Robinho Ready To 'Explode' For Manchester City's Comeback

Robinho is desperate to make his return from injury, claiming he is ready to "explode" for Manchester City.

The former Real Madrid forward, the first major signing of the Abu Dhabi United Group era, has found himself the subject of intense media speculation, as a deal with Barcelona is said to be a viable option in the winter transfer window.

The Brazilian, 26, has not helped quash the rumours as he stated earlier in the week that it would be easier to achieve his ambition of being recognised as the world's best player at the Camp Nou, not the City of Manchester Stadium.

However, Robinho's latest comments show a willingness to perform for Mark Hughes.

"I'm going through a good moment, my level of football had a drop in performance," he is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. "I'm very aware that I have to improve and I think now is the time when I explode."

He conceded that he would not be keen on rushing back from injury. due to the World Cup taking place next summer.

"I have to exploit my game at the World Cup. It would not be worth pushing myself now and then doing nothing at the World Cup. My recovery has to go step by step."

Robinho is currently nursing a stress fracture to his foot. He is expected to return at the end of November.

Chelsea 4-0 Atletico Madrid: Blues are Back In Style

Chelsea made it three wins out of three in Group D, with a comfortable win over disappointing Spaniards Atletico Madrid.

It was Salomon Kalou who was the Chelsea hero with two goals either side of the break, plus a first goal in ten matches for Frank Lampard and an Atletico own goal, that erased some of the woe from Saturday’s defeat at Villa Park and sees Chelsea top of their group, with one foot firmly in the next round.

Chelsea made four changes from the side that lost to Aston Villa at the weekend, with Branislav Ivanovic, Juliano Belletti, Michael Ballack and Kalou coming in - Ricardo Carvalho, Florent Malouda, the injured Jose Bosingwa and the suspended Didier Drogba making way.

Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan returned to the Atletico Madrid side after being rested for the 3-0 loss against Osasuna. Raul Garcia started his first game since the opening day of the season, while Jose Antonio Reyes, formerly of Arsenal, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle - once of Liverpool and Blackburn - were on the bench.

Both teams were looking forward to the break from domestic concerns and it was Chelsea who almost opened the scoring immediately. Juliano Belletti’s cross-cum-shot flashed across the penalty area, before Sergio Asenjo could gather. Atletico Madrid quickly replied with a header from Forlan that forced Petr Cech into a save and Aguero then shot wide despite appearing to be offside, in what was a bright opening exchange.

On twelve minutes Chelsea had the ball in the back of the net. Frank Lampard’s floating free kick was misjudged by Asenjo and sailed into the net, but the goal was ruled out due to an offside against Kalou. Kalou then had a golden chance to put Chelsea ahead but somehow he could only drag his shot wide of the left-hand post after a neat move involving Michael Essien and Ballack.

The Ivorian went close again just after the half hour, when a mix-up just outside the box saw Kalou in space in the edge of the area but his deflected shot was well saved by Asenjo. From the resulting corner John Terry rose highest but couldn’t find the target and Kalou once again failed to help it on its way.

Five minutes before half-time, Kalou finally got his name on the score-sheet. Lampard fed Ashley Cole via a Belletti dummy on the left flank, and the England left-back’s ball across the six-yard box was slammed into the roof of the net by the persistent Kalou.

Chelsea started the second period just as they had finished the first and doubled their lead within five minutes of the restart. Nicolas Anelka had already had a stinging shot saved by Asenjo, before another Chelsea corner was floated in by Lampard and Kalou was on hand to head the ball downwards and into the net for his second of the game.

Aguero could have got Atletico back in it straight away but his delayed shot was too easy for Cech and from then on the visitors never looked like threatening and Chelsea wrapped up the game with 20 minutes to go. Essien played a neat one-two with Lampard on the edge of the box and the England man let fly with a shot from 20 yards that flew past Asenjo into the bottom corner. It was Lampard’s first goal since his strike against Sunderland on August 18.

