Football Today 24 Hours

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Burnley striker Danny Ings, 22, is heading to
Spain for talks with Real Sociedad boss David
Moyes about a possible move to La Liga. (Sun
- subscription required)(external)
Danny Ings has scored five goals in his last six
Premier League appearances for Burnley
Roberto Mancini has told Inter Milan's sporting
director Piero Ausilio to 'put his hand in his
pocket' and sign Manchester City midfielder
Yaya Toure, 31. (Daily Mirror)(external)
Manchester United are planning a £60m move
for Paris St-Germain striker Edinson Cavani,
27, after deciding against a permanent move
for Radamel Falcao, 29.(Daily Star)(external)
Juventus are lining up a summer move for
Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Oscar, 23.
(Mediaset in Italian)(external)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has dropped
a further hint he will make a move for
Porto's Colombia international striker
Jackson Martinez, 28, in the summer. (beIn
Sports)(external)
OTHER GOSSIP
Aston Villa are closing in on former Spurs
boss Tim Sherwood as the replacement for
Paul Lambert as manager. (Daily Telegraph)
(external)
Meanwhile, former Aston Villa favourite Stiliyan
Petrov claims Villa need to move for a manager
currently without a club to come in and make
an instant impact. (Talksport)(external)
Former England international Sol Campbell
has expressed an interest in the managerial
vacancy at Villa Park. (Daily Mirror)(external)
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner is confident
forward Raheem Sterling, 20, will sign a new
contract at Anfield. (Liverpool Echo)(external)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his
commitment to the FA Cup may have cost the
Gunners in the Champions League. (Daily
Mirror)(external)
Hull City boss Steve Bruce says other teams will
need to worry when his former club,
Manchester United, finally clicks into gear.
(Talksport)(external)
Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote, 28, could
miss the rest of the season with a knee injury
sustained playing for the Ivory Coast in the
Africa Cup of Nations. (Northern Echo)(external)
Leeds boss Neil Redfearn has angered some of
the Italian players at Elland Road who have not
been picked for recent games. (Daily Star)
(external)
Brentford manager Mark Warburton will leave
the club at the end of the season after
refusing to sign overseas players he had not
watched. (Sun - subscription required)(external)
Preston are to increase security at Monday's FA
Cup tie against Manchester United over fears
that home supporters might confront Sir Alex
Ferguson. (Daily Telegraph)(external)
Stoke City midfielder Steven Nzonzi, 26, has
been told to curb his temper by the club's
coaching staff. (Daily Mail)(external)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Chelsea's Ramires with old pal Benfica defender
Luisao
Chelsea midfielder Ramires has not forgotten
his former Benfica team-mate and fellow
Brazil international Luisao, who celebrated his
34th birthday yesterday. "One of the greatest
friends that football can give me," Ramires
said on Instagram.(external)
Leicester City's New Zealand international
striker Chris Wood, 23, tweeted his best
wishes to the Black Caps ahead of the start of
the Cricket World Cup.
Everton goalkeeper and United States
international Tim Howard, 35, tweeted(external)
his congratulations to the US women's team
which beat England 1-0.
AND FINALLY...
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, 26,
attributes his return to form to advice from
his fiancee. (The Guardian)(external)
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet banned his players
from sideways and backwards passes in training
as they prepare for their FA Cup tie at Bradford.
(Daily Mirror)(external)
Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland used to play
rugby for his Bristol school and in one match
tap-tacked England number eight Billy
Vunipola. (Daily Telegraph)(external)

'Messi is close but I'll break the record'
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed his return to England
despite missing out on another goalscoring
landmark
Cristiano Ronaldo remains confident he will pip
Lionel Messi to the Champions League
goalscoring record after edging closer to Raul’s
mark in Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Liverpool on
Wednesday.
Ronaldo moved within one of the former Madrid
striker by grabbing his 70th strike in the
competition at Anfield, one more than Barca star
Messi.
The Portuguese had numerous chances to claim
a share of the record but was thwarted by home
goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Ronaldo was certainly not downbeat afterwards,
however, telling Sky Sports : "I am not worried
about that. I know I'm going to beat the record,
if not tonight then some other game. Messi is
very close too."
The former Manchester United star
acknowledged the individual prize on offer,
admitting it was "an indication of hard work" but
was happy to focus on the team's impressive
progress.
He added: "It's a team game. We have nine
points, 75 per cent of the qualification is done.
