Chelsea’s current campaign has been given a significant boost as they have sealed crucial victories against Manchester City and Manchester United, not only that but the recently closed transfer window saw them securing the services of Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah as well as seeing Juan Mata making his way out of the club and into Manchester United.

According to the Portuguese coach, he stated that Matic and Salah are the future of the club as they have the abilities and ambition to make an impact with the club.

“Matic has grown as a player during his time in Portugal and he has come back to this club as a fantastic all-round midfielder,” Mourinho told Chelsea magazine, the club’s official monthly title. As for Salah, he is a young, enthusiastic player with great pace and we have seen that he can score goals and create chances for his team-mates’’.

Chelsea’s victory against Manchester United was an important accomplishment not only for the club as they keep on piling the pressure against the other top teams of the Premier League but it’s a more significant and meaningful event for Mourinho as he became the fastest manager on securing 100 victories in the English League.

“My first thought after the Manchester United game was not for my 100 wins but that it was a good win for Chelsea, because that is what matters at the end,” Mourinho added.
“Of course I am pleased mainly because it means that Chelsea have picked up 300 points from those 100 games we have won together.”

Samuel Eto’o was awarded with the man of the match award during Chelsea’s match against Manchester United as the former Barcelona player scored all 3 goals that helped his team defeat the side of David Moyes.

With the winter transfer window just around the corner, Chelsea is a club that has been linked with a series of players that are rumored to be leaving the Premier League club meanwhile some others were linked to join the side of Jose Mourinho.

Ac.Milan’s Mario Balotelli is believed to be a target of Jose Mourinho but the agent of the former Inter Milan player said that no offers or talks have been made involving the player, besides it seems hard to believe that Ac.Milan are willing to let him go considering that he still has not even had 1 year since joining the Italian club.

Juan Mata has struggled under Jose Mourinho, the Spanish midfielder has failed to secure a regular spot in Chelsea. If Mata wants to ensure he gets playing time it would be ideal for him to make a switch to another club, Inter Milan is believed to be preparing a bid for Mata.

If Mata does decide however to remain in Chelsea, his chances of being featured in Spain for the 2014 World Cup will be up for grabs as Vicente del Bosque will only be looking at players that are fit and having plenty of playing time in their respective clubs and a team that has so many stars as Spain, it will be hard for Juan Mata to secure a spot in the starting lineup.

Michael Essien is another player that might be seeing his way out of Chelsea in this winter as his agent Fabien Piveteau has already confirmed.

“It’s true that he could leave Chelsea this winter.Several big European clubs playing in the Champions League have made enquiries and it should play out in the next 10 days or so.”

At this point it’s not a secret that Jose Mourinho wants to boost his attacking department as his own forward have been struggling to score goals in this season and Diego Costa is a big target for the Portuguese tactician however if Mourinho wants to sign Atletico Madrid’s star he will have to offload his backup goalkeeper Courtouis as the Spanish club is interested in signing him on a permanent deal.

Anzhi Makhachkala will play against the Norwegian club Tromso in a Europa League game this Thursday. This is going to be a do or die game for Tromso. Out of their first 3 games in the competition, they lost 2 and one was a draw.

They have just one point in their bag at the moment and they are right at the bottom of the Group K points table. If they lose again on Thursday, that will end their chances of advancing to the knockout stages.

Makhachkala, on the other hand, is not in such a bad position. The start of the competition was not great for them either as they had managed to secure just 1 point from their first couple of games, but, they bounced back and secured a 1-0 win in their last match against Tromso. However, after that game, they have played 2 matches in their domestic league and have lost both of them. So, they will not have that much confidence going into this game.

On top of that, Tromso’s record at home in Europa League is absolutely fantastic. Out of their last 19 Europa League matches at home, they have lost only 3.

Both the teams have some issues upfront. Both have scored just one goal in their first three matches and that’s not what you expect from top class sides.

It’s not easy to predict who is going to win this game. On the basis of Makhachkala’s performance in their last game against Tromso, one could have considered them the favourites, but, they have played some very poor football in their league games off late. So, now, one cannot completely back them to go on and win this game.

This match will be played at Alfheim Stadion and the starting time is 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Brazilian playmaker Willian believes he needs to quit spending Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala if he is to realize his dream of playing for one of the European giants before the end of his career.

The Brazilian, who was previously a target for Rafael Benitez and Chelsea before he was sold by Shakhtar Donetsk to the Russian powerhouses has admitted that he has immense admiration for the club but if given the opportunity, he would move on without a second thought.

