Mourinho hails Lampard legacy as Chelsea close in on title

Jose Mourinho has hailed Frank Lampard's legacy at Chelsea as the club close in on their first Premier League title without their all-time top goalscorer.

Wins against Leicester on Wednesday and Crystal Palace on Sunday will see the Blues secure their first league crown since 2010 and the manager said his squad has to get accustomed to the 36-year-old's exit.

"Chelsea lost, at the end of last year, what I consider, for sure, to be one of the five most important players in the history of Chelsea FC: Frank Lampard," Mourinho told reporters. "We lost that player but life goes on. You have to think about the future and to build, and you have to go with that.

"In Frank Lampard, Chelsea lost a match-winner with a number of goals he scored, a big character, a player without injuries who played every game, a player who beat every record in the Premier League – playing time, number of goals, goals from midfield – an absolutely amazing player. We lost him but life goes on."

The likes of Petr Cech and Didier Drogba, in his second spell, remain from the last time Chelsea triumphed in the Premier League, but Mourinho is now looking forward to making a new "generation" of title-winners.

He added: "For those older guys it's nice to belong to two different generations. If we are champions this season then Petr, Didier, John [Terry] and [John-Obi] Mikel will have belonged to two generations of title winners. The same as me. It's nice to belong to the history of a club in different moments, so it's good for these older guys.

"They're all very experienced, and these guys are special players but we have others coming through. [Branislav]Ivanovic is experienced. [Cesar] Azpilicueta is gaining experience. [Eden] Hazard is here now for three years. [Nemanja] Matic is getting experience. This is a natural process, and the years count for everyone. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is 19 now and has just arrived. But, in five years' time, he will be 24 and experienced."

Keshi to open Eagles camp in middle of May

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is expected to open camp for domestic-league based players in May ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifiers at home to Chad in Abuja in June.

Keshi told TUS that he needs to start camping for the home-based players on time with the fixtures for the Afcon qualifiers pitching Nigeria with Egypt, Chad and Tanzania.

“We need to start camping next month by the special grace of God because time is not on our side again since the fixtures for the Afcon 2017 qualifiers have been released by CAF,” Keshi told Goal.

“We will definitely start off with the players based here in Nigeria and move on until the required time the overseas clubs can release our players for us.”

A very close source to the team told Goal that Keshi would be expecting the players to hit Abuja camp as from Sunday, May 17 since the players would be involved in weekend matches for their various clubs in the local league in the country.

“The camp is expected to kick off middle of May since we will be playing our first qualifying match at home in Abuja to Chad on June 13. So the players are expected to start arriving camp after their league matches on Saturday, May 16. So we should expect them to be available on Sunday, May 17,” the source disclosed.

The source also revealed that Keshi would submit his programme to the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation this week.

“Keshi has already drawn up his programme for the camping and will submit his programme before Friday this week,” the source also told Goal.

Friday being a public holiday, it is expected that the coach would drop his programme before the end of work on Thursday.

Luis Enrique: Barcelona can get even better

Luis Enrique believes Barcelona have the attacking power to beat any side in the world but is convinced they can still get even better after dispatching Getafe 6-0.

The win stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to five points over Real Madrid, who have played a game less as they meet Almeria on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored two goals each while Neymar and Xavi also found the net as the Blaugrana produced a blistering performance, but the coach feels they can get even better physically and tactically.

"When the team is that effective, we make it very difficult for any opponent," he told reporters. "It was a tough game but we finished it in the first half.

"If you look at the physical side of our game, it can be improved and so can the tactical side. I do not remember a match with so many spectacular goals. 

"There is room for improvement, certainly, but in matters of results it is complicated."

Tuesday's win was the side's 20th league clean sheet and Luis Enrique believes it shows the overall strength of the team.

"Not only does the team score, but they are all so supportive that they help with the defensive work and all we are playing at an extraordinary level."

Liverpool still haunted by Suarez loss

Luis Suarez scored two goals for Barcelona on Tuesday night as they despatched Getafe in another hopelessly one-sided La Liga contest. 

The second goal he scored was one of his typical curled finishes from outside the box. Pure class. His first was a piece of genius that has been desperately missed by his former club Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers might have pondered, at times, during this tepid 1-0 defeat to Hull City what his old charge might have offered here in place of the players he bought to replace him.

"We did not look like scoring really to be honest," Rodgers said after. "There were some good moments and we had enough of the ball but never threatened the goal as we would have liked."

As Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert toiled in vain again it all came back to what Liverpool are missing. The spectre of Suarez continues to haunt this team. 

Factor in the constant injuries to the devastating Daniel Sturridge and it is pretty apparent that Liverpool are a shadow of the team they were. They have lost over 50 goals, three league places and their hard-earned berth in the Champions League.

"It is about having that reference at the top end of the field that gives the other players the confidence and movement to create opportunities," Rodgers said. "Our struggles tonight were what they’ve been for the big part of the season in terms of that creativity and scoring goals."

Liverpool's season, which promised an FA Cup final and a return to Champions League football only a few short weeks ago, has disintegrated. Rodgers admitted that he has asked his players to maintain their professionalism until the end of the season. They owe the badge that much. After that? Who knows.

Zanetti: Inter close to agreeing Icardi contract

Inter are close to agreeing a new contract for star striker Mauro Icardi, according to vice-president and former captain Javier Zanetti.

Icardi has been a rare bright spark for Inter this season, with the 22-year-old netting 17 goals in Serie A.

The Argentinian's form has attracted attention from across Europe, but Zanetti is confident his compatriot will remain at San Siro.

"We're very close to a renewal, he’s doing really well and will be very important for us in the future," said Zanetti.

"We've reaffirmed our intention of keeping him here. We're building a new team, with a lot of young players who are supported in difficult times.

"Fortunately we're overcoming these difficulties and now we must look to the future and to becoming protagonists again.

"We have to think about the good of the club to become competitive again and bring the club back to where it belongs in the table."

Bayern need Ribery back, says Lahm

Philipp Lahm has highlighted the importance of Franck Ribery to Bayern Munich and hopes to see the former France international return to the pitch as soon as possible.

The 32-year-old has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in his side's 7-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on March 11 and remains some way off a return.

Lahm, who himself suffered an ankle injury during the middle of the season, admits Bayern are eager for their injured stars to return quickly.

"This is not a nice situation for Franck, that's quite clear," Lahm was quoted as saying by TZ.

"But it's not a good situation for the coach and the team either. We need him back. That is the most important thing.

"Franck still has some fitness issues, though. That's the worst thing for a player, when you are having problems and cannot train with the team.

"When you have an injury and need surgery, you know how long it will be before you can return. But with this kind of injury, you never know how long your recovery will take. That's frustrating for a player.

"The team is doing great at the moment and we still have a lot of quality. But w

Ighalo and Watford moving on to bigger things

Results are the ultimate record of accomplishment, but their greater significance is often glimpsed only through the prism of context. On the face of it, Watford’s 2-0 win over Brighton, two places above the relegation zone and winless in six, was hardly the most stimulating contest. Still, as referee Keith Stroud blew his whistle for full time, he marked the end of a 90 minutes which the Hornets will not forget for a while.

With the win, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time in eight years; their 88-point haul means they cannot drop lower than second place with one game left in the season. It is a remarkable achievement for a club that has gone through four different managers this term alone, three of those inside the first two months of the campaign.

The manner of the result was profoundly satisfying for Jokanovic as well, with the club’s three highest scorers playing prominent roles: Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo assisted the opener for skipper and leading scorer Troy Deeney, and Deeney returned the favour deep into stoppage time for Czech international Matej Vydra to put gloss on the result.

With the fascination about tactics, it is perhaps easy to forget that football can be as easy as getting your best players to combine in advanced areas where it matters most. In this sense, Watford’s success this season has not been surprising at all; in spite of the early upheaval, they have the second-best attack in the Championship with 90, and Deeney, Ighalo and Vydra have pitched in with 56 of those.

Particularly indispensable has been the contribution of Ighalo to the cause. The 25-year-old only managed four goals for the Hornets before the New Year, but has struck sixteen times in 2015. His goals have been crucial, propelling the club from sixth place at the start of the year to top spot with one game to play.

In the gruelling 46-game season that is the English Championship, player burnout is a very present danger. One can imagine then that Ighalo saving his best for last has effectively given Watford a second wind while others floundered; Derby for example find themselves down in sixth, having led the league for much of the first half and begun the year in third.

The Nigeria international told AfricanFootball of his delight at securing promotion, saying, “I am fulfilled with the EPL ticket.

“My dream has been to play in the EPL, so with this ticket, it is a dream come true for me and I am happy to be part of this with Watford.”

Ighalo has, over the course of his career so far, certainly shown himself useful to promotion pushes. His 17 goals over 28 appearances helped Granada to promotion in Spain back in 2009. The step-up in terms of quality is one which he will have to make though, if Watford have any hopes of surviving in the Premier League; he then proceeded to score just 18 times in 99 appearances in La Liga.

