Saints chase famous Euro win at San Siro, Van Persie returns

PARIS, Oct 19 — Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is looking for the Premier League club to make “a massive statement” by beating Italian giants Inter Milan in the Europa League tomorrow.

The Saints travel to the San Siro — and as many as seven thousand of their fans are expected to follow them — knowing a win at the home of the three-time European champions would be a big step towards progressing to the knockout phase from Group K.

It would also be another memorable result for a club who were in the third tier of English football just five years ago.

“If we go and do that (win) it will be a massive statement. You look where the club was just a few years ago and even in the time since I've joined the club — you meet the owner and you meet the chairman, and when we came to the club that's what they said, that they wanted to move the club forward and get into Europe, and every summer they've backed us,” goalkeeper Forster told the club's website. 

“They've bought players, and step by step we're achieving those goals and hopefully we can do ourselves proud in the game, and if we can come out of it with three points that will be a massive achievement.”

Southampton, who are fresh from beating Burnley 3-1 in the Premier League at the weekend, have so far beaten Sparta Prague 3-0 and drawn 0-0 away in Israel to Hapoel Beer-Sheva.

In contrast, Inter are struggling.

Frank de Boer was only appointed in the summer but the Dutchman's side have lost two out of two in the Europa League and are in the bottom half of the Serie A table after a 2-1 home defeat to Cagliari at the weekend.

Meanwhile, star striker and captain Mauro Icardi's future at the club is in the air after Inter supporters reacted furiously to comments he made about them in a recently-published autobiography.

Dundalk 'on their knees'

It is all a far cry from the days under Jose Mourinho when Inter won the Champions League in 2010. Mourinho's current side Manchester United entertain Fenerbahce in Group A at Old Trafford.

United have four points from two games before a rematch with the Turkish giants, with whom they have a bit of history.

Fenerbahce inflicted a first ever European home defeat on United back in 1996, while eight years later Wayne Rooney hit a hattrick against the same team on his European debut.

The Istanbul side are not in good form as they travel to England with former United striker Robin van Persie, now 33, in their baggage.

In Dublin, Irish surprise package Dundalk must try to shake off fatigue as they host 2008 Uefa Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg.

After falling just short of reaching the Champions League group stage, Dundalk have drawn away to AZ Alkmaar and beaten Maccabi Tel Aviv in Group D to stay in touch with leaders Zenit.

But as they close in on another Irish league title, boss Stephen Kenny admits the number of games they have faced is beginning to take its toll.

“Hopefully we can be energised by the crowd. I think it will be a full house and we will need that because on Sunday we have an opportunity to win the league against Bohemians,” Kenny told RTE.

“It is great to be involved in these games but the players are on their knees. They are exhausted.”

In other action French league leaders Nice are looking for their first win in Group I when they visit Salzburg but will be missing star striker Mario Balotelli in Austria due to an adductor problem. 

Conte blows away the cobwebs and restores Chelsea's fight

The Blues were forced to come from behind at Vicarage Road but did so with aplomb, and the Italian will have been heartened by their early-season displays

If Antonio Conte has done anything since taking over at Chelsea, he has instilled a fighting spirit that is going to see the Blues win a fair few games this season.

After finishing 10th last term, Conte has come in to blow away the cobwebs; leading Chelsea back to the top of the league and doing so with a sexy, cosmopolitan swagger. It may not be attractive, but the Londoners will certainly be hard to beat.

Watford are unlikely to pull up the same trees as Leicester City did last season over the next 36 games but they have an astute manager in Walter Mazzarri and a team that trades stardust for grit and determination. They relished their day against Conte’s men at Vicarage Road, asking all sorts of questions to which the visitors simply had no answer, prior to Conte's inspired changes.

They deserved their goal when it came. Etienne Capoue’s brilliant second-half strike, a stinging half-volley from just inside the box, looking set to give Watford a deserved victory. Michy Batshuayi, however, had other ideas, as he pounced after Heurelho Gomes could only parry Eden Hazard's bobbling long-range shot. Fellow substitute Cesc Fabregas then supplied the winner, sending a brilliant pass through to Diego Costa, who sprinted away and beat Gomes with a cool finish.

Chelsea have gone through three managers in the space of a year and are yet to truly gel as a Conte side, but he will have taken heart from an excellent fight-back.

