Boardregeln » The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently

In August of 2013 new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was in a cautious mood. Air Max Plus Tn Fake . "This is not a team to win tomorrow," said Mourinho. "We are a team of kids, this is a team where the best years are to come." A year later and those years have started. Last season, of course, Chelsea got much closer than Mourinho ever imagined. "We were not feeling like a title contender but in fact we finished very close, so we did well," admitted the boss on Friday. Four points. That was all that separated Chelsea from title winners Manchester City, a side that scored 31 more goals than the Blues. In the end that was the difference. Mourinho had started the season thinking inexperience would be the reason for their failure, but by February he knew it was a lack of goals. During a sponsorship launch with watch manufacturers Hublot, Mourinho, privately, said to senior representatives of the Swiss company: "I have a team but no striker. It is not possible for us to win the Premier League." In the 38 Premier League games last season, Fernando Torres started 17, Samuel Etoo started 16 and Demba Ba five. How Chelsea managed to get so close with three ineffective strikers spoke to the strengths of the squad and, of course, the manager himself. Etoo ended the campaign with nine goals, Ba five and the abysmal Torres with five, despite playing 1592 Premier League minutes. Mourinho had grand plans when he retook the job of how to reinvigorate the Spaniard, saying: "Fernando is not a player with balls into his feet. Fernando is a man of depth, of movement who likes to get to the back of defenders. If we can give him what he needs, I think he will get success again." Nearly six hundred minutes later the jury was in. Chelseas style wasnt at their best when trying to work to the needs of Torres, they needed a forward with balls into his feet and he proved to be equally ineffective for Mourinho than he had been under other managers since moving to Stamford Bridge. 2011/12 Torres under Andre Villas Boas and Roberto Di Matteo – Six Premier League goals in 1907 minutes – an average of one goal every 317 minutes. 2012/13 Torres under Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez – Eight Premier League goals in 2573 Premier League minutes – an average of one goal every 321 minutes. 2013/14 under Mourinho – Five Premier League goals in 1592 minutes – an average of one goal every 318 minutes. The statistics are remarkable but for the manager the biggest one that needed to change was minutes played. Throughout last season it was evidently clear that many of the Chelsea players, inside the three behind the striker, regularly showed a lack of trust in Torres as an outlet. The consequence of this was teams defended deeper and the pressure fell on the likes of Oscar and Eden Hazard to unlock the opposition. Chelsea led the league averaging 18.2 shots per game but the teams above them scored 30 or more goals as Mourinhos side scored just one goal or less in 15 of the 38 matches. The Special One has been full of praise of the Chelsea board after targeting key areas to bring more power and strength through the middle for this season, particularly up front with the addition of Diego Costa. Didier Drogbas arrival, brought on as a sub on Monday, pushes Torres further down the pecking order. "This season we have bought some key players and we believe we are in another dimension," said the 51-year-old in Fridays press conference ahead of Mondays clash with Burnley. Sean Dyches Premier League new boys may well prove to be the weakest of all the teams in the division this season, having come up through the Championship with very little funds behind them, so we should be cautious about drawing conclusions about this new Chelsea side based on their first opponents of the new campaign. However, it was clear that Cesc Fabregas brings something Chelsea so desperately needs from central midfield and his pass for Andre Schurrles goal will be one of the finest you will see this season. It capped off a brilliant, 22 pass move that changed the momentum of the game. The former Arsenal man will grab the headlines for a sensational performance but the showing from Diego Costa was just as important. It was a contest that was over by half-time. Burnley led for just two hundred seconds before the Spaniard smashed home an equalizer on the left foot. The highlight packs will show a simple finish but the buildup showed what Costa can bring. 55 seconds before his left foot leveled the scores, Fabregas played a wonderful diagonal ball for the forward to run on to. He sprinted, held the ball up well and waited for others to come into attack. Burnley couldnt get the ball back and 17 passes later he had scored by sitting deeper, off the defenders, and anticipating a clearance or rebound. Costas movement is excellent and much different to Torres. He doesnt spend a lot of time running on the shoulder of a defender, instead he wants to drop deeper and link up with others, which is exactly what the fluid, interchanging, intelligent Chelsea attack demands. He is a striker who is very confident in every move he makes. He sprints with purpose and never was this more evident than in the 30th minute. Costa sat deep between central defenders as the ball was played to left back Ben Mee but the moment the Burnley man received the ball, he anticipated he would