He mentioned that he had tried to leave the Ukrainian giants for over a year. He admitted that he had several big offers from English clubs and many other European powerhouses but Shakhtar held firm and did not want him to go. He went on to add that Anzhi Makhachkala was the only club that agreed to pay the release clause his club was holding out for and he was happy to join them.

But he did add that although he has enormous affection for the club and its fans, everyone is aware of his real dream and desire and that hasn’t changed in the six months he has been in Russia. He added that his goal is to play for a big club in mainland Europe and be a part of the Brazilian national team in a FIFA World Cup but he is now an Anzhi player and he would play for the club with a calm mind for the time being.

He did add that sometimes, it was hard to deal with the situation at Shakhtar, despite being the backbone of their progress to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League last season. He stated that he tries every way to negotiate an exit but they wouldn’t budge before Anzhi Makhachkala came forward with the massive bid.

Former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has resigned from his post as the manager of Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala after less than a year. He was brought into the club only in February 2012 after his spell with the Russian national team came to an end.

Hiddink is widely known for his spells with the national teams of South Korea and Holland. He guided a relatively lesser-known South Korea team to the semifinals of the World Cup, while the 66-year-old Dutchman has enjoyed great success with the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid in club football.

His last spell in club football – with Chelsea – got him the 2009 FA Cup trophy. Hiddink has stated that he took over the Russian club with the mission of getting them to a higher position as much as he could. He has recalled that he would be not continuing as the manager once he thought that he would not take the club any higher. Anzhi Makhachkala have been looking to become one of the European elite. They have spent huge money on transfers and wages with the most notable being the £ 320,000 per week contract offer for former Inter Milan and Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o.

Despite this, they have enjoyed only relative success in recent years.

“I’ve always said that my mission with Anzhi would end when the club was able to develop and grow by itself without my participation,” said Hiddink. “FC Anzhi has accepted the request of the head coach to terminate their employment relationship. The club sincerely thanks Guus Hiddink for his significant contribution to the club and wishes him success in his future career,” said the official statement from the club.
The 66-year-old Dutchman has been linked with the managerial job at Barcelona in the last few days following the resignation of Tito Vilanova.

Anzhi Makhachkala has signed the Brazilian midfielder Willian Borges da Silva. Anzhi has bought Willian from the Ukrainian club FC Shakhtar Donetsk. However, the Russian club hasn’t yet revealed the transfer fee that was paid to buy Willian, but, it is reported to be around 35 million Euros.

Willian played for Shakhtar for 5 and half years. He had joined Shakhtar in August 2007. The performance of Willian was quite good during his tenure at Shakhtar. The 24 years old attacking midfielder featured for Shakhtar in 140 matches and scored 20 goals.

Because of his consistent performances for Shakhtar, a lot of clubs were interested in signing Willian including the two English Clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

When the winger of Anzhi, Yuri Zhirkov, was asked about Willian’s signing, he said, “Willian is a fantastic player and his performance in the last couple of years for Shakhtar has been quite outstanding. A lot of top teams wanted to buy him. So, it’s great that he has been bought by Anzhi and we are desperately waiting for him to join the camp.”

Willian himself was also quite happy after signing for his new club. The Brazilian midfielder said, “I am delighted to have joined a club like Anzhi which is slowly becoming one of the biggest clubs in the world. They really have a fantastic squad and it’s great to be a part of that unit. I hope that I would be able to win a lot of trophies with Anzhi.”

When asked about his tenure at Shakhtar, Willian said, “It was great. People gave me a lot of love and support and that’s why, I spent a lot of time over there. I want to thank them all for that. I also want to wish the Shakhtar team all the best for future.”

Anzhi Makhachkala has signed the Russian defender Andrei Yeschenko. Anzhi bought Yeschenko from Lokomotiv Moscow. The coach of Anzhi, Guus Hiddink, confirmed the signing of Yeschenko on Saturday. Yeschenko is Anzhi’s first signing in the mid season transfer window.

Confirming the signing of Yeschenko, Hiddink said, “Yeschenko is a versatile player and he has done very well for Lokomotiv in the ongoing season. We were looking for an experienced left back who can strengthen our defense a bit. So, we went for Yeschenko and were lucky enough to have got him. Hopefully, he would perform well for us in the rest of the season.”

Yeschenko also looked happy after signing for Anzhi. The Russian player said, “I am delighted to become a part of a great club like Anzhi. I am looking forward to playing for my new club. It would be a wonderful experience to play under the guidance of Guus Hiddink who gave me a warm reception.”

“The team has done pretty well in this season so far. We are not too far behind from the table toppers. Hopefully, we would overtake them soon.”