"It was special, my first goal here at Anfield and
I feel very proud for that. We got the three
points, it was amazing.
"We knew before the game that Liverpool at
Anfield is difficult but we played fantastic,
especially in the first 45 minutes and we
deserved to win."
Madrid were ruthless in a first half they
dominated, Ronaldo's wonderful finish following
neat build-up play from James Rodriguez added
to by two Karim Benzema strikes.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are favourites to become
the first team to retain the Champions League
but Ronaldo was adamant they must not let-up.
"We are taking it step by step. We are going to
try like last year. We know it's going to be very
tough. We are positive and know it will be
possible if we play like that."

Balotelli shirt swap angers Rodgers
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli faces a
reprimand from manager Brendan Rodgers
after swapping shirts with Real Madrid's Pepe
at half-time in the 3-0 Champions League
defeat at Anfield.
Balotelli made the exchange as his side trailed
Real by three goals, and the striker was
substituted at the break.
"It is not something I stand for," Rodgers said.
"If you want to do that, do it at the end of the
game. It is something I will deal with on
Thursday."
Balotelli's 45 minutes against Real
Mario Balotelli had two shots in the first half,
but both were blocked
He completed the joint lowest amount of
passes with 17 - the same as Lazar Markovic
who was on the pitch for 23 minutes
Balotelli had 23 touches - only Markovic had
fewer
Rodgers, who was infuriated when defender
Mamadou Sakho did the same with Samuel
Eto'o at Chelsea last season, added: "We had an
incident last year with a player and that was
something we dealt with internally.
"It's something that doesn't happen here and
shouldn't happen here."
Pepe and Mario Balotelli walked off together at
half-time and swapped shirts
It completed another miserable night for
Balotelli, who disappointed in the 3-2 win
against QPR in the Premier League at the
weekend.
Rodgers also made a thinly veiled criticism of the
Italian after Liverpool were completely
outclassed by the Champions League holders,
who opened the scoring through Cristiano
Ronaldo's 70th Champions League goal.
Balotelli was replaced by Adam Lallana at half-
time and Rodgers said: "It was purely tactical - I
felt we needed a bit more movement centrally
to occupy their centre-halves a bit more and I
thought Raheem Sterling would do that.
A rare occurrence?
Balotelli played 43 Serie A games for Milan and
the earliest he was taken off was the 52nd
minute. He was only substituted five times in 37
starts for the Italian side.
"Adam Lallana came on and was tireless in his
work rate. That is the minimum here at
Liverpool - you need to press, you need to work.
Young Adam came on and did that very well."
Former England international and BBC Radio 5
live summariser Phil Neville said: "There are
some things you don't do, when you are 3-0
down in the Champions League. You don't go
swapping shirts in full view."
Balotelli was also replaced after 45 minutes
while playing for Italy against Uruguay at the
World Cup, after picking up a yellow card in the
first half.
Italy lost 1-0 to Uruguay, confirming their exit
from the tournament and Balotelli later
responded to criticism of his performances in
Brazil.
Meanwhile, Rodgers defended teenager Sterling,
who was the subject of morning headlines after
he was pictured at a nightclub the day after
England's 1-0 win in Estonia - a match in which
he featured only as a substitute after telling
manager Roy Hodgson he was tired.
"It is unfortunate for him as a young kid of 19
that six days before a game and on a day off
that he can't go out," said Rodgers. "It is
obviously a story for some but I think many
people will look at it and think there is not a
story in it.
"I thought he was terrific against Real Madrid
and he is very focused on his work as a young
footballer."

Balotelli shirt swap angers Rodgers
22 October 2014 Updated 23:01 GMT
By Phil McNulty - Chief football writer
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli faces a
reprimand from manager Brendan Rodgers
after swapping shirts with Real Madrid's Pepe
at half-time in the 3-0 Champions League
defeat at Anfield.
Balotelli made the exchange as his side trailed
Real by three goals, and the striker was
substituted at the break.
"It is not something I stand for," Rodgers said.
"If you want to do that, do it at the end of the
game. It is something I will deal with on
Thursday."
Balotelli's 45 minutes against Real
Mario Balotelli had two shots in the first half,
but both were blocked
He completed the joint lowest amount of
passes with 17 - the same as Lazar Markovic
who was on the pitch for 23 minutes
Balotelli had 23 touches - only Markovic had
fewer
Rodgers, who was infuriated when defender
Mamadou Sakho did the same with Samuel
Eto'o at Chelsea last season, added: "We had an
incident last year with a player and that was
something we dealt with internally.
