Manchester City lose Carlos Tévez and up to five others for Stoke game
Roberto Mancini is facing a severe shortage of players for Manchester City's Premier League trip to Stoke tomorrow.
Carlos Tévez has been granted leave to return to Argentina for family reasons and is definitely out, with Craig Bellamy (knee) and Vincent Kompany (groin) also unlikely to play.
In addition, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland and Martin Petrov all suffered knocks against the same opposition at the weekend and could miss out.
Adam Johnson does return after being Cup-tied for the fifth-round FA Cup match against Stoke at the weekend.
Terry given time off after affair allegations
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins has confirmed John Terry will be allowed to miss Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Cardiff.
Terry was sacked as England captain last week following allegations that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate and former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge.
According to newspaper reports, Blues skipper Terry wants the time off to join his wife, Toni, in Dubai this weekend in a bid to save his marriage.
Wilkins explained that Terry and manager Carlo Ancelotti had discussed the defender's break from club duties.
"He will not play this weekend. Carlo is giving him a bit of time off," Wilkins said. "He will come back and prepare for our game against Wolves on February 20.
"They just had a little chat, John and Carlo, and decided that would be the best for all concerned."
Terry played 90 minutes for Chelsea on Wednesday but was unable to prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins has confirmed John Terry will be allowed to miss Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Cardiff.
Terry was sacked as England captain last week following allegations that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate and former Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge.
According to newspaper reports, Blues skipper Terry wants the time off to join his wife, Toni, in Dubai this weekend in a bid to save his marriage.
Wilkins explained that Terry and manager Carlo Ancelotti had discussed the defender's break from club duties.
"He will not play this weekend. Carlo is giving him a bit of time off," Wilkins said. "He will come back and prepare for our game against Wolves on February 20.
"They just had a little chat, John and Carlo, and decided that would be the best for all concerned."
Terry played 90 minutes for Chelsea on Wednesday but was unable to prevent his side slipping to a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.
Sunderland 0-0 Stoke City
Raw aggression, personal animosity and nervous tension proved powerful undercurrents in a game of strong emotions but erratic quality which left Sunderland on the brink of crisis.
A rare clean sheet will be scant consolation for Steve Bruce whose expensively assembled Wearsiders have not won a Premier League game since beating Arsenal here in November and are now on the verge of a relegation battle.
Bruce had said last night's meeting with Stoke and Saturday's subsequent home fixture with his old club Wigan would "define" Sunderland's season but he failed to get the desired response against some familiar faces.
A Stoke party studded with six former Sunderland players and, in Peter Reid, an ex Wearside manager, ensured plenty of old acquaintances were renewed. Reid, Tony Pulis's assistant these days, chewed gum manically as Salif Diao's slapdash pass went straight to Darren Bent. Fortunately for Diao, Abdoulaye Faye rescued the situation courtesy of a superb recovery tackle.
If Pulis was delighted by that, Stoke's manager swiftly became embroiled in an extraordinary verbal exchange with Faye when the centre-half hobbled towards the touchline apparently suffering from a lower back spasm and removed his captain's armband. Pulis ordered him to replace it and get back on the pitch but, by now, Faye was doubled up in agony and his boss eventually had no option but to send Andy Wilkinson on in his stead. Talk about a lack of tea and sympathy.
By now though abrasion — both verbal and physical — was proving something of a theme and former Sunderland team-mates Andy Reid and Stoke's Dean Whitehead swiftly became embroiled in a protracted scrap which suggested they might not have been the best of friends.
In a piece of transfer business reputed to have hurt his ego, Whitehead was effectively replaced here by Lee Cattermole and the Stoke midfielder should have been shown a straight red card rather than an ultra lenient yellow for a horrific high and completely off the ball retaliatory kick on Cattermole.
Guilty of blatant violent conduct Whitehead had lost his temper in the wake of a previously hard yet fair tackle from his adversary and, along with it, all reason and self control. Sunderland's players, not to mention Bruce, were so outraged that a mini brawl might have developed had not Stoke's Turkey forward Tuncay thrown a restraining arm around the highly aggrieved home captain Lorik Cana and talked the formidable Albanian out of exerting revenge.
By now the watching full back Alan Hutton, newly recruited by Bruce on loan from Tottenham, could have been forgiven for feeling slightly relieved to have signed too late to make his debut in this particular encounter. It was to become even more testosterone fuelled. Cattermoleis hardly football's coollest customer and, idiotically, depressingly, soon bulldozered into Whitehead with a ridiculous challenge as half time approached for which he received a yellow card.
If all this rough stuff undeniably helped deflect the bitter February chill at a ground surrounded by the icy remnants of the north east's weekend snowfull, it was hardly conducive to high calibre football.
Genuine scoring chances were rare but Stoke really should have taken the lead early in the second half when Danny Higginbotham flicked on a Glenn Whelan free kick but, somehow, Mamady Sidibe saw his strike from three yards hacked off the line. The rebound fell to Whitehead only for his apparently goalbound shot to be deflected to safety.
Sunderland thought they should have had a penalty when Robert Huth appeared to handle in the area but replays suggested the referee, Howard Webb, was right to ignore the protests of Cana and company.
With Whelan impressing in midfield for Stoke and too many of Bruce's bigger 'names' underperforming Pulis's side remained largely in control and were fully worthy of the draw.
