A group of legends are returning to Stamford Bridge in a variety of roles as part of a root-and-branch shake-up in west London

Claude Makelele will be given a prominent coaching post with the loan group at Chelsea as part of Petr Cech’s return to Stamford Bridge to take on a role similar to that of a technical director.

Several sources close to the west London club have been talking about the return of a host of club legends to Stamford Bridge, which is set to be kick-started by the announcement of Cech’s appointment in a leadership role across football operations.

Makelele has recently left his managerial job at KAS Eupen but he remains an ambassador at the Belgian Pro League club where he guided the minnows away from relegation in two successful seasons.

He will be the latest addition to a Chelsea overhaul that has long been planned by director Marina Granovskaia, who has been keen to refresh things at the club after manager Maurizio Sarri’s exit to Juventus was announced on Sunday.

Sarri will be unveiled at Juventus on Thursday but it may take a few more days for progress to be made on appointing Chelsea’s first-choice replacement in Derby boss Lampard as discussions are had about which backroom staff he will bring.

Lampard’s assistant manager Jody Morris is likely to be the first name on his list to join him back at the club where he became the all-time leading scorer with 211 goals.

Morris is the former Under-18s head coach at Chelsea and has worked with many of the loan and youth players that he and Lampard will be encouraged to use next season due to FIFA’s imposed transfer ban.

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Mason Mount has a Japanese visa set up so he can attend Chelsea’s pre-season matches against Kawasaki Frontale and Barcelona in Asia, and is one of the most likely young stars to get his chance after a campaign on loan at Derby.

The likes of Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Fikayo Tomori are some of the other youngsters who could get their chance, while France internationals Kurt Zouma and Tiemoue Bakayoko are hopeful that the change in management will see them get another opportunity under the new regime.

For Bakayoko, the appointment of Makelele is a massive boost as he will find another ally at the club after being mentored by his compatriot at Monaco.

Former Chelsea coach Chris Jones could also be among the staff, while Lampard’s head of performance Stephen Rands is expected to follow him to west London, just as he did from Manchester City to Derby last season.

Chelsea have not commented on appointing Sarri’s successor, and they have yet to accelerate talks over the new manager, but there are thought to be few barriers to naming Lampard as the Rams will ask for £4 million in compensation.

After a first six months filled with commercial obligations, El Tri’s coach is excited to work with his players toward this summer’s goal

Tata Martino’s calendar for the next month is set. He couldn’t be happier about it.

The Mexico manager is preparing for his first major tournament. Shaking hands with civic leaders or showing up to an important function in some place or another is on hold for the summer. He’s going to be doing his job and nothing else.

On multiple occasions, the coach has mentioned his surprise and frustration at having so many obligations away from football, both official and unofficial, since coming on board with Mexico in January. However, he had to know that would be part of the gig. 

“The reality is I’m not used to it,” the coach said after one such event. “After my arrival to soccer in the United States, after two years in Atlanta, I understood that my role as a manager was growing beyond what happened in a practice, a match or a training camp. There were social things I had to attend to because they were beneficial and positive for the club.

“So, from there, I understood from there that there were things I have to do. I don’t analyze it too much. When Mexico does an event with an American business, they do the games, this event in Dallas, it’s something I have to participate in. Am I used to doing it? Honestly, no. But I have to do it and do it totally calmly.” 

More obligations await the manager after the summer. For now, aside from a news conference before every match and the occasional photo with a fan or coffee with an old friend, Martino will be working with his team.

There now is a singular focus: Win the Gold Cup. 

The frustration about commercial obligations hasn’t been the only unpleasant surprise for Martino. The coach also has brought up his dismay that, as CONMEBOL confirmed Thursday, El Tri won’t be invited to the 2020 Copa America. Runner-up twice coaching his native Argentina and once with Paraguay, Martino would love nothing more than to win a South American championship, even if it’s with a North American team.

This annoyance may be more salient than the sponsorship, as it’s reasonable to believe both the coach and the FMF in January thought El Tri would take part in the tournament. However, the United States’ offer to host a competition similar to the 2016 Copa America Centenario was rebuffed and the South American directors turned their attention toward Asia.