"It's something that doesn't happen here and
shouldn't happen here."
Pepe and Mario Balotelli walked off together at
half-time and swapped shirts
It completed another miserable night for
Balotelli, who disappointed in the 3-2 win
against QPR in the Premier League at the
weekend.
Rodgers also made a thinly veiled criticism of the
Italian after Liverpool were completely
outclassed by the Champions League holders,
who opened the scoring through Cristiano
Ronaldo's 70th Champions League goal.
Balotelli was replaced by Adam Lallana at half-
time and Rodgers said: "It was purely tactical - I
felt we needed a bit more movement centrally
to occupy their centre-halves a bit more and I
thought Raheem Sterling would do that.
A rare occurrence?
Balotelli played 43 Serie A games for Milan and
the earliest he was taken off was the 52nd
minute. He was only substituted five times in 37
starts for the Italian side.
"Adam Lallana came on and was tireless in his
work rate. That is the minimum here at
Liverpool - you need to press, you need to work.
Young Adam came on and did that very well."
Former England international and BBC Radio 5
live summariser Phil Neville said: "There are
some things you don't do, when you are 3-0
down in the Champions League. You don't go
swapping shirts in full view."
Balotelli was also replaced after 45 minutes
while playing for Italy against Uruguay at the
World Cup, after picking up a yellow card in the
first half.
Italy lost 1-0 to Uruguay, confirming their exit
from the tournament and Balotelli later
responded to criticism of his performances in
Brazil.
Meanwhile, Rodgers defended teenager Sterling,
who was the subject of morning headlines after
he was pictured at a nightclub the day after
England's 1-0 win in Estonia - a match in which
he featured only as a substitute after telling
manager Roy Hodgson he was tired.
"It is unfortunate for him as a young kid of 19
that six days before a game and on a day off
that he can't go out," said Rodgers. "It is
obviously a story for some but I think many
people will look at it and think there is not a
story in it.
"I thought he was terrific against Real Madrid
and he is very focused on his work as a young
footballer."

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Lukas Podolski has hinted he may leave
Arsenal. The 29-year-old German forward is
frustrated with a lack of first-team
opportunities. (Daily Mirror)(external)
Stuttgart defender Antonio Rudiger, 21, has
dealt a blow to Chelsea's hopes of signing him
by revealing he is an Arsenal fan. (Metro)
(external)
Jan Vertonghen joined Tottenham from Ajax in
2012
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has
no intention of selling defender Jan
Vertonghen, 27. (Talksport)(external)
Spurs will rival neighbours Arsenal in the chase
for Birmingham winger Demarai Gray, 18. (The
Sun, subscription only)(external)
Newcastle United's board members say there
is "no guarantee" that they will sign a striker
in the January transfer window. (Newcastle
Chronicle)(external)
Former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt, now at
Turkish side Fenerbahce, is a target for
Southampton in the January transfer window.
(Daily Star)(external)
OTHER GOSSIP
The Sun back page
The mystery over Diego Costa's condition has
deepened after it emerged the Chelsea
striker was forced to spend time in hospital
after returning from international duty with
Spain. (Daily Telegraph)(external)
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says the current
side are as good as the team who won the
Premier League title in 2004-05. (Independent)
(external)
Blues manager Jose Mourinho has identified
Cesc Fabregas as the player to succeed John
Terry as the club's next captain. (Daily
Express)(external)
The cost of renovating the Olympic Stadium
before West Ham's 2016 move will rise by
£35.9m but the extra funding will not be paid
for by either the Hammers or the taxpayer.
(Daily Mail)(external)
Manchester City will ask Uefa to reimburse
their fans who lost money when they were
not allowed to attend Tuesday's match with
CSKA Moscow. (The Guardian)(external)
Celtic manager Ronny Deila has come out in
support of his players' off-field behaviour after
goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska was allegedly
attacked during a night out in Glasgow. (Daily
Record)(external)
Tony Pulis says he would have been
interested in the Cardiff City manager's job
had he been approached but has thrown his
backing behind new boss Russell Slade.
