Champions League Squad Announced

The squad list for the group stage of this season's Champions League has been announced.

Clubs are allowed to submit an A List and a B List, both equally eligible for selection for games. Regulations mean the A List consists of the majority of the first team squad while young players who have been at Chelsea for a period of time make up List B.

The squad lists are:

A List

Petr Cech
Branislav Ivanovic
Ashley Cole
Michael Essien
Ramires
Frank Lampard
Yossi Benayoun
Didier Drogba
John Mikel Obi
Florent Malouda
José Bosingwa
Yury Zhirkov
Paulo Ferreira
Salomon Kalou
Ross Turnbull
Daniel Sturridge
John Terry
Alex
Nicolas Anelka
Henrique Hilario

B List

Patrick van Aanholt
Jeffrey Bruma
Gael Kakuta
Fabio Borini
Josh McEachran

No club may have more than 25 players on List A during the season. Eight places on List A are reserved for 'locally trained players'.

A 'locally trained player' is either a 'club-trained player' or an 'association-trained player' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among the eight.

A 'club-trained player' is a player who, between the age of 15 and 21, and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.

In the case of Chelsea, an 'association-trained player' is a player who, between the age of 15 and 21 and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with another club affiliated to the FA for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.

These regulations mean Chelsea's A List will contain 20 players for this season's group stage.

A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 1989 and has been eligible to play for Chelsea for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday.

Following the submission of these lists, a club may register up to three new eligible players for the remaining matches, such registration completed by February 1.

Cech Fancies Champions League Chances

Petr Cech feels his Chelsea side should make comfortable progress from their group in the UEFA Champions League.

Europe's premier club competition gets underway in September, with the Blues drawn against Marseille, Spartak Moscow and MSK Zilina in Group F.

And Cech feels his team have nothing to fear against their group opponents as the goalkeeper looks to help his side make a safe passage into the knock-out phase.

Cech said: "Matches against Zilina will certainly have a special atmosphere. For them it will be the first Champions League match in their history and will be interesting.

"Then we have Marseille, who are a traditional participant in the European cups, with a number of achievements too. And then there is Spartak Moscow.

"I think all the teams are playable, we don't have to do any crazy travels so we may be satisfied."

The Blues' first test in the tournament is away to Zilina, with a trip to Slovakia awaiting a week on Wednesday against the minnows.

But Cech rejected suggestions Carlo Ancelotti's team would underestimate their opponents: "Not at all. Zilina had to go through qualification and the fact they have made it into the group stages shows their quality.

"Underestimating any team in the Champions League can only damage you."

Chelsea will be buoyed by their early season form going into the clash, having won all three of their Premier League encounters to see them head the table.

The Londoners have plundered 14 goals and have yet to concede, a run of form which Cech admits has caught even him by surprise.

He added: "We could expect to pick up nine points with the relatively easy draw, yes.

"But the fact we scored 14 goals and kept a clean sheet in each game was hardly expected by anyone."

Cech enjoyed a record-breaking run of clean sheets during his side's title-winning season of 2005, where he went over 1000 minutes without conceding a goal.

The 28-year-old feels talk of emulating that run is premature, however, adding: "I think it is too early for that. Only if the series becomes longer then it will be worth discussing it.

"At the moment I am most satisfied with our winning streak and with the fact we have been doing well as a team."

Malouda Scored On A Mixed Night

Florent Malouda netted for France as they got their European Championship qualifying campaign up and running on Tuesday night.

The Chelsea man, who captained his country on Friday night, did not wear the armband no Tuesday as they travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he did score the crucial second goal with 12 minutes to go as his side earned their first points in qualifying, sweeping home after a rapid counter-attack, two minutes before being substituted with the game safe.

Ashley Cole excelled as England won 3-1 in Switzerland, the left-back playing the full 90 minutes and looking dangerous on the attack and solid in defence, laying on substitute Darren Bent's decisive third England goal with an incisive through ball, which the Sunderland forward smashed home to follow up strikes from Wayne Rooney and Adam Johnson.

Yury Zhirkov picked up a yellow card as Russia were beaten on home soil by Slovakia, former Chelsea man Miroslav Stoch scoring the only goal of the game at the Lokomotiv Stadion in Moscow, a venus Chelsea tasted in a friendly against Lokomotiv in August 2008. Zhirkov went on to play the full 90 minutes but could not help his side record a point.

Petr Cech, who sat out the World Cup with Czech Republic, was beaten by a header as Lithuania won in Prague by a solitary goal, the Chelsea man having an otherwise quiet night between the sticks.

Yossi Benayoun, captain of Israel, helped his side contain a spirited Georgia side in Tbilisi as they claimed their fourth point from two games, the Chelsea man missing a late chance to snatch the game's only goal. Former Blue Ben Sahar also played for Israel.

At Under 21 level, Daniel Sturridge played 78 minutes for England as they recorded a 3-0 win over Lithuania at Colchester,goals coming courtesy of Danny Welbeck (2) and Marc Albrighton, which guarantees Stuart Pearce's side a play-off place in European Championship qualifying. On loan Chelsea men Michael Mancienne (captain) and Ryan Bertrand both played the full 90 minutes, while Jack Cork, with Burnley, replaced Sturridge with 12 minutes remaining.

Sturridge came close with an early opportunity before seeing another goal ruled out for offside.

Conor Clifford played 79 minutes in Ireland's 1-0 defeat to Turkey, while Fabio Borini was an unused sub for Italy as they secured their place in the play-offs via a 1-0 win over Wales.

Slobodan Rajkovic, on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, played the full game as captain for Serbia Under 21s in their 3-1 win away at Cyprus, and was booked with 16 minutes to go. Despite their victory they, like Ireland, do not qualify for the play-offs, unlike Italy after they beat Wales.

Former Chelsea Star Brian Laudrup Determined To Win Cancer Battle

Former Chelsea star Brian Laudrup has vowed to win his battle against cancer after he began treatment.

Laudrup, 41, revealed the shock news he had been diagnosed with a mild form of lymphoma on Tuesday. The attacker endured a disappointing seven game spell at Chelsea in the 1998-99 season after grabbing 33 goals in 116 appearances for Rangers.

In a statement given to TV3, the 82-times capped Denmark international declared he had been given a "very optimistic" report from doctors.

He said: "I am obviously shocked by the diagnosis, but also know that there is now a tough battle ahead of me - a battle I will win.

"Fortunately, I have had very optimistic reports from doctors to support me."

The former Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Ajax star added: "I now want to use my energy to get over the shock and take time with my family and those closest to me, so together we can move forward after this diagnosis."

Carlo Ancelotti: Frank Lampard & John Terry Could Be Fit In Time For West Ham United Clash

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Frank Lampard and John Terry could return in time to play a part in the London derby against West Ham United on Saturday.

The defender is currently out with a hamstring injury while the midfielder had to go under the knife to correct a hernia problem, as the pair were both unavailable to be called up to play for England in the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Now the Italian boss has conceded that Terry is likely to make a return at Upton Park, while Lampard is expected to undergo a late fitness test to see if he can play any part in the game against his former club.

"Lampard had surgery on Tuesday and I think that he will start to train this week," Ancelotti told reporters.

"I don't know when but we will see how he trains and we will take a decision for the game against West Ham.

"Terry didn't have surgery but he used the last week to improve his hamstring.

"He will start to train with the squad this week, maybe Tuesday, and I think he will be able to play against West Ham."

Robinho 'Was Subject Of Chelsea Transfer Bid On Deadline Day'

Manchester City rejected an audacious offer from Chelsea to take Robinho on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day, according to reports.

The offer came just a few hours before the Brazilian forward sealed a permanent transfer to AC Milan, having already turned down the chance to join Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

The speculation suggests Chelsea's cheeky bid would involve City continuing to subsidize Robinho's rumoured £160,000-a-week wages while also agreeing a cut-price fee if the Blues wanted to make the transfer permanent next summer.

A "Chelsea source" suggested an inquiry was made by the club, who were pipped to Robinho's signature by City on transfer deadline day two years ago, but it was rejected before AC Milan's final bid was confirmed and the switch was completed.

Since making his move to Serie A with Milan, Robinho has spoken out against former City manager Mark Hughes and existing boss Roberto Mancini.

Despite signing him for a British record £32.5million in 2008, Robinho claimed Hughes "never understood" him and Mancini "never had confidence" in him.

"I’m a special player and I need to be happy when I play. It was so at Real Madrid, but never at City," he continued.

"The start was good, but England is a difficult country and I had problems adapting."

