Source: Telegraph
Wayne Bridge relishes Manchester City's planned summer spending spree
Chelsea v Manchester CityKick-off: Sun Mar 15, 1.30pm; Stamford Bridge, LondonTV: Setanta Sports 1Radio: BBC Radio Five Live[LNB]With Chelsea he was on the inside as the club elevated itself to European power on the back of Roman's roubles, and he is in a similar position with City, waiting for the Abu Dhabi oil billions that will build a team capable of competing with the elite. [LNB] Related ArticlesFootballer faced '£20k blackmail plot'[LNB]Premier League team news[LNB]Hiddink: Terry will stay at Chelsea[LNB]Manchester City can turn things around to be like Chelsea, says Shay Given[LNB]Manchester City's new owners from Abu Dhabi bag Robinho for £32.5m[LNB]Man United v Inter Milan: Wayne Rooney wants side to take leaf out of Liverpool's book[LNB]Sunday's visit of City to Chelsea – Bridge's first return to the club where he spent over five years – will allow Sheikh Mansour to measure how much he needs to invest to compete with Champions League calibre opposition. After the false start of the Kaka farce, the serious investment is expected to begin this summer. [LNB]"When I first went to Chelsea it was like this and it just all changed in a couple of years," Bridge said. "From the plans that I've seen and heard we're heading that way and I'm just excited to be here. It is going to be interesting to see who they bring in over the next few transfers. [LNB]"I don't think the speculation affects the players. There's a bit of banter flying around but everyone just want to get out and do well for the team. But I think, and I hope as well, that there will be a lot of players arriving. He [manager Mark Hughes] wants a big squad and a good squad. I have only heard speculation. I just want to press fast forward and see who we get." [LNB]When Bridge joined Chelsea, they trained at Harlington, which was pretty basic, very windy and punctuated by the sounds of take-offs and landings from Heathrow. It was a far cry from the opulence of Chelsea's current training facilities at Cobham. [LNB]Bridge has already noticed the changes happening at City, with a revamped medical department the latest improvement.However, it is all irrelevant without corresponding rejuvenation on the field. [LNB]"I'm expecting it to move in the direction that Chelsea went I was there, when rotation will naturally end up happening," he said. [LNB]"I expect Mark Hughes will have all the players he wants and more. If he can get them there will be rotation and that's good for Man City. I'm excited about who we are going to bring in. At the moment he tends to field the same XI with a few changes here and there but if he gets who he wants there'll be more rotation." [LNB]It was rotation, or the lack of it in his case, that finally persuaded Bridge to leave Chelsea. He gets on well with Ashley Cole but wanted an active support role at the least. While John Terry and others tried to persuade him to play as a left winger – Bridge's original position before Dave Jones converted him at Southampton – Bridge felt he lacked the trickery to play the role. [LNB]Being in Cole's shadow did not daunt Bridge and so confident was he in his Chelsea future that he signed a new contract last summer. But opportunities proved even sparser under Luiz Felipe Scolari. [LNB]"I know people said that I didn't play much at Chelsea but I still played between 20 and 30 games a season. I wanted to play more though. I signed just before Scolari came. I talked to him and Peter Kenyon and it felt like I was going to play that again if not more. But it wasn't happening. [LNB]"The time when Ashley Cole was injured I thought I played well but as soon as he was fit again I was dropped. It wouldn't happen the other way round. I wasn't play games at all. I played two or three in the Premier League, if that. [LNB]"Maybe I wasn't his [Scolari's] cup of tea. I haven't got a bad word to say about him because he's such a nice guy. Since being there [Jose] Mourinho was the best coach I had. [LNB]"Obviously Scolari is a well-known, top coach and a great guy but it just wasn't working out. I don't know whether it was because he didn't have some of the players on his side or his tactics weren't working. Obviously it had to come to an end and they needed something fresh." [LNB]Chelsea certainly got that with Guus Hiddink – the Dutch coach has secured five wins and a draw from his first six games – but Bridge hopes his new team-mates will "take them down a peg". [LNB]Bridge will be playing his second game in four days, after Thursday night's impressive Uefa Cup win over Aalborg, but he welcomes the rigours of being first-choice. [LNB]"I forgot how hard it was playing week-in, week-out," he said. "But it can only be good for me, especially in terms of England. It will be a bit weird going down to Chelsea. I was there for as long as I was down at Southampton. It's definitely strange, but it's a new beginning for me here." [LNB]Game Zone[LNB]Key clash: Ireland v MikelStephen Ireland was superb in Thursday night's 2-0 Uefa Cup win over Aalborg and his ability to hurt teams on the counterattack will not have escaped Hiddink. [LNB]John Obi Mikel will have to concentrate on tracking the fleet-footed Irishman's bursts from deep – if he does, City will struggle to create chances. [LNB]Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole; Mikel; Ballack, Essien, Lampard; Drogba, Anelka.Team news: Ricardo Carvalho is back in full training after a hamstring problem and Guus Hiddink is keen to get him match fit, so he could replace Alex. [LNB]Nicolas Anelka trained alone on Friday as he remains troubled by a knock, but he should just make it to face one of his many former clubs this afternoon. [LNB]Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Given; Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Bridge; Zabaleta; Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Elano, Robinho; Caicedo.Team news: There is no return for Nigel de Jong (knee) or Vincent Kompany (toe) which means full-back Pablo Zabaleta will continue in the holding midfield role. Craig Bellamy's knee injury keeps him out, too. Shaun Wright-Phillips returns to Stamford Bridge.[LNB]
