BREAKING: Jose Mourinho 'sacked by Chelsea

The Portuguese boss, who has been under fire following the Blues' poor start to the season, has been relieved of his duties by club owner Roman Abramovich

Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Chelsea after a meeting with the club's hierarchy on Thursday, according to reports.

The 52-year-old, who guided Chelsea to the Premier League title last season, ends his second stint at Stamford Bridge with the team languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, registering just 15 points from 16 games.

Mourinho in subtle dig at Casillas after Porto's Champions League exit

Jose Mourinho has reignited his feud with Iker Casillas by highlighting the goalkeeper’s ability to now win the Europa League following Porto’s Champions League exit.

Mourinho has been accused of instigating Casillas downfall at Madrid after he dropped the Spaniard during his final season in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mourinho’s decision to bench Casillas subsequently caused a split in the Madrid dressing room, while the Portuguese had accused one of his players of being a “rat” for leaking information on his side’s tactics to the Spanish press.

But when asked about his relationship with Casillas after Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Porto on Wednesday evening, Mourinho told Spanish television station MEGA: “No problem. I've done my job and he has done his, and he has done well.

Diego Costa admits bib throw at Mourinho was a MISTAKE

Diego Costa admits he has been unhappy with his start to Chelsea’s season and admits he made a mistake when he threw a bib towards Jose Mourinho.

The 27-year-old has scored just four goals in 18 appearances this season, while tensions with Mourinho escalated during Chelsea’s goalless draw with Tottenham at the end of November after the striker threw a bib at his manager for not being brought on as a substitute.

“I have to improve a bit,” Costa told Onda Cero.

“The start of the season has not been good for me - not in how I have played nor in goals. 

I know I have to be better to go to Euro 2016 with Spain. I have to work hard and fight, but I know I have time to improve and I hope I will. 

“The bib [incident] is in the past. I made a mistake, but my relationship with Mourinho is amazing, we get on really well. There are things you need to control, but the bib thing was an impulse. 

“The truth is Chelsea haven’t been in a great moment, above all losing the other day in home. Today it was important to win to make the fans happy and to recover our confidence.”

Costa clashed with Iker Casillas during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday but the striker has played down the incident.

“Nothing happened with Iker, we just had a joke, there are no problems with him,” said the striker.

Why low-key Atletico Madrid can shock Spain - and Europe

COMMENT: When Real Madrid hit Mälmo for eight on Tuesday evening and other surprises won headlines in the Champions League the quiet revolution at Atlético de Madrid continued on almost unnoticed.

Just as it had at the weekend when all eyes were on Mestalla as Valencia's new and inexperienced coach, Gary Neville, watched his side hold last season's treble winners Barcelona

Diego Simeone's team were quietly taking on Granada and it was business as usual for Los Colchoneros as they remained resolute and impenetrable at the back and clinical in front of goal.

The 2-0 win in Los Cármenes was unremarkable in itself as the side that won the league in 2013/14 and finished in third place last term went up against a team that once again face a struggle to maintain their status in the top flight.

That win, however, combined with the Champions League victory against Benfica in Portugal three days later is a sign that Atlético are once again on the rise and coach Simeone has them playing the sort of football that has brought them such success in previous seasons.

Victory in Europe was their 13th consecutive game unbeaten while the win at Granada saw them make it four clean sheets in a row in the league and their ninth of the campaign.

Statistics like that are what won Atlético their first league title for 18 years in 2013/14 as they conceded just 26 goals in their 38 games while Barça let in 33 and Real Madrid 38.

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak is rarely mentioned when talking about great goalkeepers, but the Slovenian international, who was signed in 2014 to replace the highly-rated Thibaut Courtois, is slowly turning heads.

In front him stand four defenders who are hardly household names, but Juanfran, Filipe Luis, José Giménez and, in particular, Diego Godín are the best defensive unit in European football currently and that is a bedrock upon which Simeone has made Atlético champions before.

The coach and the club are experts at rebuilding and replacing. Several regulars left in the summer, with Arda Turan, Mario Mandzukic and Raúl García, among them, but Simeone knew what he was doing and that he had the pieces in place and signed shrewdly.

Jackson Martínez was the marquee frontman brought in from Porto and is still finding his feet, while Luciano Vietto and Yannick Carrasco made few people stand up and take notice outside of the Vicente Calderón.

José Giménez was advised he would be an important player this term, while Oliver Torres returned from loan at Porto to push for a first team place and Thomas Partey has been slowly introduced to add to the mix that has made Atlético such a potent force this term.

