http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1122847,00.html
FOCUSED FOR FULHAM
Fri, 28th Sep 2007
Avram Grant has expressed his pleasure that Didier Drogba could return to
the squad tomorrow, and insists the squad is fully focused on gaining a
first league win in four games.
Drogba has been on the sidelines since damaging his knee in the defeat at
Aston Villa on September 2, but returned to training with the rest of the
squad this week, and the manager is hopeful he will be involved.
'We will check the players this afternoon and tomorrow to make sure
everything is okay but probably Didier will be back tomorrow,' Grant
said.
'Frank Lampard not yet but almost. Ricardo Carvalho needs a few more days
and he will be okay,' he added on the other long-term injured. 'They do
everything that they can to be back quickly and they are already coming
back quicker than we thought.
'As a manager or a coach I want all the players available for the game,
I'm very happy Didier is back.'
This means that Grant has four forwards at his disposal, but has given
nothing away with regard to the combination he will pick to face the
Cottagers.
'I'm looking at all the team playing together. My target in the attacks is
good combinations, many players involved in the attacks so I'm not
speaking about this player or other players,' he said.
Grant is pleased with the players' focus over the last week, and is
adamant there will be nobody looking ahead to Valencia on Wednesday, as
first of all we have to overcome a dangerous Fulham team.
'I'm very confident because I see quality and I see character. That's very
important in football, and maybe life also. This was important, I think
you saw when we lost against United, quality and character.'
On the Blues squad, Grant said: 'They are fully concentrated on the game
against Fulham, and then will concentrate on the game against Valencia. I
don't believe that you can think now about Valencia because then we will
lose against Fulham.
He is also well briefed on what the west London derby means to the two
clubs, and the history of the clash.
'They told me about the 2-2 last year, about this derby, this team is from
the same street, no? I know. I don't think any team will make our life
easier but it is our target that they will not have an easy life against
us.'
Grant accepts that the Blues have failed to fire on all cylinders this
term, but is sure that the right recipe is not far away.
'First I think the past was a good base to continue, but we follow the
base and yes I would like Chelsea to attack. You saw against Hull it was
open but sometimes it was too open. We need to keep the balance.
'Sometimes it's not going well and there is a problem you need to fix. I
don't have, even as director of football, anything against their will.
Even if they didn't score they didn't lose too many games before. There is
something we need to do better and that's what we are trying to do.
'We will make the right tactic for this. Chelsea is Chelsea. We want to
win any game, but we know they are not going to give us an easy time. They
are a good team, they know how to play football, having scored many goals
this season. I respect them and will try to do our best, and our best is
to win the game.'
Hospitality packages still remain for the match, in which Didier Drogba is
10/1 to score a hat-trick, with online betting partner Paddy Power.
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GRANT: FEELING THE QUALITY
Sat, 29th Sep 2007
As he makes final preparations for his first home game, just over a week
after he became first team coach, Avram Grant is finding the challenge of
managing a group of truly world class players for the first time an
enjoyable one.
He made that clear as he spoke to newspaper reporters in the build-up to
the Fulham game, comparing it to previous jobs he has held in his native
Israel.
'I think it is more easy, because with all respect to Israeli players,
they are not of the quality of Cheslea players,' Grant admitted. 'The best
player from Israel, who I think is Yossi Benayoun, is a squad player at
Liverpool.
'Here at Chelsea it is more easy to put your philosophy over because the
players understand the game more, they have more quality, so we just have
to show this philosophy with these players on the pitch.'
Big player personalities are no problem either according to the man in
charge.
'I like it when players have egos on the pitch. I think it is good, but
only on the pitch. Off the pitch they are simple guys and I enjoy being
with them. By the way, egos are with everyone, even in the Israeli team.'
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以伊露維塔的名為證發誓 — 若有誰敢奪取屬於我們的藍色之魂，不論對方是天使
、惡魔、男人或女人，包括尚未出生者，若有任何的生靈，不論偉大或渺小，是善
還是惡，我們都將懷著復仇與憎恨之心直追到天涯海角，直追到世界結束之日。
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