morning papers lokomotiv moscow

The Guardian

Saturday August 2 2008

Moscow miss adds to Shevchenko's woes at Chelsea

Unsettled Ukrainian is fall guy in shoot-out reprise

Striker remains outside Scolari's first-team plans

Dominic Fifield in Moscow

Chelsea were left numbed by a feeling of déjà vu last night after succumbing on penalties in a cup competition staged in the Russian capital for the second time in just over two months. Where Champions League heartache had been reserved for John Terry and Nicolas Anelka, this time it was Andriy Shevchenko who effectively ended as the fall guy.
The Ukrainian has struggled since moving to London in a £30m deal two years ago from Milan and his former manager there, Carlo Ancelotti, suggested yesterday, before the match, that his inability to make an impact has been born less of a lack of fitness than "psychological" problems as he struggles to adapt to life in a new country. His miss here in the Railways Cup, Ivan Pelizzoli pushing away Chelsea's sixth penalty with his feet, may have come in a friendly tournament but it will have done little to improve his state of mind.
Shevchenko underwent surgery on a groin complaint over the summer which prevented him from beginning pre-season training at the same time as his team-mates. He had played a bit-part role on the club's tour of Asia and was granted only the final 15 minutes by Luiz Felipe Scolari last night. His cameo ended in the poorly placed shot after Wayne Bridge had earlier passed up the chance to claim victory in the shoot-out.
Scolari was at pains to stress that he had pre-selected the penalty takers that might be used in a shoot-out before last night's game. "Before the game I said to the players that, if we have penalties after the game, I'd choose the players to take them," he said. "I told them it was my choice and, if we didn't win, it'd be my mistake, not theirs. We do need to change the situation, because we will have penalty shoot-outs again, but one penalty will not change my idea of Shevchenko."
This was the third consecutive shoot-out that Chelsea have lost. While Scolari is adamant he can improve that record, he appears already to have decided that Shevchenko will start the season as a squad player. The Chelsea manager had always intended to use this four-team tournament as an occasion to fine-tune his first-choice line-up, with the striker's lack of fitness having effectively already returned him to the fringes with little prospect of beginning the opening Premier League game against Portsmouth this month.
Ancelotti, who worked with the striker in his pomp at San Siro, insisted that Shevchenko could still make his mark at Stamford Bridge despite having scored only nine league goals in two seasons at the club, though only if he comes to terms with life in a new country.
"I'd say the reason he has not had the same impact as he did in Italy is that, when he moved to Chelsea from Milan, that is a hard thing to do," said Ancelotti. "He had to move to another country and the environment changed.
"All these factors obviously affected his condition. He's trying to play the way he can. I believe he has great talent, and we have seen that many times. If he overcomes these problems, which are mostly psychological and, I think, because he moved to a different country, then he will achieve a lot in the Chelsea team. I believe he can still achieve that."
Chelsea led here through Michael Essien's wonderfully lashed first-half goal but shipped an equaliser through Ruslan Kambolov six minutes from time after missing a plethora of chances to extend their lead. They will now play Milan in the third-place play-off tomorrow, with the hosts progressing to take on Sevilla, 1-0 victors over the Rossoneri, in the final

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Mail:
Blue bottler Sheva: Chelsea on the spot again in Moscow as penalty pain lingers