The spine was already there and the changes have only improved the squad, but the resounding feeling was that would only mean that the team could, once again, push for a top four finish as Barça and Real Madrid would, no doubt, run away with the league title.

Three points at Granada allied with Barcelona only earning one at Valencia saw Atleti edge to within two points of the Blaugrana and stay in second place ahead of their city rivals Real Madrid and there is talk that another championship push could be on the cards.

Simeone does not kowtow to a set of fans demanding open and attractive football because he does not have to and hard work and a structured way of playing and grinding out wins when necessary keeps everyone very happy; Los Colchoneros have won 1-0 and 2-0 four times each this term.

In the Champions League they have topped their group and are flying-high in La Primera, but you will not hear Simeone, nor anyone at the club, make bold predictions.

Any drop in form from Barça, and it may well come just as Real Madrid slipped last season, and Atlético de Madrid's results, performances and players will suddenly become noticed by everyone and even more so should they win the title for the 11th time next May.

- See more at: http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/why-low-key-atletico-madrid-can-shock-spain-and-europe-4107839#sthash.v8tvAKEx.dpuf

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP F: Arsenal overcome odds at Olympiacos.

Arsenal have claimed a memorable victory by beating Olympiacos 3-0 to progress to the Champions League knockout stages.

The Gunners are through to the Round of 16 for the 16th straight season after clinching the victory they required at the Karaiskakis Stadium to finish second in Group F after a dismal start to their European campaign.

Olivier Giroud was the hero for Arsene Wenger's side with a match-winning hat-trick to send the North Londoners home from Greece on an enormous high.

The French striker opened the scoring in the 29th minute when he squeezed a front post header from Aaron Ramsey's cross past Olympiacos keeper Roberto Jimenez, just five minutes after Mathieu Flamini's effort had deflected onto the crossbar.

Four minutes into the second half, Arsenal were two goals ahead when Giroud started the play which saw former Olympiacos loanee Joel Campbell heavily involved. The Costa Rican controlled well before dazzling the defence and supplying a lovely reverse pass for Giroud who finished coolly.

Less than 20 minutes later and the Gunners had skipped away to a three-goal lead when Olympiacos were penalised for handball when Nacho Monreal's goal-bound effort struck the arm of the outstretched Omar Elabdellaoui.

Giroud stepped up to the spot and confidently tucked his 12-yard attempt away to notch his very first hat-trick for Arsenal.

The magnitude of Arsenal's win cannot be ignored as Marco Silva's Olympiacos had won seven of their past eight Champions League matches at home prior to tonight.

The North Londoners join German giants Bayern Munich in the next phase after recording nine points in the group stage after losing two of their first three fixtures while Olympiacos drop to third and will now compete in the Europa League with Dinamo Zagreb finishing bottom.

2015/16 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP F

Olympiacos (GRE): 0
Arsenal (ENG): 3 (Olivier Giroud 29'/49'/(PEN) 67')
Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece - 30,000

PSG commence discussions with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd target Aubameyang

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly opened talks with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

According to Tuttosport, in addition to a report from Fichajes, the French giants are eyeing the Borussia Dortmund star as a possible replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

It is widely believed that Swedish ace Ibrahimovic will leave Parc des Princes when his contract expires this summer and PSG want to move quickly to ensure his vacancy is filled with a quality goalscorer.

Premier League clubs Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and even Liverpool have all been linked with Aubameyang but it is believed that PSG have stolen a march on their European rivals by commencing talks.

26-year-old Gabon international Aubameyang has starred for Dortmund this season with 17 goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances for a total of 25 in 23 outings in all competitions.

Man City young gun Sterling modelling himself on Ronaldo and Messi

Raheem Sterling has revealed that he is trying to follow in the footsteps of the world's two best footballers.

The 21-year-old Manchester City forward has an undoubted potential as evidenced by his new club's decision to pay Liverpool£49million for him this past summer.

Sterling showed glimpses of his ability during his time at Anfield and at City is now beginning to reap the rewards of completely dedicating himself to the game just as Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi have done before him.

"I look at the biggest players in the world and try to see what they've all got," he said. "Definitely Messi and Ronaldo. They basically just set their life to play football. I know that's obvious - they should - but they just take it so seriously.

"They've got massive self-belief and know they're the best players in the world. That's what makes them unique and so special.

"I don't like to compare myself with people but I try to learn as much as I can from everyone around me.

"I push myself really hard. I sometimes criticise myself a bit too much because I know where I want to be. That's no different if I score or I don't score.

"It's because I know what I'm capable of. To put it on the world stage is the most important thing now, showing people that I can play regularly and consistently, scoring goals and helping my team win matches.