“We always want to play against the best and if we could play every day against Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, we would,” Martino said after a 3-2 win over Ecuador last week. “I don’t pick the game, but yes we want, we want to compete in the Copa America. That’s what is going to make Mexico grow.

“We want to leave the comfort zone that comes with playing in the United States, where we’re always the home team. Of course we want to play against Ecuador in Ecuador or against Chile in Santiago. In fact, Mexico played two games in Argentina last year, but we know that with the commercial commitments that it’s out of the football-side of things and we have to do that as well.

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“Let there be no doubt at all, I have no fear of losing 10 games in a row if we’re going to play against opponents that really are superior to us.”

Games against opponents better than Mexico on paper aren’t happening, though. The ones in the Gold Cup group stage against Cuba, Canada and Martinique are.

With no Copa America test on the horizon, the Gold Cup is all the more critical. The newly birthed Concacaf Nations League will be the only competition in which Mexico takes part until World Cup qualification begins. Even there, El Tri often roll through qualification facing mostly teams that look to sit back and counter against the region’s top team rather than come out and play.

The other surprise for Martino was just how deep the fault lines run between the Mexican federation and some of his top players. Mexico enters the tournament as the overwhelming favorite, even with all the absences it has. You could make a starting XI that would be a favorite to win the tournament with the players who aren’t here for El Tri, whether because of injury or a lack of desire to play on the national team.

There are plenty of great players still on the squad, though. They too have had a summer filled with answering questions about players who aren’t around, about their own dedication to the national team and about the responsibility now on their shoulders. Now they can worry more about whether they’re supposed to be tucking inside or overlapping than if they’ll make the final list. 

It is time for the players to start playing, for Martino to start coaching and for everything else to fade away. This is what the coach and his players live for. It’s time for Mexico to prove it’s as good of a team as we think it is. Official matches in the Martino era are finally here. He can finally get to work.

A last minute penalty and VAR proved to be a recipe for disaster as Argentina fought back from 3-0 down to draw with Scotland

VAR was at the heart of yet another controversy in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday as a chaotic end to the 3-3 draw saw Scotland women crash out of the competition.

The Scots had a 3-0 lead over Argentina until the 74th minute of their final group game and still had a chance of progressing into the next round before their opponents struck back.

Milagros Menendez fired home first for Argentina, before a Florencia Bonsegundo shot hit the crossbar and bounced in off of goalkeeper Lee Alexander to set up a nailbiting final 10 minutes.

The excitment then seemed to have reached its peak when a penalty was awarded to Argentina in the 89th minute. Alexander stopped Bonsegundo’s effort from the spot, following it up with another save, seemingly securing the win for Scotland.

But play was stopped to allow the referee to review the video footage, causing a long delay. Eventually, it was ruled that Alexander had stepped off the line before the spot-kick was struck and the referee ordered a retake, with the goalkeeper seemingly marginally off the line.

This time Bonsegundo hammered it straight down the middle and past Alexander, completing a remarkable comeback.

But the outrage that the incident caused on social media continued after the game, with many players, fans, pundits and even actors and politicians voicing their distain for VAR. 

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The U.S. has scored before the 12th minute in all six of their games in France so far, giving them a huge boost in the early stages

Prior to his team’s World Cup semifinal against the United States, England coach Phil Neville was asked about his opponent’s propensity to start games quickly.

At that point, the USWNT had scored within the first 12 minutes of all five of their World Cup games, which, unsurprisingly, had all ended in victory.

“I think the first 15 minutes you’ve got to be ready,” Neville said. “They do come out of the traps really quickly. I think the first 15 minutes will determine the way the game is going to shape [up].”

Within two minutes of Tuesday night’s game, though, England was already on the back foot. Goalkeeper Carly Telford was forced into a save four minutes in and after just 10 minutes, the U.S. had a 1-0 lead through Christen Press.