Manchester City v Portsmouth – as it happened
Good afternoon everybody. It's New Money against No Money at Eastlands today, with Manchester City taking on Portsmouth in a mouth-watering clash many are describing as "seventh in the table against rock-bottom".
Still smarting from the cuffing they got from city neighbours Manchester United in the Carling Cup semi-final during the week, a win for City will enable them to leapfrog Aston Villa and go level on points with Liverpool. An unlikely triumph for poverty-stricken, debt-ridden Pompey will leave them adrift at the foot of the table, but bring them to within two points of their nearest rivals, Hull City.
Some interesting stats
• Pompey have not won away at Manchester City since August 1963, losing 10 and drawing five of the 15 visits in the interim
• Carlos Tevez has scored 10 goals in his last eight league matches, one more than the entire Portsmouth team over the same length of time
• There have been 43 goals scored in City's last 11 league matches
• Portsmouth have won just one of their last 23 league away matches
• City have lost just one and won 16 of their last 20 league matches at home
Team news we've culled from the news wires: Crisis club Portsmouth are at least able to name a full bench of substitutes when they lurch into Manchester City this afternoon.
With players being sold from under Avram Grant's nose, the threat of administration still looming and the player's wages delayed again, only the loan signing of Quincy Owusu-Abeyie offers Grant the option of having seven replacements.
In contrast, City are an oasis of calm despite their midweek Carling Cup exit at Manchester United and Emmanuel Adebayor returns to start a game for Roberto Mancini for the first time as the Blues look to edge closer to a top-four place.
Man City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Garrido, De Jong, Ireland, Barry, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor.
Subs: Taylor, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Sylvinho, Bellamy, Boyata, Ibrahim.
Portsmouth: James, Vanden Borre, Ben-Haim, Wilson, Hreidarsson, Mullins, Basinas, Jamie O'Hara, Webber, Utaka, Boateng.
Subs: Ashdown, Piquionne, Finnan, Hughes, Owusu-Abeyie, Ritchie, Sowah.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Fantasy football watch: I need a big game from Carlos Tevez today if I'm to achieve the nirvana of mid-table respectability in my friends league. I'm 13th out of 18 at the moment and on the slide.
Interesting story: Portsmouth reserve goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has gone missing from the Marriott Waltham Abbey hotel, where Spurs were apparently putting him up before finalising a deal to sign him today. Apparently he's hightailed it towards Stoke. How much more gas can there be in this Portsmouth explosion? Who'd be a Pompey fan, eh?
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack. The teams march out of the tunnel and on to the field, with City's players lining up in their usual sky blue kit and Portsmouth in navy, which is quite fitting for a club from a town that's habitually awash with seamen. David James has his hair in corn-rows and is wearing an emetic pink ensemble.
1 min: And they're off. Manchester City keep possession for the first 36 seconds, before Anthony Vanden Borre, who I'd never heard of 20 minutes ago, gets the first touch for Portsmouth.
2 min: Pablo Zabaleta gallops down the right wing before pinging the ball towards Carlos Tevez. Mark Wilson puts the ball out for a corner. Martin Petrov sends the ball into the mixer and Jamie O'Hara clears for Pompey.
3 min: Shay Given comes for a cross and makes a complete pig's ear of it - I suspect the sun may have got in his eyes. He flaps at the ball and Javier Garrido hacks clear.
4 min: Hayden Mullins pings a ball up the centre towards Kevin Prince Boateng on the edge of the City penalty area, but Stephen Ireland intervenes and heads clear.
6 min: Gareth Barry and Martin Petrov combine down the left flank for City, but Danny Webber wins possession from the former and hoofs clear. City are dominating, but without creating in the way of scoring opportunities.
7 min: THey've just shown a replay of an incident where Javier Garrido gave Danny Webber a shove as the pair contested a loose ball in the City penalty area. It should have been a penalty.
9 min: That David James outfit I mentioned earlier isn't pink, exactly. Unless I'm visualising the wrong colour altogether, which is very possible, I think it's magenta.
10 min: Portsmouth win a free-kick just inside their own penalty and the ball is hoofed towards Hermann "The Hermannator" Hreidarsson. There's too much welly on it and it runs out of play and, while chasing it, the Portsmouth skipper pulls up with what looks like a hamstring twinge.
12 min: Zabaleta and Tevez combine well down the right wing, only for Wilson to intervene again and put the ball out of play. At least I thought he had, but the referee signals fopr a goal-kick, not a corner. Zabaleta doesn't complain so I can only assume I got it wrong. No surprise there, then.
13 min: From the right wing, Zabaleta plays the ball into the centre to Gareth Barry. He picks out Stephen Ireland on the edge of the penalty area and the Irishman's shot is deflected out for a corner off the busy Mark Wilson.
15 min: The corner is taken and Portsmouth clear.
16 min: "There's plenty of empty seats here and there were plenty visible on Match of the Day last night," writes Gary Naylor. "Which will be the first club to go to a Ryanair-style pricing structure? Michael O'Leary has shown that stripping out costs (football has already done that - unless you're in the hospitality suites munching on the prawn sandwiches, and there's always an "adminstration fee" when buying a ticket) allied to selling seats priced with the intention of 100% occupancy, can be a successful business model. Season tickets might need re-thinking, but there's plenty of businesses re-assessing old certainties, not least yours Barry. An empty seat is an asset unused, not a pretty sight for the Garry Cooks of this world."
