playing for the biggest clubs in the world and their fans in North America are really no different than the ones who live in the UK.

“They are clearly showing their support of these players and their club by personalizing jerseys with official Premier League player names, numbers and sleeve badges.”



Top-selling official Barclays Premier League player jerseys in North America : -



1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

3. Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

8. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)

9. Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

10. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Premier League's top 10 dribblers

Dribbling has been described as an art form, as pace wingers and creative maestros slalom in between opposing players. The Premier League boasts some of the best dribblers and technicians in world football,Thanks to Opta, we bring to you the Premier League's top ten dribblers, in order of most dribbles completed (stats correct up to 13 December 2012).



Newcastle's slaloming Frenchman is top of the tree, completing over half of his attempted dribbles. Ben Arfa's impressive ability with the ball at his feet also sees him top the list as Europe's best dribbler so far this season.

Suarez has been Liverpool's talisman so far this season, finally finding his goal scoring boots with ten league goals. The Uruguyan is also leading the charts with the most attempted dribbles, however he has been pipped to top spot in terms of completed dribbles.

At joint third are Santi Cazorla is enjoying his brilliant debut seasons in the Premier League, with Cazorla showing just why he is one of Europe's top midfielders.

Raheem Sterling to become a "special talent" for Liverpool in the future, the wonder-kid justifies the hype surround his fledging talent.

West Ham's midfield enforcer come in at joint fifth, Diame joined West Ham from Wigan last summer for a fee of £5.5million.

QPR's Moroccan magician continues to impress despite they are still in search for a win.

QPR's Samba Diakite is arguably surprising entrants, He is very effective going forward, completing 30 dribbles this season.

Newcastle's Davide Santon is one of the most underrated player in Premier League with 30 dribbles completed this season.

Tottenham's understated powerhouse comes in at nine. Dembele has been a revelation since arriving in the Premier League, and has continued to impress since joining Tottenham earlier in the season.

At number ten is Chelsea's Belgian wizard Eden Hazard. The attacker has flourished since joining the European champions this summer and rightfully features in this list.

Five reason why team-mates won't pass to Torres

Jason Burt on the lessons that Rafael Benítez will draw from his side's Champions League rout.

1. Apathy has replaced anger

There was a smattering of boos as he emerged from the tunnel but Rafael Benítez was largely ignored by the Chelsea supporters. There were the now obligatory placards and the chants of “One Di Matteo” but there wasn’t the bear-pit atmosphere of his past two home games. Maybe that was because of this flat Champions League occasion. Maybe the anger aimed at Benítez is subsiding. He will desperately hope it’s the latter.



2. David Luiz can be a leader

The Brazilian defender is so often pilloried for his lapses but here he took responsibility. After Eden Hazard’s woeful penalty was saved, and with Fernando Torres dithering, Luiz took the ball and drilled it into the net for Chelsea’s next spot-kick to gain the first goal. He was also a relatively vocal presence on the pitch and helped to drive his lacklustre team forward adding much-needed dynamism.



3. Team-mates are reluctant to pass to Torres

He may have scored twice but there’s a clear sense that the struggling striker has lost the faith of some of those around him. Time and again Juan Mata, Hazard and Ramires thought twice about picking out Torres’s runs and when they did find him the move often broke down. The celebrations for his goals were also muted. It did not add up to any sense of unity.



4. Ivanovic is struggling

He is not alone but, until recently, the Serbian defender had been a model of consistency. There were signs of frailty against West Ham, when he was bullied by Carlton Cole, and last night he was beaten far too often and failed to close down Joshua John for the visitors’ goal.



5. Hazard should dribble more

The Belgian started the season on fire, running with the ball, beating opponents, creating goals but has suffered a dip to his confidence while – rightly – his lack of work off the ball, especially defensively, has been criticised. However, he comes alive when he runs at defences as he showed when creating Torres’s second goal and needs to be encouraged to do more of the same.



Source - Telegraph

Hazard: I'm no Lionel Messi

Eden Hazard says he is enjoying comparisons to World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi, but insists it is up to Roberto Di Matteo as to whether he plays a similar central role at Chelsea to that of the Barcelona star.



Hazard moved to Stamford Bridge for £32 million at the start of the summer and has plenty of pressure resting on his shoulders heading into the new campaign. At the age of 21, he will be expected to play a crucial role for the European champions next season, as the Blues launch an assault on the Premier League title.



A diminutive creator with superb technique, Hazard has drawn comparisons to Messi, the man whose game he has tried to emulate. Messi has been transferred to a central role by Barcelona in recent years, helping him to dictate play for the Catalans, but Hazard does not know if Di Matteo will afford him the same responsibility.