(Western Mail)(external)
Gary Rowett has admitted to being "flattered" by
an approach from Birmingham City to be the
Championship club's new manager and says he
is likely to accept the job if he impresses at
interview. (The Times, subscription only)
(external)
Daily Mail back page
Norwich striker Cameron Jerome had to be
stopped from storming into the Leeds
dressing room after accusing Giuseppe
Bellusci of racially abusing him on Tuesday
night. (Daily Star)(external)
Pablo Zabaleta says his Manchester City side do
not deserve to go through to the Champions
League knockout stage after they were held to a
draw by CSKA Moscow. (Daily Mirror)(external)
European football will give England midfielder
Ross Barkley, 20, a vital lesson in tactics,
according to Everton boss Roberto Martinez.
(Liverpool Echo)(external)
Marina Granovskaia established herself as the
most powerful woman in football by taking
control of Chelsea's football operations after the
departure of chief executive Ron Gourlay.
(Times, subscription only)(external)
Italy's World Cup winning captain Fabio
Cannavaro and his wife are reportedly under
investigation for tax evasion. (Daily Express)
(external)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Former Liverpool favourite Michael Owen
tweeted(external) the Reds should stick with
striker Mario Balotelli despite the Italian's
poor performance against Real Madrid.
After goals from Kieran Gibbs and Lukas
Podolski gave Arsenal a last-gasp victory over
Anderlecht, midfielder Aaron Ramsey tweeted:
(external) "What a finish to the game! Good to
get back to winning ways. Happy to get 90
under my belt. Buzzing for Gibbo and Poldi,
great finishes!"
AND FINALLY
Bayern Munich celebrated their 7-1
Champions League victory over Roma on
Tuesday by visiting the Pope. (Daily Mail)
(external)
A dad in Manchester is auctioning his baby son's
future football allegiance on eBay - and the
winning bidder gets to choose whether he
supports City or United. (Manchester Evening
News)(external)

Dejan Lovren admits things are not right for
Liverpool at the moment
Mike Whalley
October 21, 2014
Dejan Lovren insists Liverpool will improve on a
shaky start to the season but admits, "A lot of
things are not right at the moment."
The centre-back said he took little satisfaction
from the Reds' 3-2 Premier League win at
bottom club QPR on Sunday because it was
such a poor performance.
Brendan Rodgers' side lie fifth in the league,
having won four of their opening eight
matches, but they have managed just one
clean sheet in all competitions and rarely
looked solid defensively.
Lovren, 25, warned that Liverpool must turn in
a much better performance when Real Madrid
continue their bid to defend their Champions
League title in a Group B match at Anfield on
Wednesday.
Despite being one of nine players brought into
the club over the summer, the former
Southampton defender does not see the vast
squad turnover as an explanation for the Reds'
display at Loftus Road.
"We didn't play with so many new players
against QPR, so that's not a reason," Lovren
told the Guardian.
Richard Dunne's own goal gave Liverpool a
second-half lead at QPR before a crazy finish
that brought four goals in the closing few
minutes.
Eduardo Vargas equalised in the 87th minute,
then did so again in injury time after Philippe
Coutinho had restored Liverpool's lead, only for
Steven Caulker to score a 94th-minute own goal
to hand the points to the visitors.
"I was glad it was over because I think one
minute more and it would have been 3-3," said
Lovren. "It's the first time in my career I was
unhappy after the game even though we won
-- because we didn't play well. We need to
improve and play more like a team.
"This was not an easy game but one that we
should have seen out comfortably, especially
after taking the lead. We need to be better and
in our next game against Real Madrid we need
to show more.
"We will not play like that against Real Madrid,
you can be sure of that.
"We will be better. We cannot play like this
because we know what we can expect from
Real Madrid. Their players, we know who they
are and we will prepare a little bit differently."

Roy Keane: Mourinho's mind games easy
with '£300m' Chelsea squad
ESPN Staff
October 21, 2014
Roy Keane has reignited his war of words with
Jose Mourinho, telling the Evening Standard it is
easy for the Chelsea manager to play mind
games with a squad worth 300 million pounds.
The Aston Villa assistant manager again
branded Mourinho "disgraceful" for attempting
to shake his hand before the final whistle as
Villa suffered a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge last month.
Keane spoke of his anger at Mourinho for
disrespecting him and Villa manager Paul
Lambert, with the Blues boss claiming he would
continue to offer handshakes to opponents
before matches finished.
While Keane acknowledged Mourinho's success,
he pointed out how much money the
Portuguese coach had spent during his
managerial career at clubs including Chelsea,
Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
"He plays too many mind games but that's
fine. That's up to himself," Keane said. "He'll
argue all day he can back it up with trophies.
