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Sky Sports Premier League Podcast

MNF Podcast - Chelsea v West Ham

15 Aug 2016

Transcription

Chapter 1: What were the highlights of Chelsea's victory over West Ham?

4.418 - 10.545 Antonio Conte

Working very well today. We want to start in a good way.

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11.326 - 31.534 Unknown

And a nice, sesty-looking London derby to welcome the new man at Chelsea. Pedro wants it, Posto doesn't want to give it to him! That's why! That is why! And Antonio Conte looks like he's got his opening day win as Chelsea manager. What a start for the new Chelsea boss.

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31.614 - 42.523 Unknown

The Chelsea fans are going to absolutely love him if he continues to react like that and get a performance from his team right to the end. 16 attempts from Chelsea to West Ham 7.

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Chapter 2: How did Chelsea's new manager impact the team's performance?

42.563 - 65.963 Unknown

They had three on target West Ham all in the last 15 minutes, their first on target was the goal. 33 touches in the opposition box from Chelsea, just four from West Ham, the lowest across this opening weekend. Chelsea saw more of the ball, they passed it better as well. 24% of West Ham's passes today were long, trying to bring Andy Carroll into the game.

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66.103 - 70.47 Unknown

So Chelsea have won it, let's hear from their captain and the man of the match as well with Greg Whelan.

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71.598 - 76.166 Greg Whelan

Aidan, John, many congratulations. What a way to finish that London derby. Aidan, how important was that?

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77.448 - 92.533 Eden Hazard

It's good. It's good to be back on the pitch and win in front of our supporters. The first game in the season is always important and we win this. We did very well and we played 90 minutes like a tiger.

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93.575 - 97.622 Greg Whelan

John, sum up what it means to kick off this season, an important season, with all three points.

97.687 - 109.524 John Terry

I think it's very important for us to get off to a good start. The way we finished and ended last year wasn't good enough by our standards, so very important today. And we said before the game, win, lose or draw, that's the fight and the commitment we want from everyone.

110.205 - 116.174 John Terry

We dug in, big London derby, it means a lot to the players, to the supporters, and great for the management to get off to a good start as well.

116.194 - 118.497 Greg Whelan

How good to see the guy next to you looking like he's back to his best?

118.477 - 132.859 John Terry

He's always been at his best for me. Listen, for me, he's up there with the very best in the world. He knows that. We relied on him too much last year. He can't do it on his own, even though he almost does. He's a world-class player and we're very lucky to have him.

Chapter 3: What statistics reflect Chelsea's dominance in the match?

150.639 - 154.024 Eden Hazard

And yeah, it's always good to score a penalty.

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154.705 - 159.312 Greg Whelan

Do you feel that you've put your form of last season behind you now?

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159.333 - 173.068 Eden Hazard

Last season is finished. Now we are looking forward to... To the future, we want to bring to the fans a lot of emotion, but it's always good to start a season like this.

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173.95 - 180.445 Greg Whelan

John, there's a lot of focus again, of course, on Chelsea this season. How much of a point to prove are you all playing with this time?

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180.425 - 194.62 John Terry

I think to ourselves, to our supporters, to our friends and family. Listen, we'll slowly get there. We know that the consistency is very important for us this year. But for me, the winning start today was vital. Hopefully we can build upon this now this season.

195.121 - 199.525 Greg Whelan

Well, congratulations on the three points. Eden, you're also the Premier League man of the match. John, if you did the honours, please.

199.946 - 203.85 Eden Hazard

Thank you. Thank you very much.

204.792 - 218.946 Gary Neville

Well, was that better from Chelsea, if we're talking about last season? Well, they nearly got a bloody nose in the end. I mean, they stepped off the gas after about 55 minutes and it nearly cost them, but they'll be delighted. I thought they played well. They were the better team, obviously, throughout the game.

219.026 - 229.737 Gary Neville

West Ham did a little bit better and you felt a little bit more confident when they got the goal. But I have to say, Chelsea were the better team, deserved to win. And for about 15, 20 minutes, they played really well in the game, but they just need to kill games off.

Chapter 4: What was Eden Hazard's role in Chelsea's win?