By Simon Cass

The man who can lay claim to knowing Andriy Shevchenko best insisted the most serious reason for the striker's poor form at Chelsea is in the mind. So it was fitting that the Ukraine striker's loss of nerve cost the club again in Moscow last night with the new season beginning as the previous one ended for them.
A Railways Cup game against Lokomotiv Moscow bears no resemblance, of course, to the Champions League Final. All that was at stake last night was the chance to meet Sevilla in tomorrow's final of a pre-season tournament.
But Chelsea's chance to exorcise the memory of that heartbreaking defeat on May 21 was ended by a 5-4 shoot- out defeat which followed a 1-1 draw.
Just 10 weeks ago, John Terry and then Nicolas Anelka missed spot kicks to hand Manchester United the European Cup. Last night Wayne Bridge missed to take the shoot-out into sudden death in which Shevchenko saw his effort saved by Lokomotiv keeper Ivan Pelizzoli.
AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti had claimed before watching his side lose 1-0 to Sevilla in the opening game that Shevchenko's failure to live up to expectations following his £30million move to Stamford Bridge two years ago was all psychological.Ancelotti said: 'The reason is that when he moved to Chelsea from Milan that is a hard thing to do. He had to move to another country and the environment changed.
'All these factors obviously affected his condition. He's trying to play the way he can. I believe we have seen many times that he has great talent. If he overcomes these problems, which are mostly psychological and because he moved to a different country, then he will achieve a lot at Chelsea.'
Ancelotti also ruled out a return to the San Siro for Shevchenko while a Chelsea spokesman confirmed a groin operation during the summer is the reason why he is behind his team-mates in terms of preparation for the season ahead.
At least Shevchenko's self esteem was boosted by his manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, and the locals, who cheered his introduction with 15 minutes remaining. Scolari said: 'One penalty will not change my idea of Shevchenko. It was not his mistake, it was mine.
'I said to them before the game that if it went to penalties I'd choose the players to take them. I told them if we didn't win it would be my mistake, not theirs.'
However, despite that, Scolari all but confirmed that the majority of those not on the field from the start last night are likely to be warming the bench next season.
He said: 'I came here to this tournament to look at my team for the game against Portsmouth and I need to prepare my team for that game. I had 75 per cent of my team (during Chelsea's Asia Tour). Now, maybe, I have 85 per cent because I saw one more game (in Kuala Lumpur).
'But I (will) have a more complete idea after this tournament because we played three games in China and Malaysia but they weren't strong games.'
Part of the missing 15 per cent will be Didier Drogba, who has stayed in England this summer for treatment on a knee injury picked up at the back end of last season, and Michael Ballack, who has not played on Chelsea's tour after being handed an extended break following his Euro 2008 exploits for Germany and his wedding.
It is the inclusion of Ballack into midfield alongside Frank Lampard, Deco, Michael Essien, Joe Cole and John Mikel Obi that will present the Brazilian coach with more of a quandary than whether or not to leave Anelka out for Drogba.
That quintet started against Lokomotiv last night, and it fell to Essien, playing in an unfamiliar advanced role, to give Chelsea a 27th-minute lead after Deco's cross was chested into his path by Anelka, allowing the Ghana midfielder to unleash a sweet strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Chelsea went close to doubling their advantage in the 67th minute after Anelka exchanged passes with Lampard but the French striker's close-range shot was well saved by Pelizzoli.
Chelsea were made to pay when Lokomotiv substitute Ruslan Kambolov unleashed a 30-yard free-kick after 84 minutes which cannoned into the net off the post to set up the shoot-out.
Bridge's miss from the spot meant it was all eyes on Shevchenko. But, true to form, Chelsea's record signing was not up to the task, opting to go down the middle and allowing Pelizzoli to save with his feet.
At least Chelsea might get another chance to practise penalties in Moscow when they take on Milan in tomorrow's game to decide the wooden spoon.

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Telegraph:

Andrei Shevchenko misses from the spot as Chelsea re-live shoot-out agony

Chelsea suffered fresh penalty disappointment in Moscow, with Andrei Shevchenko missing a decisive spot-kick just hours after Carlo Ancelotti, one of his closest footballing mentors, had pointed to problems in the Ukrainian’s mind as a central explanation for his drop in form. By Jeremy Wilson in Moscow
In a finale that contained remarkable similarities with the agonising Champions League defeat against Manchester United, Chelsea were beaten 5-4 in another penalty shoot-out after drawing 1-1 with Lokomotiv Moscow in the semi-finals of the Russian Railways Cup.
John Terry, who missed in such heartbreaking fashion 10 weeks ago in the European Cup final, was on the pitch but not among the penalty-takers as Wayne Bridge missed a chance to win the match before Shevchenko’s effort was saved.
Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said he blamed himself. “One penalty does not change my idea of Shevchenko,” he said.
“It was not his mistake, it was mine. I said to them before the game that if it went to penalties, I would choose the players to take them. I told them it was my choice and, if we didn’t win, it would be my mistake.
“I have got other players who can take penalties, Ballack and Drogba, it is something we need to improve on. If they win a penalty competition, they will have more confidence.”
Chelsea will now face Milan, Shevchenko’s former club, in their final pre-season game tomorrow before Scolari’s first competitive match as Chelsea manager against Portsmouth on Aug 17.
Shevchenko, 31, spent five hugely successful seasons playing under Ancelotti at Milan, but his form has nose-dived since joining Chelsea. “He had to move to another country and the environment changed,” said Ancelotti.
“He’s trying to play the way he can. I believe we have seen many times he has great talent. If he overcomes these problems, which are mostly psychological and, I think, because he moved to a different country, then he will achieve a lot in the Chelsea team.”
Shevchenko has played 41 minutes in four matches during Chelsea’s pre-season after summer surgery on his groin. “I came here to look at my team for the game against Portsmouth,” said Scolari. “I have 75 per cent of my team. Now, maybe, I have 85 per cent.”
Among the variables for the Portsmouth match will be the fitness of Didier Drogba, who is recovering from a knee injury, and the outcome of the attempt to buy Real Madrid’s Robinho. Madrid are still hoping to persuade Manchester United to sell Cristiano Ronaldo, with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon admitting that the deal could hinge on the Spanish club’s success in finding a replacement.
Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti, meanwhile, has confirmed Frank Lampard will stay at Chelsea. “He wanted to leave, I am certain, although it created a lot of anxiety for him and in fact he remained because of family matters,” he said. “He stayed for his father, who he is extremely close to, and for his whole environment.”
Lampard’s mother, Pat, died earlier this year.

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The Times

Andriy Shevchenko shoved into Chelsea shadows
Matt Hughes, Moscow

Andriy Shevchenko’s traumatic two-year stay at Chelsea reached its nadir last night when he missed a penalty that condemned his side to another defeat in the Russian capital after hearing his manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, indicate that he has little future at the club. A 5-4 penalty shootout defeat by Lokomotiv Moscow does not carry the significance of their epic loss to Manchester United in the Champions League final ten weeks ago, but that is unlikely to improve Shevchenko’s mood.
The Ukraine striker had already endured a miserable day, with Carlo Ancelotti ruling out his return to AC Milan and claiming that the player has psychological problems, before his humiliation at the penalty spot. Wayne Bridge had missed a spot-kick that would have given Chelsea victory after the 1-1 draw, but the full back’s error will not be remembered for as long as Shevchenko’s weak effort that went straight at Ivan Pelizzoli, the Lokomotiv goalkeeper.
Scolari took responsibility for the defeat, but his view of Shevchenko does not appear to be encouraging. “One penalty will not change my view of Shevchenko or any player,” he said. “I gave him confidence because I let him take a penalty. If it’s right or wrong, it’s my choice.”
Scolari had revealed earlier in the day that Shevchenko is not even under consideration for Chelsea’s opening Barclays Premier League match against Portsmouth in two weeks. The 31-year-old has endured a torrid time since completing a club-record £30 million move to Chelsea two years ago, scoring only 22 goals in all competitions, and, after making little impact under José Mourinho and Avram Grant, has been frozen out by Scolari. The Brazilian went so far as to bracket Shevchenko along with Franco Di Santo, the 19-year-old Argentine striker, as players on the fringe of his squad, with his plight not helped by a groin injury that has meant that he has spent much of pre-season playing catch-up with his team-mates. “If it’s possible you may see Shevchenko, but I came here to this tournament to look at my team for the game against Portsmouth and I need to prepare my team for that game,” Scolari said. “I’m not thinking about this tournament as an opportunity to put Shevchenko into the game. If I need to put Shevchenko or Di Santo in the game, I will, but my idea is about Portsmouth.
“I had 75 per cent of my team in mind last week and now it’s maybe 85 per cent because I’ve seen one more game. After these matches I’ll have an idea for my players and for the games in England.” It says much about Shevchenko’s fall that, even with Didier Drogba likely to miss the start of the season as he continues rehabilitation on a knee injury, he cannot force his way into the reckoning. With Milan unwilling to offer him salvation at the San Siro his only options appear to be sitting it out at Stamford Bridge or taking a huge pay cut to move to Major League Soccer.
“We’re thankful to Shevchenko for everything he has done for Milan, but it’s in the past,” Ancelotti said. “I’d say the reason he has struggled is that when he moved to Chelsea it was hard to do, the environment changed.
“If he overcomes these problems, which are mostly psychological and because he moved to a different country, he will achieve a lot at Chelsea.”
The London club are monitoring Robinho’s contract talks with Real Madrid, although Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, is adamant that they will not offer Drogba as part of a package to secure the Brazil winger.
“One of the key issues is them [Real] looking for a replacement. That’s what has been holding up discussions,” Kenyon said. “It has not progressed over the last few days, but the window is open until the end of August.
“There’s absolutely no question that any deal would be done regarding Didier. He is in rehab and is, and will continue to be, a Chelsea player.”