Of course, he can. But it helps when you've got
players worth 300 million [pounds].
"He is entitled to do what he wants. Is he
worried about my opinion? Of course not, he is
off trying to win championships and Champions
Leagues. The early handshake has never
happened to me before so you just tell him 'I'll
see you at the end of the game'."
Last week Mourinho suggested Keane -- who
has just released his second autobiography The
Second Half -- was attacking him simply to
boost sales. Keane dismissed the claim,
insisting he would attack any other managers if
they had attempted to shake his hand early.
"It has got nothing to do with the book," he
said. "You shake hands with someone at the
end of the game. I think it was disgraceful. But
do you think I am some sort of robot on a PR
trip to sell books?
"If you ask me a question whether people
should shake hands before the end of the
game, whether it is non-league, I would say it
was disgraceful. It is nothing to do with
Mourinho, it is any manager.
"If people want to shake my hand before the
end of the game, whether it is Brendan
Rodgers or Roberto Martinez, I'd say no. I think
most people would say the same."

'Arrogant' Van Gaal: Manchester United can
win Premier League title
EPSN Staff
October 21, 2014
Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United can
still win the Premier League title despite trailing
leaders Chelsea by 10 points after just eight
games.
Two days after Jose Mourinho's side put in
another solid display to beat Crystal Palace and
maintain their unbeaten start to the season,
United struggled to a 2-2 draw at West
Bromwich Albion on Monday night that left Van
Gaal "very disappointed."
And it will not get any easier for United, as
they welcome Chelsea at Old Trafford on
Sunday before a trip to neighbours and reigning
champions Manchester City seven days later.
When asked if he felt United could catch
Chelsea, Van Gaal said: "It is possible, but I am
arrogant because I have done it a lot of times.
"I think Chelsea is another level and
Manchester City also, so we have to see if we
can beat them and after the matches I can say
yes or no."
Despite the self-professed arrogance, Van Gaal
realises the size of the task in hand -- even if
he did have difficulty explaining it.
After the West Brom game, he said: "Now we
have to play against Chelsea. In the
Netherlands they say that is another cookie, I
don't know if in English it is like that. It is
another biscuit. You don't understand? It's
another level."

Steven Gerrard: I would have regretted
leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid
Mike Whalley
October 21, 2014
LIVERPOOL -- Steven Gerrard has admitted that
he may come to regret turning down the
chance to play for Real Madrid, but insisted
that he could not have left Liverpool.
The Reds captain has twice had an opportunity
to join the current European champions,
including in 2010, when Jose Mourinho tried to
take him to the Bernabeu.
Gerrard will face Madrid when the visit Anfield
in a Champions League Group B match on
Wednesday evening. The 34-year-old has spent
his entire professional career with Liverpool,
having made his first team debut in 1998. He
has had several chances to leave, with
Mourinho also trying to sign him for Chelsea in
2005 and 2006, while Sir Alex Ferguson was also
interested in him when in charge at
Manchester United.
"I think it's very flattering to be linked to a
huge club such as Real Madrid," Gerrard said.
"I've had a couple of opportunities in my
career to go to Real Madrid, but I resisted
because of the huge connection to my home-
town club in Liverpool.
"It may be something that I regret further
down the line. But it would have been an even
bigger regret to leave Liverpool. I'm a big fan of
Real Madrid, but Liverpool are my No. 1 club."
Gerrard has acknowledged that Liverpool have
not hit the heights of last season, when they
scored 101 Premier League goals as they
finished runners-up to Manchester City.
The Reds have won four out of eight league
games this season and lie fifth in the table, but
have kept just one clean sheet and were poor
despite beating bottom club QPR 3-2 at Loftus
Road on Sunday. They have also been
unconvincing in the Champions League, needing
last-minute Gerrard penalty to beat Bulgarian
champions Ludogorets 2-1 at Anfield in their
opening Group B match, before losing 1-0 to
Basel in Switzerland.
"We've been a bit up and down. It's been a
stuttering start," said Gerrard, who
acknowledged that he had to take his share of
responsibility for his side's inconsistency.
"There have been a few changes. We lost a
phenomenal player in Luis Suarez, and we've
been struggling to get [the injured] Daniel
Sturridge on to the field.
