Kalou Taking Aim At Title

Chelsea's in-form winger Salomon Kalou is in the mood to fire the Blues to their first league title since 2006 after grabbing a first hat-trick for the club in his last home outing.

Kalou smashed a treble as Chelsea demolished Stoke 7-0 and the Ivory Coast international admits he is in the best form of his career in England as the Blues stand on the brink of a Barclays Premier League and FA Cup Double.

Kalou, 24, has started three out of the last four games and is determined to win his first Barclays title by helping Chelsea to beat Wigan in their final home match of the season.

Three points against the Latics would guarantee Carlo Ancelotti's side the Barclays crown in the Italian's first season in England and Kalou is in the kind of form to help.

"I think it is my best form and I think it is because I keep playing," said the Ivorian.

"Before I used to play one game and then not play and then play the next game. Now I have started the last couple of games and I am looking forward to finishing the season strongly.

"I have scored a lot of hat-tricks before with Feyenoord. It was something that I was looking forward to doing at Chelsea and they never came.

"To do it at this part of the season is very important for me and for the team because that win against Stoke gave a boost for the team to go for the title. I hope Sunday will be the same scenario and we will win at home in front of the fans.

"After 10 months of hard work, if we don't capitalise on Sunday all that work will be in vain. Just one game can spoil everything and we have to play like we want to be champions.

"In the whole season you can't play at the same level and be on top every time. The difference in winning the title is when you are not on top form you have to come back to the basics where you fight for every game, and that is what we do well.

"I get better every season and I want to get better every season. I can learn a lot.

"The second season I played better than the first. The third season I scored important goals for the club and this season I think I am playing stronger than I ever did before.

"I think that hard work is paying off and every year I can develop myself as a player and one day become that player people expect me to be at Chelsea."

Kalou insists the Chelsea squad is doing nothing different in terms of their preparation for Sunday's crucial encounter and while other teams may show some fatigue, the Blues are motivated by the prize on offer.

"We are just training like we train before every game and even if it is the most important game of the season, if we play like we know how to play then it should be a nice game to watch," added Kalou.

"We should go there and enjoy the moment because you don't get these opportunities always. Playing for the title in front of your own supporters, we have to enjoy that and make them enjoy it as well and hopefully in the end we can all celebrate together.

"I think everyone feels the season has been a long season but we don't show it because we have a big prize at the end to play for. When you have such a good prize at the end the adrenalin makes you not think about being tired."

If Chelsea clinches the title on Sunday, they can become only the seventh team in the history of the English game to achieve the double by beating Portsmouth in the FA Cup final on May 15 and Kalou is determined to finally start such a massive game.

In 2007, he came on during extra-time in the FA Cup Final and remained on the bench in last year's final success over Everton.

"It's step by step and I have never even started any type of final for Chelsea," said Kalou.

"This could be my first one and it would be a special game for me which I am looking forward to."

Mikel Out Of Cup Final

Chelsea have been dealt a blow with the news that John Obi Mikel will miss the FA Cup final after undergoing minor knee surgery.

The 23-year-old midfielder has been out for the last three weeks following a challenge from Bolton's Kevin Davies in last month's Premier League clash.

He started the next game against Tottenham but was forced off early on after a recurrence of the problem.

Mikel will also miss the last game of the league campaign on Sunday, when a win for the Blues against Wigan at Stamford Bridge will be enough to clinch the title.

The Nigerian has started three FA Cup games this season, against Cardiff, Stoke and Aston Villa, and Michael Ballack could deputise in his place.

Morgan Eyes Blues Deal

Wolves say they are planning to hold talks with Chelsea over the possibility of keeping Michael Mancienne next season.

The England under-21 star has impressed during his season-long loan spell at Molineux and Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is keen to extend the loan into next season as well.

Chelsea are likely to sanction the move but all talks are on hold until the end of the season as the Blues are more concerned about Sunday's final game of the season against Wigan.

"We would like to see Michael again," Wolves owner Steve Morgan said. "There's a conversation to be had with Chelsea. He has been a great signing for us, a first-class player and someone we would love to see wearing a Wolves shirt next season.

"But Chelsea have their hands full at the moment. They aren't ready to open talks yet. It will happen in due course."

Chelsea To Sign Gonzalo Higuain From Real Madrid For £34m Should Bid For Liverpool's Fernando Torres Fail

Chelsea will turn to Spain for alternatives should their bid to sign Fernando Torres from Liverpool this summer fail, and make an offer for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to a report from The Daily Telegraph.