Neville learned the same lesson that five coaches already had: Stopping the U.S. from taking an early lead in this World Cup is much easier said than done.

England would manage to equalize just nine minutes after Press scored the opener, but the U.S. found another goal before the half in a 2-1 win that pushed them into the final against the Netherlands. 

On Sunday, the Dutch will look to solve a riddle that has now stumped six teams in a row. 

In order, the USWNT’s first goal in its six World Cup matches has come in the 12th minute (Thailand), the 11th (Chile), third (Sweden), seventh (Spain), fifth (France) and finally the 10th against England. 

“Our intent is to attack for 90 minutes,” U.S. head coach Jill Ellis said. “The reality is [with] legs and just fatigue, you can’t.”

And so the U.S. has prioritized coming out of the gate as strong as possible. 

“The players come out and want to be as fresh as they can, press, keep a team in their end, create chances, create set pieces and really try and get the upper hand early,” Ellis said before acknowledging that there are two sides to this particular coin.

“But the reality of these games at this level of the tournament is you know the opponent also wants the same thing.”

Naturally, starting well is a desire of both teams in any given match. So how has the U.S. gotten the early upper hand in six games running?

Ask the U.S. players about how they’ve managed to start so strong, and you’ll likely get a response that cites something intangible. 

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“It’s the mentality of the team, always coming out and wanting a goal early on,” said Lindsey Horan, who scored in the third minute against Sweden in the group stage.

Horan’s fellow midfielder Rose Lavelle agreed.

“The mentality of this team is incredible and we’re always fighting the whole game from start to finish,” Lavelle said.

“We know we have to come out 100 percent and we can’t sit back because we know that every team we’ve played has been capable of doing the same thing. We’ve just started on the front foot and obviously it’s worked out.”

Early goals have a dual effect on the game, giving a lift to the team that scores while also presenting early obstacles, both mental and scoreline-related, for the team that concedes.

“It does help settle us into the game and it has helped us in these last few games,” Horan said. 

“Some opponents have done well, England got a goal right after us but I think it does disrupt them. I’m happy we’ve done that and hopefully we can do that in the final.”

Should the Netherlands make it 15 or 20 minutes without conceding on Sunday it will give them an early boost. But if the USWNT continues the trend they’ve been on this tournament, they could have one hand on the trophy before the Dutch really know what’s hit them. 

The Sky Blues have again looked to their arch-rivals to build their squad for a back-to-back championship tilt

Sydney FC have fired the first shot at derby rivals Western Sydney after the signing of ex-Wanderer Alexander Baumjohann on a two-year deal.

The A-League champions made the announcement of the 32-year-old’s capture on Tuesday morning, in a move that is sure to spark tension in next season’s Sydney derbies.

Baumjohann impressed in his first A-League season after being brought Down Under to the red and black by Markus Babbel, scoring three goals and getting three assists in 20 appearances.

“I’m very excited and very happy to sign for such a big club like Sydney FC,” the German playmaker said via a club statement.

“I came to Australia last year not knowing a lot about Australian football. However, it didn’t take me long to see that Sydney FC is the biggest club in the country by far and in all aspects of the game.

“Sydney FC’s style of football fits well with my ability and I can see there are a lot of good quality players here as well.

“I believe we will continue with the same success as the club has had in recent years this season.”

It’s the second high-profile signing the Sky Blues have constructed in spite of their rivals, following the capture of Melbourne Victory striker Kosta Barbarouses last month.

Baumjohann started last season on fire for the Wanderers but faded in the second half of the year due to fitness issues and question marks on his defensive work rate.

He had been linked with moves to China, Japan and the Middle East, but settled on a stay in a league he has proven himself in – a fact that excites Sky Blues coach Steve Corica.

“Alex is a fantastic player of proven A-League quality and we have all witnessed just how influential he can be on the field,” Corica said.

“I know he is keen to show everyone he can produce even more and he believes Sydney FC is the best environment for him to do that.

“With Le Fondre, Barbarouses, Buhagiar and Ivanovic we have an enormous amount of pace up front; and to have a player like Alex sitting behind them pulling the strings, alongside others, is extremely exciting.”