16 min: Is it just me or does anyone else think Gary Naylor would be a better football club chief executive than Gary Cook?
17 min: A long ball is floated into the Manchester City penalty area, but is this much too high for Hreidarsson, who was trying to get on the end of it and head it past Given.
19 min: Kolo Toure does well to keep the ball in play on the right touchline, deep in Portsmouth territory, then jink around Jamie O'Hara and win himself a corner. The ball's sent into the penalty area and Observer columnist David James plucks it from the sky.
21 min: From the middle of the field, Martin Petrov sends a diagonal ball towards Nigel De Jong on the left flank. He puts too much leather through the ball and it sails wide.
23 min: Mark Wilson gets booked for pulling Carlos Tevez'sw shirt as the Argentinian tried to chase the ball into the Portsmouth penalty area. Free-kick for City, about 25 yards from goal, right of centre.
23 min: Petrov stirkes the free-kick, it hits the defensive wall and eventually comes back to the Bulgarian, who then sends a low drive fizzing just wide of the right upright. David James looked to have it covered anyway.
25 min: It's all City at the moment - Petrov sends in a cross which Ireland should have headed home, then Teviez sends in another one, which Ireland controls and shoots straight at David James.
26 min: Hermann Hreidarsson is still struggling with that injury he picked up earlier. It looks like he might have a calf-strain. He goes off and is replaced by Steve Finnan.
27 min: Anthony Vanden Borre crosses from the right fkank, but his delivery is too high for Kevin Prince Boateng, who was the only Portsmouth player in the City penalty area.
28 min: "Isn't saying that Gary Naylor would be a better football club chief executive than Gary Cook damning with faint praise?" asks David Wall, among many, many others.
29 min: Portsmouth win a free-kick on the right flank and Jamie O'Hara curlks the ball into the City penalty area. Shay Given catches the ball and moments later City have a corner at the far end.
30 min: From the corner, Petrov sends the ball across the edge of the six-yard box. Vincent Kompany gets his head to it and sends a downward header wide. He should have scored.
32 min: Martin Petrov has to get treatment after being caught accidentally by a wayward Kevin Prince Boateng elbow as the pair contested a high ball. He'll live.
33 min: City continue to dominate, with Kompany sending a 50-yard diagonal ball towards the left flank for Javier Garrido to chase up the flank. It sails out of play for a Portsmouth throw-in.
35 min: Adebyaor feeds Tevez on the right touchline and the Argentinian cuts inside, drops a shoulder and tries to burrow his way into the Portsmouth penalty area. Jamie O'Hara intervenes and hacks clear.
36 min: There's pandemonium in the City penalty area, as John Utaka does brilkliantly to back-heel a ball that seemed to be heading wide into the path of Anthony Vanden Borre. His looping shot beats Given all ends up and hits the bar and City eventually clear.
38 min: That was a real let-off for Cityy, who have just lost Pablo Zabaletta, presumably to injury. He's replaced by Nedum Onuoha.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Portsmouth (Adebayor 39) City go behind after Emmanuel Adebayor sprints between the centre-halves, who were stepping up in a bid to play the offside trap, to latch on to a 50-yard pass and bury the ball past the hopelessly exposed David James. It was a great finish, but he looked a touch offside, mind.
40 min: That goal could herald the opening of the floodgates, I suspect. It was a soft one for Portsmouth to concede and it will almost certainly help City's players relax after a fairly disjointed performance thus far.
42 min: Portsmouth embark on one of their increasingly infrequent sorties into the Manchester City half. A promising looking move breaks down when Niggel De Jong intervenes for City. He's fouled by Angelos Basinas, who gets booked for his troubles.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Portsmouth (Kompany 45) City win a corner, the balls swung in from the left and Vincent Kompany scores with his head. Tal Ben Haim was supposed to be marking him, but was too busy trying to pull his shirt to leap in the air and contest the header.
45 + 3 min: The corner from which City just scored came about on the back of good work from Carlos Tevez, who'd shot at David James. It should have been a straightforward save, but the Portsmouth goalkeeper spilled the ball and let it go out for a corner. He'll be seething over that.
Half-time City go in 2-0 up, despite not playing particularly well in the first half. I can fairly confidently predict that Portsmouth have no chance whatsoever of pulling this one out of the fire.
An email from Paul Sumner, who also fancies himself as a football club chief-executive: "Further to Gary Naylor's mail, I am surprised none of the clubs that regularly sell out (forgive the pun) have but 10% of their tickets up for auction each game, or at least some stock marketesque plan to pander to the Johnny Come Latelies with more money than sense," he writes. " They could set a high price which would decline nearer the game but increase sharply when availability of tickets became scare. It is similar to the pricing models of Lego on the internet before Christmas, and beer in bars full of utterly insufferable ****s."
A topical email from Ahmed Bilal: "Would you lose your job if you were outed as having an extra-marital affair?" he asks. "Not that I think you should." Well Ahmed, I'm not married, but am fairly sure I'd lose my testicles if I was outed as etc, and so on. Holding on to my gig would probably be the least of my worries in such a scenario. Anyway, besides the incumbent Lady Baz, who'd have me?