Athletic Bilbao Fear Chelsea Will Offer Starlet Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta

Athletic Bilbao is bracing themselves from an offer to arrive for Chelsea target Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, according to Tutto Mercato Web.

De Galarretsa, 17, is understood to be the jewel in the Basque side's youth set-up and made his first team debut in a friendly against Lemona this summer.

Watching scouts have been impressed with the midfielder's technique and vision, with bids expected to be lodged in the near future.

The Premier League club is not expected to get a free range at his signature as Barcelona are also eager to snap the player up.

Bertrand: Loan Experience A Big Boost

England Under-21 defender Ryan Bertrand is determined not to stand still this season as he looks to eventually make an impression at Chelsea.

The 18-year-old left-back has been loaned out to npower Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest to gain more first-team experience, having also had successful spells at Norwich and Reading.

With the likes of Arsenal duo Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere - who could be recalled to the side by manager Stuart Pearce for the crucial 2011 European Championship qualifier against Lithuania in Colchester - benefiting by experiences away from their parent club, Bertrand is keen to continue his progression.

"It all depends what your position is at a club, and who else is in that role, but going out on loan is a fantastic thing to do," he said.

"You go out and play games instead of sitting still. It is important to develop. Going out on loan has benefited me."

Bertrand feels seeing the likes of Gibbs and Wilshere following in the footsteps of James Milner and Adam Johnson into the senior set-up can only work as an inspiration for all of the Young Lions squad.

"It is massively important," the Chelsea defender said.

"You see the boys who have gone up and done well, then managed to stay in the England team, it has benefited them really well.

"Probably more so now since I have been an England player I have noticed more of togetherness throughout the whole system - we all feel as one in terms of getting players up into the first team.

"It is all looking positive and it is important we do the best we can."

Part of that continuity has been because of Pearce's close involvement at the heart of Fabio Capello's coaching team.

The former Manchester City boss said: "In the players' mind, they feel the pathway from the youths into the Under-21s and then the seniors is probably a bit shorter than it has been in years gone by.

"They know my connection with the seniors, that I speak regularly with Fabio and that I am with both squads on a normal get together.

"We have developed more of a club feel if you like, rather than an international feel."

As part of the build-up to the game, which England must win to stand any chance of making it into the play-offs as one of the four best placed runners-up, Pearce took the squad to Colchester's Merville Barracks, home of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, who are soon to be deployed to Afghanistan on a six-month operation, and got the chance to try out weapons inside the battle simulator.

It was a humbling experience, and one from which the England coach hopes the squad can learn a great deal.

"We wanted to show our support to the Forces and I think they were pleased to see us," said the former England defender, who was nicknamed 'Psycho' during his playing days.

"Speaking to some of the soldiers, with their stories, showed how difficult their job is and how fortunate we are to do the job we do."

Carlo Ancelotti 'Not Interested' In The Private Lives Of His Players

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has criticized the English media for being too intrusive into players’ private lives and insists he’s not interested in what his players get up to off the field.

“I’m not interested in private life of my players,” he told BBC London 94.9. “It’s not involved in our job. I think private life has to be private life.”

In the past week England internationals Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney have both had private matters reported across the media, and Chelsea captain John Terry was also the subject of revelations earlier this year, but Ancelotti praised his captain for remaining professional throughout that time.

“John Terry was able to keep his private problem outside of the training ground, and for that reason he remained captain of Chelsea.”

But the Italian did reveal there were things that he did like about the English way of life.

"The media are too intrusive but that is the culture of this country,” he added. “This is not good for my culture. But there are good things here, there is a fantastic atmosphere around football, there is no violence and people come to watch games to enjoy [themselves], which is totally different from Italy.”

And Ancelotti reserved special praise for former enemy Jose Mourinho, the pair spent two years on opposite sides of Milan, but it appears a love of Chelsea has forged a friendship.

In an interview with BBC London 94.9 Ancelotti revealed how the two men had put their past rivalries behind them.

“He was very kind when I won the Premier League,” he said. “He sent me a message and our relationship is different [to the one in Milan], it is a good relationship.”

“We met in Geneva last week,” Ancelotti continued. “We had a good time together, now he is my friend.”

Ancelotti: The Night Capello Saw A Ghost

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed Fabio Capello was once spooked by a ‘ghost’ at large around AC Milan’s training ground.

As if Capello was not already haunted by enough spectres, like Wayne Rooney’s nocturnal agenda, Chelsea’s Double-winning manager has now lifted the lid on an era when Don Fabio was a ghostbuster distracted by other things going bump in the night.

In a passage from his hilarious memoirs, published yesterday in English, Ancelotti recalls how Capello - battling to restore his reputation after England’s World Cup flop - was once troubled by the supernatural. The coach’s room at Milanello, the Rossonieri’s space-age training facility, has its own sense of history, and Ancelotti revealed: “The first time I walked into that room, I had a distinct impression. I could see an array of presences. I was sleeping in the bed that had belonged to Nereo Rocco, Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.

“In the old days, Capello - under the influence, I believe, of the director of the sports centre, Antore Peloso - used to claim that there was a ghost, wandering freely down the hallway, especially after sunset.

“I never understood which was crazier, Don Fabio or that ghost, who had decided to pick on him of all people. It really got to be a problem.

“I can still see Capello, shoulders thrown back, chest swelling with righteous indignation: ‘Be gone, go **** yourself, evil spirit. This is not a team of dead men’.”

To prove his point, Capello went on to win four Serie A titles and the Champions League as Milan coach, and Ancelotti supplemented that ghostly anecdote about his predecessor at the San Siro with a show of support for his compatriot yesterday.

The England coach has endured a torrid backlash since the Three Lions were humiliated in South Africa, and Ancelotti fears Capello has fallen victim to an all-too-familiar syndrome: a hero in victory, a chump in defeat.

Promoting his autobiography at Stamford Bridge, he said: “I was surprised because before the World Cup Capello was a god, and all of a sudden he was not good enough to manage the national team.

“We have a phrase in Italy, which I don’t want to translate, that when you win you are a good guy, and if you lose, you are a bad guy, or a testa di cazzo (not a term of endearment) as we say.

“But I do not agree with this perception - for me, Capello has been a fantastic coach and he will show this again in the future. Did the players let him down? I don’t know - but there was a lot of expectation around the England team in South Africa.

“I think they had a problem physically. The most important player was Rooney, but he was not 100 per cent fit.”

Ah, yes - Wayne Rooney. The latest member of Capello’s devalued galacticos to indulge in dangerous liaisons with the slapperati.

Ancelotti proved himself to be an outstanding manager in a pastoral sense, as well as a master tactician, at the Bridge last season when he steered John Terry and Ashley Cole through turbulent times in their private lives.

He said: “I’m not interested if a player goes to sleep at eight o’clock or 12 o’clock - I’m only interested in them doing their best in training or on the pitch.”

And what about who they go to bed with at eight or 12? “I’m not a policeman - I don’t get involved in the private life of players and it’s difficult to judge them because I don’t want other people to judge my private life.”

On the home front, Ancelotti has been told by Chelsea oligarch Roman Abramovich to concentrate on winning the Champions League this season, a prize the Blues were denied by their former messiah Jose Mourinho six months ago.

Mourinho and Ancelotti were once bitter rivals, but the pair hatched a ceasefire in the bowels of the San Siro and the Blues boss said: “There are days when it feels like I am living a dream, even if getting knocked out of the Champions League against Inter is a regret that will always be with me.

“Against Inter, not against Mourinho. In Italy, we said plenty of harsh things to one another, we didn’t particularly like each other, but ever since I’ve been in England my view has changed.

“He made history at the club where I work, his archive of training has been useful to me more than once, and so he deserves total and rapt attention.

“We called a truce before the first leg of our Champions League match. We met in a corridor at the San Siro and we made a pact:’No more bickering, no more controversy.’

“When I won the Premier League, he wrote me a text message: ‘Champagne.’ When he won the Scudetto in Italy, I sent him a message back: ‘Champagne, but not too much.’ I don’t think Jose and I will ever be friends, but now we have a real and reciprocal respect.”

Henry Winter: Chelsea In Danger Of Becoming A Model Club Under Carlo Ancelotti

It was just an aside by Carlo Ancelotti, a remark lobbed into a discussion about the stresses of international management compared to club strains.

Chelsea’s personable manager argued that he might change “if in the future I train the [Italian] national team’’. Not for a while. Please. The Azzurri can wait.

The Blues are going places under Ancelotti, preferably Wembley on May 28 for the Champions League final. Through his engaging character, and shrewd tinkering of the team, Ancelotti has made Chelsea a delight to watch.