Hazard told SunSport: "Messi is the world's best player and it's a bit of an exaggeration to say I can be that good.



"But I am happy if people see similarities between us and being compared to Messi makes me think about what I can achieve with Chelsea rather than the obstacles I need to overcome to get there.



"Ultimately it's the coach who will decide if I play in a similar role to the one Messi plays for Barca but I am looking to succeed the Eden Hazard way."

Ferguson: Hazard price was too high

Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Chelsea have paid too much for Eden Hazard this summer after forking out a reported £34 million.



Hazard became a Blues player last month after deciding to make the move to Stamford Bridge from Lille ahead of joining United or Premier League champions Manchester City.



Chelsea have apparently paid just under £35 million for the Belgian playmaker and Fergie has questioned whether he is worth that much.



"There is a borderline in terms of what you would think is a good signing for United," he said.



"I see some values on players, like Hazard for instance. To me it was a lot of money. He's a good player, but £34m?



"What we're finding anyway, the climate for buying these top players - not just the transfer fees, the salaries, agents' fees - is just getting ridiculous now."



The United chief added: "In the Hazard deal, Chelsea paid the agent £6m.



The (Samir) Nasri situation was the same.



"It's all about what you think is value for a player. I am not envious of those deals at all. We placed a value on Hazard which was well below what they were talking about. So if it doesn't work, well we're not worried about that."

Chelsea confirm Hazard signing

Chelsea have completed the transfer of Eden Hazard from Ligue 1 side Lille, the Premier League club announced on Monday.



The 21-year-old Belgian international has agreed personal terms with the club and passed a medical examination with the reigning Champions League winners.



"Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce we have agreed terms with Lille for the transfer of Eden Hazard," the west London club said on their website.



"The 21-year-old Belgian international has agreed personal terms with the club and today passed a medical examination.



"He will join the club in July when the players return for pre-season training."



Having spent the off-season being pursued by a host of major European clubs, Hazard declared that he would join the Blues last week.



Hazard scored 21 goals in 48 appearances for Lille last season, also making 18 assists as the club finished third in Ligue 1.

Hazard heading to Chelsea

Eden Hazard tonight finally ended speculation about his future by announcing he had decided to join Chelsea next season.



The 21-year-old Lille playmaker, who had long been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League, revealed he had chosen the newly-crowned European champions on his official Twitter account.



Hazard earlier continued to keep fans of several clubs in suspense by posting he had "made up his mind" who he was going to join but declined to name the team in question.



There was no official confirmation this evening from either Chelsea or Lille that a deal had been reached over the signing of Hazard, who has been rated at £32million.



But reports in France suggest the Belgium star has agreed a five-year contract worth as much as £100,000 a week after tax.

Hazard confirms Manchester move

Lille winger Eden Hazard has confirmed he will be heading for Manchester, but refused to reveal whether he will be in City blue or United red.



The Belgium international has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Arsenal also believed to be in the hunt. Hazard confirmed at the weekend that he would be leaving Lille and in a further drip-feeding of information he has said he will be in Manchester.



Speaking at the awards gala after being named Ligue 1's Player of the Year, Hazard said: "I am going to Manchester. The decision will be taken soon."



City are believed to be leading the race to sign Hazard and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson expects the Premier League champions to be big spenders this summer. "We know City are going to spend fortunes, pay stupid money and silly salaries. We know that happens. We can't do anything about that," the Scot told MUTV.



Ferguson may feel his rivals will spend big, but City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak has hinted the days of lavish spending at the club may be a thing of the past.



City ended their 44-year wait for league glory when scoring twice in injury-time to beat QPR 3-2 and pip rivals Manchester United to the Premier League title.



Big-money signings Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany played their parts in the title success. Following up their league win and pushing on in Europe are next season's objectives and they have been linked with a host of big names. It is likely that manager Roberto Mancini will be an active player in the transfer market, but Khaldoon feels the current crop will be given the chance to repeat their heroics.



"We have a championship-winning team," Khaldoon said. "We are not starting from the same point as in other pre-seasons. We have had to improve in a very dramatic manner. Now we have a nucleus. To improve further we have to harness that nucleus."



There were fears that City had blown their chance when trailing QPR heading into injury-time and Khaldoon is keen to shed the ''typical City' tag.



"Everyone will have their own experience of what happened," he told the club's official website. "I don't think any league will be decided like that for many years to come.



"Maybe some people imagined it was 'typical City'. We are not typical City. We have destroyed that thought. This is not a team that is going to lie down. Now we want to forget about 'typical City'.



"This club wants to win more than anything and will fight for that until the last kick of the game."