12 games in Chelsea's Ballack: I'm
cooked!
tribalfooball.com - November 14, 2006
Just twelve games into the Premiership season, Chelsea midfielder
Michael Ballack has conceded that he has already reached his
physical limit.
In a stunning confession to German newspaper, Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, Ballack admitted to feeling the strain of
Chelsea's crowded schedule, saying he wouldn't mind the "odd
break".
"I have reached my limit in terms of the physical demands," Ballack
told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "We will see what it is
like in spring not to have a winter break."
Ballack, who moved to Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer
after four years at Bayern Munich, has quickly established himself
as a Chelsea regular, forcing Mourinho to move Frank Lampard out of
his favored central midfield role in the process.
While the confession may shock Chelsea fans, many of whom would
argue that they have yet to see the best of the Germany Captain,
Ballack insists the pressures and demands of the Premiership are
why he moved to West London.
"I deliberately gave up the nice footballing life that you have in
Munich, as I wanted to prove myself and impose myself again.
Everything is quite new: the surroundings, the team, the level of
expectation. At Chelsea all the players are of a high quality," he
said.
"The respected and privileged position that I carved for myself in
Germany is no longer there. Good performances are crucial. But I'm
happy that I took that step."
- By Joseph De Lacey
i tot he got stamina of @ least 90 out
of 100 ? he RARELY even run and he run so slow and he miss 3
chelsea games and now he is burn out >??? what the crap ? german
captain so weak one
drop him please since his stamnina can't keep up with the pace of
chelsea gameplay and fixtures