The report claims that Higuain is known to Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti and that Luciano Moggi, a former Juventus executive who is close to the Chelsea boss, is pushing the claims of the Argentine.

The 22-year-old forward is requesting a salary of €4.5 million (£3.9m), and would also expect payments of €4m to be paid to his agents for brokering the deal, something which could prove to be a sticking point in future given Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's views on such matters.

French-born Argentine international Higuain has probably pushed himself into Diego Maradonna's squad for the World Cup this summer after hitting 20 goals in La Liga with Real.

However, Chelsea are only expected to bid fro Higuain should their attempts to sign Torres stall, whilst their interest in Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero also seems to have cooled with the asking price of €50m being deemed too high by the Blues hierarchy.

Gianluigi Buffon On Chelsea Radars

Juventus goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon is Premier League-bound with Chelsea ready to land him, according to Italian newspaper reports.

Tuttosport and La Gazzetta dello Sport are claiming €25 million-rated Buffon is heading for the Premier League and he has asked directors to resolve his future before the World Cup in June.

The 32-year-old Italian international said his intention is to remain at the club, but should he be sold his first choice destination would be England.

"My will to leave is the same as Juventus', and if I do then I would like to move to England," he told Sky Sport 24 on Sunday.

That seemed to open the door to his Turin exit, and both Chelsea and United are on stand-by. Carlo Ancelotti is a keen admirer of him having worked with the keeper at both Parma and Juventus.

Buffon's future could be linked to the decision over a new coach at Juventus, with Rafael Benitez, Cesare Prandelli and Luciano Spalletti all linked with taking over the hot seat.

Should the goalkeeper part company with the Bianconeri, the club is looking at Cagliari shot-stopper Federico Marchetti as a first choice replacement. Palermo's Salvatore Sirigu and Udinese custodian Samir Handanovic are also on the list of choices.

Frank Lampard Haunted By England's Penalty Shoot-Out Failures

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has said England need more "self belief" should their World Cup ambitions depend on the outcome of a penalty shoot-out in South Africa.

Since the 1990 World Cup, England have been knocked out of five major tournaments on penalties - losing to Portugal (2004 and 2006) and Germany (1990 and 1996) on two occasions.

Argentina accounted for England on spot-kicks at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Lampard believes England can lift the World Cup but says the fear of being eliminated by penalties does haunt him.

"I think it has become a bit of an issue in the mind,” Lampard told The Sun.

"No matter how well we have played in a match, when it comes down to penalties, you think: 'Oh s*** here we go again'.

"Once you've got that mindset, it is hard to get out of it.

"That's why the Germans are so good at it. They get to penalties and they have a confidence, an arrogance I suppose that they are going to win.

"England need more of that self-belief."

Lampard has been one of England's stand-out performers this season, scoring 21 goals for Chelsea, who are in pole position to clinch the Premier League title on the final day of the season.

Drogba Kicks Off 'Sports In The City' Initiative

Didier Drogba has launched a new sport program to get young Londoners active this summer.

Chelsea's UK charity partner Help a London Child will run a Sport in the City initiative offering thousands of young people aged 7 to 15 the chance to experience taster sessions in sport during the summer holidays.

Utilising funding from the Premier League's Creating Chances program and Chelsea's Community Shield allocation from The FA, a specially-designed program will be drawn up to provide activities in a variety of sports including football, dance, boxercise, tennis, squash, badminton, circuits, basketball, swimming, breakdance, Futsal, trampolining, streetdance, table tennis, cheerleading, kickboxing, netball and hockey.

The Chelsea striker joined children from a Help a London Child-funded project in north Fulham to kick off the scheme.

'It is really important that kids enjoy sport from an early age and I hope this campaign will see thousands of young people continue with sport throughout their lives,' Drogba says.

'Obviously sport can promote health but it also helps bring people together and can help tackle many of the problems that young people face by giving them positive distractions. I hope the scheme goes from strength to strength and more and more people get involved.'

Sport in the City will form part of the Free Sport for All program, launched by 95.8 Capital FM's Help a London Child in 2008, which provides children with the opportunity to take part in sport across London, in particular disabled and disadvantaged children. The scheme will run throughout the summer holidays this year.