They are winning in style. And more cost-effectively. Chelsea has knocked more than £400,000 a week off their wage bill with the summer’s departures of Michael Ballack, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Joe Cole.

While revelling in the first team’s success, the club are also excited about the progress of some of their youngsters, particularly defender Nat Chalobah.

Only 15, Chalobah is captain of England’s Under-17s and made his debut for Chelsea reserves last week, giving a mature, disciplined performance as the holding midfielder in a 1-1 draw against Everton.

Attractive first team, newly sensible fiscal policies and English tyros pushing through: Chelsea is in danger of becoming a model club.

Increasingly mindful of its members’ public image, the League Managers Association currently conducts “an in-depth study into the technical area’’.

The LMA wants to know whether managers would prefer a broader view from a calmer vantage point up in the gods (as many rugby union coaches do).

Any move 'upstairs’ for Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and David Moyes should be resisted. Part of the match-day drama is provided by the vivid sight of managers patrolling the dugout, occasionally exchanging pleasantries or barbs with their counterparts. Television loves it, fans enjoy it.

Most managers are usually sporting to each other at the final whistle, their handshake being a welcome sign of respect. Putting managers up in the stands would lose that special moment.

Pat Nevin: Glass Half-Full

There may be an international break for the players at the moment, but not so for former winger Pat Nevin who remains firmly on Chelsea duty.

Are you a glass half-full or a half-empty person? Some of us are naturally positive, some less so. This week many of the players have had a rest, which for some would have been welcomed. The World Cup might seem like a lifetime ago already, but it will affect many players going forward for the rest of the season, so any rest is useful for them.

Many fans will think that after such a fantastic start to the campaign the last thing Chelsea as a team needed was an international break to interrupt the momentum. There could be something in this, we will have to wait and see. Carlo Ancelotti will, however, I suspect, be thinking ahead rather than back, after a relatively cushy introduction to season 2010/11 the real hard concentrated work starts here and now.

A quick look at the match calendar over the next 22 days shows that there will be no fewer than seven games squeezed into that period. The manager will be acutely aware of that and will already be considering who is capable of playing all or nearly all of those games and then kicking on afterwards, as it will scarcely let up afterwards.

I know that throughout my career although I enjoyed training, nothing was as much fun as playing, so a game every three or four days was fine for me. The thing is it didn't happen quite so much then as there weren't quite so many competitions, particularly the number and intensity of those currently experienced in the Champions League by our boys. Maybe I would have been a little more accepting of the idea of rest if the schedule had been this extreme throughout our seasons.

Of course it could be argued that every other top club is in the same boat, but English football is played at a tempo and ferocity throughout every 90 minutes that few other leagues can match, so the physical stress is more acute for our lads. This is the reason that the next three games in particular, which look like fairly surmountable obstacles on the surface, might just be a little trickier than expected.

West Ham haven't won a point in the league yet so they are struggling, Blackpool are the raw and unexpected newcomers in the division and in between them MSK Zilina aren't the most heralded name in Champions League history.

On the other hand, the Hammers will be desperate, on top of that it is a derby and it is away from home. Blackpool have surprised a few and will be flying with stratospheric levels of adrenalin visiting the mighty Chelsea. That game will also be after the Blues fly home from Slovakia in midweek, a notoriously draining experience.

Even Zilina will pose problems, anyone recall Chelsea's struggle against unfancied Apoel Nicosia early on in the Champions League last year? The one away goal was a hugely welcome relief that time. I suppose it is all down to that glass half-full or half-empty argument, draining though it may be it is better to be involved in these tournaments than not.

Two players who have got a little (unwanted) break are John Terry and Frank Lampard both being injured for the England squads this time round. Now I try very hard not to listen to the football phone-ins on UK radio but sometimes when driving in the car I have to suffer them for a little while if there is nothing on Radio 4. This week I was infuriated by the general reaction to JT and Frank.

England manages to beat a weak Bulgarian side and a host of callers are in touch right away to say it is time to get rid of our two lads for good. Now I understand people were unhappy with all the English World Cup performances but this was a knee jerk reaction that was particularly painful and I think unwarranted.

The Chelsea boys turn up every time when fit and haven't turned their backs on their countries even when the stick has been flying, the same cannot be said about certain others.

In JTs case it seems personal from some, but surely they can see that England are not exactly comfortable at centre-back right now? Even good players such as King and Ferdinand have serious ongoing injury problems while Carragher only agrees to play if it is a World Cup Finals. Certain England fans should be careful what they wish for, they might just get it and if John Terry decided to call it a day internationally they will have lost the best on-field leader they have.

As for Frank I have never got my head round the negativity bordering on animosity some non-Chelsea fans have for him. A perfect pro, a gentleman, a great player, a world-class scorer and an extraordinarily loyal footballer, the maliciousness doesn't make sense. He should be an icon to everyone in the game but too many for my liking couldn't get on those phone lines to the radio stations quickly enough to call for him to be jettisoned. In the simplest terms all Chelsea fans know the truth, you will only know their true value when they aren't there anymore.

Ancelotti Still Learning

Despite enjoying success in England and Italy, Carlo Ancelotti claims he still has much to learn as a coach.

The 51-year-old has been in club management since 1995 and has worked his way through to the ranks to be considered one of Europe's top tacticians.

During his time in Serie A, he guided AC Milan to the league title, two UEFA Champions League crowns, two European Super Cups and a Club World Cup success.

Having taken the Rossoneri as far as he could, Ancelotti then took the reins at Premier League giants Chelsea in 2009.

His first season in England proved to be a memorable one, with the Blues able to secure a league and FA Cup double.

Ancelotti is clearly a man who knows how to get the best out of his players, but the former Italy international accepts that he is far from the finished article.

"I would like to watch a training session of (Jose) Mourinho, (Sir Alex) Ferguson or (Arsene) Wenger," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"I can really improve. If they asked to come here, I am happy.

"Three years ago, I asked if I or an assistant could watch others' training sessions, but some coaches were not happy about this.

"When I finished my career as a player, I went and watched (Giovanni) Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi training. I watched Roy Hodgson training Switzerland. He prepares training sessions well. That was important for me to see."

Ancelotti has also leapt to the defence of his fellow Italian Fabio Capello, who is still looking to shrug off the criticism aimed in his direction following a disappointing showing from England at the 2010 World Cup.

The Chelsea boss feels the Three Lions have the ideal man for the job and insists Capello should not be judged on one bad outing at a major tournament.

"The criticism was unfair," said Ancelotti on the public hounding of Capello.

"England could play better but everyone has to have respect for Capello, not just as a coach but as a man. He's coach of the national team and everyone now has another opportunity to show respect.

"He's a winner. He won in every place. He won in Madrid. In Italy, he is the best winner. He won a lot of titles with Milan. He won at Juventus and Roma.

"He's the number one coach. It's his first experience with the national team but he did very well until the World Cup. Before the World Cup he was the best. Now, he's not the worst."

Federico Marchetti 'To Spark Arsenal, Chelsea And Man City Transfer Battle'

Italian international Federico Marchetti looks destined for a move to the Premier League in the January transfer window, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all rumoured to be keen on bringing the unsettled goalkeeper to England.

Comments from Cagliari president Massimo Cellino to Italian media suggest Marchetti - who is tipped as Gianluigi Buffon's natural successor with the national team - is set to be excluded from any first-team action with his club side this season.

The 27-year-old told Sky Sports Italia he had requested a transfer to another club during the summer, but Cagliari failed to reach an agreement - forcing Marchetti to remain at the Stadio Sant'Elia.

And Cellino has now hinted the shot-stopper will be sold during the next transfer window - despite having another two years on his current contract - with the two London giants and big-spending City expected to lead the chase.

"I cannot use him for Cagliari this year because he made unfortunate statements and expressed his desire to leave in a public interview," Cellino told Tutto Mercato.

"In football you pay for this nonsense - you can often ruin even the best moments for yourself.

"I consider him a great goalkeeper and I have affection for him but when the market opens in January we must look at getting a positive resolution."

Cellino said Marchetti was "still training as a professional" - despite being told he will not play this season - and hinted he was already offering the player out for a permanent transfer next year.

Despite rumours of several possible arrivals in the summer, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger failed to bring in a new signing - leaving fans' scapegoat Manuel Almunia to continue as their number one.

City may also be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to challenge first-choice Joe Hart if Shay Given continues to warm the bench at Eastlands and demands a move away at Christmas.

And Chelsea are also said to be interested in splashing some cash for a competitive back-up behind consensus no.1 Petr Cech.

