The transfer market is not as hot as expected, and Chelsea is still dominant.

Far from the situation last year, when you sang about my debut, many of the news that was conclusive before now seems to be just a gimmick to attract attention.

There was no big deal to be made, and by August, Jonk had already returned to Chelsea for a training camp, with him at Stamford Bridge and Ibrahimovic.

Unlike the desertion when Jonk joined, the press conference for Ibrahimovic was held at Stamford Bridge, and not only the media but also a few fans were present, and the scene was quite lively.

How can the gap be so bad?

Jonk was a little jealous, thinking about how he played himself when he posted something similar to an announcement on the official website, and then looked at Eevee, depressed!

It can't be compared, but it is very telling from the transfer fee, how to say that it is also a blockbuster transaction of 20 million, and it will naturally be paid attention to, and some people will pay attention to it.

Think about what the situation was at that time, when Chelsea was waving cheques, he joined for a very small price, everyone thought that this was a reserve of youth talent, so of course it would not be too much attention, if the English talent is okay, other countries, the British media is not interested.

Just as the transfer curtain was about to come to an end, Chelsea's real blockbuster transfer was long overdue.

On August 19, Chelsea Football Club officially announced on its official website today that Ghanaian midfielder Essien of the French Ligue 1 team Lyon has passed the medical examination and reached a private agreement with the club, with a transfer amount of up to 38 million euros.

A Chelsea FC spokesman said on the official website, 'He's already a Chelsea player. "Essien has now obtained a labor certification. The club is awaiting FIFA's final approval, and once approved, the 22-year-old Ligue 1 player of the season is expected to feature in Sunday's clash with Arsenal.

The transfer was initially blocked by Essien's club, Lyon. But Essien finally gave up after publicly expressing his desire to join the Chelsea squad. Essien will compete with Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard for a chance to play.

'I want to play in the Premier League and now I'm very happy,' said Essien. I love the Premier League and I'm excited to join Chelsea. It's going to be very competitive, but I'm ready for it. I guess adapting and adjusting is not a problem for me. ”

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said: 'I need him so much because ...... He's the best guy available in that position, and he's capable of playing in every position in midfield. Essien is the kind of player we need, ambitious, accomplished (but only in Ligue 1). Here is his new beginning. It's a pleasure to have him join Chelsea. "I know a lot of people will say it's cost, but that's modern football."

Chelsea were Premier League champions last season, but Jose Mourinho is by no means content to defend his title. He has already set his sights on the crown of the Champions Cup. Last season, Chelsea lost in the semi-finals to the last champions, Liverpool.

Meanwhile, two days later, Chelsea Football Club officially announced the sale of their Portuguese midfielder Thiago to Lyon. The transfer fee is £6.5 million. And so in just 2 days. With Jarosik and Thiago leaving in quick succession, Chelsea's midfield has undergone a major makeover.

Thiago joined Chelsea last summer for £8 million and performed reasonably as a rotation in midfield last season. However, Chelsea's deal for Essien included a clause that allowed Lyon to opt first to sign Thiago, and the Frenchman decided to activate that clause and use Thiago as Essien's replacement.

Thiago himself did not want to leave Stamford Bridge, and he had dreamed of a bright future, but the cruelty of reality made him a little unacceptable. In the end, in order to be able to play in the main team, he chose to leave. Mourinho revealed yesterday. Thiago cried tears of sadness when he learned he was leaving and saying goodbye to his teammates. 'The deal was done, but Thiago was in tears yesterday when he said goodbye to his team-mates, he's a great lad and a great player for us and we'll miss him.'

"Yesterday he told me that he was going to Lyon and that he would not be coming back. Everybody was emotional, and he did it for professional reasons, saying, 'I love everything here, but I'm a professional and I want to play more'. Thiago also said that next year is the World Cup year and he wants to have more opportunities to perform, so he made this choice. We wish him all the best. ”

The 24-year-old had a fine part of last season and equalised with a brilliant long-range strike in an away win over Manchester United. On the 22nd, another midfielder, Jarosik, had just gone on loan to Birmingham, and with the addition of Smerking, who had been loaned to Charlton Athletic earlier, and Parker, who was sold to Newcastle, Chelsea's midfield completed a major change.

'Thiago knows he can't be the first choice,' Mourinho said of Chelsea's midfield going forward, adding that Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard are unshakable and that the remaining place will be left to Essien, 'Essien is here and I can also play in midfield with Gudjanssen and Joe Cole. Compared to last season, the number of players has not changed, 21 plus three goalkeepers, which I think is enough to give a chance to a young man like Diarra. ”

The new season is about to start, but the rumors in the market have made the situation of the Premier League in the new season confusing.