"It's only natural that we will have some
teething problems, but I have huge confidence
that we will get back to the form and levels of
last season. It won't take very long."
Gerrard will go up against reigning FIFA Ballon
d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday --
and believes the Portugal forward has taken his
game up to a new level since his days in the
Premier League with Manchester United.
The Liverpool captain said: "When Cristiano was
at Manchester United, there was the sense that
he was a world-class player. But his game has
gone to another level.
"He's now arguably the best player in the
world. He's improved each year. But it would
be very disrespectful to the rest of the Real
Madrid team if we thought only about Cristiano
Ronaldo. And my priority is to think about my
own team. We want to make it as difficult as
we can for Real Madrid."

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale ruled out of
clasico, Isco set to replace him
Dermot Corrigan
October 21, 2014
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has
confirmed that Gareth Bale will miss
Wednesday's Champions League game at
Liverpool and Saturday's clasico at home to
Barcelona, while suggesting Isco is most likely
to come into the side in Bale's stead.
Bale, who became the world's most expensive
footballer in 2013 when he signed from
Tottenham for 101 million euros, had started all
of Madrid's games so far this season until he
missed Saturday's 5-0 win at Levante, having
apparently picked up a muscle injury in his
lower back while shooting at goal in training the
day before.
The issue did not appear so serious at first,
Ancelotti told his pre-game news conference at
Anfield on Tuesday evening, but further scans
confirmed the winger will be absent for what
are Madrid's biggest two games of the
campaign so far.
"Bale picked up an injury in training on Friday,
so he is not available for tomorrow or the game
on Saturday," Ancelotti said. "We will see how it
goes. He travelled to [Levante] as it did not
seem so serious, it seemed a strain. But when
we returned he had a scan which showed [a
tear]."
Ancelotti's options to replace the Wales
international include defensive options Asier
Illarramendi and fit-again Sami Khedira, or the
more attack minded Isco and Javier "Chicharito"
Hernandez. He said he was happy to have such
riches at his disposal, while suggesting that Isco
was the most likely to play on Wednesday.
"The squad is very good, very competitive,"
Ancelotti said. "We also have the possibility to
put players in different positions. That will help
us in big games. Without Bale on the weekend
James played in his position [on the right]. Isco
can help us playing on the left, he played very
well on Saturday. It is a very big advantage to
have a squad with quality like this one."
Also missing will be centre-back Sergio Ramos,
who remains a doubt for the clasico with a calf
muscle problem. Raphael Varane and Pepe are
therefore likely to play in central defence.
Sure to start is Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who
has 17 goals in nine games for his club so far
this term, but did not get on the scoresheet
during five matches at Anfield for previous club
Manchester United [three wins, one draw, one
defeat].
"Cristiano is in a fantastic moment, doing really
well," Ancelotti said. "It is impossible to do
better. He is really focused and wants to try to
do the best as this moment has to continue."
Asked if Liverpool's currently out of form Mario
Balotelli had the quality to become a leading
player like Ronaldo or Barcelona's Lionel Messi
in the future, the Italian coach was diplomatic
in his assessment of his countryman.
"I know Balotelli very well, he is a forward with
great quality," Ancelotti said. "[But] to compare
him with Cristiano is not so easy. Balotelli has a
lot of quality, he is young, he wants to play
well for this team. In the past he has had
problems, but when a player arrives in a new
atmosphere, a new league, it is not easy to get
used to the culture and the transition. So we
need to have patience with him."
The former Chelsea boss said he was
particularly worried about ensuring Liverpool's
"transition" from defence to attack [i.e.
counter-attacks] were not an issue for Madrid
in Wednesday's game.

Champions League: Bayern and Shakhtar hit
seven, Chelsea bag six
ESPN staff
October 21, 2014
In a high-scoring night of Champions League
action with 40 goals in total, Bayern Munich put
Roma to the sword by scoring five goals in the
first half in a 7-1 win, Chelsea eased past NK
Maribor 6-0, Shakhtar beat BATE 7-0 and
Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw
by CSKA Moscow.
Bayern Munich struck five times in the first half
en route to a 7-1 demolition of hosts Roma to
make it three wins out of three in Group E of
the Champions League.
The Germans dominated the early exchanges at
the Stadio Olimpico and deservedly took the
lead in the ninth minute thanks to Arjen
Robben's trademark bending effort.
Mario Gotze doubled Bayern's advantage
midway through the first half and Robert
Lewandowski scored a third two minutes later.