Chelsea And Liverpool Target Romelu Lukaku Admits Real Madrid Is Preferred Destination

Explosive Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku has said that were he to leave the Belgian side, Real Madrid would be his chosen destination, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.

17-year-old Lukaku is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Europe.

He scored 18 goals in 43 games for Anderlecht last season, and has already bagged three goals in seven games this term.

Chelsea has been monitoring Lukaku for some time, especially with the youngster often viewed as a youthful version of Didier Drogba.

Meanwhile, Lukaku's agent Christophe Henrotay claimed last month that he had spoken to Liverpool about Lukaku.

However, in an interview with Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo, Lukaku said that he has turned down interest from Real Madrid for now, in order to continue his studies in Belgium while playing for Anderlecht.

But, when asked about the chances of joining the Spanish side or the likes of Chelsea in the future, he said "if I had my way, I would go to Real Madrid.”

Drogba Makes Elephants Claim

Didier Drogba insists he will never turn his back on the Ivory Coast despite missing out on their latest squad.

The 32-year-old Chelsea striker has earned 71 caps for the Elephants and bagged 45 goals in the process, but has not been selected for the upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifier with Rwanda.

This comes after the powerful forward missed Ivory Coast's friendly against Italy at Upton Park last month.

New coach Francois Zahoui believes that Drogba is 'not psychologically ready to play the game', and it remains to be seen if he still has a future with the national side.

However, the African star says that he will always be available for selection if called upon.

He told TF1: "Each time they call me up, I'll be there."

Nicolas Anelka Affirms He Has Retired From International Football

Chelsea and France striker Nicolas Anelka has reiterated the fact he has retired from international football.

Anelka was sent home from a France training camp in Knysna during the 2010 World Cup, and says he will not play for Les Bleus again.

"I have retired officially. I am 100 per cent sure that I will not return," the Chelsea player confirmed to France Soir. "There was no chance that I would return to the national team after what happened on June 19 in Knysna.

"If members had read the newspaper, they would have realized that I have turned a page.

"Anyways, I already play in Blue every weekend with Chelsea," added Anelka.

The 31-year-old was handed an 18-match ban by the FFF for his actions towards then France coach Raymond Domenech.

Should Chelsea Pair Be Punished for their ‘Injury’ Inspired England Absence?

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Frank Lampard has recovered from a hernia operation to start against West Ham on Saturday.

The midfielder underwent surgery as recently as two weeks ago in Germany and the midfield star is expected to be ready for the trip to Upton Park.

The Blues currently top the Premier League table after three wins in a row, with 14 goals scored.

The Italian revealed to the Daily Star on Sunday: “For sure, Frank will be fit for the West Ham game.”

However, Ancelotti denied that Lampard deliberately put club before country after the 32-year-old pulled out of the national squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

“No, we didn’t decide at the start of the season to do this now.

“After the Stoke game, Frank was in a lot of pain.

“So he decided, after talking to the club doctor, to resolve and remove the problem immediately.” (Sky Sports)

So here are the facts. Frank Lampard was in a lot of pain after the Stoke City game, not in enough pain to prevent him from playing the lion’s share of the game. It was decided that it was however the ‘right time’ to have a ‘much needed’ operation at the exact same time as the international break. Now fully recovered the Stamford Bridge man will be fit to play for his club against West Ham on the weekend.

Lampard, after conversations with the club doctor, decided that now was the time to resolve the problem immediately. Is this a coincidence? A sequence of events that is just a case of bad timing? Remember we are not talking about a pointless friendly, we are talking about two crucial Euro 2012 qualifiers. Then we have John Terry.

John Terry has revealed the hamstring injury that will see him miss the start of England’s European Championship qualifying campaign dates all the way back to the World Cup.

Chelsea captain Terry will sit out Friday’s Wembley opener against Bulgaria as well as the trip to Switzerland four days later after being ordered to rest for the next 10 days.

The defender told Chelsea TV: “I have had a bit of a problem since the World Cup and I was hoping after the World Cup that I would have two weeks off and it would completely go away. But that wasn’t the case and, coming back working hard, it came back on.”

Terry has played every game for club and country this season but claims the injury was behind his half-time substitution in England’s recent friendly win over Hungary.

“I played the last England game but I had to come off at half-time because of it,” he said.

“I have not made it public but I have been struggling with it and maybe I just need 10 days’ rest to fully get over it because it could impact on my season.” (The Press Association)

OK, so the Chelsea captain has been playing in pain throughout the season and has managed to play every minute of the season thus far but for some reason the pain became too great exactly when his country needed him. He will more than likely also be fit and raring to go for the trip to Upton Park. Is this also a massive coincidence?

Fabio Capello needs to nip this in the bud. Now I have no problem with players ‘crying-off’ for meaningless friendlies but to do so for a pair of competitive matches if just incredible. The Italian will know exactly what is going on here and will hopefully act accordingly. Given the limp and lifeless displays England put in during the World Cup in the summer it seems even more imperative that players at least ‘appear’ to give a damn about playing for their country.

Remember that Michael Dawson has now been genuinely injured during the Bulgaria encounter which leaves Capello very short on defensive options for a potentially tricky trip to Switzerland.

Should the Chelsea pair be dropped from international duty as a result or are these events just completely coincidental?

Carlo Ancelotti Writes Book To Help A Stricken Former AC Milan Team-Mate

Once a week, sometimes twice, Carlo Ancelotti receives a long email about Chelsea's performances from an old AC Milan team-mate, Stefano Borgonovo.

Filled with admiration, Ancelotti reads intently. He knows that Borgonovo, an athletic man immobilized by Lou Gehrig's Disease, has painstakingly constructed the email through blinking at letters on a computer screen.

Now Ancelotti spearheads a campaign to raise funds for research into the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suffered by Borgonovo, whose goal at Bayern Munich swept the Milan of Ancelotti, Marco van Basten and Paolo Maldini into the 1990 European Cup final.

"He was a good striker, not a lot of skill outside the box, but inside the box he was like [Filippo] Inzaghi – very clever,'' recalls Ancelotti, sitting in his office at Cobham. Chelsea's coach is one of football's good guys, someone who has achieved so much (two European Cups as a player, two as a coach with Milan and the Double at Chelsea) and yet remains remarkably humble.

He just feels honoured to be involved in this great game. Ancelotti talks enthusiastically about football people, about why the Brazilian Ronaldo made him laugh and why Kaka took his breath away. He voices his respect for Sir Alex Ferguson and explains why he called a truce with Jose Mourinho. He says John Terry can play as long as Maldini and reveals Chelsea will rest leading players before big matches in Europe.

Europe. In a wide-ranging conversation, even embracing his esteem for the Queen and Margaret Thatcher, many of Ancelotti's musings focus on Europe. Behind his desk is a single picture, a wonderful photograph of him cradling the European Cup at Milan. The competition obsesses him.

"The Champions League is the most important trophy in Italy. Milan have a fantastic tradition: played 11 finals, won seven. Here in England it is different. The Premier League is very important. But for us, for this season, the Champions League is more important because we won the domestic title last year and the FA Cup. We are focused on the Champions League. For the owner [Roman Abramovich], it is the same.''

Certain stars will be omitted from those Premier League games preceding major European ties. "That's our way. We want to use turnover. We have a lot of games.'' He will still rely heavily on certain players, certainly on Englishmen like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. "The English player has fantastic mentality during training. I've never seen such a culture. They work really very hard. As a captain, John is the same as Paolo Maldini: he leads by example on the pitch – not with the word. He doesn't shout.

"Of course, now John's 30, we have to pay attention to him and he has to pay attention to himself. We have to control his training like we did with Maldini. Maldini had more of a problem compared to John. He had a lot of problems with his knee. John can play as long as Paolo, who won the Champions League at 39. When he retires, John can be a coach with Ashley Cole as assistant coach!''

Ancelotti loves his English players, their sacrifice for the collective cause. "It is very difficult to find a talent who plays for the team. Maldini did. Van Basten was a bit different; he was more for himself. Zidane used his quality for the team. Kaka does. Kaka is a special Brazilian. His mentality is European.

"Usually, a Brazilian doesn't like to work hard in training, doesn't like to stay focused. I trained a lot of Brazilian players. I had a problem with Ronaldo at Milan. It was not easy to get him fit! Ronaldo was 100kg but was the quickest in the 10 metre test!

"I have never seen a talent like Ronaldo. He always scores, scores, scores. The first game he played for Milan, Sienna away, I said to him: 'I can't put you on the pitch, you are 100kg'. 'Mister', he said, 'don't worry, I will score'. I put him in and he scored twice.