"I'm a different person now to two or three years ago, especially in terms of my self-belief. I just take everything I hear in one ear and put it through the other. I concentrate on my football and that's all that matters.

"I just need to keep working hard at what I know I can do and it will all fall into place. When it does it'll be a great moment."

Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, Sterling has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 22 appearances in all competitions for City.

Chelsea are SOFT: Why they've talent of champions but not mentalitY

COMMENT: It was utter humiliation for Chelsea on Saturday. But on evidence, 14th in the Premier League sounds just about right for this Blues team.

No, we're not talking about ability. Nor experience. Nor potential. But mentally, on current form, Chelsea's players are below mid-table standard. We're witnessing a defending champion having their character tested - and they're failing, dismally.

There's no other way you can slice it. Chelsea are soft. Diego Costa? Soft. Cesc Fabregas? Soft. Oscar? Soft.

On the field, Diego Costa has built himself a reputation of being a warrior. But when you're dropped, the tough thing is to suck it up, remain part of the group and prove yourself to the manager. But when your response is to throw a wobbler, launching a bib at your coach for the world to see, you're soft.

David Beckham is no Diego Costa. But when he was dropped by Fabio Capello, not just from the XI, but from the Real Madrid squad, there was no strop. He dug in, fought his way back and left Real a La Liga title winner. That's character. That's mental strength. That's everything this Chelsea team is lacking.

Jose Mourinho defended their performance yesterday, but also, without spelling it out, touched on the lack of desire from certain players. You could even read into Mou's words him questioning his players' courage.

"All these crosses from the right side, not long crosses, short ones by Ivanovic, Pedro, Willian, you have to touch the ball in the face of the goal and then there is no chance for the keeper," he complained.

"The only time we had contact was the Matic one, which was difficult for him because of the mask and the cross was really fast. The other ones, the short and low ones, if you are in the box you have to attack the ball. They are big chances we have to score ."

Reading between the lines, Mou was almost pleading 'Where's the desperation?' 'Where's the desire?' He came as close as he has to actually singling out and criticising his players.

In the lead up, there was a good atmosphere at Cobham last week. A real sense of 'turning the corner', as one source told tribalfootball.com, after the draw at Tottenham. The Christmas party in midweek only added to the positivity around the place.

But last week was, in a nutshell, why Chelsea have stumbled along this season. It's all too comfortable. The players have been happy to do just enough. The result at Spurs eased the bad press, the pressure was lifted. Instead of getting their head down and working harder to build on that result, there was a sigh of relief. It was Bournemouth at home. They could relax. Go through the motions. Have their Christmas party. And collect the three points on Saturday.

And that's been the attitude since before preseason. Players returned from their summer break overweight and underdone. Self-entitled. A poor start to the season was dismissed. As Gary Cahill has since admitted, they just thought they'd start winning. But it hasn't happened. And now the mental strength needed to dig themselves out of this hole is simply not there.

They'll win on Wednesday night. Against Porto, Chelsea could well steamroll the Portuguese. They'll be into the Champions League knockouts. And, ahh, yes, the pressure will be off, the good press will be back, and training won't have to be so tense. And then, on Monday, they'll go to Leicester City...

That's not the character of champions. But it is the mentality of his Chelsea squad. And it'll get worse before it gets better. Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and soon John Terry. That's a massive void yet to be filled.

Yes, talent-wise Chelsea boast players capable of matching those four greats. But mentally? No. Not on current form. It's all become too easy at Cobham. Too comfortable. The place has gone soft and the players are being found out.

Big wages. Big reputations. But big hearts? Well, they were tiny compared to what was beating beneath Bournemouth shirts on Saturday.

INJURY TIME

It does look like Chelsea fans will see the kids this season.

Jose Mourinho handed Bertrand Traore a chance late on against Bournemouth yesterday. He's gradually introduced Kenedy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek this season. And started Abdul Rahman Baba at left-back against the Cherries.

The Blues boss virtually gave up on the top four in the post-match presser - which gives him and the board a dilemma. Do Chelsea play for Europa League qualification? Or do they try to avoid it by giving the kids a look in the second-half of the season.

Mourinho has already stated he'll play the youngsters if they're out of contention this season. And on current evidence, he is ready to stick to his word. Which could be just the circumstance needed to rescue the club from making a major transfer blunder.

Charly Musonda is ready for first team football. He's ready for the Premier League. Even last January, AS Monaco were convinced he could make an instant impact in Ligue 1.

