After a 3-1 defeat by Reims last March, De Zerbi organised a training camp in Rome with a series of team-building activities.

“I’d never done this before. I didn’t even know this was allowed in football,” Rowe says. “We went into the middle of nowhere, in the woods, in the cold. We’d wake up at 4am. We’d go to do some run or we’d walk into the woods. Then we’d do push-ups, a little core circuit with the flashlights out in the pitch black then another walk. Then we’d do hill sprints. You know, the fireworks, the pyro; whatever you call it that the fans use in the stadiums. He’d rip one of them open and start walking like we’re Vikings.”

On the fight with Rabiot:

“The thing is,” he says. “De Zerbi and Mehdi (Benatia), the (sporting) director, did not see the first punch (Rabiot) threw right at the start. They only saw me come back and hit him. So they probably thought I just hit him out of nowhere. I kind of had to explain it after.

“Emotions were flaring. Things got out of control. These things happen a lot in changing rooms, more than people probably realise.”

Real Madrid is waiting for the season to end this Saturday to announce the signing of José Mourinho, who will replace Álvaro Arbeloa as head coach and is a personal choice by Florentino Pérez in an effort to turn around a team that has gone two seasons without winning a title.

FT: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Auto-refreshing reddit comments link

LINE-UPS

Chelsea

Robert Sánchez, Jorrel Hato, Wesley Fofana (Mamadou Sarr), Marc Cucurella, Josh Acheampong (Trevoh Chalobah), Cole Palmer (Dário Essugo), Moisés Caicedo, Andrey Santos, Liam Delap (Shim Mheuka), Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto (Alejandro Garnacho).

Subs: Jesse Derry, Ryan Kavuma-Mcqueen, Filip Jørgensen, Reece James.

---

Tottenham Hotspur

Antonín Kinsky, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie (Djed Spence), Pedro Porro, Conor Gallagher, João Palhinha (Pape Matar Sarr), Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison , Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani (James Maddison).

Subs: Guglielmo Vicario, Souza, Lucas Bergvall, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma.

MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN

18' Goal! Chelsea 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0. Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Pedro Neto.

28' Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

43' Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

63' Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

67' Goal! Chelsea 2, Tottenham Hotspur 0. Andrey Santos (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Enzo Fernández.

69' Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. James Maddison replaces Randal Kolo Muani.

69' Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Pape Matar Sarr replaces João Palhinha.

69' Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Djed Spence replaces Destiny Udogie.

74' Goal! Chelsea 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1. Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Pape Matar Sarr.

74' Substitution, Chelsea. Trevoh Chalobah replaces Josh Acheampong.

79' Jorrel Hato (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card.

81' Substitution, Chelsea. Mamadou Sarr replaces Wesley Fofana.

85' Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card.

87' Liam Delap (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

89' Substitution, Chelsea. Dário Essugo replaces Cole Palmer.

89' Substitution, Chelsea. Shumaira Mheuka replaces Liam Delap.

89' Substitution, Chelsea. Alejandro Garnacho replaces Pedro Neto.

90'+2' Dário Essugo (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Don't see a thread for a match you're watching? Click here to learn how to request a match thread from this bot.

Bournemouth 1 - 1 Manchester City

Bournemouth scorers: Eli Junior Kroupi (39')

Man City scorers: Erling Haaland (90+5')

---

Venue: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England

Referee: Anthony Taylor

---

Bournemouth:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Đorde Petrović		Christos Mandas
Adam Smith	89'	Bafodé Diakité
James Hill	59'	Lewis Cook	89'
Marcos Senesi		David Brooks	84'
Adrien Truffert	90+6'	Ben Gannon-Doak
Tyler Adams	37'	Justin Kluivert	76' 90+3'
Alex Scott		Alex Tóth
Rayan	84'	Amine Adli
Eli Junior Kroupi	39' 76'	Enes Ünal	89'
Marcus Tavernier
Evanilson	89'

Manager: Andoni Iraola (Spain)

---

Manchester City:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Gianluigi Donnarumma		James Trafford
Matheus Nunes		Rúben Dias
Abdukodir Khusanov		John Stones
Marc Guéhi		Joško Gvardiol
Nico O’Reilly		Tijjani Reijnders
Rodri	90+3'	Rayan Cherki	56'
Antoine Semenyo	56'	Savinho	56'
Mateo Kovačić	56'	Phil Foden	56'
Bernardo Silva	56'	Omar Marmoush	76'
Jérémy Doku	76'
Erling Haaland	90+5'

Manager: Pep Guardiola (Spain)

---

MATCH EVENTS

1': We're off!

4': Doku with the shot, saved by Petrović

12': Semenyo scores! No, flag goes up. Yep, he's leaning just past the backline, great pass by Haaland though.

14': Khusanov launches a poor shot from distance into the stands.

15': Terrible miss by Evanilson, just has to tap it in but he bonks it over the net. And he was offside anyway.

32': Semenyo gets a shot off, takes a block and loops in the air for an easy save by Petrović.

37': Tyler Adams got carded? Not clear why, must have been dissent, Haaland got whistled for a foul there on Adams, maybe he thought Haaland should have been booked

39': GOAL BOURNEMOUTH!! Eli Junior Kroupi with a beautiful looping shot into the top corner! Is this the goal that hands Arsenal the title??

41': Hilarious, Kroupi's shot goes wide and then he's finally flagged offside even though he was offside by about 40 yards

HT Bournemouth 1-0 Manchester City Huge half. Can Man City rescue themselves or will the title be sewn up today?

---

46': We're back!

46': SAVE! Haaland with a great through pass to O'Reilly but Petrović blocks the shot from close range.

52': SAVE! Evanilson with the shot at the bottom corner, looked like it was going wide to me but regardless Donnarumma dives to his right to keep it out.

56': Man City triple sub: Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Savinho on for Bernardo Silva, Antoine Semenyo and Mateo Kovačić

59': James Hill stops the counter with a push on Savinho

61': Evanilson lays the ball off to Kroupi who puts it over the left corner from the edge of the box.

62': Off the post!! A set piece for Bournemouth, glances off of Evanilson's head, Rayan tries to clean it up from close range but has to turn quickly and hits the outside of the left post.

63': Rodri chips the ball way over from close range.

69': SAVE! A cross from wide from Rayan takes a wicked deflection, forcing Donnarumma to switch direction and keep it out from the near corner.

76': Bournemouth substitution: Justin Kluivert on for Eli Junior Kroupi

76': Man City substitution: Omar Marmoush on for Jérémy Doku

84': Bournemouth substitution: David Brooks on for Rayan

89': Big chance for Brooks to put it away but his shot is tame and saved.

89': Yet another chance for Bournemouth but Evanilson's shot curls wide.

89': Bournemouth double sub: Lewis Cook and Enes Ünal on for Adam Smith and Evanilson

90': Brooks with another huge chance! Just had to beat the keeper! He does and then, it bounces off the far post!!!

90+3': Rodri and Justin Kluivert going at it, they both get cards

90+3': Kluivert with a shove on Rodri just outside the box... dangerous free kick incoming

90+4': Free kick into the wall, rebound goes to Foden who whiffs on the shot. Cleared.

90+5': GOAL MAN CITY!! The ball bounces around the Bournemouth box, a shot hits the far post but then Erling Haaland whips it into the other side!

90+6': Adrien Truffert carded for the tactical foul... game's still on...