Suspect defensively – Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic were terrorised by Watford’s wingers – and blunt in attack in the first-half, it remains clear that this side needs work. Throughout the first half, Watford pressed forward, with the pacey, tireless Nordin Amrabat both annihilating Azpilicueta and tracking back to limit the threat posed by Hazard, and the experienced Troy Deeney dropping deep to link play before surging forward to help Odion Ighalo.

But when Conte shuffled his pack, it worked. Victor Moses came on to replace Pedro and immediately offered more of a threat on the wing, with the introductions of Batshuayi and Fabregas ultimately turning the game on its head.

The performances of Oscar and Pedro, though, will have troubled the Italian. The Brazilian was anonymous, marked out of the game by Watford’s brutish screens of Capoue and Adlene Guedioura, while Pedro created nothing of note from the right wing.

After a dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham at the start of the week, however, Chelsea fans will not mind too much. Six points from two tricky games give them a platform on which to build as they attempt to banish the ghosts of last term.

The feats achieved by Conte at Euro 2016 cannot be forgotten, either. The Stamford Bridge faithful were rightly salivating over the prospect of being led by a manager who took a widely derided Italy team to the quarter-finals in France, only to be eliminated in a penalty shootout by Joachim Low’s ever-efficient Germany.

The 47-year-old led a squad including former Southampton striker Graziano Pelle, Sunderland flop Emanuele Giaccherini and West Ham’s occasional centre-back Angelo Ogbonna to within an inch of victory over the reigning world champions.

And while there is hardly similar deadwood at Chelsea, Conte will surely bring the best out of this side, though he must be allowed to add more to his squad.

He knows this, having admitted in midweek that he is scouring the transfer market for new additions. The club are reportedly pursuing a deal for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, but he is valued at £60 million, while a move for Romelu Lukaku now appears unlikely given Everton’s similarly inflated asking price.

The signing of N’Golo Kante was a fine start to the window, the Premier League champion arriving from Leicester City for £32m – a bargain in today’s crazy market. Batshuayi, too, is already paying back his some £30m fee following his arrival from Marseille.

But more is needed; the core at Chelsea rotted away last season, and yet the likes of Ivanovic, John Terry and Gary Cahill are continuing to be picked. This, too, is not Conte’s fault; he simply does not have the numbers.

However, one thing is becoming abundantly clear among those who watch the Blues on a regular basis; Conte may well be the man to return the Blues to the pinnacle, the club having won the title only two seasons ago.

Twenty-four months is an awfully long time in football and, after the extravagant largesse of their rivals in the transfer market, Chelsea know that they too must continue to make moves in the transfer market.

Their start, though, points to a bright future. If Conte is allowed to build the squad he wants then the Blues will be back in the title race, instead of fighting for a top-10 spot.

Issues new Chelsea boss must sort out

Antonio Conte makes his first public appearance on Thursday as Chelsea’s new manager. Once the chatting is done he will have plenty of work to do. These issues may or may not be clogging up his in-tray as he prepares for the season opener against West Ham on 15 August.

Bring on the youth players:

Antonio Conte makes his first public appearance as Chelsea's new manager. Once the chatting is done he will have plenty of work to do. Credit: AP

Chelsea have an appalling record of getting their youth players into the first team. They are brilliant at sweeping up the best young talent but far too often these youngsters are loaned out, loaned out and loaned out again but rarely grace the Stamford Bridge pitch.

Without opportunities to prove themselves how can these players make the grade? It's a vicious circle that needs bravery to break. Isn't it time Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah, who was on loan at Napoli last season so may have mastered Conte's language and can ask him for a chance, were given game time?

Sort the defence:

Although it seems he might just, John Terry surely cannot go on forever. Gary Cahill, while wholehearted and determined, is not world-class (the Euros taught us that, just in case we were wavering). Kurt Zouma is injured and will miss the start of the season and Branislav Ivanovic's powers are on the wane. Chelsea need to find reinforcements in the centre of defence or they risk shipping goals with the alarming regularity of last season and that will not please an Italian coach one bit. The Italian centre-half Leonardo Bonucci has played under Conte and has been mentioned. He is 29 but would be ideal as a medium-term option while Zouma irons out the inevitable wrinkles that come with a 21-year-old. Centre-halves will be even more important if Conte asks Chelsea to play with a back three, his preferred tactical option.