For now though, the striker is not worrying about that just yet.

“My next target is to win our last match and… Championship trophy…,” he stressed.

Ego firmly to the side then for Ighalo, a firm believer in Christianity and the role of God in sporting outcomes. This hopeful, focused outlook has endeared him to the club’s fans in a major way – goals have helped too, naturally – and he is now in an environment and culture where he can be comfortable and express himself freely; a far cry from spending four seasons on loan at Granada.

More than just goals though, there are four assists to the forward’s name this season. Direct contribution to goals sees him as the second-most important player to Jokanovic, and if the Hornets are to avoid the fate of 2007 – where they finished rock-bottom of the Premier League, only managing five wins all season – they will need Ighalo to get going quickly.

They certainly have the potential to hold their own in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League, and thanks to being owned by the Pozzo family, they also have quality from sister clubs Italy (Udinese) and Spain (Granada) available. In manager Slavisa Jokanovic, they have a manager that at age 46 has an impressive resume featuring league titles in two different countries, and who enjoyed a brief stint in his playing career at Chelsea.

Without a doubt, 2015 has been a dream year for Odion Ighalo – promoted to the Premier League and recently a part of the Nigeria national team set-up. How he handles the limelight will tell us a lot more about the player, but if his humble demeanour is anything to go by, the Lagos-born striker is set for bigger things.

Kramaric: I rejected Chelsea

Andrej Kramaric turned down the chance move to Chelsea in January in favour of joining Leicester City because he did not want to join another club on loan.

Kramaric was expected to move to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window but the deal fell through as the Blues - who send a number of squad players on loan to Dutch side Vitesse - were unable to offer the striker assurances that he would be part of their first team plans.

The Croatia international instead moved to Leicester in a transfer understood to be worth €9.8 million.

"I never had a chance to meet [Chelsea boss Jose] Mourinho, it is true there was an option for me to join Chelsea," Kramaric told the Vecemji List newspaper.

"It wasn't an easy decision for me, but after I heard I was supposed to go on loan somewhere outside England, I rejected Chelsea and chose Leicester because I wanted to feel real football, I wanted to play in Premier League!"

Kramaric is now set to face the club he could have joined on Wednesday night and has been impressed by the champions elect.

He added: "I've played against Man United, Man City and Arsenal, and I am not impressed at all by their strength. Chelsea is one step ahead of all the others."

Manchester City to offer £30m for Wilshere

Manchester City are set to offer Arsenal £30m for midfielder Jack Wilshere. City are refusing to give up on the England international despite the Gunners insisting he will not be sold.

Giroud: Arsenal will not copy Chelsea style

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has insisted the Gunners will not change their style despite being 10 points behind Chelsea as the Blues close in on the Premier League title.

Despite almost certainly missing out on the title, Arsenal could still end the season with silverware having made it to the FA Cup final for a second year in a row, where they will face Aston Villa.

The Gunners’ 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday led to accusations the Blues were 'boring' and, while Giroud agrees they play a different style to his side, he insists Arsenal will continue to follow Arsene Wenger's philosophy.

"Boring? I don't know but there is the table, which speaks for them," he told reporters.

"It is true maybe they are not [playing] the same game as us but we are not going to change our game and I think they are not going to change their game.

"I think they are pleased with that and if they are champions, what can you say?"

Giroud has scored 18 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season but has come in for criticism, with club icon Thierry Henry insisting Arsene Wenger needs to sign a "top quality striker". 

However, the France international says he is proud of his record since joining Wenger's side.

"To get second in the league and win the FA Cup would be a great season," Giroud said. "I know we can still improve ourselves and that is what we have been doing since I signed for Arsenal.

"I am proud of what I've done and I'm pleased with that. I just want to carry on like that and I know if we keep our best players and this determination with the team spirit, I am sure we are going to join this championship race next season.

"It has been a few years since we finished second and, if we can do it, we can see an improvement, which is great. Next year, hopefully, we will have fewer injuries, will keep the same group and, with maybe one or two new players, we will have a great season I am sure.

"As for myself, in sport you have to question yourself every week and be ready in your head and you have to be at 100 per cent of determination if you want to keep going and win games; you cannot afford to be at 80% or 90%.

"You have to have faith in your own qualities, that is part of being a footballer: being strong in your head. That is more than half of the quality you need to be a football player."