Mourinho targeted Arsenal and lashed out at the new season schedule and Dunn; Then he targeted Steven Gerrard and denigrated him for staying at Liverpool; But when it comes to Ferguson and Manchester United, Mourinho has a rare sweet word.

It can be seen as a kind of reward from the Portuguese for Ferguson standing on the same side as him and supporting his "schedule conspiracy theory". But it is more likely that Mourinho is reluctant to choose to be against the other three teams that are capable of competing for the title at the same time.

Ferguson Mourinho alliance?

From last season's "Old Trafford incompetence" (Mourinho made fun of Ferguson's use of key player injuries as an excuse for losing in the first round) to "Stamford Bridge saliva" (Mourinho accused Ferguson of using seniority to influence referees), to later the two tasting red wine together and "touting" each other (Mourinho claimed that he would never be able to surpass the "lord". and a "boss"; Ferguson, on the other hand, praised Mourinho as a "rare young talent").

The result was a situation in which Ferguson and Mourinho rarely resorted to psychological warfare against each other in interviews. Mourinho described the delicate relationship between the two men as follows: "Except when we face each other directly, we are enemies. Other times we're friends, and we can talk to each other and have a good time. ”

In addition to the relationship between the head coach and the closer, the British media also reported the news that Chelsea chairman, American Buck, and Manchester United's new owners Glazer brothers had dinner and met together. Despite the upset over Rio's contract extension and Kenyon's attacks on Manchester United, the two managers have rarely been involved in a war of words.

The professor's grudge is too deep, and it may be easy to understand why Ferguson chose Chelsea.

The long-standing historical grudge with Liverpool and the fierce relationship between the fans determined the exit of the "Red League".

At one point, Ferguson tried to bring Wenguela into his camp.

In the first half of last season, Ferguson openly admitted that he and Arsene Wenger were "friends". Arsene Wenger was also smart enough to say at once, "The Lord" is the real hero in my mind. But just as the honeymoon was about to begin, the "pizzagate" incident at Old Trafford made both sides realize. Eight years of grievances and grievances have been "covered with water".

Ferguson also quickly realised that Arsenal's strength was actually "weakening", so an alliance with Chelsea, which had been largely reformed by Jose Mourinho, became the best option for Ferguson. The battle-hardened Manchester United players are already adept at dealing with psychological warfare, and Jose Mourinho's successive 'off-pitch incidents' last season have made Chelsea strong enough.

These two teams are almost the strongest psychological quality among the current Premier League powerhouses to cope with the pressure of public opinion. In the context of the fact that it is difficult for each other to "harass each other with saliva" to be effective. Let's "harass" other strong teams, why not.

Will Benitez make a profit?

Just one season. Benitez was loved by everyone, and for the outwardly "honest" Spaniard, this was exactly what he wanted to see.

Looking at Liverpool in the early part of last season, mired in the "Gerrard exodus" quagmire, coupled with injury invasion, Liverpool disappointed in the league. Goalkeeper Dudek once stood up and asked Mourinho: "Why do you want to use Gerrard's story to make us panic?" ”

You can see the impact of this on Liverpool. But the clever Spaniards solved the problem effectively. At the end of the season, the Liverpool players spoke of Steven Gerrard in interviews with almost the same thing: we very much hope he stays. But if he is leaving, we will not force it and bless him from the bottom of our hearts.

And this. It not only implies that Liverpool has gotten rid of the dependence on the captain, but also "inspires" Gerrard's fighting spirit on another level. If there is no goal against Olympiax; Without his "unveiling" boldness against Milan, it is hard to imagine that Liverpool would have had such a "spectacular" performance last season.

It was only then that people began to realize that the Spaniards did not seem to be as "lacking in aura" as they seemed. Perhaps he has long been aware of Mourinho's plot against Gerrard, and has been "dismissive" for the Blues manager's various ways of provocation, from disdain to the later "one-word breakthrough", and then to the beautiful "funny counterattack" this season, just like his rise in the Premier League, Benitis has also begun to rise in the war of words, so that Mourinho can not bargain for anything.

That's why Mourinho also needs to side with Alex Ferguson. He has long said that "it is easy to win the championship, but it is difficult to keep the championship". He understands that his second year at Chelsea will be an unprecedented 'ordeal' as the defending champions, and Ferguson is the most experienced coach in defending the title.

In addition, in the use of "psychological warfare," if he is one against three, he will inevitably be overpowered. Since coming to the UK, he has reaffirmed his respect for Benitez. The two Iberian coaches were supposed to stand together, but not now, because at the moment they are each other's biggest rivals, a Premier League title, a Champions Cup, and both teams have been significantly "strengthened" this summer.