A minute before the end Chelsea added the fourth, when substitute Florent Malouda’s free-kick was headed into his own net by Colombian Luis Perea, summing up a disappointing night for the Spanish side.

Another three points for Chelsea and another clean sheet, their passage to the knock-out stages is almost assured.

Rubin Kazan Coach: We Didn't Think We Could Beat Barcelona in Camp Nou

Rubin Kazan coach Kurban Berdyev admitted that he didn't think his side could win against the UEFA Champions League holders after he masterminded on of the biggest shocks in the tournaments history by securing a 2-1 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Aleksandr Ryazantsev gave the visitors a shock lead inside four minutes with a fabulous strike from distance and although Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised, Karadeniz Gokdeniz struck the winner for the visitors.

"We didn't think we could win. We tried to commit ourselves to playing well and hoped to make a good counterattack and, thank God, that has been the case," Berdyev was quoted as saying afterwards by AS.

"It is a feast for the fans, they really deserve it," he continued before praising the commitment of the entire team.

The win puts Rubin level with Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev on four points after three games played, with Inter last with three points and the Russian side may now harbor notions of emerging from a group which would have seemed a fanciful dream when the draw was made.

Champions League Debate: Real Madrid vs Milan

Real Madrid and Milan are the two teams who have won more European Cups than any other club side on the continent.

Los Blancos are looking for their elusive tenth ever title – now frustratingly known as 'La Decima' – while the Rossoneri are hoping to pick up their eighth crown, and their third this decade.

But while the ambitions are the same, the clubs and the squads are on very different paths. The Spanish powerhouse have been criticised for spending too lavishly to resurrect the Galacticos dynasty, while the Italian leviathans have been slammed for relying on their old stars and not spending enough to rebuild and rejuvenate.

Whatever the case, these two heavyweights ooze superstar quality left, right and centre from back to front, and there will be key battles going on all over the pitch.
Two extremely pivotal players, whose main job is to keep their respective teams ticking like clockwork. While Lass links Madrid’s back line to the attacking midfielders, Seedorf is the bridge between Milan’s midfielders and the forward line.

The Milan veteran still has a remarkable burst of speed in those aging legs of his. But Lass’s job will be to make sure that the ball doesn’t reach him at all, rather than spend the evening chasing after the Dutchman. If the 33-year-old Seedorf can be kept quiet without seeing much of the ball, the 24-year-old Frenchman can better utilise his energy to sneak forward and help out in attack. If Il Diavolo do choose to go ultra-defensive, the ‘Men in White’ will need all the help they can get to penetrate the rearguard.

But make no mistakes... Seedorf is still extremely crafty and he will not hesitate to exploit open spaces. And the Bernabeu faithful will know all about his shooting abilities, having seen him score his fair share of humdingers during his time as a Blanco.
The two midfielders have spent the last six years training and working closely together at Milanello. But on Wednesday evening in Madrid, they will be nothing less than rivals as they put friendship aside to try and overcome each other.

You would think that the Rossoneri captain will know every trick and secret about the Brazilian to stop him in his tracks. But the same applies the other way around, as 'Ricky' will summon all his knowledge, not just about his direct opponent, but also on the entire Milan midfield line and defence to create havoc.

Kaka, like Xabi, has yet to fully click into gear and it may be a while yet before he starts replicating the kind of dazzling form that led Milan to Champions League glory in 2007. But like Ronaldinho, if there’s a time and place for the €67 million man, who picked up the MARCA Leyenda award overnight, to kick-start his ‘Casa Blanca’ career, it is on Wednesday night against his former club. Ambrosini, who will have to do extra dirty work with Gennaro Gattuso absent, could be in for a long night.

Chelsea Will Keep Joe Cole Confirms Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed the club want to keep midfielder Joe Cole whose contract expires next year.

The 27-year-old has recently made his return to first team action after suffering a serious knee injury back in January and the Italian insisted the England international was very much part of the club’s future.