The chat that Musonda will leave Cobham in January won't disappear. Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal all willing to ferry the young Belgian away. But Chelsea aren't treating Musonda like an after-thought.

Andy Myers made him captain for their Premier League International Cup win over Celtic on Friday. Musonda was on the scoresheet in the 5-0 rout.

His form warrants a first team chance, particularly considering what we're seeing from Oscar and Cesc Fabregas. The chance to get that taste of Premier League football - and in a Blues shirt - would be enough for Musonda and his famous Dad to rethink their exit plans for 2016.

Barcelona planning €60M bid for Juventus ace Dybala

Barcelona are watching the progress of Paulo Dybala at Juventus.

Dybala only joined Juve in the summer from Palermo, but is now beginning to prove his potential in the Bianconeri shirt.

Le 10 Sport says Barca see Dybala as ideal cover for their star MSN trio - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Barca would see the Argentine as a summer signing prospect and recognise they will have to bid big to persuade Juve to sell.

An offer of €60 million is now being discussed inside the Nou Camp boardroom.

Chelsea boss Mourinho mocks paparazzi over 'big night out

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has laughed off the players' high profile night out this week.

Diego Costa, Ramires and Kenedy were pictured on a night out in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The trio were out as part of the squad's Christmas party which had the full blessing of Mourinho.

"The paparazzi was not the best," Mourinho said.

"I think the paparazzi had a problem with the memory card. There were 25 players inside and he only got three."

Mourinho hopes the dinner, followed by a trip to a nightclub, has benefits for the dynamic of a squad, boosted by the availability of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after a three-month absence with a knee injury.

"I think they need that and many times so many circumstances it's not easy to do it," he added.

"They told me the dinner was really good and the after dinner was even better. Everybody was happy."

Pellegrini: Man City can compete for world's best players

Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City have a good enough profile to attract the world's best players.

City are perennially linked to Barcelona ace Lionel Messi, while there have been reports they are trying to lure Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola to the Etihad Stadium.

And Pellegrini feels City have achieved a stature which allows them to compete with Europe's elite clubs for the game's top talents.

“If you want to be the most important people in football or one of the most important, you must be able to bring all the best players here," he told reporters.


“We are always trying to do it but it is not easy because there are a lot of clubs, five or six, that can do it also.

“That depends on the style, in the work but it is important not to give advantage in the options you have to buy those players.”

City will be without Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony for Saturday's meeting with Stoke, and the coach feels Kelechi Iheanacho is ready to step into the first team, insisting there is no need to buy replacements in January.

“The squad for this year is ready,” he added. "We are not thinking to replace for the amount of injuries we’ve had.

“It was a decision last year because we have the three players injured a lot of times before, so we didn’t want to take the risk to finish the year in the same way.

"But in that year Kelechi was one year younger so he was not the player he is today. We had Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic.

"Jovetic and Kun had a lot of injuries in the first half of the season and Dzeko also. That’s why we decided to bring Bony.

Why Chelsea fans love new stadium - and Wembley move

As you have probably seen over the last few days, a planning application has finally been submitted to Hammersmith and Fulham council regarding upgrading Stamford Bridge.

Now on first look, it appears incredible, but what effects will this have on Chelsea?

Well, it looks almost certain we would have to move away temporarily. Wembley being a possibility. For me, this would be an unbelievable scenario to play at Wembley for a few seasons, and then return to our home, which would be brand spanking new.

Another factor is the atmosphere. To be honest, although I am not sure it will improve because of the new stadium, I don't see how the atmosphere could get any worse at times. You stand up to start a song and people look at you like you're a maniac. It's actually quite sad. We are put to shame at times when clubs like Crystal Palace for example struggle to sell out sometimes and have a small stadium, yet the whole place is rocking for the whole match.

However, the biggest factor for the new stadium may well be the change in general. Although Stamford Bridge has changed over the years, this is a different scale. What we are looking at here is a state of the art, creme de la creme stadium. Although it won't be the biggest, Roman Abramovich is unlikely to settle for anything below the best.

However, this means that the foundations of the stadium will change dramatically. It would appear that there are no longer any dividers between the stands. This may allow for more freely movement for fans which can come in handy if you have a mate sitting elsewhere.

I cannot write this without mentioning the increased capacity. Around a 15,000 increase on the ground from 45,000 to 60,000. This of course increases income for the club and on top of that, which goes without saying, will make getting tickets easier. Last season tickets were selling out ridiculously quickly at times, so it could be argued that an increase of capacity is actually needed.