Anzhi is currently at no. 2 in the Russian Premier League points table. It has just 2 points less than CSKA Moscow which is at the top of the table. Anzhi will take on Hannover of Germany in a Europa League clash next month. On the other hand, Yeschenko’s former club Lokomotiv is currently at no. 8 in the points table.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Anzhi Makhachkala, Konstantin Remchukov has denied the reports that his team wants to sign the English superstar David Beckham and has offered him a huge weekly salary. Remchukov said, “We are not planning to sign Beckham. We haven’t given him any offer and all these reports are completely false.”

Anzhi Makhachkala manager Guus Hiddink has said that he is extremely surprised about the progress the club has made in the Europa league this season.

Anzhi Makhachkala have been one of the biggest spending teams in Europe this season. Despite this, the manager Guus Hiddink has said that he did not expect the team to qualify for the play-offs of the Europa league. However, they have done so in the most impressive fashion despite being in the group containing the likes of Liverpool. The recent 2-0 win over Udinese confirmed the progress into the next round of the Europa league.

This win also meant that Anzhi Makhachkala would be qualifying as the top two teams from this group. Hiddink has expressed his delight at being able to achieve a comfortable victory over the Italian club. He has reserved his glowing praise for the Italian teams by saying that any Italian team is extremely tough to beat, and doing so is extremely prestigious. He has also mentioned that if the pitch quality had been good, then the team would be able to achieve an even better result. Hiddink’s time at extremely good in the second half after a disappointing first half.

“We qualified from the group, and I’m happy. I’m proud of my team and all the players. In the summer, when the qualification started, I couldn’t imagine that we’d find ourselves in the spring playoffs, coming out of such a difficult quartet. Beating any Italian club tactically is very prestigious, and I am pleased that we have succeeded. We were well-organized in the first half, not giving Udinese a single chance to score,” said the manager of the Russian club. Anzhi have spent a lot of money on several high profile players like Samuel Eto’o, who is the best paid player in the world.

The former Chelsea and the Russian national team manager Guus Hiddink has said that he is extremely confident that the Russian winger Yuri Zhirkov will once again be playing at his best.

The Russian winger was recently signed by the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, who also managed to bring in the Dutch manager Guus Hiddink. Speaking after the 1-0 win over Alania Vladikavkaz, the former Chelsea manager said that he is extremely delighted to have Zhirkov in his team. He has identified him as one of the best left-sided midfielders in the world.

Even though Yuri Zhirkov spent most of his three seasons at the English club Chelsea as the backup for Ashley Cole, Hiddink reckons that Yuri Zhirkov can make it back to his best and is clearly showing signs of doing so. He has called the midfielder was one of the footballers with a proper knowledge about the game. Even though he has improved a lot since his arrival, the Dutchman has said that Zhirkov can improve even more provided he plays with a little more hard work. Since Hiddink arrived at the club, they have been an extremely good form.

They are currently top of the table with a two-point advantage over CSKA Moscow. “I do not want to single anyone out in particular but I think Zhirkov is progressing well. I think he has done a fantastic job until now although he can play harder, I know. And when he will find form, we will see the real Zhirkov. We were expecting a very difficult game with a team that plays with confidence at home and away. I think in the beginning of the match we surprised Alania with our good attack. We are happy with a good result,” said Hiddink. The club will now face Volga Nizhny Novgorod in the next match.

The new Russian national team manager Fabio Capello has decided to drop the former Chelsea winger Yuri Zhirkov for his first match incharge of the Russian national team. Russia will be facing a friendly match against Ivory Coast in Moscow on August 15. This match coincides just before the start of the league season for most of the countries in Europe. Russia will be hoping to field a strong team for this match. It is thought that Fabio Capello will be making a lot of decisions regarding the performance of the team in this friendly because it will be followed by the World Cup qualifiers in September.

Russia recently appointed the former England manager Fabio Capello, who has been out of work since signing from his England managerial position back in March. The Italian is expected to be in charge of the national team until the 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be held in Brazil. The former Real Madrid manager has surprised everyone by naming the Arsenal winger Andrei Arshavin as the captain of the national team, despite the controversy surrounding the 30-year-old. One high-profile player to miss out from the squad is the former Chelsea winger Yuri Zhirkov.

Fabio Capello has made changes to the national team squad that failed to get past the group stages of the Euro 2012. A total of 24 players were part of the squad that failed at the Euro 2012. Only 15 players have made it into the squad for the friendly, thus showing that Capello is looking to bring in new players who are hungry to establish themselves at the international level. One of the interesting inclusions in the first team of the Russian national team in this match is the former Everton midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who was left out of the Euro 2012 squad.