247.717 - 265.444 Jamie Carragher

I think supporters love to see that. And I think you see his reaction and celebrations in with the fans around the bench. And for what he's done as a manager, he's been very successful at Juventus, things have done really well in the summer with Italy. You take in a new job and a big job, there's still that pressure to prove yourself he's in a new country.

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265.424 - 281.687 Jamie Carragher

And you don't want to start with a 1-1 draw at home. You want to get that big win. I mean, as Gary rightly said, Chelsea played well in patches. You'd still want more from Chelsea, obviously a lot more from West Ham, but you'd still want more from Chelsea going forward. I think the manager will know that, but you just know how vital it is to get off to a good start.

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281.707 - 286.374 Unknown

They had a penalty shout in the first half, it didn't go their way. They got one in the second. Was this more convincing?

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286.534 - 304.206 Gary Neville

Yeah, definitely. And, you know, it's a long dial to the back post. Antonio's just a little bit ahead of play. Collins, I think, could have been stronger and gone and won the initial header. And he does well at the near post, the goalkeeper, and then he dribbles past Matic and then just gets caught. And the first mistake...

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304.439 - 321.484 Gary Neville

Doesn't cost him, but the lack of composure to be able to then set himself and say, OK, that's gone, see you here now. So he's obviously already given the ball away, he's got wrong side there. He's then done quite well there, tries to clear it, but now he's got to let that go. Azpilicueta's in front of him, he's got his shoulder across him, let it go.

322.005 - 338.131 Gary Neville

Let somebody else deal with it and he doesn't do it, he hasn't got the composure to deal with it. He had a tough night, Antonio. Dealing with Hazard all night was difficult for him. I think that whether he wants to play in that position is questionable. And he ended up getting subbed five minutes later. It was tough for him.

338.352 - 351.415 Unknown

Well, Jamie, let me bring you in on this, because he did give an interview, Antonio, during the summer with 442 magazine, saying that he is a forward player, he wants to be the best winger in the Premier League and doesn't really want to play in defence anymore. What does that tell you about his mindset playing there tonight?

352.096 - 370.516 Jamie Carragher

Well... There's lots of players like that who you turn sort of wingers into full-backs. I mean, of course, he wants to play out wide, get forward, and even at full-back, he's more of an attacking full-back than someone defensively, as you could see tonight. But I think when you maybe make comments like that, maybe before a season, maybe you plant something in the manager's head.

370.657 - 384.394 Jamie Carragher

Because when you come off, it was interesting when you come off. Normally, a manager, no matter how badly you've played, unless you've been sent off and really let the team down, a manager will shake your hand and pat you on the head on the way off. Slammable just seemed to turn away from us as he came off. Maybe it was nothing.

Chapter 5: How did Diego Costa's performance affect the game?

437.247 - 454.883 Gary Neville

There's no goalkeeper ever saving that. It's an absolutely brilliant penalty. You could argue slightly risky, just under the bar, but absolutely brilliant and just showed his positivity that he displayed all night and that was a good moment for him and deserved. So you thought maybe that Chelsea might go on at this point from strength to strength, but what happened to them?

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455.183 - 473.703 Gary Neville

I was screaming at the monitors that we've got for about 10, 15 minutes about Hazard. We give him Man of the Match because he was the best player on the pitch. But we've seen it before with him over the last two or three years that when he gets confident in a game and when he's up and he's got the game by the scruff of the neck, in the palm of his hand, he's got to go for the kill and he doesn't.

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474.004 - 492.309 Gary Neville

He steps off. I was talking about it before the game, about his mentality. And it was 54 minutes on the clock and the first time it happened, I went, oh no, he's gone into walking mode and he does it a lot, this. This, standing still and walking, showing I'm the boss, I'm arrogant, I've won the game. It's 1-0, it's a Premier League match.

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492.67 - 508.832 Gary Neville

And there were three or four instances I was not surprised when he took him off, Conte. He'd have been seeing this, he sort of went into drifting mode, he stopped being positive, he stopped going direct for the edge of the box, stopped going for his man. The young boy Byram had just come on. He'd just entered the pitch and he let him off the hook.

