Ballack calls a two-horse race

MICHAEL Ballack dismissed Liverpool's title challenge yesterday and predicted a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Only goal difference separates Liverpool from Chelsea at the top of the table, but the Germany midfield player believes the Merseyside club is more suited to the UEFA Champions League because its squad lacks the depth to compete for the entire season.

Liverpool has won one Champions League and reached another final in four seasons under Rafael Benitez, but Ballack's views will not go down well at Anfield. Liverpool has been in the top two all season and became the first side to win a league match at Stamford Bridge in 4 1/2 years last month when it beat Chelsea 1-0.

"It's always the big four that everyone speaks about, but it's still about Chelsea and Man U," Ballack said. "Arsenal are already behind, which makes it very difficult for them. Liverpool are very good at this moment, but they are always a club for the Champions League, partly because they can put all their focus on one or two matches.

"But when you look at results and squads over the past couple of seasons, I think us and Man U are just a little bit stronger."

In yesterday's games, Roman Pavlyuchenko scored an early goal to give Tottenham a 1-0 win over 10-man Blackburn and lift Harry Redknapp's team out of the relegation zone.

Spurs outplayed Rovers for long spells at White Hart Lane, even before Blackburn lost left back Martin Olsson in the 39th after he received his second yellow card. The defender was also at fault for the goal. He tried to beat Aaron Lennon but lost possession, and the winger burst down the right flank and pulled the ball back to the unmarked Pavlyuchenko. The Russian striker beat former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson with a first-time shot.

Lennon repeatedly created openings for Spurs with his weaving runs, and Olsson was sent off for hauling the winger down.

"Aaron's a terrific player," Spurs coach Harry Redknapp said. "He's a threat, he carries the game to the opposition, he's got pace, he excites people and his confidence is sky high at the moment."

While Spurs climbed out of the last three spots, Blackburn slipped to second last. Wigan, which hosts Everton overnight, also dropped into the relegation zone.

In the other game, West Ham won 1-0 at Sunderland to end a run of seven games without a win and inflict a fourth home loss in a row on the Black Cats through a Valon Behrami goal.

Scolari Still Invite Robinho

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari still hasn’t given up on his summer target Robinho and announced that the Stamfort Bridge side's doors are “always open for him ”.

Chelsea were linked with the Brazilian international attacker throughout the summer but on the final day of the transfer window, Manchester City snatched the player for a 32million deal from Real Madrid.

During that time Scolari was fuming with Anger for not having being able to bring Robinho to Stamford Bridge and claimed that the former Real Madrid man could have been the best player in the world if he was at Chelsea.

"I am sure that Robinho would be the best player in the world if he came to play at Chelsea," he told Brazilian daily O Globo. "The Chelsea doors are always open to him."

Chelsea will need record 97 points to win league title, says Luiz Felipe Scolari

Chelsea only head Liverpool on goal difference despite having dropped just seven points from the opening 13 games of the season.

And manager Scolari believes it will take a record-breaking campaign to guarantee Chelsea their third title in five years in his debut season in charge.

The Brazilian, who spoke glowingly of the harmony inside his squad, said: "We know that if we want to win the Premier League, we need to win 85 per cent of the points on offer.

"We have a focus for the Premier League games. Three points is important for every game. But we have a good balance and the players know this.

"After the games we lost, we showed the players why we lost and they tried to change that for the next game. In each case, in the next game we have played well."

Scolari's 85 per cent target equates to 97 points over the season, two more than Jose Mourinho's Blues side accrued to set the current record mark and take their first title in 2005. After Manchester United's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, which has left them languishing eight points behind Chelsea and Liverpool, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "We have got to get above 85 points to have a chance of winning the league, so we must keep going for it."

Chelsea are behind the schedule set for them by Scolari, although back-to-back wins over Newcastle today and Bolton next week would take them within a fraction of the target figure.

Scolari added: "I need to look at the schedule again. After we have played Newcastle and Bolton I will have a better idea about the points we have and what we wanted to have. I will tell you then."

The Brazilian, however, was far more emphatic about the value of a squad willing to exchange views and opinions without it descending into damaging acrimony.

And while he pointedly insisted he was not referring to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger or William Gallas, the contrast between the sweetness and light he described at Stamford Bridge and the apparent civil war across the capital could not have been more evident.

Scolari, set to have Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech all back this afternoon, added: "Having a good atmosphere in the squad is 50 per cent, minimum, of what you need to win a game, because if that atmosphere is not good, you start the game in a bad situation.

"It is something the players create between themselves and with me and my staff. But once it is there it is easy." Scolari insisted that, for all his image as a hardliner, he actually encourages argument between his players - but only when it is for constructive purposes, and on the condition that nothing is allowed to fester.

"I want the players to speak their minds, to talk between themselves and me, even if it's negative," he added.

"We need to look and talk and think about what has happened, before games, even at half-time. But after they have spoken, it is my time.