Second half: The teams emerge for the second half, with Emmanuel Adebayor stopping for a quick pray, before looking heavenwards and pointing to the sky, much like he's doing in the photograph up the page. There's no prizes for guessing who those prayers are being offered up to. City kick off.
47 min: Portsmouth win a free-kick about 30 yards from the City goal, in the left channel. Jamie O'Hara takes it, but there's nowhere near enough welly on his shot to trouble Shay Given, who gathers comfortably.
48 min: City win a free-kick over by the left touch-line, about halfway inside the Portsmouth half. Garrido floats the ball into the penalty area, where it hits the back of Kevin Prince Boateng's head and bounces. A moment of Pompey panic ensues, before the ball is hacked clear.
49 min: John Utaka gallops down the left wing, cuts inside and makes his way into the City penalty area, where Kolo Toure relieves him of possession with a well timed tackle. Portsmouth win a corner, which Javier Garrido clears.
51 min: "Re: your reply to Ahmed's mail," writes Peter Walker. "Fishing for some compliments?" I was, yes. But none have been forthcoming!
52 min: Portsmouth attack, with John Utaka pinging the ball out to Anthony Vanden Borre on the right touchline. They end up winning a corner. The ball is flated across the edge of the six-yard box, bounces and hits Kolo Toure's hand before he hoofs clear. Pompey's appeals for a penalty are ignored by the referee.
54 min: Good link-up play between John Utaka and Jamies O'Hara enables the latter to shoot from distance from about 25 yards. His low drive is a couple of feet wide of the right upright.
55 min: Portsmouth win another corner, which Angelos Basinas takes. Hayden Mullins contests the high ball, but is beaten in the air by Kolo Toure. City clear. Portsmouth are doing OK in this half and haven't let their heads drop. I thought they might roll over and ship a terrible hiding.
57 min: "I noted your remark concerning Adebayor's prayers at the start of the second half," writes David Hilmy. "Perhaps I have missed the blog articles discussing the recent CAF decision to punish Togo for daring to wthdraw from the African Cup after being machine-gunned. What do your regular Man City MBM followers think?" While I wouldn't dare speak on behalf of my readership, I presume, like most people, they probably think it's a totally unsurprising disgrace.
59 min: Manchester City substitution: Kompany hjjobbles off with an injury of some sort and is replaced by Dedryck Boyata. That's a straight swap - a Belgian for a Belgian.
60 min: City win a throw-in deep in Portsmouth territory and play keep-ball down by the right touchline. Nedum Onuoha eventually drives the ball across the Portsmouth penal;ty area, forcing Mark Wilson to clear.
62 min: Nigel De Jong slides into a challenge on Hayden Mullins and gets booked. That was a fairly vicious challenge - I've seen players get sent off for less. Mullins is OK, though.
64 min: Gareth Barry plays the ball out to Carlos Tevez on the left flank and he runs practically the width of the pitch before winning a free-kick about 40 metres out from the Portsmouth goal. Petrov curls the ball around the wall but straight into the chest of David James.
65 min: I'm still waiting for those compliments in the wake of that fishing expedition.
66 min: John Utaka charges down the left flank, before sending the ball into the Man City penalty area. There's nobody there to get on the end of it.
65 min: Basinas shoots from distance, bringing a smart save out of Given. The ball breaks to Danny Webber, who completely miskicks from five or six yards with the goal at his mercy and the crowd erupts with laughter. That was a terrible, terrible miss.
67 min: "Don't be so hard on yourself re: marriage prospects," writes Glenn Moran. "If Brian Cowen has a wife, there's hope for biffos everywhere." For those not in the know, I should probably point out that in Ireland, a Biffo is an acronym that's short for Big Ignorant F**ker From Offaly. I'm one, as is our glorious leader Brian Cowan.
70 min: City attack and Martin Petrov tries to pick out Emmanuel Adebayor with a cross. Tal Ben Haim heads clear.
70 min: Sarcastic wolf-whistles greet the sight of Craig Bellamy removing his trackie-bottoms and getting ready to come on. At least I'm presuming they're sarcastic. Like myself, he's no looker.
72 min: "While Shay Given may not be under enough pressure to prove the point you made about him in the pod the other day, did you happen to hear Ger and Oisinn discuss your point on The Saturday Sports Show on Newstalk yesterday afternoon?" asks Ian McCourt. I didn't hear the show, Ian, but I heard I got monstered on it for suggesting that Given has some shortcomings as a goalkeeper. I think he's very good, but a bit over-rated, particularly by some in Ireland who think he can do no wrong.
74 min: Kevin Prince Boateng gets booked for a foul on ... somebody. In a more well-informed update, I can exclusively reveal that Craig Bellamy has come on for Martin Petrov.
75 min: Nedum Onuoha crosses from the right flank, but sends the ball high over Bellamy and Adebayor and out for a Portsmouth throw-in.
77 min: Portsmouth substitution: Fred Puiquionne on, Danny Webber off. Steve Finnan wins a corner for Portsmouth off Kolo Toure. Boyata clears.
77 min: Adebayor picks out Bellamy with a diagonal pass to the left-hand side of the Portmsouth penalty area. He squares the ball with a low drive and Jamie O'Hara hacks clear.