"Ronaldo was a fantastic guy, humble and very frank, and really funny. One time we played Cagliari and before the game I asked him: 'Do you know the name of the centre-back of Cagliari?' 'No'. 'No?! You are not a professional. You have to know the skills of the opponent. You have to know the name of the centre-back'. 'Mister', said Ronaldo, 'I don't know the name of the player I play against. But he knows me'!'' But back to another Brazilian. "I never saw Kaka before Milan bought him. After he first trained with us, I called [Milan vice-president Adriano] Galliani. 'This is a fantastic talent'. Kaka is very quick and strong. His skill was different from the Brazilian players. He was not so talented, but he is very effective player.''

The well-educated Kaka formed what appeared an unlikely friendship with the rather less sophisticated Gennaro Gattuso. "Kaka as a character is strong. He's 'European': he likes to work hard, stay focused. Gattuso is the same. He has a problem when one team-mate is not so strong. Gattuso is a leader. He has no skill but his heart is big.''

Ancelotti does not miss Serie A's travails. "In Italy, football is too important. There is more pressure on coaches, teams, directors. Now is not a good moment for football in Italy. The stadiums are not full, there are problems with violence, it's very difficult with the ultras. People don't go to the stadium just to enjoy 90 minutes of football. People go to the stadium to fight, to win. Here in England the atmosphere is different. I know that after Heysel there were a lot of (hooligan) problems here. Margaret Thatcher did a fantastic job. They put in very strong rules and everyone respected these rules. In Italy, people don't respect the rules.''

Ancelotti loves life at Cobham, at Chelsea. The players love him because of his feats as a player and coach, because he can relax and share a joke with them. "I like to be funny. I can't stay all the time focused, disciplined, controlled. Behaviour like that is impossible. If the players are too nervous before a game, I have to relax them, calm them.''

John Obi Mikel has responded to his promptings. "Last season, he had an average of 18 per cent forward passes and in the three games this season he had 38 per cent. He's trying to put more balls directly to strikers.'' With 14 goals already, Ancelotti's Chelsea has become the great entertainers. "Our objective is to stay top and play good football. Our job is to give enjoyment to people. Football is not so important. Football is not like politics. I am happy when my team plays well. This is my aim, not to look in the mirror and say 'I am the best'. There are a lot of things I could do better. Tactically, I have to do better. I am not considered the best tactically.

"Ferguson is the best because he has fantastic experience; he stays 24 years at Manchester United. To stay 24 years at one club means he has done a fantastic job. In Italy, it is impossible! I was at Milan for eight years and everyone was surprised I stayed eight years! Bologna changed the coach before the first match of the season! Crazy!''

Job insecurity was discussed when the elite coaches met in Geneva at a Uefa workshop last week. Ancelotti used the gathering to continue rebuilding relations with a rather special former Chelsea coach. "I had a problem with Mourinho in my last season at Milan. Sometimes he spoke in the newspapers about me so I answered in the newspapers. There was not a good relationship. The same thing happened before our game with Inter in the Champions League last season.

"I spoke with him before the game. “We don't have to have this kind of argument in the newspapers. It's better to close this'. Now I have a very good relationship with him. He sent me a text message after the Premier League victory – 'Champagne'.' He sent me a message before the start of the league season. I sent him a message at Madrid: 'Good luck for the new adventure'.'' Some within the game felt Mourinho was jealous of Ancelotti. "Jealous of me?! No!'' Because of his gilded playing career. "Ah, as a player! I don't know! Now we have a very good relationship. We stayed two days in Geneva with the other coaches and it was good.

"I would like to watch a training session of Mourinho, Ferguson or Wenger. I can really improve. If they asked to come here, I am happy. Three years ago, in that (Uefa) meeting, I asked if I or an assistant could watch others' training sessions but some coaches were not happy about this.

"When I finished my career as a player, I went and watched [Giovanni] Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi training. I watched Roy Hodgson training Switzerland. He prepares training sessions fantastically well. That was very important for me to see.'' There's somebody else he'd like to meet. "The Queen!'' he smiles.”She's the most important person here in England. Maybe when (Silvio) Berlusconi comes to England, I will persuade him to make me his assistant so I can meet the Queen!''

One of life's real characters, Ancelotti has written a hugely entertaining book, The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius, with all royalties going to Fondazione Stefano Borgonovo, a charitable foundation dedicated to finding a cure for ALS.

"In 2006, he started to be sick. It's an illness of the nervous system. Every muscle closes down. There is only one thing that functions and that's the mind. Borgonovo speaks with his eyes; he looks at the computer, there are letters on the screen and he is able to do a word.

"Some players in Italy who were at Fiorentina and Como have this kind of illness. Borgonovo played for both teams. Someone said it could be chemicals on the grass. Someone said it could be drugs in that period when there was not good anti-doping control. Nobody knows.'' Ancelotti is determined to help find out.

Lampard Rubbishes Age Doubts

Frank Lampard has hit back at critics who claim Chelsea's squad is past it, and declared that there is more to come from the Premier League champions. Carlo Ancelotti's men have started the new campaign the way they finished the last one: with three successive victories, including 6-0 routs of both West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic, while they are yet to concede a goal.

Much has been made of the age of the Blues' senior men, like 32-year-old Lampard, centre-back John Terry, 29, and striker Didier Drogba, who will be 33 in March. However, the England midfielder, who is currently sidelined by a hernia problem which forced him out of tonight's opening UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria at Wembley, has rejected any suggestions the Chelsea players are over the hill.

Speaking to the October edition of the club's official magazine, Lampard declared: "It is a load of rubbish when I hear talk about there only being one or two years left in our spine. This has been going on for a year or so. Sometimes that is mind games from other managers or press talk, and we proved them wrong last year.

"We have got players here who are experienced, and you can't buy experience in football - look at Didier, he is a specimen and he will overpower any 24- or 25-year-old. People have been waxing lyrical about Paul Scholes, and rightly so, because if you take him out of the United team now, they will want to replace him and they probably won't be able to."

Lampard may have a stacked trophy cabinet, but he has maintained his hunger for more success. "Every year I set my goals again, I don't lose any ambition or drive," he said. "I would love to win the Champions League one day, but I would love to win more Premier League titles as well, so it's quite easy to self-motivate.

"I think also that, the older you get, the more you appreciate what you have got as a footballer. I think it's one of my strong points that I always want to do more, because you don't play forever. If I can keep my level up to the way I am playing now, I believe I can go on playing for many more years."

With 14 goals from the opening three Premier League matches, things are certainly going to plan for Chelsea, who saw experienced midfielders Joe Cole and Michael Ballack leave on free transfers during the summer.

"I think our game feels more natural now - you can see that from the way we finished last season and started this one," Lampard reflected. "Don't get me wrong, we had difficult moments last season when it wasn't flowing, but it became more natural to us and after winning the double and celebrating that, I think we came back here in the summer wanting to step up again to another level."

Lampard also paid tribute to Ancelotti, who delivered the club an historic double in his first season. "The manager is very involved - his method, his training, his personality and his calmness is something the players have related to more and more over the last year or so, and that's making us stronger as a unit," he said.

Frank Lampard Will Be Fit For West Ham Clash

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Frank Lampard will be fit for the Premier League clash against West Ham on Saturday after recovering from a hernia operation.

The midfielder went under the knife in Germany two-weeks ago, ruling him out of England's Euro 2012 qualifying games, but is expected to be ready for the trip to Upton Park.

The Italian revealed to the Daily Star on Sunday: "For sure, Frank will be fit for the West Ham game."

And Ancelotti denied that Lampard deliberately put club before country after the 32-year-old pulled out of the national squad for the matches against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

"No, we didn't decide at the start of the season to do this now," Ancelotti added.

"After the Stoke game, Frank was in a lot of pain.

"So he decided, after talking to the club doctor, to resolve and remove the problem immediately."

England's Frank Lampard Dismisses Two Holding Midfielders System

As Fabio Capello prepares to send England out in his much‑criticized 4-4-2 formation at Wembley against Bulgaria in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier, Frank Lampard has dismissed the 4-2-3-1 system favoured by the elite international and club teams, who include the World Cup winners, Spain, and Internazionale, the European champions.

The midfielder told Chelseafc.com: "Because football has become a bit more tactical and organized, it is about becoming harder to beat and teams want two holding midfielders. I don’t like the system too much. I think one holding midfielder, if they are good at their job, is enough and I find if you have two in a straight line then it doesn’t give you so many angles to play through midfield.