Tamsyn Clark, acting director of charities said, 'The new Sport in the City initiative is a fantastic addition to the work that Help a London Child is already doing with Free Sport for All.Sport has such a positive effect on young people, teaching them teamwork and communication skills and with the Olympics coming to London this is an ideal opportunity to get children interested in sport. Players like Didier are an inspiration to young people and we're delighted to have both his and Chelsea's support.'

The day with Didier was made possible by Chelsea fan Luca Doimi who won the prize at Didier's Foundation dinner and donated the coaching session to Help a London Child. Mr. Doimi's generous contribution was the inspiration behind Sport in the City and along with the Premier League and The FA has made this fantastic initiative possible

Chelsea's Academy Hailed By Drummy

Chelsea youth team manager Dermot Drummy has hailed the success of the west London side’s Under-18 side after they beat Aston Villa to win the FA Youth Cup earlier this week.

The Blues have relied heavily on big-money foreign signings to bring success to Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich era but have gradually promoted the rise of their young stars in recent seasons with Carlo Ancelotti stressing the importance of the Chelsea Academy.

Speaking in the aftermath of Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Villa, Drummy told the club’s official website:

"You have to give credit to the young lads for playing that way in front of all those people.

"To take the ball down and play when you might take a risk and the crowd sees you make a mistake takes courage and a strong philosophy.

"They did it admirably. The crowd was absolutely fantastic, they got behind the boys.

"It was a great Youth Cup Final over two legs. Full credit to Aston Villa, they performed very well and scored with a great header.

"The game was played in the right spirit, there was no moaning at the referee and the Villa coaches were very complimentary about us at the end and that was nice.

"I am very pleased for everyone in the academy, especially for (academy manager) Neil Bath, who has been here 14 years.

"It is a fantastic Academy and we have got to keep that going."

Cascarino: Chelsea Won The Title Against ‘Pathetic’ Liverpool Last Weekend

I have been asked numerous times this week whether I think Chelsea will drop points at home to Wigan at the weekend and the answer has to be…no. The 2-0 win at Liverpool effectively means that Carlo Ancelotti’s team won the title last weekend as I cannot see Roberto Martinez’ team stopping the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

People argue that amazing things happen all the time in football and while that’s true, 99% of the time it doesn’t. I have no doubts that Chelsea will beat Wigan relatively comfortably and I would be more than happy to take bets from whoever thinks otherwise. The tough game in this run-in should have been at Anfield but to be honest, Rafa Benitez’ team were pretty pathetic on the day and not what you would expect from what is a great club. Ok, they put up a fight for 20 or so minutes but football is played over 90 minutes and the Reds in this time were distinctly second best. After all, Chelsea didn’t even play particularly well themselves but still won at a canter as Liverpool didn’t manage a shot on target for god knows how long.

Liverpool were there for the taking which is a sad indictment of how far they’ve fallen this season. Fair enough, they lost a draining Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night and were without their best striker but a club of their standard should be able to bounce back. The Reds team had the look of a side that would be glad to see the back of what has been a simply terrible season. Even at the end of the match the fans left in droves as a half empty Anfield clapped off their team after a 2009/10 campaign to forget.

Chelsea will win the title but even they haven’t played as well as they can through much of the campaign. They were simply awful at Tottenham when they were really given the run around which you just wouldn’t expect from this Chelsea team but they remain top and will lift the title with the double looking a certainty.

The big four clubs have all been weaker than they have been in recent seasons but out of all of them, Chelsea were weakened the least. Manchester United lost two top quality players in Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo while Liverpool have never recovered from the sale of Xabi Alonso while Arsenal have flattered to deceive but ultimately not rectified the obvious frailties in their squad. Chelsea kept their squad together and although they barely strengthened it, that has been enough.

Next season will be even more interesting with the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Everton likely to be up there. All of those teams will strengthen with City definitely looking to bring in more talent which makes them a real threat to the usual status quo. Liverpool are the main team out of the big four that needs to strengthen the most which was backed up by comments from Rafa Benitez that he needed five or six new players in the summer. Now if you have been manager of a club for as long as the Spaniard that is a big statement as he has had enough time to build a capable squad, it’s not as if he has just joined a club that needs an overhaul, this is the team he has built. Those comments are a sad indictment of his own work and surely doesn’t reflect well on his own purchases.

Chelsea may secure the title this weekend but for me, the win at Anfield was the result that means the Blues are on course for a historic domestic double. Manchester United fans will be praying but there won’t be any shocks at Stamford Bridge this weekend.