These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

Chilwell impressed by James

Ben Chilwell has opened up about how impressed he was by Reece James when he arrived at Chelsea.

In an interview with the Guardian, he discussed his fellow full-back’s strong points and how the position has changed over the years.

‘I knew how good Reece James was before I came here but I just wanted to say how much he surprised me,’ the England international said.

‘He is unbelievable, especially for 20 years old. He is a brilliant player. He is powerful but quick with it.

‘He is very difficult to play against because of how physical he likes to be against his opponents.

James and Chilwell were together in the last international break with England. When it comes to full-backs, the Three Lions are spoilt for choice and alongside Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, the role continues to be revolutionised.

‘Over the last five or 10 years full-backs have become a massive part of a team, getting forward and creating chances,’ the former Leicester man said.

‘It’s probably going to keep progressing. Trent, myself and other younger players will hopefully be in the game for the next 10 years and if we model the game for the next generation then that’s a positive.’

Cech suggests new penalty rule

Chelsea’s technical and performance director Petr Cech has called for the Premier League to introduce a second goal line to help goalkeepers on penalties.

The former Blues goalkeeper took to Instagram after Leeds were given a penalty retake when West Ham’s Lukas Fabianski was caught moving off his line.

‘How is any goalkeeper supposed to cover an area of 7m 32cm by 2m 44cm without any foot movement while a player shoots from 12 yards with an average speed of 70 miles per hour, which takes the ball 0.35 seconds to cross the line?’ he asked.

According to Cech, this rule gives the penalty takers an unfair advantage and went on to provide a solution for the lawmakers.

‘It’s easy to criticise without giving any solutions so here it is,’ he said.

‘Can the referee just make a second line four feet from the goal line using the spray and the penalty has to be saved in between?’

This suggestion has been a big topic online with many fans looking at ways to level the playing field when it comes to penalties.

Cech is set to return to action tonight in a Premier League 2 fixture. This will be his first competitive match since May 2019 when he faced the Blues in the Europa League final with Arsenal.

Former Premier League player labels Carvalho as best he’s faced.

Bobby Zamora has labelled Ricardo Carvalho as the best defender he has ever faced and admits he was a very frustrating opponent to play against.

Zamora spoke to Jimmy Bullard about how clever the Portuguese centre-back was.

‘In terms of big-name players that I didn’t like playing against, and I’ve said this before, it’s Carvalho at Chelsea,’ he said on the Off The Hook podcast which was also repeated in the Daily Mail.

‘He wasn’t huge, he wasn’t big, he wasn’t strong. But he could read the game well.’

The former Fulham man also described how clever the centre-back was at getting away with little fouls when the referee wasn’t looking.

‘He’ll pull your shirt at the right time, he’ll clip your ankle. Let’s say, for instance, the full-back got in by switching play around the back. You’re running across the pitch to show up and he would just step in front of you and barge you.’

Carvalho spent a very successful time at Stamford Bridge where he created a formidable centre-back pairing with John Terry. He won three Premier Leagues, three FA Cups and two League Cups.