79 min: Carlos Tevez rattles the left post with a drive from eight yards after being teed up by Craig Bellamy and doing well to make room for a shot. He should have scored.
81 min: Given-gate rumbles on: "It's not so much that Irish people think GIven does no wrong," writes Hugh Collins. "It's that he has saved the Ireland team from the wrongs of others - O'Shea, McShane, all the way back to the horrifying days of Phil Babb - so many times that he seems like an antidote to footballing idiocy."
82 min: City win a corner, which Craig Bellamy sends into the mixer. Unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, Gareth Barry skims a header wide. The lad will, as they say, be disappointed with that.
83 min: City win a free-kick for someabout 45 yards from the Portsmouth goal, out near the right touchline. Garrido curls the ball into the penalty area, where the substitute Piquionne larrups it clear.
84 min: Kevin Prince Boateng tries a shot from 40 yards. High and wide.
85 min: POrtsmouth substitution: Quincy Owusu-Abeyie on for his Portsmouth debut, Hayden Mullins off.
86 min: City win a corner, which Bellamy plays short to Tevez. The ball is eventually worked to Javier Garrido, who charges into the penalty area and is blocked by Tal Ben Haim before he can inflict any damage.
87 min: On the subject of Togo being banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations, Patrick Smith has this to say: "It has to one of the single worst decisions in the history of sport," he writes. "It reminds me a bit of the old 'joke' about apartheid South Africa, about the drunken white man driving into two people of color, one went through the windscreen and was charged with breaking-and-entry and the second, who was rushed away in an ambulance, was charged with failing to report an accident. The 'rules' if you like taken to illogical extremes."
88 min: From a Portsmouth corner, the ball bounces at the feet of Piquionnne, who doesn't react quickly enough to trouble Shay Given unduly from four yards out. What amounts to a deflection off the Portsmouth player bounces stragith into the goalkeeper's hands.
90 min: THere'll be four minutes of added time or thereabouts.
90+1 min: Heroic persistence on the part of Carlos Tevez enables the Argentinian to win a corner off Tal Ben Haim, much to the Israeli's displeasure. Nothing comes of it.
90+2 min: The stadium announcer reveals that Kolo Toure will be accepting the man of the match bubbly in a few minutes' time.
90+3 min: City win a corner, which Craig Bellamy plays short to Garrido in the Portsmouth right-back poition. He swings the ball into the penalty area, it's only half-cleared and then Ireland sends in a cross from the other side. He fails to pick out Adebayor and Portsmouth clear.
Peep! Peep! Peep! It's all over - City take the points and change places in the league table with Aston Villa. Portsmouth remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, five points behind Hull City, six points from safety and looking decdiedly doomed.
Chelsea seek to avoid curse of Turf Moor
If Chelsea are to open up a lead at the summit of the Premier League this weekend, they must achieve a result that has proved beyond title rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti takes his side to Turf Moor to face Burnley, who have beaten Sir Alex Ferguson's champions and held Arsene Wenger's Gunners already this season.
Following on from an impressive 3-0 mid-week success against Birmingham, who had not lost for 15 matches ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge, optimism will be high within Chelsea ranks that they can collect another three points.
However, this fixture will provide a test of character for the side and experienced players at the club will realise it requires as much concentration and focus as any encounter against one of the country's bigger clubs.
The Blues have suffered two away defeats this term, at the hands of Manchester City and Aston Villa, and this latest game on the road is an opportunity to open the gap at the top of the league.
United and Arsenal face each other on Sunday, meaning a win at Burnley would leave Chelsea four points clear of Ferguson's side, and five ahead of Wenger's men.
"If we open up that gap again it'll be great," said midfielder Frank Lampard, who was an integral part of Chelsea's two Premier League title successes (2004-05 and 2005-06) under Jose Mourinho.
"Those little mental things are great during the season.
"It's a great to be back on top. We knew we had games in hand but we didn't like to see ourselves down in third place. Arsenal were on a good run but it's a marathon not a sprint."
Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are both available following their return from the African Nations Cup but the Ivory Coast duo have been given the weekend off to recover from their long trip back to London.
Chelsea's ability to cope without Drogba's goals was questioned before he flew off to Angola, but since then the London outfit have won all four fixtures they have played -- scoring 17 goals along the way.
"We didn't say we'd struggle this month, everyone else did," Lampard added. "We have a lot of belief. I just think the loss of Didier was talked about too much. We've got the players who can come in. Maybe some needed to step up and everyone has done.
"We have gone up another gear this month. We had a bad run in December, dropped some points and we've worked hard to get that back."
The last time these sides met was in August, and Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners courtesy of goals from Nicolas Anelka, Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole.
Since then Burnley have changed managers though, and Brian Laws has failed to pick up a win since taking over from Owen Coyle earlier in the month. In fact, Burnley have not even scored a goal since he arrived.
The former Sheffield Wednesday chief has lost all three matches so far, leaving the Clarets inside the bottom three. And they have injury problems to contend with too.
Versatile anchorman Graham Alexander and midfielder Chris McCann are almost certainly ruled out of the game, although Cameroon international Andre Bikey returns from international duty.
Defender Leon Cort and goalkeeper Nicky Weaver have been brought in this week in an attempt to add strength in depth to the squad.
