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Chelsea Looks to Respond to Neville’s ‘Bottle Jobs’ Taunt by Staying on Course in FA Cup 

Chelsea's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley stadium, in London, on February 25, 2024. (AFP)
Chelsea's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley stadium, in London, on February 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Chelsea Looks to Respond to Neville’s ‘Bottle Jobs’ Taunt by Staying on Course in FA Cup 

Chelsea's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley stadium, in London, on February 25, 2024. (AFP)
Chelsea's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley stadium, in London, on February 25, 2024. (AFP)

Chelsea's underperforming players were described by one leading British soccer pundit as “billion-pound bottle jobs” after their loss in the English League Cup final.

They'll need to show they have the stomach for a fight when they return to action on Wednesday in another cup competition that represents their last chance of winning a trophy this season.

Fresh off Sunday's defeat by a youthful Liverpool team at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea hosts Leeds — an in-form second-tier side on course for an immediate return to the Premier League — in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

No doubt ringing in the ears of Chelsea's squad will be that cruel taunt by Gary Neville — a former Manchester United and England defender who is now a high-profile analyst for broadcaster Sky Sports — that is dominating the post-League Cup final media agenda.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino brushed off the criticism, saying it was “not fair to talk in this way” and that Neville knew the “dynamics” in play as the London club looks to gel a squad of young players that has been expensively assembled over the past two years.

Prior to the recent January transfer window, Chelsea had spent more than $1 billion across three windows in the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital regime and has yet to see the benefits.

The tag of “bottle jobs” — meaning people who collapse under pressure — might stick if Chelsea succumbs to Leeds at Stamford Bridge, given how much of a favorite Pochettino's team will be for the last-16 match.

“They need to feel the pain,” Pochettino said of his players. “We played for a trophy we didn’t get and now, it is the same — what can you tell me to feel better? Nothing. They need to feel the pain and of course they need to realize we need to work more, do better things, we need to improve.”

Chelsea is not in Europe this season and is also far from certain of making it into any European competition next season. The team is in 11th place in the Premier League, though only four points off seventh spot. Finishing in seventh would guarantee a berth in either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League.

The FA Cup, therefore, is suddenly a big deal for Chelsea and Pochettino. Their problem is, there are quite a few top teams left in the draw.

Like defending champion Manchester City, which continues its defense of the trophy — and its bid for back-to-back trebles — with a trip to Luton on Tuesday.

Like Liverpool, which is at home to second-tier Southampton on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp might have to roll out the kids once again, with an injury crisis robbing the manager of at least 10 senior players. Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were the latest to pick up injuries in the final against Chelsea.

Manchester United visits Nottingham Forest in an all-Premier League matchup on Wednesday, when Wolverhampton has a home game against fellow top-flight team Brighton.

Tuesday's other games see second-tier Blackburn hosting struggling Newcastle and Bournemouth at home to second-tier leader Leicester.

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Flotilla on Seine, Rain and Celine Dion Mark Start of Paris Olympics

Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Flotilla on Seine, Rain and Celine Dion Mark Start of Paris Olympics

Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Members of delegations are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday after a soaking wet ceremony in which athletes were cheered by the crowd along the Seine, dancers took to the roofs of Paris and Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song.

France's three-time Olympic gold medalists Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner then lit the Olympic cauldron, suspended on a hot-air balloon, before Canada's Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf's "Hymn to Love", in her first public performance in years, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

The 30-meter (98 ft) high balloon carrying a 7-meter diameter ring of fire took to the air and was hovering dozens of meters above the ground.

It will be in the air from sunset until 2 am local time every day, organizers said.

"We are so proud of this show, I'm so proud that sport and culture were celebrated in such a fantastic manner tonight, it was a first and the result was fantastic despite the rain," Paris 2024 organizing president Tony Estanguet told reporters.

A fleet of barges took the competitors on a 6 km-stretch of the river alongside some of the French capital's most famous landmarks, as performers recreated some of the sports to be showcased in the Games on floating platforms.

It was the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside a stadium, adding to the headaches for a vast security operation, just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France.

"I invite everybody: dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, be inspired with the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit of living in peace," International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach said as the ceremony came to an end at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday.

As the show started four hours earlier, a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke, resembling the French flag, was sent high above a bridge over the Seine as part of a show that included many postcard-like depictions of France, including a huge cancan line performed by Moulin Rouge dancers on the banks.

A more modern image of the country was on display when French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most-listened to French female singer in the world, sang some of her biggest hits, accompanied by the French Republican Guard's army choir.

Nakamura's performance drew some of the ceremony's biggest cheers. Rumors of her inclusion had sparked a row over French identity, with supporters saying she represented the vibrancy of modern-day France while her detractors said her music owes more to foreign influences than French.

POURING RAIN

While the celebration of French culture, fashion and history was warmly cheered by many of the 300,000 spectators lining the river, hundreds were seen leaving early as the rain fell.

"It was good other than the rain, it was nice, it was different, instead of being in a stadium being on the river, so that's always a good thing - interesting, unique," said Avid Pureval, 34, who came to the Games from Ohio.

"Once you're wet, it's fine," he said. Still, he was heading back to his hotel after the French boat passed, long before the ceremony ended.

"It would have been better with sun," said Josephine, from Paris, sitting beside her 9-year-old daughter and who paid 1,600 euros ($1,736) for her seat.

With many world leaders and VIPs present, the ceremony was protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine's riverbed was swept for bombs, and Paris' airspace was closed.

Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers were deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the ceremony. Armed police patrolled along the river in inflatable boats as the armada made its passage along the Seine.

WELCOMED IN TAHITI

A mix of French and international stars, including soccer great Zinedine Zidane, 14-times French Open champion Rafa Nadal, 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and three paralympic athletes were among the last torchbearers before the cauldron was lit.

It will blaze until the closing ceremony on Aug. 11.

At the start of the parade, applause erupted for the Greek boat - the first delegation, by tradition - and there were even bigger cheers for the boat that followed, carrying the refugees' team. The French, US and Ukrainian delegations also got loud cheers.

The two most decorated athletes in the Games' history, Michael Phelps and Martin Fourcade, unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals.

At one point, there was a live crossover to the early morning welcome ceremony at the surfing venue, 16,000 km away in the Pacific island of Tahiti.

ISRAEL DELEGATION

France is at its highest level of security, though officials have repeatedly said there was no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.

But since the last Games - the Winter Olympics held in Beijing in 2022 - wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense international backdrop.

Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and are given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics due to the war in Gaza, officials say.

The Israel delegation got some boos, but also a lot of cheers, as it sailed by spectators, Reuters reporters saw. Chants of "Palestine! Palestine! Palestine!" rose from the crowd as the boat passed.

Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy. But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and cast a shadow over his moment on the international stage.