The announcement comes 12 hours after Perth Glory announced the defection of Sydney FC defender Jacob Tratt to the west.

Sydney FC will begin training in the next few days as they prepare for the friendly match against European powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in China on July 30 and their FFA Cup campaign.

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The former City skipper has accrued a wealth of experience from his playing days but acknowledges he has much to learn about being a manager

Vincent Kompany has targeted silverware in his first season with Anderlecht, but acknowledged he has “everything to prove” as he embarks on his first coaching job.

The centre-back left Manchester City at the end of last season following a trophy-laden 11-year spell to take up a player-manager position with the Belgian club.

And Kompany, who won the Premier League on four occasions with City, is out to make a big impact on his return to boyhood club Anderlecht.

“The idea of ​​becoming a player-manager has grown gradually,” he said at his presentation on Tuesday. “The chance was too big for me not to go in and I think this was the right time to make this decision. 

“Returning only as a player was not an option, but as a player-manager. 

“I have everything to prove. As a manager, I have not yet proved anything, but I am confident that this story can and will succeed.

“I want to be a champion with Anderlecht. Let that be clear – I didn’t come here to be second. I can’t and won’t say that.

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“I can start something incredible here. People who know me a little know well enough that I would not start something like this without a plan.”

Anderlecht finished sixth in the Belgian First Division last season, but Kompany is confident of bridging the gap, while at the same time promoting some younger players.

“There are huge talents around here and I am looking forward to working with them,” said the 33-year-old, who started his career with the Brussels-based club before joining Hamburg in 2006.

“There are more talents at Anderlecht today than when I started. Much more. We finished sixth last year, so we have to get better than five other teams in one season. But my opinion is that with a few changes we can get there. I’m convinced of that.

“If Anderlecht had become champions last year, or even second, then this story would not have happened. Or months of negotiation would have preceded. There is no better time to jump in than now. No one would have been open to a change in mentality.

“I understand that there is a lot of work, but I am really looking forward to starting. I have learned a lot in recent years and I now have the opportunity to make my mark here. I am proud that I have that opportunity.”

Kompany also revealed he informed City boss Pep Guardiola of his decision to leave on the eve of their 6-0 win over Watford in the FA Cup final.

City legend Kompany picked up plenty of tips from Guardiola during their three years working together, but he is not interested in succeeding the Catalan in the Etihad Stadium dugout – instead tipping current assistant Mikel Arteta for the top job when it becomes available.

“I believe I told Guardiola the day before the FA Cup final that it would be my last game at City,” he said. “I wanted to thank him for everything he taught me. The farewell was emotional.

“Working with Guardiola was as if I was suddenly in college. He explains everything in such a clear way and I learned a lot from him. I am not yet a Guardiola, let that be clear. But I think I am a good student.

“Let City be City under Pep, which is an awesome club. I think they will win the Champions League eventually, soon hopefully, and behind Pep there is Mikel Arteta who has a lot of knowledge, who is probably the right man to look at. 

“I will just build my career and be as driven as Pep has been or the best managers have been that I know. Will I be as good? We’ll see.”

The 28-year-old will end a five-year spell in the Eredivisie as he joins up with Julen Lopetegui’s side ahead of the new campaign

Prolific Netherlands forward Luuk de Jong has signed for Sevilla in a deal to take the PSV Eindhoven star to La Liga on a four-year deal, with the striker adding that he feels “in the best form” of his career.

The 28-year-old, who had previous spells with Borussia Monchengladbach and Newcastle, has established himself as one of the leading lights of the Eredivisie since returning to the league in 2014.

He brings to a close a half-decade spell with Mark van Bommel’s side, having won three league titles and finished last season as the division’s top scorer.

De Jong joins the Spanish club, who appointed former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui as their new coach last month, as they look to continue to push for honours following a sixth-place finish in 2018-19.

Speaking to their official website , the Dutchman expressed his delight at having the chance to push for silverware, adding that he considers himself to be at the peak of his powers.