Although the plans are exciting, the one thing that I don't like is the thought of moving away, even if it is temporarily, UNLESS it's to Wembley. I love Wembley. It is the home of football. To see us play our home games at Wembley would be surreal. What does concern me is where we would move to if Wembley didn't happen. It's the uncertainty that's the issue for me. Once I get used to it I would probably be fine (I hope).

I want to know your thoughts on the New Stamford Bridge, whether you're a Chelsea fan or not.

• Where do you think Chelsea will move to temporarily? (Presuming all goes to plan)

• Will the atmosphere improve?

• Will we struggle to sell out?

Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @CharlieCarefree

Oh, and one final thing, John Terry was kind enough to contact me during the week thanking me for my support of Chelsea. Don't see the press writing anything about that now do you? ;) John Terry. Captain. Leader. Legend.

Gary Neville must learn Spanish'

Quique Sanchez Flores says new Valencia head coach Gary Neville must learn Spanish if he is to win the respect of the club's players and fans.

Neville, 40, was appointed the club's new manager on a six-month contract on Tuesday and has already revealed he will move his family over to Spain on a permanent basis.

Flores – manager of Premier League outfit Watford - played for Valencia for 10 years before a two-year spell in charge of the club and offered his advice on Friday.

He said: "He needs to adapt as quickly as possible to the Spanish culture because it is completely different to England - the style of football, the philosophy, the speed of play, the mentality of the fans, the culture of the media,.

"Learn as quick as possible, open eyes, open ears, open your mind to absorb as quickly as possible the mentality of the country.

"If I am training in England for two years, six months, or one year and I don't speak one word in English, of course you are thinking I am not interested to know English people.

"It is very important to talk because I need to get to their hearts, not just the blackboard talking about the magnetics, the tactics, the space, the strategy."

Flores, 50, also warned Neville that he must focus all of his energy on his players and ignore the distractions of internal issues and supporter unrest at the Mestalla.

"The atmosphere in Valencia is not easy to manage," Flores continued.

"So, if I had to say to Gary Neville what he will find in Valencia, I will say: 'Gary, concentrate on the team, because there are a lot of things that you can't control'. It is impossible to control the passion of the fans.

"They love the players, but every time there is like internal fighting and this is disturbing the work of everyone inside the club."

He added: "They [the fans] are used to being champions, winning trophies in the last 15 years. They need to solve the troubles. They need to separate this period and they need to come back to the top of the league."

Gerrard: No one is playing better than Liverpool - of course they're in the title race!

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes no side is playing as well as the Reds at present, and feels they can challenge for the Premier League title.

Jurgen Klopp's side have beaten both Chelsea and Manchester City away from home since the German took over as manager, and put six goals past Southampton to book their place in the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

The Merseyside outfit's form has seen them rise to sixth in the table and to within six points of leaders Manchester City.

And Gerrard - who has been training with the first-team squad following the culmination of his first MLS season with LA Galaxy - believes a continuation of their recent displays will see Liverpool challenge for the title this term.

"At the moment they're performing the best in the league," he told RTE Radio One. "If they can keep that up, they'll be involved in the title race.

"With the new manager we don't want to have unrealistic expectations. We just need to take it one game at a time and hopefully success will come."

Liverpool have won seven of their last eight games in all competitions, though Klopp has frequently played down his side's chances of a title challenge.

Mourinho: Costa reaction has been excellent

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has applauded Diego Costa's reaction to being dropped from the starting line-up last weekend.

The striker was benched against Tottenham and reacted petulantly to not being brought on as a substitute, throwing his bib towards Mourinho, but the Portuguese says he has no issues with the Brazilian-born Spain striker.

"I cannot tell you if Diego Costa will be back in the starting line-up as I haven't told the players," Mourinho told reporters on Friday. 

"Costa has been very good – I cannot say better than ever, normally he trains well, that's the only thing that matters."

Costa's benching followed an angry disagreement with Mourinho during the 4-0 Champions League win at Maccabi Tel Aviv, with the Portuguese admitting he was unhappy with the 27-year-old's movement before claiming they had made up with 'kisses and cuddles'.

The former Atletico Madrid forward has since been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge but Mourinho dismissed specualtion about Costa's future.

"I don't know why there are question marks about his future as a Chelsea player. He was on the bench for one match. No problems, no problems at all," he added.

"I think he always tries to do his best – sometimes phenomenal, sometimes not so well. He always tries hard – sometimes with goals and good performances, sometimes not so good."

In Costa's absence, Pedro and Eden Hazard rotated as a false nine at White Hart Lane but Mourinho expects to welcome back Loic Remy for Saturday's home match with Bournemouth, following the birth of the Frenchman's child.