'Blues will suffer in Manchester'

Manchester City star Robinho believes he has cooked up the perfect recipe to trip-up Chelsea’s season. City, who have drawn seven successive league matches, host EPL leaders Chelsea on Saturday. "We must drown their midfield, open the scoring - and stop Didier Drogba," said the £32.5m samba star ahead of the match. "It is not an easy game for us but given the spirit in our squad this week, I believe the Blues will suffer in Manchester." The 25-year-old Robinho has been out for several months with a broken ankle. He will be hoping to get a run on Saturday as City attempt to close their 14 point gap on Chelsea. "I still dream that City will see the very best of me, the way I played for Real Madrid. I don't want to fail in this adventure," added Robinho, who has scored 14 goals in 33 appearances for City.

Oh, behave – Wenger

Arsene Wenger has hit back after he was accused of snubbing Mark Hughes following Arsenal’s loss to Manchester City in the Carling Cup earlier this week. The Frenchman was widely criticised for failing to shake hands with Hughes after the 3-0 drubbing. "I will shake hands when people behave properly but I’m not a slave of the ceremony. I have my freedom," said Wenger on Friday. Wenger refused to be drawn on what Hughes did to provoke him, but was furious at the reaction from fellow managers. "I think sometimes in England you feel that the ceremony is more important than the real thing [the truth]. In this case, I’m the only one to be questioned. I’ve been here thirteen years and nobody wonders why I reacted like that," he added.

Lil' Andrei blasts tiny Gunners

Arsenal are small and not very good, according to Andrei Arshavin. The club’s Russian star, himself a mere 1.7m’s tall, expressed his opinion on the Gunners’ physical limitations following their 3-0 loss to Chelsea last Sunday in an interview with the Russian media. "The fact that we have lost against out direct rivals this season signifies that we are not very good," said Arshavin. "We played good football, but that is not enough. We score a lot of goals, but we always let in one or more. We are not good on set pieces, and that is bound up with the fact that we don't have many tall players. Chelsea were much stronger than us when it came to physical power." Arshavin has been a big hit at the Emirates since joining the club from Zenit St Petersburg for £15m earlier this year, scoring 12 goals in 30 appearances.

Scholes ready to call time

The curtain is set to comedown on Paul Scholes' stellar career at the end of the season. The red-haired midfielder, who came through the club’s youth system and has featured for them for nearly 17 seasons, claims a lack of regular playing time this season could force him to hang up his boots. "I don't feel I am making as much of a contribution as I'd like and I wouldn't say I am playing some of my best football," Scholes revealed on Friday. The 35-year-old has started less than half of their games this season. "I always preferred when I was playing regularly and scoring a lot more. Now, it's different. You do think about the future. I am not too sure. I'll just carry on and we'll see what happens come the end of the season." Scholes has scored 144 goals in 508 appearances for United.

Giants chase Inter hitman and other transfer rumours

Chelsea and Arsenal are set to scrap it out for the signature of Mario Balotelli, the £18m-rated Inter Milan striker. The Blues are said to have finally lost patience with Salomon Kalou and want the Italian as back-up for Drogba and Anelka, while Arsenal are desperate for a striker to fill Robin Van Persie’s boots while he recovers from a bad ankle injury. Elsewhere, Chelsea have also been linked with a £13.5m move for Brazilian striker Neymar who plays for Santos in his home country; AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso could be heading for the EPL after talks over extending his contract at the Italian club broke down; and Tottenham are chasing Swiss international goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic as competition for current number one Heurelho Gomes.