Cort, a 1.5-million-pound (1.7-million-euro) signing from Stoke, is set for his debut against Chelsea, while former Manchester City keeper Weaver, who joined as a free agent, has made it clear he is ready to challenge Brian Jensen for the number one spot.
He said: "The chance to come back into the Premier League was something I couldn?t turn down and hopefully it?s longer than just for a few months.
"There are 16 games left and a lot of points to play for and all the players will pull in the right direction to keep the club in the Premiership."
Juventus seeking to prise Rafael Benítez away from Liverpool
Juventus have identified Rafael Benítez as the man to replace Ciro Ferrara as manager and hope to capitalise on the Spaniard's frustration with financial constraints at Liverpool with an imminent approach for his services.
Ferrara is close to the sack following a run of six defeats in eight games, the latest courtesy of a stoppage-time winner by the former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise for Roma, and officials at the Turin club have drawn up a list of possible replacements for the inexperienced coach. Liverpool's manager is understood to head their list and will be formally invited to join Juventus once Ferrara has departed, although Benítez could delay his appointment until the summer should he choose to accept.
Benítez is aware of the Italians' interest and his agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, last night refused to rule out the possibility of a stunning departure from Anfield. "Benítez to Juventus? In football you never know," Quilon said. "I don't know what will happen in four to five months. In football everything changes quickly, but the basic principle is that Rafa still has a four-year contract with Liverpool." Benítez's agent insisted, however, that a move to Juventus is not a fait accompli. Quilon added: "Right now, that hypothesis is not correct, because he is a very important figure [at Anfield]. The idols of the fans are [Steven] Gerrard, [Fernando] Torres, and Benítez."
With the gamble on Ferrara yet to pay dividends Juventus want a more experienced, proven coach to take control at Stadio delle Alpi. The coveted Guus Hiddink, whose uncertain future as Russia coach has placed several Premier League clubs including Liverpool on alert, priced himself out of a move to Turin by demanding £3m to reprise his Chelsea fire-fighting role from last season and take charge until the end of this campaign, plus a £6m-a-year salary thereafter.
Benítez earns around £4m a year basic at Anfield under the terms of the five-year contract he signed last March. Juventus may struggle to match those terms but Benítez could earn more net in Italy on a reduced contract, given the 50% tax rate that comes into effect in Britain in April.
While Benítez, a fluent Italian speaker who cites the former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi as his tactical role-model, has been fiercely loyal to Liverpool he has become increasingly dismayed at the impact of the club's substantial debt on his squad. The 49-year-old is acutely aware that the problems caused by the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett will ultimately affect his reputation, indeed he has attracted fierce criticism for a poor season, and there is a sense a move to a club of Juventus' standing may suit all parties.
The Liverpool hierarchy intend to review Benítez's position at the end of this campaign, one that has brought an early exit from the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and no Premier League title challenge, but cannot afford the maximum £16m he could claim if sacked. Hicks and Gillett would not face such a crippling bill should their manager walk away, although they hope to improve the club's finances with new investment in the coming months.
With his job under pressure Benítez may view Juventus as a welcome release, even though the Italians' hierarchy is also beset by problems. Luciano Moggi, the former director general who was disgraced in the Calciopoli scandal, launched an outspoken attack on the club president Jean-Claude Blanc yesterday, saying: "Juventus are paying the price for the inadequacy and incompetence of their directors".
Several Italian newspapers are reporting that, should Benítez accept the Juventus offer, Hiddink would replace the Spaniard at Anfield. They include La Stampa, which is owned by the Exor investment company and whose chairman, John Elkann, is also vice-chairman of Juventus and the grandson of the club's late former owner, Gianni Agnelli. Last week Liverpool officials rejected claims by Hiddink's agent that they had made an approach for the Dutchman.
Benítez's transfer strategy has stalled in recent days with Ryan Babel remaining at the club despite earlier attempts to offload him, Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones priced out of his reach and no answer, as yet, on the pre-contract offers made to strikers Milan Jovanovic of Standard Liège and Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh. On the eve of tonight's Premier League visit to Wolves, where Gerrard will return from a hamstring injury, Benítez admitted he does not expect to see any of the money Hicks will raise through the £350m sale of his Texas Rangers baseball franchise. He also confirmed the club's balancing act in the transfer market is an attempt to entice new investors to Anfield.
"I don't think so, no," Benítez said of Hicks's windfall. "We are now run like a company and they are another company. It is a different thing. The majority of clubs are now run like companies. You have to think about football and business, both things together. This year we have done a fantastic job trying to balance the books and to do the right job for the company. In football, we had to take some risks and we have to improve now on the pitch.
"This year we have had to sell if we want to buy and keep things level. That's part of the risk, and sometimes it has gone well and sometimes less well. If people can see the club is healthy, it'll be easier to bring in investors."
Robinho wants to go home to Santos after dismal time at Manchester City
Robinho, the most expensive player in English football, has confirmed that he wants to leave Manchester City and blamed Roberto Mancini, and formerly Mark Hughes, for making his time in the Premier League so unhappy.
A delegation from Santos, Robinho's former club in Brazil, is due to meet City officials in Manchester this week and several other clubs, led by Benfica, have registered an official interest in the former Real Madrid player.