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508.812 - 523.269 Gary Neville

Do not let your full-back off the hook when you've got him. And you look at him here now, we've got four, there were more, and he's gone into walking mode, he's gone into pedestrian mode. He cannot do that. That is where he's got to stay. Look, he's walking on the corner of your picture there.

523.549 - 541.433 Gary Neville

He's a world-class player, as John Terry's just said, but the mentality to be a world-class player means you go for it all the time and you do not change your mentality during a match. And that frustrated me and actually allowed, I think, West Ham... back in the game. Not all on its own, but the mentality of the team shifts when your best player does that.

541.453 - 543.015 Unknown

They got back in. They took advantage, Jamie.

543.316 - 563.403 Jamie Carragher

Yeah, they did. And I think they were a little bit unfortunate, Chelsea, in that the free kick beforehand wasn't a free kick. They got the corner from that. And it's a fantastic goal finish from James Connors. I just want to highlight something now. As he just goes for the header there... Now, I'm not saying it's a foul, but James Collins has gone up with Gary Cale.

563.483 - 584.03 Jamie Carragher

As he's gone up, if you can just see James Collins' left arm... on Gary Cahill's shirt. You can see his neck on show there. And what happens is, as he comes down, he just keeps holding it for a second or so, and it means Gary Cahill is now going backwards. Just watch him. See there, there, there? And he just doesn't react quick enough. He's being pulled back.

Chapter 6: What were the key moments that influenced the match outcome?

602.938 - 613.537 Jamie Carragher

Willian's got to do a lot more than that. You've got to get across and block the shot. You've got to do that. But this is all about the finish. I mean, fantastic finish.

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614.038 - 617.004 Unknown

Ginger Pele. Pardon? Ginger Pele, who loves scoring against Chelsea.

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617.044 - 627.543 Jamie Carragher

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you see the strike now, I think Willian's going to do a lot more. Fantastic strike. I mean, you've got a player on the post as well, Oscar there, top-class goalkeeper, and just flies past the two of them.

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628.305 - 635.462 Unknown

So it's one apiece. Diego Costa is on a yellow card at this point. Then he decides to make a big challenge on Adrian. What did you make of it?

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636.37 - 658.63 Jamie Carragher

Well, it's not just about that challenge. It's looking at a typical Diego Costa night. Top centre-forward, gets his goal. But at the start of the season, see there, he's touched the referee. At the start of the season, Chris Foy come into Sky and actually spoke to, you know, all ourselves on things that he don't accept as referees. He's touched the referee twice.

659.251 - 681.058 Jamie Carragher

We were told that was a yellow card. So that should be a yellow card now. He's had his hands on the referee. This is the one that... He gets booked for it, and this is descent. And that's another thing that the referees have been told, and rightly so. People crowding round, and listen, that's something Chelsea have done for a long time. But this, this is a straight red card.

682.661 - 706.9 Jamie Carragher

That challenge there, again, it's typical Costa, it just, it happens, but it happens too often. I mean, I think there's still a case to be, is he going to be at the club at the end of August? They're looking at Lukaku, they've got the strife of Marseille as well, who come on substitute. You just see that now, it's that there.

707.02 - 718.693 Jamie Carragher

It comes down the shin, over the ankle, on the goalkeeper, and it's not the first time, it won't be the last time. And again, very lucky to say, he shouldn't be on the pitch, he gets the winning goal.

718.713 - 736.394 Gary Neville

Yeah, he's lucky. I think that the directives that we've been given by the referees, I think in terms of them having a hand on them, that's the yellow card, but that one... That's a bad one, that one. I mean, look, there's such a big... He's so close to goal and he knows that if he gets a tackle, he could get a goal.

Chapter 7: How did West Ham respond to Chelsea's tactics during the game?

736.414 - 744.383 Gary Neville

So there's a desperation to lunge for it, I can understand that, but it is reckless and it's a poor challenge. And he gets on, gets up, gets the winning goal.

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745.705 - 770.121 Jamie Carragher

He does, and it comes from... Is that the goal, yeah? And it comes from the second striker. I'm not going to test myself and try and name this striker from Marseille. Could you help me, Dave? Batshuayi. We'll go with that. But you see, this is a player he's brought on. You've got the two strikers there and Costa. And he makes a great run there for the long ball.