"Bad results can create problems.

But what is important is that you've involved the players so they understand one bad result doesn't change our focus.

"In that time what you have to say i s: 'Remember, remember, remember; OK, go'. I'm the man who needs to decide what happens."

Scolari said he had been in such situations many, many times, but that he was happy for players to speak their minds as long as they did not breach his code of respect for the structure of the club.

"Sometimes you give the players the chance to say something and they go too far," he explained. "Then we need to say: 'Look, the position is this'.

"I am a coach, and at times I am a friend or a father too, because I am older than them and have had more experiences.

"But when I am a coach, I need to be able bring a player into my office and tell him the way we have to follow and if it is required, to say: 'You are wrong; out'. My job is to solve the problem and finish it."

LAST 11 WINNING POINTS TOTALS
2007-08: MAN UTD 87PTS
2006-07: MAN UTD 89PTS
2005-06: CHELSEA 91PTS
2004-05: CHELSEA 95PTS
2003-04: ARSENAL 90PTS
2002-03: MAN UTD 83PTS
2001-02: ARSENAL 87PTS
2000-01: MAN UTD 80PTS
1999-00: MAN UTD 91PTS
1998-99: MAN UTD 79PTS
1997-98: ARSENAL 78PTS

Bent targets regular England spot

Darren Bent has vowed to make a strong claim for the one England striking spot he believes is available.

Bent concedes Wayne Rooney is an automatic choice for one of the forward roles, although the Manchester United star has been ruled out of Wednesday's friendly international with Germany in Berlin through injury.

But the Tottenham Hotspur player is keen to resurrect his own international career after having his confidence restored by the arrival of Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane as Juande Ramos' successor last month.

Bent said: "There is definitely a vacancy for a goalscorer. I have always been a firm believer that, if you can score a lot of goals for your club, then you can do it for your country.

"That is especially the case with England given the calibre of players in the squad who can create chances.

"Wayne Rooney has been fantastic for England for a number of years and it does look like the rest of us are all fighting away for one spot.

really well

"As long as I can keep myself fit, score as many goals as I can and play well, it will only stand me in good stead."

Bent is hoping the Redknapp factor can help him with his England aspirations in the same way as with Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch at Portsmouth.

He said: "Harry helped Crouch and Defoe get back into the England set-up after going to Portsmouth and they are playing really well.

"Jermain was in a similar position to me at Tottenham where he was not playing too much, then went to Portsmouth and now he can't stop scoring.

"Now Harry has come to Tottenham and funnily enough I've got back into the England squad. He is a fantastic manager and he is a man manager who keeps things simple."

West Bromwich Albion VS Chelsea - Match Result.

0 - 3

Nicolas Anelka continued his free-scoring form as Chelsea regained leadership of the English Premier League with a 3-0 rout of bottom club West Bromwich Albion in Saturday's late kickoff.

Anelka has prospered since Luiz Felipe Scolari took charge at Chelsea.

Chelsea head Liverpool on goal difference with both teams on 32 points after 13 matches.

Champions Manchester United are eight points adrift, with a game in hand, in third place.

Full-back Jose Boswinga opened the scoring for Chelsea on 34 minutes at The Hawthorns with Anelka all but wrapping up the three points with a double strike just before halftime.

It was the French international's seventh goal in his last three Premier League games and continued his

improved Chelsea form since the arrival of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari at the start of the season.

West Bromwich manager Tony Mowbray had predicted a tough test and his worst fears were confirmed as a comprehensive defeat leaves them propping up the standings on 11 points.

After a quiet start, Chelsea found their rhythm and Frank Lampard tested Scott Carson with a powerful drive.

A superb strike from Boswinga gave the Blues the lead after 34 minutes.

There appeared to be little danger but Boswinga suddenly unleashed a powerful left-footed drive from 25 meters out which Carson could not prevent from finding the back of the net.

After 38 minutes Anelka doubled Chelsea's lead as the excellent Florent Malouda headed the ball into his path and he ran on to dink the ball past Carson.

In first half injury-time Anelka struck again from a narrow angle with Salomon Kalou giving the assist this time.

Anelka, who had kept Didier Drogba on the bench, had chances to complete a hat-trick after the break.

The first came as he unselfishly chose to set up Deco rather than shoot from 12 meters out and later Abdoulaye Meite threw himself in front of his goalbound shot.

Malouda should have capped a fine individual performance with Chelsea's fourrth but shot across the face of goal with only Carson to beat.

Scolari was pleased to see his team back to their best after a penalty shootout defeat to Burnley in the League Cup in midweek and was particularly pleased by Anelka's contribution.

"When you receive the ball one or two times, 10 times, and you don't score, some players in the team lose confidence in him," Scolari told the Associated Press.

"But when he receives the ball one or two times and scores, players try to give more chances to Anelka for him to score more."