"I always think it is better to have people at different angles, which means one being deeper and the other two taking up different positions [further forward]."

Spain employed Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso as their defensive screen, and in the World Cup final faced Holland, who had Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel in the role. Internazionale benefited from Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso during their successful Champions League campaign.

Yet Lampard, who is injured but lined up in central midfield in Capello’s 4-4-2 during England’s disappointing World Cup, is unsure how much security two dedicated holding players offer.

He said: "Playing against two holding midfielders hasn’t really made a difference for me, because the opposition can’t have players everywhere. If you are clever about your movement, if two players want to sit and hold all the time then you can make angles to the side of them and you can still play through them. It depends really on the quality of the players.

"Formations do generally go in cycles. In the 90s it was 4-4-2 and then it changed and I think we [Chelsea] were probably the instigators as much as anyone in England in making it 4-3-3 when [José] Mourinho was in charge."

Chelsea Consider £5m Move For French International Centre Back

Chelsea may make a January move for experienced Roma centre back Philippe Mexes as Carlo Ancelotti looks to beef up his defensive options. Having sold Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid the Italian does not have many options at centre back and should the club lose either of their first choice pairing of John Terry and Alex then they do not have a wealth of options to fall back on.

The 28 year old French international is reportedly upset at the potential lack of first team football at Roma after the arrival of Nicolas Burdisso at the Stadio Olimpico and the former Auxerre man, who is out of contract in the summer, has stated “If I don’t find space in the first half of the season then I may decide against renewing my contract”.

The Stamford Bridge boss is an admirer of the battling defender and knows him well from his days as AC Milan boss and he may decide to make a move when the transfer window re-opens and could capture him for as little as £4m and Roma boss Claudio Ranieri appears to not be standing in the way of his potential departure.

After six years in the Italian capital a move to the Premier League may well be tempting for Philippe Mexes who is also thought to be a target of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Daniel Sturridge Flies To Pearce's Rescue

Stuart Pearce’s side battled their way to within touching distance of next summer’s European Championship finals.

Daniel Sturridge’s superbly taken first-half goal leaves England needing to beat Lithuania in Colchester on Tuesday to almost certainly book a qualifying play-off for next season’s tournament in Denmark.

Pearce chose not to start with ­Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere, who made his senior England debut last month.

But Manchester United’s shock £7m signing Bebe picked up his first Under-21 cap for Portugal.

David Simao had the first effort for the hosts eight minutes in but his long-range strike flew well over the bar.

The cagey opening to a game both sides needed to win was summed up 24 minutes in when England keeper Frank Fielding was booked for time wasting.

England should have gone ahead just after that when Danny Welbeck tapped in Kyle Walker’s cross – only for the flag to be incorrectly raised for offside.

But they snatched the winner on 32 minutes when highly-rated midfielder Tom Cleverley played in Sturridge and the Chelsea man chipped keeper Rui Patricio.

Bebe was largely disappointing for the home side but he tested Fielding for the first time with a shot in the 65th minute that the Blackburn man beat away.

Portugal then began to crank up the pressure but England held firm to pick up all three vital points.

Kalou Nets In Africa

Salomon Kalou scored the 12th international goal of his career as Ivory Coast began their qualification campaign for the next African Cup of Nations with a win.

The Elephants, under Sven Goran Eriksson's successor Francois Zahoui, beat Rwanda 3-0 at home with all the goals coming from Premier League-based players.

Kalou's goal was the second of the game when he converted a cross with a shot into the left-hand corner on 21 minutes. It was his 36th cap. Yaya Toure and Emmanuel Eboue were the other scorers. Didier Drogba attended the match but was not part of the on-pitch action.

Ivory Coast's next match is in October. Nigeria, with John Mikel Obi in the squad, are in action at home to Madagascar tomorrow (Sunday). The Super Eagles are yet to name a new permanent coach. Swede Lars Lagerback, who led them in an unimpressive World Cup, left at the end of his contract.

In Saturday's Under 21 football, defender Slobodan Rajkovic, who is on loan at Vitesse Arnheam, played in Serbia U21s' 2-2 home draw against Croatia. Serbia will not qualify for the European Championships.

Youth Report: Coventry City 1 - 1 Chelsea

Chelsea faced a tough Coventry side this weekend, losing a one-goal lead established by Philipp Prosenik in the first half.

Both sides were committed to attacking, entertaining football throughout in front of an impressive crowd on a sunny afternoon at the Alan Higgs Centre.

Rohan Ince and Billy Clifford both featured for the first time since the FA Youth Cup Final, playing 45 minutes a piece.

City was first to find to the net, despite the referee already blowing his whistle. Jonson Harris lobbed Jamal Blackman on that occasion, while the Chelsea keeper played to the whistle instead of attempting to stop the ball.

George Saville then forced two consecutive and acrobatic saves from Coventry keeper Lee Burge but it took until the 33rd minute for Chelsea to find the net.

When the hosts appealed for a freekick on the right flank, the referee waved play on, allowing the Blues a chance to counter.

Devyne then set up Prosenik with a superb ball before the goalscorer expertly slotted home to give Chelsea the lead.

The Under 18s went into the break 1-0 up and boasted the better play at the start of the second-half. It was Coventry who'd find the net next though.

With 66 minutes gone the hosts pulled one back, equalizing the game. A cross from Aaron Phillips eventually fell to Harris who drilled a shot under Blackman and into the back of the net.

Chelsea failed to find a second goal as both sides battled for possession in midfield, despite having the better exchanges in the latter part of the game, and the game ended 1-1.

'It was a really tough away game,' said youth team manager Dermot Drummy.

'There was a lot of tackles and it wasn't a very flowing game but the boys are competing, so I am pleased with the performance.'

Carlo Ancelotti Has No Plans To Coach Italy In The Immediate Future

Carlo Ancelotti has put his nostalgia for Italian football to one side to focus on Chelsea as he excludes a role with Italy.

The Blues boss has expressed a desire to coach a national team in future, but for now he is firmly drilled on furnishing his time around Chelsea.

And he made it clear he is in with the Blues for the long haul as he hopes to continue on a trophy-filled journey with plenty of sticking power.

"I want to open up a cycle with Chelsea, and then we will see," he told TG1.

"I hope Cesare Prandelli stays with Italy for 20 years. According to statistics Italy win the World Cup once every 24 years which means we will win again in 2030.

"But I hope they can win it before then."

Spartak Moscow Willing To Throw A Lifeline To Chelsea's Yury Zhirkov

Spartak Moscow boss Valeri Karpin has confirmed that his side are keen on giving Chelsea outcast Yury Zhirkov a new lease of life in his career.

The 27-year-old wide man has been making appearances only on an intermittent basis - partly owing to injuries - since he joined the Blues last summer, and Russia boss Dick Advocaat recently warned the player that he could risk losing his place in the national team without regular football.

The Dutchman also cited Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko among those who run the risk of being dropped.

Zenit St Petersburg were thought to have been interested in the versatile left-back, who can also play on the wing, but any interest that may have existed did not reach fruition in the form of a transfer.

Now Spartak boss Karpin has revealed that his side were also interested in luring the player back to Russia, as he is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "I was interested, I am now and I will be in the winter."

Zhirkov has made only 17 appearances for Chelsea since his big money move from CSKA Moscow.

Chelsea And Inter Set To Battle For Anderlecht Starlet Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea and Inter are interested in securing the services of Anderlecht starlet Romelu Lukaku, according to tuttomercatoweb.

The 17-year-old, who was top-scorer in Belgium last season, is considered one of the top rising stars in European football and has a very bright future ahead of him.

Despite plenty of interest this past year from numerous European clubs, the starlet has already decided to remain with the Belgian champions until at least the summer of 2011 in order to finish school.

However, next summer it appears the door is open for both Chelsea and Inter, who are aiming to strengthen in attack.

Inter have yet to replace striker Mario Balotelli, who left for Manchester City, while two of Chelsea's most prolific strikers - Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka - are both in their 30's and might only have a handful of years of top level football left in them.

Essien Sets Sights High

Midfielder Michael Essien says Chelsea can crown last season's double success by winning the Champions League.

The Ghana international has returned to Chelsea's midfield after spending much of last season on the treatment table with a knee injury that eventually cost him a trip to the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Chelsea stormed to the Barclays Premier League title last season and then clinched their first-ever double with an FA Cup final victory over Portsmouth at Wembley.

Now Essien believes the Blues can add the Champions League crown to all the domestic silverware they have won.

Chelsea are confident of getting through their group which includes MSK Zilina, Spartak Moscow and Marseille.

