Schalke defender Christoph Metzelder is working with a sports psychologist to help him through a tricky start to life at his new club.
The former Borussia Dortmund player joined the Royal Blues from Real Madrid in the summer, dividing opinion among the Schalke fans due to his history with their bitter rivals.
After a few lacklustre appearances at the start of the season, he was soon made the scapegoat for the club’s poor start by a section of fans.
“My own behaviour has got out of hand,” he told Sport Bild magazine.
“I have been thinking about everything and that has stolen my instinct and my ability to act quickly.
“I am working with a coach in the mental area. This has taught me how to cope better with pressure.”
Neymar eyes Chelsea move
Neymar has described the prospect of joining Chelsea as “an honour”, claiming he needs to leave Santos to become the world’s best player.
The Blues reportedly had a £25 million bid for the 18-year-old rejected in the summer.
The Brazilian club eventually convinced Neymar to sign a contract until 2015. However he believes he needs to move to Europe to fulfil his potential.
Neymar said: “To play for Chelsea would be an honour. They have big players, they are in big competitions, they have a strong squad and I like the way they play.
“Top players want to be part of something like that. I’m no different.”
Cagliari play down bust-up
Cagliari have rejected claims in the Italian media that Daniele Conti and Alessandro Agostino will be sold following their fight in the dressing room.
Coach Pierpaolo Bisoli was reportedly forced to separate the two players in a furious bust-up but Cagliari director Francesco Marroccu denies the players will be sanctioned.
“It’s nothing that can’t be recovered,” he said. “Conti and Agostini are Cagliari’s assets.
“I would exclude the eventuality that they could end up on the market. There are no comparisons with the case of Federico Marchetti.”
Juventus join race to sign Lukaku
Juventus have joined the race to sign Anderlecht’s young striker Romelu Lukaku, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
The 17-year-old Belgium international has already attracted interest from Inter, Real Madrid and several English clubs.
Juventus are keen to bring in a striker in January and have already been linked with France international centre-forward Karim Benzema.
However, Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici have apparently drawn up a list of younger players, which includes Lukaku, and River Plate pair Funes Mori and Erik Lamela.
Newcastle demand De Jong punishment
Newcastle demanded that the English FA take action against Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong over the horror tackle which left Hatem Ben Arfa with a broken leg.
French winger Ben Arfa suffered a double leg fracture when he was the subject of a crunching challenge from De Jong in Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at City on Sunday.
A club statement said: “Newcastle have today written a strongly worded letter to the FA in relation to the tackle by Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa in Sunday’s match, which resulted in Ben Arfa sustaining a broken tibia and fibula of his left leg.
“The club has asked the FA for the appropriate action to be taken against De Jong for the tackle which, in the club’s opinion was unnecessary and used excessive force.”
Russia suffer Pavlyuchenko blow
Tottenham Hotspur forward Roman Pavlyuchenko will miss Russia’s Euro 2012 qualifiers against Ireland and Macedonia with an ankle injury, Russian media reported.
Russian national manager Dick Advocaat has called Zenit St Petersburg striker Alexander Bukharov to replace the injured Pavlyuchenko.
Another Zenit marksman Alexander Kerzhakov is also uncertain for the upcoming Group B matches and will have to undergo tests.
Reports also said that Advocaat has invited Rubin Kazan midfielder Alan Kasayev into his squad.
“Pavlyuchenko was sidelined with an ankle injury,” Advocaat said.
“Kerzhakov has certain problems with his thigh muscle and will undergo medical tests.”
Krkic will start scoring again – Villa
It is only a matter of time before Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic’s goalless streak comes to an end, his team-mate David Villa warned.
“Having a run without scoring is something that happens to every striker,” said Villa.
“Bojan is very young and has great quality and I am sure that his luck will change. He will go on to score a lot of goals this season.”
Krkic, 20, netted eight goals in the Spanish league last season but has so far failed to score this season.
Spanish champions Barcelona are in fourth place with 13 points, three fewer than Villa’s former club Valencia who are on top after six matches.