Robinho's advisers have tried to persuade Barcelona to try to arrange a loan deal but the initial talks have not been followed up and the player has now decided that he wants to return to Brazil to rejoin the club where he began his career.
"The whole board of directors [at City] has decided that the best thing is to loan me out," Robinho said. "It would be extraordinary to come back to Santos. Playing for Santos would help pave my way to the World Cup. It's my home, where I know everyone."
Robinho's desire to leave Manchester was first revealed in the Guardian in November and, despite strong denials from his club at the time, it has now become apparent to the City hierarchy that he has failed to embrace life in England and has begun to feel disillusioned in the extreme.
After a promising start the Brazilian's form has deteriorated sharply, culminating in him losing his place in the team since Mancini took over from Mark Hughes. He was brought on as a substitute during City's recent 2-0 defeat at Everton only to be brought off later in the game because Mancini was so unimpressed.
"The first thing to say is that it is a bad moment I am going through," Robinho told Rádio Bandeirantes in Brazil. "The managers are different here. They decide a system and want you to fit in and it doesn't matter if you're tall or short. The manager was honest with me. He told me I was just going to play every other game. I told him that wouldn't interest me because this is a World Cup year and I need to play."
His impending move will represent a major setback to City given that Robinho's transfer from Madrid on the day the Abu Dhabi United group took control at Eastlands was supposed to signify the club's new ambitions. Instead, he has flickered only sporadically in his 16 months in England and is now so desperate to leave he has even informed City that he will waive part of his £160,000-a-week salary. "The financial situation is important but being happy also counts," he explained.
Santos will still have considerable problems raising the money for the deal to go through but the club intend to offer City the first refusal on their two most exciting young players, Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.
"I don't know if the deal is possible but if there is the slightest of chances to bring him back we will look at every option to do that," the club's president, Luis Alvaro De Oliveira Ribeiro, said. "If Corinthians can find a way to bring back Ronaldo then we can do the same with Robinho."
Robinho's time in England now seems destined to be remembered as a failure and it is a measure of how far his stock has fallen that he was named in the side to face Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park today only because Mancini wanted to rest other players ahead of the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester United on Wednesday.
"We hope Santos can persuade Manchester to do a deal," said Evandro Souza, one of the player's advisers. "Myself and Robinho's father are in Manchester to try to arrange the deal and we expect we could be here until the end of the transfer window."
In addition to the interest from Benfica, Robinho revealed he had spoken to his former Santos team-mate Diego, now a Juventus player, about the possibility of a move to the Turin club.
"He invited me to be happy with him at Juventus," Robinho said. "I told him: 'Di, I think it's better for me to go to Peixe [Santos's nickname] and go back to Brazil."
Arsène Wenger defends Arsenal team selection after FA Cup defeat to Stoke
Arsène Wenger insisted he had little choice but to field a weakened side as Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup by Stoke. The Gunners went down 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium in their fourth-round tie, and Wenger conceded that his youthful side could not cope with the hosts' physical style.
But with crucial Premier League games against Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in a 14-day spell coming up, Wenger was clearly concentrating on his club's title ambitions.
Ricardo Fuller scored with a header in each half for Stoke, with Dean Whitehead adding the third. Denílson had given Arsenal hope with a first-half equaliser.
Stoke had beaten Arsenal in the league at the Britannia last season, sparking a war of words between Wenger and his counterpart, Tony Pulis, over the Potteries side's physical style. Stoke repeated that performance today, however, Wenger was more complimentary this time.
"The game was more physical than technical, and physically they were stronger than us in a very simple game," he said. "We were exposed to a fight, and some of our players were a bit young and could not cope with it.
"I do not regret the side I put out, I did not have much choice. We had 10 injuries and a very difficult programme coming up. Our selection was simple, take a look at our schedule and you must see we cannot play the same 11 every time. That is for sure.
"But if you do not win in such situations, it is my fault. I can only stand by the team I selected in the circumstances, we lost but there was not much room for manoeuvre in terms of players available."
"Were they better than us? Let's say they were more dangerous than us. That is a very important factor in winning games. They do not give me nightmares, you get no surprises when you play at Stoke. You know what to expect, but as the game went on they looked stronger and stronger in one-on-one battles."
"I wanted to avoid a replay, that is why I sent on three experienced substitutes all together," joked Wenger. "And yes, it worked, didn't it. We have not got a replay!
"We have four very important games now in a short space of time, that is what we are focusing on. I wanted to win the game, and the cup. We didn't want to go out, but it was the sort of game that had we played at home we would probably have got away with it [fielding that team]. But away from home it was a bit more difficult."
Pulis was delighted with the victory, saying: "We are very pleased with the win. The spirit was fantastic from our lads. We knew that whatever side Arsène Wenger selected, it would always be a quality team.
"They were top of the Premier League this week and they have a lot of injuries already. But whoever they fielded, it was going to be quality because he has a lot of depth. For Arsène to say we were dangerous is a compliment. That's enough for me."
"I was thinking of taking Ricardo Fuller off before the second goal, but he may have seen what I was going to do and he made sure he stayed on with that goal" added Pulis. "He was outstanding, as was Mamady Sidibe who put in a tremendous amount of work that people do not always see.
"They are a good combination. They are a handful when they are on their game, and they were certainly on form for this one. Everybody gave their best, and we do well in this stadium. It is a great atmosphere when you are roaring around out there.