"We have set our targets as high as we possibly can and the aim is to win every competition we enter," said Essien.

"We now have four trophies to go for and we are all focused on giving it 110 per cent.

"You cannot ask for more than three games played, three wins with 14 goals scored and none conceded. That is the reason why I am excited about this season. The team has been together for the last four to five years and the understanding is getting better each year.

"We cannot get carried away and have to keep working hard to win everything. As a player you get the inner feeling that something big is around the corner and I feel the same way I felt last season when we won the double.

"However I am sure we can go one further and add the big one - the UEFA Champions League to our collection of trophies.

"Everyone knows how much winning that will mean to us. As a team we have won every domestic trophy and so it's only natural that we have the hunger for the European trophy.

"That is not to say we don't care about the Premier League, FA Cup or Carling Cup. We want to win every competition we enter this season and we will do all we can to win them all."

Didier Drogba Named West Africa’s Player Of The Year

Didier Drogba has won the inaugural prize for the best footballer in West Africa awarded by the West Africa Football Union (Wafu).

The sub-region's maiden awards ceremony was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Wednesday and chaired by Ghana’s FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi, who represented the Wafu president Amos Adamu.

The awards were meant to distinguish footballers from West Africa who performed exceptionally during the year under review. The votes were conducted via phone calls and SMS from the sub-region’s public.

Drogba received the biggest award of the night, tagged “Best of the Best”, beating Ghana’s trio Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Andre Ayew.

The Elephants' Yaya Toure and Kader Keita were also distinguished as well as two Nigerians: John Obi Mikel and Yakubu. Emmanuel Adebayor from Togo was also awarded.

Two of the Ivory Coast's former players Laurent Pokou and Cyrile Domoraud, along with Toure and Drogba, were designated as ambassadors of an Abidjan-based orphanage home called “SOS d’Abobo” so its residents can benefit from the players education projects - a prime mission of UFOA.

Essien Puts International Career On Hold

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has stood down from international football for the foreseeable future, telling Ghana he wants to return to form at club level, coach Milovan Rajevac said.

Essien has been missing without explanation from two Ghana squads named since the World Cup, including the selection for Sunday's start of the 2012 African Nations Cup qualifiers.

Rajevac told the BBC Essien had asked for time off to consolidate his place in the Chelsea side after a long injury lay-off.

"He contacted me and wanted to ask for permission to be excused for a while," Rajevac said in Swaziland ahead of Sunday's Group qualifier.

"I understood his thoughts and of course I wanted to help him to get into his old form, to start playing regularly and I gave that permission," the Serbian-born coach added.

Essien, who missed the World Cup in South Africa, has suffered two serious injuries while on past international duty.

"I'm sure that after sometime he will come back to the national team," Rajevac added.

Essien has won 50 caps for his country and played in the 2006 World Cup for the Black Stars.

Lampard Reveals Secret In New Magazine

Frank Lampard is looking sharp and ready to talk on the cover of October's Chelsea magazine, now on sale.

Inside the new edition he reveals secrets behind his play that helped him net 27 goals last campaign - a magnificent total for a striker, let alone a midfielder.

Talking exclusively to the club's official publication, Lampard describes how movement, stamina and sharpness all play a role in his game, but another factor is the team around him which allows our number 8 so many opportunities to strike.

'I'm very lucky to play in a team with such good movement,' Lampard tells Chelsea, 'especially when we're really firing.

'Defenders are worried about [Didier] Drogba and [Nicolas] Anelka, especially when they're running in behind players and pushing the defensive line back, because that opens up space for me to arrive when the ball comes into the box.

'The easiest way I ever score goals is when we win the ball and move it quickly forward. What's the point in winning the ball back and just keeping it?'

During the in-depth interview, Lampard also discusses new arrivals at the Bridge, as well as the experience our side already boasts, before talking of Chelsea's recent run of form and how it affects the opposition.

'The fans enjoy it, we enjoy it, but it's not reality winning sixes, sevens and eights. There was a time last year when we couldn't score. We've got to be ready for teams who shut up shop against us so that we have to find a way to make a breakthrough.

'Those are the games where you have to find a goal from nowhere and be happy with a 1-0 win,' he adds.

Elsewhere in the new-look Chelsea magazine, Ramires tells fans all about his footballing career, which didn't really begin until he was 17. He also reveals how his first time out of Brazil was when he left for Benfica last year.

You can learn all about the young Brazilian's football idols, what role he expects to play for Chelsea and his first impressions of the club and our impressive training facilities.

Then there's Florent Malouda's Photo Album, a collection a snaps from his childhood and time at Chelsea, each accompanied by a description from the man himself.

There are images of him in his first football team and he also divulges the belief he once had of being Superman and the drastic repercussions which followed!

Salomon Kalou stars in this month's Family Secrets feature, as the Ivorian reveals all sorts of facts, from his favourite songs and sporting idols, to his most important shirt swap and the last holiday he took.

And as Chelsea magazine looks back over days gone by, Ken Shellito takes part in this month's The Boys Are Back In Town.

In it Shellito discusses Jimmy Greaves, a fellow east London boy who would go on to achieve great things.

The former full-back describes the decision to sign for Chelsea and how it came about in this exclusive and insightful interview.

DJ and supporter Johnny Vaughan then discusses his love of Chelsea before Carlo Ancelotti answers fans' questions in You Ask The Manager.

This month's feature includes queries such as 'Having not made too many signings this summer, what gives you the belief that we can retain our title or win the Champions League?'

Or 'Do you have any superstitions going into a game, as a manager or back when you were a player?' and 'How does the atmosphere compare in Premier League matches to that of Serie A?', all of which the Italian expertly answers.

Internationals: Benayoun Blows Malta Away

Yossi Benayoun was the star turn as Euro 2012 qualifiers began for Chelsea players on Thursday evening, scoring a hat-trick in an Israel win.

Our summer signing struck all his side's goals in a 3-1 home win over Malta. He scored within the first 10 minutes from inside the area, only for the visitors to equalise before the break. Benayoun then converted from the penalty spot in the second half before heading his hat-trick goal on 76 minutes, following up after a save. He also had a goal disallowed for handball after two minutes.

Former Chelsea players Tal Ben-Haim and Ben Sahar (currently on loan at Hapoel Tel-Aviv from Espanyol) also played for Israel.

England Under 19s were also in action on Thursday evening with Josh McEachran and Aziz Deen-Conteh both making their debuts at this level.

The Chelsea Academy products started a 2-0 win over Slovakia at Crewe's Gresty Road. McEachran played the first 61 minutes and Deen-Conteh came off on 69 minutes. Their team-mate in last season's FA Youth Cup win, Milan Lalkovic, played 64 minutes for the Slovakians.

More Chelsea players will be involved in Euro 2012 qualifiers on Friday.

Chelsea Name Reduced Squad

Chelsea has included just four 'home-grown' players in their 19-man matchday squad for this season.

Under new rules this campaign, Premier League clubs must register a minimum of eight players who have trained for three years with any English or Welsh outfit before the age of 21 if the full 25-man quota is used.

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti has instead submitted a reduced party in which John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Ross Turnbull are the only 'home-grown' names.

Amongst the 'non home-grown' players are Stamford Bridge stars such as Didier Drogba, the top goalscorer in the Premier League last season, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.

Top flight clubs had to make their squad selections by 5pm on Wednesday following the closure of the summer transfer window.

The Blues have opted against the big-spending antics of some of their Premier League rivals this summer, making just two captures in the form of midfield duo Ramires and Yossi Benayoun, who have both been named in the squad.

In addition to the named line-up, Ancelotti can call upon unlimited players aged 21 or under, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Jeffrey Bruma and Gael Kakuta at his disposal.

Chelsea squad: Ashley Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ross Turnbull, Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Michael Essien, Ramires, Yossi Benayoun, Didier Drogba, John Mikel Obi, Florent Malouda, Jose Bosingwa, Yury Zhirkov, Paulo Ferreira, Salomon Kalou, Alex, Henrique Hilario, Nicolas Anelka.

Frank Lampard Happy With Chelsea's Stability And Continuity After Summer Transfer Dealings

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is pleased that there have not been major changes at Stamford Bridge this summer, with continuity so important to maintaining success.

Ramires and Yossi Benayoun have been the major arrivals at the club, with a number of squad members exiting the club, but there has been little change to the core group that won both the Premier League and FA Cup last term.

"Continuity is nice, especially when you have won a double but you do want to add to it and make it better although at the same time you don't want to add to it and make it worse," Lampard told his club's official website.