Get Eden Hazard firing:

The Belgian midfielder gave a timely reminder of his wonderful talents in his country's demolition of Hungary in the Euros round of 16. That form, that went AWOL under Jose Mourinho last season, needs to be recovered for Chelsea to be successful. Hazard is unique in the Chelsea team, with vision, the ability to beat a man and a cool finish. What's not to like when the stars align? Conte needs to line them up.

Mould the midfield:

Chelsea's midfield last season was pedestrian with a lack of energy (Willian being a notable exception) with Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic too often trotting around the paddock. An injection of drive is needed, which explains the club's interest in N'Golo Kante. Secure the Leicester man's services and the picture is immediately rosier.

Keep Diego Costa happy:

Arguably the impossible job given Diego Costa's combustible nature but a happy Costa is a goalscoring Costa.

And with only the green Michy Batshuayi, the 22-year-old Belgian striker, as an alternative it is vital to get the Spaniard firing again. He has had a summer on the beach having failed to make Spain's Euro squad so may have rid himself of the niggles that dogged him last term. – The Independent

JUVENTUS FACE RIGHT-BACK CONUNDRUM WITH STEPHAN LICHTSTEINER ATTRACTING CHELSEA FC AND PSG INTEREST

Dani Alves’ potential arrival in Turin could begin a transfer merry-go-round which could see Switzerland captain and Juventus’ current first-choice right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner move to the English capital.

With Dani Alves’ move from Barcelona to Juventus all but confirmed following the 33-year-old right-back’s goodbye message on Instagram, it seems Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri will be spoilt for choice in the right-back position next season. The ex-Milan boss would welcome depth in that area since Juventus struggle to replace Stephan Lichtsteiner in the starting lineup when he picks up an injury.

Despite being the consummate professional and a superb athlete, the 32-year-old Switzerland international has been dogged by injuries. The question, however, is who will start for Juventus when both players are fit. Conventional logic suggests that Dani Alves, who is making such a huge switch this late in his career, is unlikely to have taken the decision without being fairly sure of getting playing time in Turin.

Lichtsteiner flattered by PSG interest

It is understandable why Lichtsteiner, who has spent eight years in Italy, is not exactly relishing the prospect of competition for a starting spot with a champion like Dani Alves, who has virtually won every accolade there is to win more than once.

The ex-Lazio star, who had committed his future to Juventus two months ago, is now unsure about his future in Turin. While preparing for Euro 2016, Lichtsteiner spoke to Fichajes about his future. Referring to the possibility of Dani Alves’ arrival, the Swiss fullback said, “There is no problem, we’ll see what happens.”

Lichtsteiner admitted that it was flattering to be linked to PSG, whom he considers as one of the best teams in Europe. “PSG are one of the best teams in Europe and I’m proud to be associated with them because they seek the best in each position,” he added.

“There are many strong and interesting leagues: Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1. I do not close the door to anything but I’m a Juve player.”

Reunion with Conte at Chelsea? 

The Metro reports that Chelsea have already held talks with Lichtsteiner. Chelsea are not exactly well provisioned in the right-back department and Lichtsteiner’s former boss Antonio Conte, with who he has tasted unprecedented Serie A success, could tempt him to move to London. His direct runs in the box, ability to get behind the defender and sharp shooting in the final third have made him an asset to Juventus — especially in Conte’s system where he acts as an attacking outlet when the deep-lying playmaker is in possession of the ball.

Lichtsteiner’s pace, even at 32, would be a significant improvement over that of Serbian Branislav Ivanovic, who is not quite the same player he was before. Besides, the Swiss captain’s agility, composure on the ball and decisiveness in the final third of the pitch mean that he is a much better player going forward than any of Chelsea’s current fullbacks.

Juventus see Mattia De Sciglio as a replacement

It would seem that Juventus manager Allegri has already thought of a a candidate to replace Lichtsteiner should he choose to move on. Milan’s Mattia De Sciglio, who enjoyed his best seasons under Max Allegri in Milan, has had a spiralling dip in form since the change of regime at the club.