"The last thing either of us wanted was a draw, with seven games in February. With the size of our squad it will be tough with any more games. Nobody can question our spirit and togetherness, and the lads have shown that again to get us into the fifth round. I am proud of them, and the fans should be after that amount of effort."
Arsenal confirm Sol Campbell’s return until end of season
Arsenal have confirmed that Sol Campbell has completed his return to the club on a deal that will run until the end of the season.
The 35-year-old played 45 minutes in a midweek reserve match against West Ham and confirmed his desire then to play again for Arsène Wenger. However, he is not expected to be involved in tomorrow's Premier League trip to Bolton.
The move completes a dramatic turnaround for the defender, who began the season playing in League Two at Notts County, making only one appearance before quitting. Wenger allowed Campbell to train with Arsenal following his exit from County, with his efforts persuading the Frenchman to sign him up again. It is the first time Wenger has ever brought a former player back to the club during his 13 years in charge.
"We are delighted to have signed Sol Campbell until the end of the season," Wenger said. "For both club and country, Sol's career just speaks for itself. He is a hugely experienced and intelligent footballer, who will bring a great amount of quality and knowledge to our squad. Sol as a player and a person will be an enormous asset to us.
"Sol has been training with us since September and during this time he has shown he still has the required fitness, hunger and passion to compete at the top level."
Campbell won two Premier League titles - including in the unbeaten Invincibles season of 2003-04 - and two FA Cups during his first spell at the club, before moving to Portsmouth in 2006. He now hopes he can provide some leadership to the Gunners as they attempt to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester United in the battle for the title.
"I'm so happy to be rejoining Arsenal," Campbell said. "I have many great memories from being here before and still have many friends at the club. I've been working very hard at the Arsenal training ground, I feel really good at the moment and I'm ready to give my all. We're in a strong position and I want to help Arsenal be successful this season."
Owen Coyle moves closer to pleasing purists with Bolton switch
Owen Coyle has been targeted by Bolton Wanderers for philosophical as much as practical reasons. It is hoped that, apart from helping the team avoid relegation, his attractive brand of football will prove crowd-pleasing.
Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman, is said to have long privately wondered if he made a mistake when choosing Gary Megson ahead of Coyle after interviewing both for the Bolton job after Sammy Lee's sacking in October 2007.
Now he feels he is about to finally correct an error made when he failed to pay sufficient attention to the two contenders' respective football visions. While Megson's proved purely pragmatic, Coyle's was not only similarly purist to that of the discarded Lee but strangely reminiscent of Bruce Rioch's easy on the eye, sweet passing, 90s formula for success at Burnden Park.
If Coyle's manifesto proved ideologically infinitely more appealing, Lee's failure to carry the players along with him after endeavouring to reconfigure Bolton along similar lines almost certainly undid the Scot's candidature.
Although the former Liverpool and England midfielder had been appointed as an antidote to the, albeit relatively successful, long ball, gamesmanship-suffused, Sam Allardyce era, the failure of Lee's regime had concentrated the minds' of Bolton's board on simply staying in the Premier League by whatever means.
Coyle, who was in charge of St Johnstone back in the autumn of 2007, played as a striker for Rioch for two-and-a-half years during the mid 90s. Personally, he and his compatriot experienced something of a love-hate relationship but they shared the same tactical beliefs and Gartside trusts this common ethos will inform Bolton's play for the remainder of this season.
While Allardyce brought minor glory to the club, many fans in recent years hankered for the flair, flamboyance and sheer attacking excitement of the Rioch era. During that now almost idealised period Bolton won two promotions before Rioch defected to Arsenal shortly after the Trotters won promotion to the Premier League in 1995 and, originally, the idea of appointing Lee was to recreate the atmosphere of those comparatively halcyon days. When that experiment failed, Bolton retrenched, handing the job to Megson but now they recognise change is required to supply the kind of football their supporters crave.
Rioch remains something of a hero in the vicinity and Coyle was singing from the right hymn sheet when he recently forgot their frequent personality clashes over man management issues and said: "Bruce's football knowledge was second to none when I played for Bolton. Bruce was very disciplined away from playing but, although his personal code of conduct was strict, he was very keen for us to express ourselves on the pitch," said Burnley's out-going manager. "We were a proper passing team, with a real cutting, attacking, edge."
Anyone who has watched Coyle's Burnley this season will appreciate they are extremely close to the sweet passing sides Rioch created at first Middlesbrough and, later, Bolton.
Certainly the 43-year-old now seems almost certain to be charged with the challenge of finally erasing the Allardyce, balls-crashing-into-the-corners era and returning Bolton to former purist glories.
Coyle initially became fully re-acquainted with Gartside in Scotland on Sunday when the pair received Burnley's reluctant permission to discuss the mooted club swap from the Turf Moor chairman, Barry Kilby.
In reality Burnley were effectively powerless not to sanction such discussions as a clause inserted in Coyle's contract last summer freed him to talk to any rival club prepared to pay more than £3m in compensation for his services.
Despite Coyle saying last week that he was "privileged to be building something special" at Burnley, he also acknowledged that Bolton would "always have a special place in my heart". Perhaps rather more pertinently, the Scot recently made the somewhat wistful reflection that: "Bolton have about three times Burnley's budget."