The four coaches who directed the Premier League title race are well aware that the war will be fierce and that no one wants to see the other three clubs come together, at least in the use of 'psychological warfare'.

It has proven that the new season will be a new and intense one. Liverpool has a chance to re-emerge to challenge the Premier League title after the Champions League, and the semi-finals will be the biggest attraction of the new season.

Chelsea have been working around one issue all summer: to cement their newly established lead in the Premier League.

Will Chelsea see some tactical changes in the new season? However, after watching a few pre-season warm-ups for this team, it is already certain that they will not change. I don't want to change, Mourinho is still the same Mourinho, Chelsea will continue to adhere to the tactical principle of defending, 1-0 will be the most common score for Chelsea.

In the Community Shield last Sunday, Chelsea's midfielders were still in good shape knowing that their midfielders were not as good as they had been after Patrick Vieira left, and the midfielders were no bit more resilient than last season. Of course. It's good not to change, at least we have a chance to see Mourinho's grit and persistence, which is a quality that you have to have as a top coach.

Defending Premier League champions Chelsea face FA Cup winners Arsenal for their first trophy of the new season——— Community Shield. With Didier Drogba's brace. The Blues beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the title for the first time since the 2002 Charity Shield was renamed the Community Shield.

For the first trophy of the new season, both teams expressed great enthusiasm before the game. In response to Chelsea CEO John Kenyon's remarks that the Blues' obstacles to winning the Premier League this season would be minimal, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger shot back: "Pitt's comments will not have an impact on the Premier League title. I don't think he's a guy who really understands football. In fact. What he said made it easier for me to motivate my players. ”

Patrick Vieira's move has changed Arsenal's starting line-up significantly compared to Chelsea's stable squad, with Flamini and Cesc Fabregas joining in central midfield, while Campbell has been omitted from the squad due to the rise of young defender Sendros. As a result, Arsene Wenger, who had put too much faith in his young players, paid the price in the eighth minute, when Drogba used his body to firmly block the skinny Sendros and shoot the ball into the net after receiving a long pass.

Although more than 20 minutes later. The Gunners used their technical advantage to regain the upper hand, but Vieira's departure made the Arsenal lose offensive coherence. The first half was fruitless.

The two teams frequently changed horses and coaches to train the state of the players. Although Arsenal still dominated the game in the second half, the Gunners' over-concentration in the middle of the attack against the highly capable Terry and Gala was not obvious. Chelsea's specialised counter-attacking approach paid off again in the 59th minute when an in-form Didier Drogba sent the ball into the Lehmann net again after knocking down Sendros. Cesc Fabregas pulled a goal back, but Chelsea kept the win until the end.

"Community Shield Winners Insulated League Champions" is a seven-year "curse" in English football since 1997. Chelsea's title was seen by many in the British media as Mourinho's challenge to this curse, which also means that the new season of the Premier League will be even more exciting.

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, sprayed the 2005 Community Shield victory for Chelsea. While everyone with Abramou's high salary is celebrating, will the famous 'Community Shield curse' haunt the new Premier League title?

Since 1997, it has been a "customary" for the winner of the Community Shield (before 2002, the Charity Shield, the predecessor of the Community Shield) that the winner must not win the Premier League next year, and it has lasted for eight years! Now, new Community Shield champions Chelsea face a tough test.

The United of the Cantona era and the David Beckham era were unparalleled. But it seems difficult to say whether the team's three consecutive Premier League titles in 1998-1999, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 were "given" by the three consecutive Charity Shield defeats in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

They lost twice to Arsenal and Chelsea once in those three Charity Shield matches. In 1997, before the "treble" of the league, Manchester United won the Charity Shield, but in the 1997-1998 season, the Premier League title was taken by Arsenal.

The 2001 Charity Shield was won by Liverpool. This was also an important part of the team's "five consecutive championships" that season. However, the following year's Premier League title was won by Arsenal.

In 2002, the Charity Shield was officially renamed the Community Shield, and this time the title was won by Arsenal. However, in the 2002-2003 season, Manchester United miraculously made a strong effort in the second half of the season, winning the Premier League crown from Arsenal. That summer, Manchester United were still proud to win the Community Shield after selling Becky, but this quickly inspired Arsenal to be "unbeaten in 49 games". The Gunners won the 2003-2004 Premier League title without any suspense.

The most recent Charm apparition was in last year's competition. Arsenal beat Manchester United to lift the Community Shield. But this past season, the whole world saw a devastating "ruble army". Now the "ruble regiment" itself drinks the "hidden poison" of the community shield.

The curse is still strong, and whether Mourinho can defend the Premier League title has become a major attraction in the new season, but it seems that the Portuguese does not believe in the so-called poisonous curse hyped by the media, and victory is the right path to the title. (To be continued......)