Yet there is surely good sense in encouraging those who enhance our game as élite performers to

Yet there is surely good sense in encouraging those who enhance our game as élite performers to remain and do so in a tracksuit. No doubt the League Managers’ Association would echo the concerns of their Professional Footballers’ Association counterparts. “I am close to getting my British citizenship,” explained Petrescu, 32 next month.
“You need to be here five years. It is very difficult for a foreign footballer to find happiness when he leaves his home, but my wife and family [he has a daughter named Chelsea] have settled and enjoy it in London. I want to play for a few more years, maybe until the next World Cup. When I retire I would like to stay here, perhaps coaching, but it is difficult to get a job in football.”
Those who protest at the numbers of playing imports will, no doubt, be equally dismayed at the prospect of too many of their number remaining here as coaches and managers. Just over a year ago, I was not happy because I was not playing I did not want to move and I stayed and I was lucky.

The fans sang my name when I was on the bench and that helped me make up my mind.”
Petrescu bears more than a passing resemblance to the actor David Duchovny, who plays agent Mulder in The X-Files, a character who is convinced aliens are out there. As one himself – in the immigration sense – the Bucharest-born player is attempting to divest himself of the title. “When I moved from Sheffield Wednesday it was always my intention to finish my career here That’s what I’d like to do. “I have never been so happy in my life, because I am playing,” Petrescu declared. Instead, the rejection galvanised the veteran of more than 80 Romania appearances – including that one in which he embarrassed his Chelsea team-mate Graeme Le Saux and England in France 98 – into producing his best performances in four years at the club.
He anticipates agreeing a new contract within the year. There are foreign players who might have sulked, before departing ungraciously to one of several foreign clubs that coveted him.

Today, he is almost indispensable; yet, less than a year ago, Vialli was prepared to allow the Romanian international to leave, which says much about the strength of his squad, and perhaps something about the Italian’s judgement.
Vialli’s predecessor, Ruud Gullit, had also frequently consigned him to the bench. It was the Romanian who headed back across goal for Flo to profit with the second after the predatory Babayaro had struck the bar.
Maybe the midfielder will never possess the extravagant poise of a Gustavo Poyet, or tenacity of a Didier Deschamps, but how Kevin Keegan would relish this versatile, goalscoring performer who does not regard his left boot as a slightly irritating fashion accessory. A defence can easily get lost in its one-touch intricacies, beguiled by the final penetrating through-ball or one of Petrescu’s or Ferrer’s crosses.
Significantly, it was the all-purpose Petrescu who crossed for Babayaro to arrive late and convert what proved to be the psychologically damaging first goal. The Romanian is invariably integral to everything that passes through this bemusing triangle, created together with the defender Albert Ferrer and either Gianfranco Zola or Tore Andre Flo. That will be, for the foreseeable future, Dan Petrescu’s domain. They could rarely be accused of predictability and that is what ultimately made it A Night to Remember rather than One Of Those Nights.
Yet, if there was one particularly successful strategy it was the domination of the right flank of the opponents’ half.

Even the most sceptical of the Blues brothers at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night could not have departed unimpressed by the manner in which Chelsea indulged themselves as Vialli choreographed a varied repertoire from his team. Trust the Italians to determine that a night of romance is, in contrast to old dressing- room tales, actually of benefit to a footballer before a match.

Something to do with all that increased testosterone giving them an aggressive edge, according to their scientists last week. If the Latin theory is correct, then we can presume only that Gianluca Vialli’s men replaced training by re-enacting an orgy scene from Caligula before the annihilation of Feyenoord.
Thirty-seven attempts, on and off target. Trust the Italians to determine that a night of romance is, in contrast to old dressing- room tales, actually of benefit to a footballer before a match. We’re there or there-abouts so if we can keep up this level, we’ve got a chance.” With Dennis menacing once more, you would not bet against them..

They ran the perfect long-distance race in Wenger’s maiden season in charge, and only narrowly missed out last year when they were pipped to the title, by Manchester United, by a point.
“We’re usually good at pacing ourselves,” Bergkamp said “Well, this season it’s the same again. It’s been a feature of my time here.”
In the last two seasons, Arsenal have cleverly positioned themselves in the chasing pack until Christmas, before then launching their assault in the final months. “It always takes a while, but we’re notoriously slow starters anyway We traditionally get better during the season. Not only is one of them left-footed and the other right, they are also as comfortable going forward as they are defending They give options.