be uncomfortable with a press from Hazard. He began sprinting towards the Burnley goal as if a Chelsea player had the ball and as soon as Mee did what he expected, he intercepted the ball and was clear away on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He was then brought down in the box but referee Michael Oliver wrongly decided to book him for simulation. Costas intelligence had not been rewarded this time but it was just a teaser to what is to come over the next 10 months of Premier League football. Its only week one but already Mourinhos men are top scorers. Costa scored but he brought much more than that, receiving more than 50 passes and linking up marvelously with Oscar, Hazard and Schurrle. Overall it was performance from a centre-forward that Chelsea have been lacking for far too long. (fourfourtwo.com - click for larger image) It is little wonder Mourinho is no longer cautious about Chelseas title aspirations this season. Kobe Bryant Shoes Outlet .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration. Wholesale Lebron James Shoes . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/ . The Miami Heat star tops the leagues global list of top-selling jerseys for the 2012-13 season, edging Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Heat teammate Dwyane Wade for the No. MADRID, Spain -- Diego Costa and David Villa delivered again for Atletico Madrid, whose Spanish league title charge continued to gain strength Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao. Villa enjoyed Atleticos best opportunities at the Vicente Calderon Stadium and put the hosts ahead after 32 minutes by volleying Juanfrans headed-on cross through the crowded area into goal. Nine minutes later, Koke delivered a perfect ball to Costa, who the cut back to dribble around Erik Moran and fire a low shot beyond goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz for his joint league-leading 13th goal of the season. Bilbao rarely threatened and was reduced to 10 men in the 81st when Moran was shown a second yellow. "The team showed great rhythm right from the start and from the first 15 minutes on we dominated the game," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Atleticos 11th win in 12 rounds left it one point behind leader Barcelona, which has 34 points following its 1-0 win over Espanyol on Friday. Real Madrid, which beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2 on Saturday, is third in the standings with 28 points. "Were not frustrated that Barcelona keeps winning. Were just happy to keep competing with them after so many rounds," Simeone said. Also on Sunday, Valencia lifted some of the pressure of coach Miroslav Djukic with its first win in five rounds, a 1-0 victory at Getafe. Granada scored in stoppage time for a 1-0 win at Levante, while Malaga also needed an injury time winner from a late substitute to beat Real Betis 3-2. Costa, the Brazilian-born, naturalized Spaniard, has spearheaded Atleticos title credentials so far this season. But it was captain Gabi who first tested Iraizoz in the 18th, and the Basque goalie made an outstanding reaction save to a low drive. Costa then showed how dangerous he is when given space in front of goal as he moved freely down the left side to poke a shot past Iraizoz, but also beyond the far post. Atletico controlled a physical game and was inching closer to an opener as Iraizoz made another reaction ssave to deny Villas powerful half-volley in the 26th. Air Max 97 Plus Wholesale China. . But Iraizoz couldnt keep up with the Spanish strikers shot from almost the same spot moments later, as Villas sixth goal of the season made it 1-0. Koke has been instrumental in Costas scoring run and the Spain midfielder again set up the striker to add the second, putting him even with Cristiano Ronaldo atop the scoring chart. "Hes such a great player who is growing in every area," Simeone said of Costa, who had chances to score several more over the closing stages. "Hes getting better in every aspect, from recovering the ball, controlling it, his movement, and that is helping the team play better." Valencia had lost three straight before the game at the Alfonso Perez Stadium but an impressive first-half strike from Dorlan Pabon sealed the morale-boosting victory. The Colombian striker unleashed a powerful shot from 30 metres in the 40th minute that flew beyond goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya into the left corner. Athletic is fifth with 20 points, one more than Getafe. Levante is on 17 points, while crosstown club Valencia has 16. Levante had a penalty in the 25th, but midfielder Nabil El Zhar saw his spot kick saved by Roberto Fernandez. That left the game scoreless until Keylor Navas was beaten by Pitis free kick, although Granada teammate Manuel Iturra likely distracted the Levante goalkeeper as he stood alone between him and the defensive wall as the ball spun over and in. Meanwhile, Roque Santa Cruz and Eliseu put Malaga ahead in each half only for Joan Verdu to cancel out the opener with a 33rd-minute free kick, and Jordi Figueras to equalize again with an angled header in the 61st. But Malaga substitute Samuel Sanchez scored in the fourth minute of added time by volleying in a rebound after Francisco Portillos effort came off the crossbar. Six minutes of added time were added after Betis defender Damien Perquis was taken from the field in an ambulance after colliding with Fabrice Olinga in the 55th. ' ' '