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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016 SPORTS Chelsea’s implosion leaves incoming Conte with a tough job LONDON: If Leicester’s rise to the top of come to Stamford Bridge on the final room after being sent off late against rience and winning mentality leaves a the club’s training base at Cobham. English soccer is the most bewildering day of the season. Sunderland in what likely was his 703rd massive hole in the team. There’ll be no A huge rebuilding job appears neces- aspect of this chaotic season in the Ranieri was the coach fired by and final match for Chelsea. Champions League soccer at Chelsea for sary at Chelsea but will Conte get the Premier League, then the implosion of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in The 35-year-old Terry, who has been the first time since the 2002-03 season. funds from Abramovich to do so? Chelsea runs a close second. A 3-2 loss 2004 as he chased the signature of Jose at Chelsea since he was 14, hasn’t been And there’ll be another new manager in Mourinho didn’t last year, perhaps pre- to Sunderland on Saturday made it offi- Mourinho. Chelsea started as the run- offered a new deal. “Captain. Leader. situ - current Italy coach Antonio Conte. cipitating his decline. And for Chelsea to cial: Chelsea will end the season with the away champions from the previous sea- Legend” reads the banner about Terry Where to start on Conte’s to-do list. get top stars without the lure of the worst title defense in the 24-year history son, with a squad to envy and a manag- draped across one of the stands at Replace Terry; attempt to keep hold of Champions League, it might have to of the Premier League. The Blues can fin- er widely regarded as one of the world’s Stamford Bridge. “We know what he has Hazard; decide whether Diego Costa is spend extra for players. With ish no higher than ninth place and could best. It’s turned into an absolute mess. done for this club and what he has won,” worth the effort and strengthen the for- Manchester City, Liverpool and still drop as low as 11th. There’s the Eva Carneiro saga from the Matic said of Terry. “All of us in the team ward line; try to attract players to a club Manchester United also likely to be in That’s much worse than Manchester opening day of the season that left the wish him all the best for the future and no longer in Europe’s elite; and assess the market for world-class players this United’s seventh-place finish under club in a bad light and will drag on into of course this is not a good way to finish how big a role youngsters like Ruben offseason, Conte will have to be astute David Moyes in his woeful 10 months June in the courts; the firing of in a club.” Stamford Bridge is going to be Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy and Bertrand and could end up turning to Italian play- in charge in 2013-14, which is some Mourinho in December; the fall from a very different place next season. Traore should have next season. If Italy ers in the transfer market. And there’s no achievement in itself. And there’s still grace of top players like Eden Hazard, With Terry set to leave - it’s unclear reaches the European Championship knowing how that will turn out. The one ignominy left in this sorry cam- Nemanja Matic and sulky striker Diego whether for the United States, China or final on July 10, Conte will have barely a soap opera that is Chelsea Football Club paign for Chelsea: On Sunday, the Costa; relinquishing the league title another English club - the last member month before the new English season has always guaranteed drama and head- team will give a guard of honor to with barely a whimper; and on of Chelsea’s old guard and spine (Petr starts. Planning is surely underway lines in the Abramovich era, but also a Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri and Saturday, the sight of long-time captain Cech, Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier already, but he’s still got precious little regular supply of silverware and his players when the new champions John Terry trudging to the dressing Drogba) disappears. Losing all that expe- time to get his feet under the table at European soccer. Maybe no more.— AP Galaxy send Revolution reeling Keane back with a bang LOS ANGELES: Robbie Keane was firing on all cylinders on his return from knee surgery on Sunday, the Irish international scoring twice to help lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 4-2 victory over New England Revolution in their Major League Soccer showdown. Two months after undergoing a right knee procedure, the 35-year-old Keane combined well with team mate Gyasi Zardes (two assists) to give the Galaxy plenty of optimism moving forward. “It feels like at the moment that we’re get- ting people back and then someone is miss- ing through suspension or injury,” Keane told reporters after the home victory. “Come July, hopefully we get everybody back together, everybody fit and healthy, and I think you’ll see a stronger, stronger team.” The Galaxy could hardly have looked any stronger early on Sunday as they stormed to a 3-0 lead in the first half. Keane kicked off the scoring in the 13th minute and added another in the 45th, while Giovani dos Santos tallied in between in a dominant display. The second half was a tighter affair, howev- er, with Steven Gerrard netting in injury time to complete the scoring after New England, winless in six games, had battled back through Kelyn Rowe and Juan Agudelo goals after the break. Los Angeles (5-1-3) are now undefeated in seven games and are riding high with their veteran striker back to lead the attack. “Robbie is very important for us, for the club. He’s a great player,” Dos Santos said. “I think the chemistry between me and him is Celtic’s Erik Sviatchenko, of Denmark, celebrates scoring a goal in this file photo. — AP getting better every game and for me, it’s always a pleasure to play with him.” In the only Celtic manager hails five in row, other match of the day, New York City beat DC CALIFORNIA: New England Revolution midfielder JeVaughn Watson (right) kicks the ball away United 2-0 after an in-form David Villa scored from Los Angeles Galaxy forward Robbie Keane during the first half of an MLS soccer game on blasts ‘little league’ disrespect his seventh goal of the season and Khiry Sunday, May 8, 2016 in Carson. — AP Shelton added another.— Reuters GLASGOW: Celtic manager Ronny Deila Glasgow rivals Rangers. Dons boss Derek says his side’s Scottish Premiership title is McInnes felt his side’s performance in the every bit as special as the rest after his side match at Celtic Park mirrored his side’s Platini to quit clinched their 47th top flight championship title challenge. with a 3-2 win over nearest challengers “The players deserve a lot of credit for Aberdeen. A double from Patrick Roberts not folding and giving up and coming back UEFA after and a Mikael Lustig strike seemingly put fighting strong,” McInnes said. “I think it has Celtic in an insurmountable position before parallels to our league campaign. We had losing appeal goals from Jonny Hayes and Andrew to work for it in the end, we let them know Considine made for a nervy finish. we were there and weren’t going anywhere LAUSANNE: Suspended European soccer boss Michel The win moves Celtic 12 points clear of but ultimately we just fell a bit short.”Today the Dons with two games remaining and is about Celtic. For all the criticism that has Platini will resign as head of governing body UEFA after los- seals a fifth consecutive league title for only come the manager’s way and the players’ ing a top level appeal against a ban for ethics violations, the third time in the club’s history. way it hasn’t been through their league but he will continue to fight to clear his name. One of the However, Celtic have come in for criticism form. “Their points tally will be up there finest players of his generation who went on to become a this season with cup semi-final defeats to with any championship winning team. powerful sporting official, Frenchman Platini was suspend- rivals Rangers and Ross County, allied to Ultimately we beat them twice and we ed after his dealings with fallen world soccer chief Sepp poor European form, resulting in Deila probably needed someone else to lay a Blatter dragged him into the scandal which engulfed the announcing his decision to leave the club glove on them as well to get closer to LONDON: West Ham fans buy Pies and Eels ahead of the English Premier League foot- sport’s global governing body FIFA. in the summer. However, the out-going them, but they deserve credit today.” ball match at The Boleyn Ground in Upton Park, in east London. — AFP Sport’s highest tribunal, The Court of Arbitration for boss says his side’s title win deserves to be With Rangers’ return to the Scottish top Sport (CAS), upheld Platini’s suspension on Monday, valued as highly as previous victories. flight next season, McInnes acknowledges although it reduced the term from six years to four.