EPL ~ Chelsea leapfrog Liverpool to second spot
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BRIGHT FUTURE ... Robinho expects City to be challenging with the big boys
ROBINHO reckons Manchester City soon will be as big as Chelsea.The Brazilian superstar also believes Mark Hughes' side can one day win the Champions League. City coasted to a 2-0 win over Aalborg last night in the UEFA Cup. And ahead of Sunday's clash with Chelsea, Robinho revealed he expects City to be challenging for silverware soon.
He told Setanta Sports: "We are a very ambitious club and many people underestimate us. "We may be not be the biggest club yet but let’s not forget what Chelsea were four years ago. "We can do as well as they’ve been doing in recent years.
"Manchester City are after big things, we want to be up there and maybe win the Champions League." Striker Robinho joined City from Real Madrid last summer in a British-record £33million deal. And he added: "I’m very pleased the way things have gone so far.
"All I want to do now is help the club, from the bottom of my heart, I really want the club to go far. "I know there is pressure but I play for Brazil and I am used to that. "I want to repay the supporters and the club for their trust."
Chelsea tried to sign Robinho before he joined City but he opted to head to Manchester over London. He revealed: "They came with a good offer and they are a huge club. "On top of that, they had a coach like Big Phil at that time, somebody for whom I have the biggest respect.
"Every player wants to play for a big club like Chelsea but I’m a Manchester City player hoping that one day we can rival clubs like Chelsea, and we will."
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gei siao respect for mark huges? then explain for the disappeance....
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Originally posted by Y_Shun:
gei siao respect for mark huges? then explain for the disappeance....
his birthday
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Let see if Man City can beat them?
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eh, talking cock ah?
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man city will get there la. But they need to follow chelsea's path and get at least a fourth....and then things begin from there.
If man city enter the champion's fray, it wld be interesting. Cos the places are no longer for Man U, Pool, Arse and Chelsea. Everton is alrdy giving the top four a good run for their money. Villa is not quite there yet, i tink.
Poor robinho, this will take years but at least he's laughing all the way to the bank now.
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i think he is referring to the paycheck.
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Chelsea striker goes over too easily, says City ace
RICHARD DUNNE fears Didier Drogba will cheat Manchester City out of a successful revenge mission at Stamford Bridge today.
Irish stopper Dunne has fingered the Chelsea hitman as one of the Premier League’s top conmen and is worried referee Mike Riley could be duped.
Drogba was labelled a diver by his former Blues boss Jose Mourinho last October and has also been blasted by Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez for his antics.
Now Dunne has spoken out in a bid to highlight the Ivory Coast frontman’s manipulation of the rules and has warned City’s players not to lose their cool when they see him tumble to the ground.
He is worried Drogba’s antics could foil City’s bid to flush last season’s 6-0 drubbing out of their memory by pulling off a shock win on Chelsea’s home turf.
Dunne said: “Drogba seems full of confidence at the moment. He is such a big, strong fella that he is always a handful.
“You also get the odd time he wins free-kicks. He plays the game well, I suppose.”He is a clever forward, he knows what he is good at and what he's not.
“I certainly don’t admire the way Drogba goes about things. It is part and parcel of the game, though. Every team has players who win free-kicks. There is nothing you can do about it.
“You just have to make sure you are careful when you are making tackles and just try and do your job. It is frustrating for everyone when you feel your opponent is conning referees. It is the same now when you play in Europe.
DEAD DROG - Didier Drogba falls under the challenge of Richard Dunne“It is just part and parcel of the game but it is frustrating and sometimes you do lose your cool. But we need to make sure we have 11 players on the pitch if we want to get a result.’’Dunne admits it is hard to keep your head as a modern day defender when strikers like Drogba are getting away with murder and he is being penalised for honest errors.
He added: “You just want a bit of common sense to be used. The problem is that if someone is going for the ball and the centre-forward is good enough to beat them, even if it’s not a dangerous tackle but just a little bit late, it’s a yellow card straightaway.