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Sun:

L Moscow 1 Chelsea 1

From MARK IRWIN
Lokomotiv Moscow 1 Chelsea 1(Lokomotiv win 5-4 on pens)

CHELSEA returned to Moscow — and blew a penalty shootout again.
Just 10 weeks after losing the Champions League final to rivals Manchester United, their nerve deserted them once more.
But at least there were no tears this time as skipper John Terry was spared spot-kick duty in the Blues’ first defeat under new boss Phil Scolari.
Instead, Andriy Shevchenko missed the decisive kick — hours after being told by his former boss that all his Chelsea problems are in his head.
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti says the £30million striker has not come to terms with leaving the San Siro two years ago.
He said: “Sheva has not achieved great things at Chelsea as it was so hard for him to move from Milan.
“We have seen many times in the past that he is a great talent.
“But he must overcome these problems, which are mostly psychological, to achieve at Chelsea.”
Last night’s events will not exactly help the Ukrainian’s cause in his battle to win over Scolari.
Just as in the European final, Chelsea took an early shootout lead when Petr Cech saved from Dinar Bilyaletdinov.
But Wayne Bridge failed to convert at 4-4 and as the shootout went to sudden-death, Sheva’s penalty struck the outstretched leg of Lokomotiv keeper Ivan Pelizolli and flew wide.
But Scolari refused to blame the struggling superstar.
The Brazilian said: “One penalty has not changed my view of Shevchenko.
“It was not his mistake, it was mine. I said I would choose the penalty takers.
“We need to improve shootouts but I’m not too worried.”
To make matters worse for Sheva, 31, his miss was watched by Roman Abramovich, who was in Moscow to see his first match since Scolari took charge.
Now even the owner must be giving up hope on his favourite Ukrainian who has failed to justify his £130,000-a-week wages, having netted just nine league goals in two seasons.

Scolari made it clear before the match that he would be fielding his strongest possible team last night.
Didier Drogba was in London nursing a knee injury and Salomon Kalou away at the Olympics, but Sheva was still on the bench with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Florent Malouda.
Shevchenko came on as a 75th-minute sub for Nicolas Anelka when Chelsea appeared to be cruising to their fourth-straight win of this pre-season tour of the Far East and Russia.
Michael Essien fired them into a 27th-minute lead but Anelka and Wright-Phillips missed great chances before an 84th-minute leveller.
Cech’s wall was badly positioned and the keeper was slow to react as Ruslan Kambolov’s 30-yard free-kick flew in off the far post.
Last night’s defeat means that Shevchenko now faces former club Milan tomorrow after the Italians were beaten 1-0 by Seville in the other match.

CHELSEA: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole (Bridge), Mikel (Wright-Phillips), Essien, Deco, Lampard, J Cole (Malouda), Anelka (Shevchenko).