I DON'T WANT TO SIT ON THE BENCH

Petr Cech fit and firing in Chelsea battle to hold off Thibaut Courtois as first-choice goalkeeper

    Battler: Petr Cech, Chelsea's No1 for a decade, is determined to see off Thibaut Courtois's challenge

It is 10 years since Petr Cech moved to Chelsea as the most expensive goalkeeper in the club’s history.
He was signed for £7 million from Rennes as a highly-rated 22-year-old, who was sure he could take over from the established number one Carlo Cudicini.

Cech was immediately given his big chance by the new manager Jose Mourino after Cudicini suffered an elbow injury in pre-season.Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the opening game of the 2004-05 season and in March 2005 Cech set a new Premier League record of 1,025 minutes without letting in a goal.

Didier Drogba set for return to Chelsea, says manager Jose Mourinho

Former favourite is expected to arrive at Stamford Bridge shortly and Mourinho insists it is for playing rather than emotional reasons

 

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that striker Didier Drogba is set to make a return to Chelsea.
He is out of contract and is understood to favour Chelsea’s offer over rival bids from Juventus and Major League Soccer clubs in the United States.

Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, believes Drogba can still be a key player for the club, two years after he left with the penalty kick that secured Champions League success, and the move has the backing of owner Roman Abramovich.

“We want to win matches and win titles, and Didier is one of the best strikers in Europe, who is still very adapted to the needs of the Premier League, and we are thinking about it in a non-emotional way,” said Mourinho.

New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is the new Sir Alex Ferguson

Ryan Giggs claims the Dutchman is 'infectious' and has qualities that made Manchester United great under Sir Alex Ferguson

Making a point: New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal reminds Ryan Giggs, his assistant, of Sir Alex Ferguson

It was when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored an injury-time winner for Holland against Mexico, moments after being introduced as a substitute during a World Cup second-round tie in Brazil, that Ryan Giggs knew the real Manchester United would return under Louis van Gaal.

A bold substitution, made by a manager going for broke, and a winning goal to cap a late fightback when the game had seemed lost. It struck a chord with a man accustomed to similar drama under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Having already sat face to face with Van Gaal in Holland prior to the World Cup, Giggs had experienced the straight-talking, decisive nature of the 62-year-old before watching from afar as the Dutch progressed to the semi-finals in Brazil and he admits that the similarities with Ferguson were unavoidable.

Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader put on trial in Caracas

Leopoldo Lopez, the leader of the anti-government protests that rocked the socialist administration of Nicolas Maduro, is charged with inciting violence after wave of unrest left 43 dead

    Leopoldo Lopez (C) after handing himself over to the police back in February

Leopoldo Lopez, the jailed Venezuelan opposition leader, has been put on trial behind closed doors for allegedly inciting violence at anti-government protests that swept the country.

The regime of President Nicolas Maduro has accused Mr Lopez of masterminding the wave of unrest that left 43 people dead and nearly 900 injured.

Mr Lopez had called for peaceful protests and his supporters blame the Venezuelan state security forces for the violent crackdown.

Sudanese Christian woman Meriam Ibrahim arrives in Italy

Ms Ibrahim, who was spared a death sentence for apostasy in June for refusing to renounce Christianity, meets Pope Francis after landing in Rome en route to US

Meriam Ibrahim, the Christian woman who was spared a death sentence for apostasy and then barred from leaving Sudan, met Pope Francis on Thursday after arriving in Rome to jubilant scenes following intense international efforts to free her.


Ms Ibrahim and her husband Daniel Wani personally thanked the pontiff for his support and he in turn thanked her for her courage and staying true to her Christian faith despite the threat of execution when they met for nearly half an hour at the Vatican.

Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, described the meeting as “calm and affectionate” and said the Pope wanted it to be a “gesture of support to all those who suffer for their faith, and living in difficult or restrictive situations”.