“That happens even when there is no intention, it’s just good play from the forward. It happens but it is very difficult for defenders because it’s not us who are diving or jumping around but it’s us who are getting booked and sent off.
RICHARD DUNNE - unimpressedDunne admits it is hard to keep your head as a modern day defender when strikers like Drogba are getting away with murder and he is being penalised for honest errors.
He added: “You just want a bit of common sense to be used. The problem is that if someone is going for the ball and the centre-forward is good enough to beat them, even if it’s not a dangerous tackle but just a little bit late, it’s a yellow card straightaway.
“That happens even when there is no intention, it’s just good play from the forward. It happens but it is very difficult for defenders because it’s not us who are diving or jumping around but it’s us who are getting booked and sent off.
“A bit of common sense from the referees would make the game more enjoyable, not just for defenders but for fans as well. It’s very hard now to try and make a tackle in the box. You are just so wary of giving things away.’’
Dunne’s team-mate Robinho is the one who got away from Guus Hiddink.
The Chelsea chief said: “Robinho is a very attractive player. As a matter of fact, when I was manager of PSV Eindhoven I wanted to sign him when he was just 17 and went to meet him in Brazil.
“I was close to succeeding but at the last moment Real Madrid came in and then you are out of the game, of course.”
One thing is certain, however, and that is Robinho will be a serious threat to Chelsea’s revival under Hiddink when he arrives at Stamford Bridge.
Hiddink added: “He’s one of the players who can hurt us. What will I say to him? I don’t know. Maybe just ‘keep calm, please!’”
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Originally posted by limpper:
I understand... That one is a story by itself, this is more for the match between the 2 clubs going on now... Actually you could have even posted that here and just change this title...
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oh just now nvr see, lol.
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nah bei we still win wad
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Lolx Bridge must be regreted that He went City for FC
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didn't the media had a splash about c ron doing dives aplenty this season....lol....
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Chelsea leapfrog Liverpool to second spot
Liverpool might have ensured there will be no automatic coronation of Manchester United this season, yet it is Chelsea who are emerging as the most convincing heirs to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League throne.
That'll do nicely: Micheal Essien (left) celebrates scoring Chelsea's decisive goal.Having finished in the top two in each of the past four seasons, they look rejuvenated under Guus Hiddink and their performance in Sunday’s 'Battle of the Billionaires’ against Manchester City suggested a further rediscovery of the resilience and consistency that carried them to five trophies under Jose Mourinho.
A gap of four points and one game to Manchester United may still prove decisive but, unlike Liverpool, Chelsea have an abundance of players with the experience of winning a Premier League title. In Hiddink, they also have a manager with the stature to rival Ferguson and the Dutchman was canny enough yesterday to cast himself as the underdog while deflecting any pressure in the direction of Old Trafford. “It’s clear that after Saturday’s unexpected result that the tension has come back in the league,” said Hiddink. “It gives a blow. It depends on their calmness if it goes on. When you are in the driver’s seat and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous. The door is a little bit open.
“Of course [they are vulnerable]. In the Premier League, many teams have the capacity to win there. It’s not a battle between the managers. It’s a battle between the players. Rafael is experienced, Sir Alex is very experienced. Let me, as a schoolboy, chase them.”
The schoolboy, though, may have to do without Deco for the rest of the season after the Portugal midfielder limped off yesterday with a hamstring injury. Hiddink is more confident about Didier Drogba’s ability to quickly recover from a knock to his knee and can draw particular confidence from the return of Michael Essien.
The contrasting performances of Essien, who scored Chelsea’s winning goal after 18 minutes, and Robinho, who was virtually anonymous, certainly supported Hiddink’s pre-match theory that it is not the size of a club’s bank account that counts, but the way they utilise their resources.
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Lolx a single goal also can lolx goal diff la
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both teams sucked.
i cannot tahan SWP and malouda.
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maybe this time round, chelsea can meet man utd in the UCL
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lampard had a very quite match against city.
he hardly ventured into the danger areas.