De Sciglio has now suffered two horrid seasons at the San Siro, marred with injuries and poor performances. However, at times, a change of destination can help revive a player’s career, which is exactly what Juve fans would hope to see if De Sciglio makes the switch. Stephan El Sharaawy has revitalised his career in a similar way with Roma.

However, Calciomercato reports that Adriano Galliani would be reluctant to let De Sciglio leave. Milan consider De Sciglio as an integral cog in the larger Italian core that the club are aiming to build, despite his poor form. Therefore the youngster, who only two years ago was announced as the successor to Paolo Maldini, is still of considerable value to Milan. Besides, even though he has plenty of room for improvement, De Sciglio is no match for Lichtsteiner and is not necessarily the same style of footballer either.

Chelsea show character and determination vs. Spurs, but too late

On Monday night, for the second season in succession, Eden Hazard scored the goal that secured the Premier League title. It's just a shame that this time it wasn't on Chelsea's behalf. Not that that would have been instantly recognisable given the bedlam that enveloped Stamford Bridge as his first time shot arced perfectly into the top corner of the Tottenham goal to seal a 2-2 draw that sent the trophy to Leicester City.

For the home side, as chastening as it might be to admit, their entire season had boiled down to this match and the opportunity to deny their London rivals the championship to Leicester's benefit. The Chelsea supporters had demanded that the players rise to the occasion and they ended up exhibiting the same passion as the fans. It is just a shame that it came nine months after the start of the season.

As much as the majority inside the stadium were keen to thwart Tottenham's advance to top spot in the table, there was equal motivation to help a former favourite lift the Premier League trophy.

Claudio Ranieri was a hugely popular manager at Chelsea and remains prominent in the fans' affections as could be heard when his name was sung in all corners on the ground after the whistle.

The ultimate removal from his post in 2004 was understandable especially given some baffling tactical changes that cost the club the chance of Champions League glory and the opportunity to recruit a young and hungry Jose Mourinho. Nevertheless, he always acted with the utmost dignity in the face of some appalling treatment by the club's hierarchy in his final weeks in the job, especially former chief executive Peter Kenyon.

It is also recognised that he signed players that would become legends of the club and the heartbeat of Chelsea's future success, like Frank Lampard and Petr Cech. He also gave Chelsea supporters one of their greatest ever nights when Lampard and Wayne Bridge scored the goals in a famous 2-1 win over Arsenal -- the so-called "Invincibles" -- at Highbury in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Ranieri's tears as he celebrated the winner cemented his place in the hearts of Chelsea supporters.

For the current crop of players, the second half fight back from two goals down against Spurs in a highly charged affair can hopefully serve as the first step towards redemption. In a listless campaign that has had vastly more lows that highs, the stirring response to a disappointing first half at least revealed that a fire still burns in the bellies of these players and that the qualities that were on show when the title was won last season had not completely disappeared.

The clearest example was Eden Hazard whose display after coming on at half-time was reminiscent of those that saw him crowned PFA and FWA Player of the Year for 2014-15. Quite why it has taken until now for the 25-year-old to rediscover his mojo is unknown, though is perhaps a simple consequence of playing regular first-team football for club and country since he was 17. If the malaise is finally out of his system, it bodes very well for next season.

Another encouraging point for the players was how they managed not to get too embroiled in the physical provocation prompted by Tottenham's desperation and frustration. Special mention must be made of Diego Costa, a player who takes every touch of the ball by an opposing player as a personal affront. While never shirking the chance for confrontation, he managed to keep his actions just about in check at every flashpoint while also getting stuck into several rugged but fair tackles.

ESPN FC's Alison Bender caught up with Chelsea supporters and one lone Tottenham fan after the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Given some of the reprehensible acts that Costa suffered, notably the attempted eye-gouging by Mousa Dembele (which must surely result in a lengthy suspension), it is commendable that this usually combustible character largely kept a handle on his emotions.

Yet despite the game ending in a positive way, it was not a perfect evening from a performance point of view. Both of Tottenham's goals were handed to them on a plate and the first half seemed to be the perfect encapsulation of Chelsea's season.