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770.381 - 787.236 Jamie Carragher

And Winston-Reed, the defender, is actually the wrong side of him. Winston-Reed should be that side of him. Just that side, always goal side, and he just allows them there. And this is what you're talking about, front two play. It's old-fashioned, but that's what you'd normally see in the past. And how many times do we see that?

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787.557 - 794.914 Jamie Carragher

A ball going through a defender's legs, James Collins at one end, does really well, gets a goal, but could he get out quicker? He blocks the goalkeeper then.

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795.94 - 816.783 Gary Neville

goalkeeper still shifting his feet away to the other side of the goal. I think it was classic centre-forward play when you've got two strikers. Credit to Conte putting them both up there together and physically a big handful. I think Costa That was a typical Diego Costa night. Involved in everything. Angry, snarling, scores a goal, involved to the end.

817.384 - 820.21 Gary Neville

And there'll be a handful of those two if they did play together more.

820.311 - 833.775 Jamie Carragher

I think that's the interesting thing. We've been speaking about how Conte are lining up. A lot of talk about being three at the back. He's come in today, played what we said maybe Chelsea were playing 10 years ago with those three players in midfield, Kante in the McAleary role.

834.296 - 852.222 Jamie Carragher

But a lot of talk has been, even from the manager himself, he says 4-2-4, maybe more of a 4-4-2 with two out-and-out strikers. We know there's been contact or maybe a bid for Lukaku or whatever. And so it does look like at times he is going to use two front men, maybe one from the bench or even start games with a front two. But that shows it can work.

856.589 - 879.887 Unknown

Well, he won all 19 home games in his final season in charge of Juventus and Antonio Conte off to a winning start in charge of Chelsea as well in front of the home fans who will adore him for that kind of reaction, especially if they see it every week. Just brilliant. Yeah, they're not going to forget that. And this is how it looks next for the new Chelsea man.

Chapter 8: What are the implications of this match for both teams moving forward?

1182.882 - 1186.954 Greg Whelan

What did you learn, Antonio, about your team tonight? What did you learn about the Premier League?

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1189.634 - 1215.844 Antonio Conte

The Premier League, I knew the Premier League only through the television and the TV, yes. I played against the English team in the Champions League and the Europa League. But playing in this league is very difficult. It's very difficult, but it's fantastic because of the atmosphere.

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1215.824 - 1248.845 Antonio Conte

Today there is a fantastic atmosphere and therefore I want to tell thanks to the fans because they follow the players at the end. But, yeah, great intensity, great intensity in the Premier League and also a game very physical, very physical, yeah. But today, yeah, I delighted for the performance of my player.

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1248.865 - 1252.108 Greg Whelan

Antonio, congratulations for tonight. Thank you so much.

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1252.932 - 1259.92 Unknown

I think the Premier League's going to enjoy having Antonio Conte around, but with what he has now, can he turn this Chelsea side into challengers?

1263.012 - 1278.99 Gary Neville

Erm... Yes. Yeah, I think not being in Europe is a big thing. I think that will give them a free run. It will allow them to work on the training field week in, week out, recover. They're an older team compared to some of the others, so I think that from that point of view, they'll need the rest in the recovery. You'll want to work them hard.

1279.491 - 1295.01 Gary Neville

They've got the experience and they've won titles before. That's a big thing. Will they win it? I'm not sure. I still think that, you know, will Costa stay fit all season? Will they have enough incentive forward? You can see that's why they probably want to add to the squad. It might be a little bit of what they do in the next couple of weeks to correct things in that direction. department.

1295.17 - 1296.573 Gary Neville

Do you think they need to do some business, Jamie?

1297.395 - 1317.863 Jamie Carragher

I think so. I think, obviously, they're looking at a striker. I mentioned Lukaku before. I'm thinking more of the other end of the pitch. Maybe a centre-back as well. I'm not sure how far away Zouma is from getting fit. But I still think you've got John Terry's age. You've got Gary Cahill as well there. I still think they could do with a centre-back. There's someone they're looking at at Napoli.

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