MAKES DEVILS HAPPY
United forwards express satisfaction with Mourinho’s ways
STOKE-ON-TRENT: Antonio Conte was left frustrated by Chelsea’s failure to beat Arsenal last weekend, but the Blues boss has been given a lift ahead of Saturday’s trip to Stoke City by Eden Hazard’s return to prominence and the end of the Diego Costa saga.
Conte’s stand-off with Costa had proved an unwelcome distraction this season after the Chelsea forward was told by the Italian that he was no longer part of his plans.
Costa has stayed away from the club, spending much of his time in Brazil, while securing a return to his former club Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea confirmed Costa’s exit on Thursday and the Spaniard will formally join Atletico in January.
More importantly from Conte’s point of view, Costa will switch to Madrid and train with his new club, drawing a line under the contentious issue that the manager has been repeatedly forced to deal with.
The focus will now be on players still at Stamford Bridge and Hazard made his first start of the season in the 5-1 League Cup defeat of Nottingham Forest this week.
Hazard had made just three appearances off the bench for the Blues this season after breaking his ankle at the end of last term.
But his performance against Forest confirmed he is fully fit and his presence at the bet365 Stadium for a meeting with Stoke will be invaluable.
Conte is well aware of the Potters’ strengths and insists there
LONDON
JOSE Mourinho says Manchester United’s dynamic start to their Premier League title challenge has been fuelled by the feel-good factor among his forwards.
Mourinho’s side head to Southampton today in confident mood after reeling off four wins from their first five league games.
United have already scored 16 times in the league, netting a further seven in the Champions League and League Cup.
It is a goal spree that must have seemed unimaginable last season when United’s strikers were repeatedly held in check in a series is no way he will take the game lightly as Chelsea attempt to close the three-point gap to leaders Manchester City.
“Now it is very important to prepare. It is a very important game for us,” Conte said.
“This season Stoke have won at home against Arsenal and drawn against Manchester United. We must be ready.”
Chelsea will be without centreback David Luiz who is suspended after being sent off against Arsenal, although the Brazilian’s return will not be further delayed by the wrist fracture he picked up in that game.
Pedro will play despite limping out of the Arsenal clash with an ankle injury. of drab draws at Old Trafford.
With Romelu Lukaku scoring seven since his close-season move from Everton and Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also among the goals, United look capable of winning the title for the first time since 2013.
Mourinho believes the key to United’s success has been his forwards playing with a more positive attitude this season.
“I think everybody in attacking areas gave a good dynamic to the team and especially happiness. We look happy playing football in this moment and that’s what I want,” he said.
“They all want to play, they are all ready to play, they all want to use the minutes they have on the
“Pedro is fit for the game against Stoke,” said Conte.
For Stoke boss Mark Hughes, the concerns are two-fold ahead of today’s game.
First he must hope captain Ryan Shawcross recovers in time to return to central defence in place of Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma, who is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Hughes must also find a way to galvanise his side after two disappointing away defeats, at Newcastle United last weekend, then at Bristol City in the League Cup on Tuesday.
They are without a win in their last four outings but their last home game delivered an impressive 2-2 draw against in-form pitch to try and improve and have the pleasure of playing.
“I enjoy very much that commitment, that pleasure in the game.”
Only Manchester City have been able to match United’s goal blitz, with Pep Guardiola’s side sitting above Mourinho’s men on alphabetical order after compiling an identical record.
City host bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace on Saturday as Argentine striker Sergio Aguero tries to become the club’s record goalscorer.
Aguero’s tally of 175 City goals is just two behind the 78-year-old record of 177 set by Eric Brook.
Given Palace’s dismal form — they have made the worst ever start to an English top-flight season Manchester United.
Stoke midfielder Darren Fletcher said: “We’ve got to learn from it quickly because we’ve got big games coming up.
“You’ve got to look at yourself quickly and rectify mistakes. Going up against a top side like Chelsea, you’ve got to be bang at it.
“You need character away from home and stand up and be counted, but it’s in the past now. We’ve got to look to Chelsea, pick ourselves up, learn from this and go again.
“We’ve been good at home. Beat Arsenal, drew with Manchester United and we’ve got to get back to that level of performance to do anything against Chelsea.” AFP with five defeats and no goals — it would be little surprise if Aguero reaches Brook’s haul today.
But Guardiola doesn’t need to rely solely on Aguero as he also has Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane in fine form.
Sane scored twice in the midweek League Cup win at West Bromwich Albion, prompting glowing praise from Guardiola.
“He played so well, not just in terms of goals, his second was fantastic, but how he kept the ball,” he said.
“He made a really good performance, not just the goals but in other issues he was outstanding.”
Chelsea head to Stoke today aiming to keep pace with City and United.
Last weekend’s goalless draw against Arsenal left the thirdplaced champions three points adrift of the early pace-setters.
Even so, it’s been a good week for Blues boss Antonio Conte, with a League Cup thrashing of Nottingham Forest followed by news that Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Diego Costa.
Conte cast Costa into exile at the end of last season after the pair fell out over the striker’s attempts to engineer a transfer, sparking a deluge of negative publicity about Chelsea’s handling of the problem.
Liverpool return to Leicester just days after being dumped out of the League Cup by the Foxes.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have gone four games without a win in all competitions and the Reds boss admits there are problems to resolve.
“Yes we have problems. We can make it more serious than it is or we can take it like it is,” he said.
Arsene Wenger insists there is no ulterior motive to starting Alexis Sanchez only in Arsenal’s less significant fixtures.
Sanchez was a surprise starter in Arsenal’s League Cup win over Doncaster and also featured in last week’s Europa League opener against Cologne.
Yet the Chile forward still hasn’t started a Premier League game this term.
Given Sanchez was close to leaving last month and is out of contract at the end of the season, it had been claimed Wenger was making a point by using him with the reserves.
“There is no disguised attitude on my side. I just try to give him competition and to get him back to his best,” said Wenger, whose side host West Brom on Monday. AFP