“I’m very happy to have this incredible opportunity,” he stated. “It’s a great step for me. I hope I can be important for the club and enjoy it here.

“I’ve seen many matches in La Liga and I know of Sevilla’s European achievements which are incredible. For me, after five years at PSV, this is a big step. But this is a great club in an incredible competition, in an incredible league.

“Looking back over my career, I think I am in the best form [I have ever been] right now. I’m dangerous in the opposition area, I’m good in the air and I hope to be able to show that here.

“At PSV, I had a great season, I scored a lot of goals, and I played in the Champions League. I’m still growing but I feel strong. At 28, I think I’m in the best moment of my life.”

De Jong represents a major incoming arrival for Sevilla, who have already parted ways with Quincy Promes and Luis Muriel this off-season, while PSV are meanwhile facing a fight to keep Hirving Lozano on the books following interest from Napoli.

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The England international arrived at the Etihad Stadium with a big reputation and admits to having found the going tough during a testing spell

Raheem Sterling admits to having experienced a career low at Manchester City, with the “golden boy” of English football being written off for club and country shortly after his big-money move.

The England international swapped the red of Liverpool for the blue of the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2015.

A £44 million ($55m) deal took him from one giant in the north west to another, with big things expected of an emerging talent.

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Sterling was, however, to make slow start at City before enduring a testing run through Euro 2016 with the Three Lions.

He concedes that he found the going tough, telling British GQ of his lowest ebb: “Probably my first season at City, purely because I came in excited for my move here and then it went from ‘This kid is going to be the next whatever’ and before making a mark I was written off.

“I was the golden boy six, seven, eight months before that, a big-money move, and it’s kind of switched without even hitting a ball. Before I’ve even done anything it’s just ‘He’s not good enough’. I was like, what’s going on?”

Sterling has learned from that experience, saying when asked if the criticism had got to him: “At first it did because I was 19, it was my first time as a professional football player and it’s a learning curve.

“Now you can say or do what you want and I wouldn’t take it in.”

Detractors have been silenced in style by Sterling, with 48 goals recorded for City across the last two seasons and Premier League titles having been secured in each of them.

He has flourished under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, with the Catalan coach considered to have been key in unlocking consistency in Sterling’s game.

The England star said of his club boss: “He’s demanding, but it’s good.

“It makes you want to do better and – I don’t know how to explain this – makes you want to prove to him and show him every time you go on the field you’re playing for your position in his team, because of the numbers we have and the quality we have as well.”

Sterling is also benefitting from having so-called leaders around him at City, adding: “On the pitch, we’re not a shouting team, like, ‘Come on, guys’.

“The team is super relaxed in the dressing room, so chilled. There’s not a lot of shouting. Vinny, of course, the skipper, Fernandinho. But not everyone in the dressing room is shouting. We’re more chilled and when we get out on the pitch we do the talking.”

City certainly did that last season, with Guardiola’s side securing an historic clean sweep of domestic honours as they collected a Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup treble.

Full interview in August’s British GQ, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday.

The 27-year-old Lille midfielder has joined their Ligue 1 rivals following Tottenham’s record signing of the France international

Lyon have announced the signing of Lille midfielder Thiago Mendes, who will help fill the void left by the departure of Tanguy Ndombele.

Mendes joins fellow Brazilian Jean Lucas at the club after Ndombele became Tottenham’s record signing on Tuesday, joining the Premier League team for a fee that could rise to €70 million (£63m/$79m).

Lyon and Lille have not revealed the terms of Mendes’ transfer, though he is reported to have cost around €25m (£22m/$28m).

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Mendes made 35 Ligue 1 appearances in the 2018-19 season as Lille finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain in the table, a place ahead of Lyon.

He becomes Lyon’s third signing ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, following on from the arrivals of Jean Lucas and Romania goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

However, the Ligue 1 side have lost Ndombele to Spurs and also left-back Ferland Mendy to Real Madrid, while Nabil Fekir continues to be linked with an exit.