Although Willian appeared to be fouled in the build up to the opener, the Blues still hand plenty of time to organise themselves defensively but still managed to leave a striker of Harry Kane's exceptional quality unmarked in the penalty area. The second goal was arguably even worse from a Chelsea perspective with a loose pass from the erratic Branislav Ivanovic to John Obi Mikel easily snuffed out and the back line instantly carved open as a result.

For the umpteenth time this campaign, Chelsea had been the architects of their own downfall.

This time, thankfully, they managed to dig themselves out of it with a show of character and determination. It's just a shame it took until their 35th game of the season for it to finally happen.

Leicester, Chelsea leave it late to win in Premier League

Premier League leader Leicester and reigning champion Chelsea needed winning goals in the 89th minute Saturday to keep on track their respective campaigns for the English title and European football next season.

Leonardo Ulloa came off the bench in the 78th to score the only goal of Leicester's home game against a Norwich side that looked to have earned a vital point in its battle against relegation.

Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea's winner in a 2-1 comeback victory at Southampton, which had previously kept six consecutive clean sheets in the league.

Elsewhere, West Ham moved up to provisional fifth place after a 1-0 win over Sunderland in the early kickoff, while Watford was held to 0-0 at home by Bournemouth, and Stoke beat bottom club Aston Villa 2-1. West Bromwich Albion edged Crystal Palace 3-2 in the late game.

Skeptics have been waiting since late last year for the bubble to burst in Leicester's sensational season. Bottom of the standings at Christmas in 2014 and top of them at Christmas in 2015, the Midlands club was widely expected to drop points as the season wore on.

Two weeks after a 2-1 loss to Arsenal that ended a run of three consecutive wins, Leicester's title hopes looked set to take another knock at King Power Stadium.

Leicester forwards Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have scored more league goals than the entire Norwich team put together, with 33 to 30. But they were kept in check as Norwich played Leicester at its own game, sitting deep, and then looking to hit the opposition on the break.

The tactic worked, at least until Ulloa's close-range strike put Claudio Ranieri's side firmly back in the Premier League driving seat.

"You cannot always play well, it's not important to play well or not, it's important to take points," Ranieri said.

"We wanted to restart. We believe in ourselves, we believe until the end that it's important to fight. We lost a match in the last second against Arsenal, and today we won in the last minute. That's football."

His team has five more points than its nearest rivals - Arsenal and Tottenham, who play on Sunday. Arsenal is away to Manchester United, while Spurs are at home to Swansea.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's revival under interim manager Guus Hiddink grows more impressive by the week.

Chelsea trailed to a goal by Shane Long at Southampton just before halftime, but Cesc Fabregas drew the champions level in the 75th and Ivanovic headed the late winner.

Along with the points, Chelsea also extended its unbeaten league run since Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho in December to 11 games.

"The Chelsea we want to see is one which reacts to setbacks," Hiddink said.

"We like to be proactive also, and this is what the team did, regaining possession as soon as possible and showing a huge desire to turn a negative result into a positive one. We emphasized that and the players responded."

A single goal was enough for West Ham in the early game against relegation-threatened Sunderland. Winger Michail Antonio scored it by cutting in from the right touchline and muscling past three Sunderland defenders to curl the ball past keeper Vito Mannone.

The performance lacked the home side's recent sparkle, but was enough to win a scrappy game.

"We were not flat, but we were not in the red zone," West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said.

"That makes this win even bigger for us. I will never be objective, as I am West Ham manager. But realistically we deserved three points today."

Will Chelsea keep their season alive at Everton? Standard Sport Poll of the Day

Guus Hiddink's Chelsea side head to Everton on Saturday knowing victory, or at the very least a draw and subsequent replay, will keep their season alive.

Indeed, PSG's second leg victory over the Blues on Wednesday night ended their hopes of securing a second European Cup, while improved league fortunes under Hiddink have not hauled them close enough to the top four.

As such, their season depends on the FA Cup. "We have another final for us in a couple of days (the FA Cup quarter final at Everton) and we have to cope," said Branislav Ivanovic after crashing out to PSG.

And the Blues will be buoyed by Hiddink's record in the competition. The Dutchman has never lost in the FA Cup and steered Chelsea to Wembley success during his previous stint at Stamford Bridge.

But will Chelsea still have something to fight for after Saturday's visit to Goodison Park? Vote in Standard Sport's Poll of the Day below.