"There is an element of keeping what you've got and only adding if you are adding better or good squad players.

"Five first-team squad players have left but we have started off very well and we have to keep that going. If we get injuries to big players we hope we have got the cover there."

Lampard also feels that winning the double last season has benefited the squad in terms of collective experience and confidence.

"I don't know about individually, everyone is a bit different. But as a group the double certainly has an effect on collective confidence," he added.

"That is a big positive but the negative is if people think we have won the double, let's rest on our laurels.

"It is very important to keep the confidence but make sure that you never get the feeling that we can easily do that again. The moment you think that then you won't win anything else, so it is a balancing act."

Meanwhile, Lampard feels that the current trend for two holding midfielders in managers' formations is not the one he prefers.

Rather, he feels that one defensive midfielder alongside a more advanced player is more effective.

"Formations do generally go in cycles. In the 90s it was 4-4-2 and then it changed and I think we were probably the instigators as much as anyone in England in making it 4-3-3 when [Jose] Mourinho was in charge," he explained.

"Then because football has become a bit more tactical and organized, it is about becoming harder to beat and teams want two holding midfielders sometimes.

"I personally don't like the system too much. I think one holding midfielder if they are good at their job is enough and I find if you have two in a straight line then it doesn't give you so many angles to play through midfield.

"I always think it is better to have people at different angles which mean one being deeper and the other two taking up different positions [further forward]."

Michael Essien Determined To Emulate Last Season's Achievements

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is determined to lift more silverware this season to make manager Carlo Ancelotti sing in celebration.

Essien, 27, was on the sidelines as the Blues enjoyed a club first Premier League and FA Cup double. After recovering from a knee ligament injury, the Ghana international was determined to help the club to further success at home and in Europe.

Speaking to the club's official website, Essien declared he had his eye on some new additions to the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet.

He said: "I still have memories of the double parade at the end of last season and would love to do it all over again at the end of this season.

"I can't wait to hear the manager sing 'Paa-pa-pa-pa-pa-paa' again. It's the best Italian song I have heard since Pavarotti and it still makes me laugh even watching the DVD now."

The ex-Lyon player added: "As a player, you get the inner feeling that something big is around the corner and I feel the same way I felt last season when we won the double.

"However, I am sure we can go one further and add the big one - the Uefa Champions League trophy - to our collection of trophies.

"Everyone knows how much winning that will mean to us.

"As a team, we have won every domestic trophy and so it's only natural that we have the hunger for the European trophy.

"That is not to say we don't care about the Premier League, FA Cup or Carling Cup. We want to win every competition we enter this season and we will do all we can to win them all."

Chelsea Youngster Jeffrey Bruma Signs New Four-Year Deal

Young Chelsea defender Jeffrey Bruma has signed a new four-year contract to keep him at the club until at least 2014.

The 18-year-old has made four substitute appearances for the Chelsea first team following his arrival in 2007.

Bruma became a professional last summer and since then has made both his full Chelsea and Netherlands debuts whilst also guiding the Chelsea youth team to the FA Youth Cup last season.

Speaking to the club's official website, Bruma said: "I am very happy to stay here."

Bruma thanked the Chelsea staff for recognizing his improvement but conceded that even more improvement would need to be made to stake a claim for a regular first-team spot.

"I have been working to improve all the time I have been here and a next step is getting your next contract, and now it is time to improve again," he said.

"I often speak to [assistant first team coach] Paul Clement because when I came over here as a 15-year-old and was in the youth team, he was the youth team manager. We sit down and lay out a sheet of targets. We did this when we were away in the Champions League in Milan last season.

"I have made my international debut already and that was the aim for two or three years' time. It has come so early and when you reach your targets you obviously have to set new ones, so my new targets are to play as much as I can at Chelsea in the first team and get in the Dutch full squad again as soon as I am fit."

Bruma will now be looking to progress to the Chelsea first-team after appearing in the Carling Cup last year.

The champions allowed Ricardo Carvalho to move to Real Madrid earlier in the transfer window and Bruma could be seen as the long term replacement for the Portuguese international, should his development continue.

Chelsea To Recruit Barca's Director Of Sport

As transfer day limps to its underwhelming conclusion, there are rumours in Spain that Chelsea could be making a new off-pitch signing.

The man in question is Txiqui Begiristain, who would set a new Scrabble record with his first name alone. Txiqui was the Director of Sport at Barca under the previous President, Joan Laporta. Laporta`s mandate ended over the summer, there were elections, and the new bloke, Sandro Rossell did what all newly-elected leaders do, i.e. replacing the previous incumbent’s people with his own. Txiqui, an essential architect of Barca’s success, left the club in June, after 7 years at Barcelona. He made it clear that he was keen to look for pastures new.

And those pastures could be in London, where it is said that Roman Abramovich wants to build a football empire similar to that at Barcelona. Begeristain has there been made an offer that 'cannot be refused`. The man behind this rumour, well-known journalist Guillem Ballagué, says that 'from what I’m told, Txiqui will become the new Director of Football from the beginning of January`.

Ballagué has a mixed record on rumours. On the one hand, he has his entries to a lot of corridors of power in Spanish football. On the other, he has been the man who has broken out some quite excitable cobblers. Fernando Torres to Chelsea was, according to him, a 'done deal`. However, the rumour that Chelsea could be interested in Begeristain has been floating around for some months now.

The rumour would cast doubt on the future of Chelsea’s current 'Director of Football`, Frank Arnesen. If there is a different title in Spain compared to England, Spanish clubs tend to give the title 'Director of Sport` as they tend to cover more than just football. Barcelona, for instance, also has an all-conquering basketball team, as well as a pretty good handball team. Chelsea, of course, only has football.

Arnesen has been given the role of head talent scout, in charge of uncovering football talents. Despite a moderate hype, it is hard to point to many youngsters ready to break into the first team. If anything, for all the reported promise, the kids tend to be locked in the lower levels, leaving on loan deals, but not making the jump to the Chelsea first team. José Mourinho blamed the lack of talented youth in the Chelsea ranks on Frank Arnesen.

On the other hand, the Barcelona model is one that must be attractive to any club. Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes … many of the Barca first team (and most of the 2010 World Cup winning Spanish side) were home grown at the Barcelona school at La Masía, an institution where kids of all levels learn a football philosophy, as well as schooling in life. No wonder that, as well as being extraordinary footballers, they are also well-balanced individuals. It’s a model that is the envy of world football.

And the rumour is that Roman wants to change the club structure to create a new Masía at Chelsea, and he considers that the best person to oversee this project is the one who has had such an impact on the original Masía, Txiqui Begeristain. It would mean changing the way the club does many things, from training to schooling, not to mention the role of the younger levels in relation to the first team, as well as modifying the role of the first-team coach.

And if the rumour is true, it would be a powerful declaration of intent. Watch this space.

Delac Signed On And Loaned Out

Goalkeeper Matej Delac, who turned 18 last month, has signed as a professional for Chelsea and has been loaned for the season to Vitesse Arnhem.

The Croatian had previously been subject to a pre-contract agreement and spent a fortnight training with our first team in December.

He joins from Croatian top-flight side Inter Zapresic where he played in the first team and he represented his nation at the recent European Under 19 Championships.

His side reached the semi-finals before being beaten 2-1 by France. Gael Kakuta was a scorer past our new keeper in that match, the first time Delac had been beaten for three matches in the tournament.

The 6ft 3in keeper joins Serbians Nemanja Matic and Slobodan Rajkovic as Chelsea players on loan at Vitesse who play in the Dutch top division.

Ancelotti Talks With Coaching Elite

While many of his squad are away on international duty, Carlo Ancelotti is also abroad this week for a brainstorming session with other top-level managers.

He is attending the 12th Uefa Elite Club Coaches Forum in Switzerland where he is joined by former Blues bosses Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, future Champions League opponent Didier Deschamps, Alex Ferguson and Roy Hodgson, plus Barcelona's Pep Guardiola, Auxerre's Jean Fernandez, Schalke's Felix Magath, Benfica's Jorge Jesus, Lyon's Claude Puel, Malaga's Jesualdo Ferreira, Basel's Thorsten Fink, Ajax's Martin Jol, Werder Bremen's Thomas Schaaf and Nikos Nioplias of Panathinaikos.

They are at Uefa headquarters in Nyon where they are will be discussing trends in and concerns about the sport at the highest level.

The Forum began yesterday [Wednesday] and continues today with a press conference given at the conclusion.

Ancelotti follows on from Mourinho and Luiz Felipe Scolari who were delegates at the Forum whilst Chelsea manager.