Indeed, L’Equipe reported this week that Arsenal had emerged as a potential suitor for Fekir, with Liverpool have previously been linked with the playmaker.

The Gunners have apparently made initial contact over signing the 25-year-old as Unai Emery looks to improve his squad after failing to secure Champions League qualification last season.

Lyon, under Bruno Genesio’s successor as head coach Sylvinho, open the new season away to Monaco next month before hosting Angers in their first home game.

Ahead of the crunch semi-final clash with the USWNT, the team which played at the 1971 tournament reflect on their legacy

When a group of young women flew from England to Mexico in the summer of 1971 to play football, they weren’t expecting much.

After all, football was still not really a sport for girls back at home. They weren’t expecting massive crowds. And they certainly weren’t expecting to be talked about almost half a century later.

Now, as England prepare for the semi-final of the 2019 Women’s World Cup against the USA, the women who blazed a trail nearly five decades ago are together again – and roaring on a new generation of Lionesses.

“They’ve done so well – they’re getting stronger and stronger and stronger, and we’re behind them 100 per cent,” says Carol Wilson, the captain back in 1971.

Mexico was all set up to host a major tournament; they had hosted the men’s World Cup the year before, so the organisers knew there were plenty of fans who wanted to watch top-quality football.

More than that, some big brands were on board to promote the competition and provide sponsorship money.

It was certainly needed. The 1971 Women’s World Cup was not an official FIFA tournament – the governing bodies of world football did not bother themselves too much with the women’s game then, and certainly did not organise competitive tournaments for national sides.

Nor were the England team sanctioned by the FA, who did not lift its 50-year ban on women playing football at all until later that same year.

“We weren’t a professional team, we had no support whatsoever,” says Wilson.

They were under the management of Harry Batt, coach of Chiltern Valley, who had been invited to bring a representative team along, as he had done to another international tournament in Italy the year before. He was very careful to bill his team as “British Independents” rather than England.

Nonetheless, the organisers of the six-team tournament referred to them as ‘Ingleterra’, which caused some disgruntlement back at home with the FA and the Women’s FA, who controlled women’s football – they did not want anyone laying claim to the England name without proper authority.

“Harry worked tirelessly,” recalls Wilson. “He had to beg to get us sponsorship so we could go. We didn’t know any of this – he kept it from us because he wanted us to just concentrate on the football.”

Most of that squad were teenagers, and had started playing football in local parks, kicking a ball about with local boys, with the proverbial jumpers for goalposts. They did not attract crowds back at home, of course, so playing in front of over 90,000 fans in the famous Azteca Stadium was quite a shock.

And, although they failed to register a win in Mexico, they still see the tournament as a success.

“We were kids,” says Wilson. “That stadium held 107,000, and I didn’t see many spare seats. It was two, three times the size of crowds they’re getting at the moment, and it was daunting. We had six men and their dogs in England, and we were getting hurled abuse half the time! To go in front of all these people, and they thought you were gods – we weren’t used to any of that.”

The heat and altitude was also a surprise, as were some of the other playing conditions.

“We had a short while where we could walk out on to the pitch and just acclimatise ourselves,” says Wilson. “The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh my God, we’ve got a flat pitch’ – we used to play on sloping pitches in the UK!”

They see today’s Lionesses as fine role models – extending the Mexico legacy into the future.

“They’re such good ambassadors for the game,” says Jill Brader nee Stockley, the 1971 team’s winger. “Phil Neville has done us proud.”

And they are all excited to be reunited. 48 years on, 11 groundbreaking Lionesses are heading to Lyon to cheer on Neville’s side courtesy of UEFA’s #weplaystrong campaign – Wilson, Brader, Christine Lockwood, Janice Emms, GIll Sayell, Marlene Rowe, Yvonne Bradley, Paula Milnes, Leah Caleb, Jean Elliot and Louise Gardner.

“This experience has been phenomenal for us,” says Wilson. “We’re so grateful. The whole team are reeling. We’re in the same sort of bubble we were at that time – it’s taken us back a wee bit!”

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