Polish forward Lewandowski then set up
Robben's second on the half-hour mark to
silence most of the 65,000 spectators.
After 36 minutes, Thomas Muller made it 5-0
when he converted from the penalty spot
following a handball by Kostas Manolas.
Roma's Gervinho struck in the 66th minute but
Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri came off the
bench to add two more goals for the visitors
before the final whistle.
The outcome has lifted Bayern five points clear
of nearest rivals Roma, who remained in
second.
Didier Drogba scored his first Chelsea goal since
his decisive strike in the 2012 Champions
League final as the Premier League leaders
thrashed Maribor 6-0 at Stamford Bridge to
strengthen their position at the top of Group G.
Drogba, whose final kick of his first spell was
the last penalty in the shootout defeat of
Bayern Munich which saw Chelsea win the
European Cup, replaced Loic Remy after 16
minutes and converted a spot-kick seven
minutes later.
The Ivory Coast striker's 158th Chelsea goal --
he netted 157 goals in 341 appearances in his
eight-year first spell -- made it 2-0 after
Remy's opening strike and captain John Terry
swiftly added a third after sprinting the length
of the field.
There were few worries on the night and Agim
Ibraimi missed a penalty after Mitja Viler's own
goal had made it four, before Eden Hazard
converted a second Chelsea spot-kick 13
minutes from time and added a last-minute
sixth with his second of the night.
Notably, Shakhtar Donetsk's Luiz
Adriano became the first player to score four
goals in the first half of a Champions League
game when he netted in the 7-0 win against
Belarusian minnows BATE Borisov.
The Brazilian striker also scored the fastest
three goals (seven mins) in Champions League
history and became the highest scorer in the
club's history with 116 goals as he netted five
in the game.
In the other game in Group H, goals from
Hector Herrera and Ricardo Quaresma
sandwiched a Fernandez Guillermo effort as
leaders Porto beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1.
Lionel Messi drew level with fierce rival
Cristiano Ronaldo in the race to become the
Champions League's all-time top goalscorer as
Barcelona warmed up for El Clasico with a 3-1
victory over Ajax.
Both Messi and Real Madrid's Ronaldo have
now scored 69 goals in the competition after
the Argentinian followed up Neymar's first-half
opener at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.
He was later withdrawn with a view to keeping
him fresh for Saturday's showdown at the
Santiago Bernabeu and remains, along with
Ronaldo, two goals shy of former Real striker
Raul's record tally.
Ajax steadily gained a foothold as the second
half progressed but, shortly after Anwar El
Ghazi halved the deficit, Sandro Ramirez
rubber-stamped the result with a stoppage-
time strike.
Edinson Cavani handed Paris St Germain a
dramatic late 1-0 victory in Cyprus as APOEL
were denied a hard-earned point.
The Uruguayan frontman struck in instinctive
style with just three minutes remaining to
break APOEL hearts on a night when the home
side enjoyed the clearer opportunities with
defender David Luiz having earlier cleared a
Tiago Gomes header off the line.
But ultimately Cavani's intervention was
enough to keep PSG, who beat Barcelona in the
last round of matches, at the top of Group F.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored a 92nd-
minute penalty to earn Schalke a 4-3 win after
they had surrendered a two-goal lead at home
to 10-man Sporting Lisbon.
A grandstand second half which saw two Adrien
Silva goals, the first a penalty, bring Sporting
level from 3-1 down had looked set to deny
Roberto Di Matteo victory in his first Champions
League game in charge of the Royal Blues.
But Choupo-Moting saved his side's blushes at
the death after Jonathan Silva had been
penalised for handball to send the Germans
second in Group G.
Earlier Manchester City surrendered a two-goal
lead as they again stuttered on the Champions
League stage, drawing 2-2 amid more
controversy at CSKA Moscow.
City looked to have ignited their Group E
campaign as they claimed a commanding lead
with well-worked goals from Sergio Aguero and
James Milner at the Khimki Arena. But CSKA --
who officially had no support in a game played
behind closed doors but actually appeared to
have 200-300 chanting fans -- hit back through
Seydou Doumbia and a contentious late Bebras
Natcho penalty.
Natcho struck after Doumbia appeared to go
down theatrically in the box under a challenge
from Aleksandar Kolarov. That left City, who
had hit the woodwork when leading 2-0,
hanging on for a point but the result may still
have done significant damage to their hopes of
progress.