Cole is now expected to follow the likes of Alex and Salomon Kalou in extending his current deal at the club, and boost the Blues who are currently banned from signing new players until January 2011 due to the Gael Kakuta affair.

"We want to keep Joe Cole because he's in the same situation as Alex and [Saloman] Kalou," Ancelotti told the Premier League’s official website.

"They signed new contracts because they are good young players and we want to keep them in our squad.

"We want to maintain the squad because that will ensure it stays very competitive. We need these players for the future.

"They are young but are also experienced because they have played a lot of important games. The fact Alex and Kalou want to stay is a good sign for the club.

"Our aim is to maintain the squad and maybe change one or two players at the end of the season."

Cole had been linked with a number of clubs over the summer, including Tottenham Hotspur, although he now looks likely to remain at Stamford Bridge and the club he joined from West Ham United back in 2003.

Liverpool get Gerrard boost but Torres misses out

Liverpool will have Steven Gerrard back in their ranks for Tuesday night's Champions League showdown with Lyon after he trained on Monday morning, but Fernando Torres misses out again.
The Reds' skipper, along with striker Torres, was forced to sit out Saturday's defeat at Sunderland with a groin injury but has returned to the squad to face the French outfit.

But Torres was again absent from training with Rafael Benitez's side and will not feature against Lyon, although he could play some part in the weekend's game against Manchester United.

"Steven is fit," Benitez told a pre-match press conference. "He has been training so hopefully he will be available tomorrow. It is important as we have had some problems with injuries since the start of the season, so having Gerrard fit is a big boost for us.

"Torres is still not ready. Hopefully he will be for the weekend, but not for this game."

Benitez is eager to put an end to a poor run which has seen Liverpool lose their last three matches against Chelsea, Fiorentina and Sunderland and knows he needs his star duo back to full fitness as soon as possible.

It seems unlikely he will again experiment with the three-man defence used at the Stadium of Light, while Jay Spearing will surely make way for Javier Mascherano after being thrown in for his Premier League debut against the Black Cats.

Benitez, meanwhile, has urged his players to forget about the unfortunate loss on Wearside, courtesy of a Liverpool fan's beach ball, and concentrate on their Champions League task.

"You can guarantee that if we win against Lyon the mood will change, and if we can win against [Manchester] United [Sunday], the mood will be totally different," the boss told the club's official website. "When you are not winning, to play another game quickly and have the opportunity to change things is the best thing.

"We will try to win and then everything will be different. I have a lot of confidence because we are a good team. We have some problems with injuries but the squad as a squad is good enough to win some games. A positive result would be massive for our confidence. The Champions League is a different competition and the players know the fans will be behind them, so it can be a big boost for us.

"The fans know when the team needs support and they are behind us. Our fans are the best in the world, and when we need something they are there pushing us.

"We have some experience here among the staff and some of the players. When you are in the situation we are in, the main thing is to keep calm, analyse what is going on and be ready for the next game.

"Sammy Lee, Mauricio Pellegrino, Xavi Valero and Paco De Miguel - all the people working with the players on the pitch know how to stay calm.

"The only solution when you have a good team is to stay together and work hard. Again I will say that we got 86 points last year, not because we were lucky, but because we did a very good job."

Ferguson Facing Possible Five Match Ban For Ref Rant

Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly set to be hit by a five game touchline ban for criticizing referee Alan Wiley after his side’s recent 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Old Trafford.

The Scot branded the referee “unfit” following the game although he has since apologized for his comments, admitting he was trying to detract from a poor performance from his side.

However, it appears that apology may not be enough to save him from a heavy penalty with both the Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror reporting that the Scot will be banned from the touchline for five games.

Indeed the Sunday Mirror claims that the Football Association are “determined to take a firm stance” against the United manager who will discover tomorrow whether he is to be charged with improper conduct for his comments.

Of course this is not the first time that the 67-year-old has been banned from the dugout after criticising a referee’s performance.

In both 2003 and 2007 he was hit with a two-game ban and should the Sunday press prove correct, he could be set for some more time sitting in the stands.