For 42 minutes it was all looking so good for the first Englishman to lead a team into the Champions League since Sir Bobby Robson eight years ago. Indeed it was all looking ‘triffic'.

Then Assou-Ekotto sliced a ball wildly and needlessly out for a throw on before deciding that, actually, he didn't fancy getting too close to the Bremen striker who had got between King and Cudacinni and duly put the ball into the back of the net.

Given it's the football season, the war of words between Jose Mourinho and everybody else will run through the end of the year, when he's only shut up by a cool beach breeze. Atop his list is Rafa Benitez, once nemesis and now replacement, who combined forces with Italian television, a cartoon, giant knockers and talkSPORT to make the next move on the offensive.

Great work from the talkSPORT gang In this fun-filled subtitle extravaganza, Rafa Benitez attempts to avoid getting into mind games with Jose Mourinho. But it turns out the Italian media have ways of making him talk. And it is not long before that talk becomes Mourinho trash talk. Spotted on 101GG

Birmingham City striker Christian "Chucho" Benitez opened the scoring with a fine solo effort after 40 seconds in Ecuador's shock 2-1 win over Mexico in a friendly Saturday in Guadalajara last night. Mexico drew level via an own-goal by Luis Checa in the 40th before Jaime Ayovi gave Ecuador their first win in Mexico in 14 [.

The New York Red Bulls are in Frisco, Texas tonight to take on streaking FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park (9pm, MSG/Direct Kick).

FC Dallas is riding a 14-match unbeaten streak, but will face a stiff test from an improving Red Bulls squad that has been boosted by the arrivals or Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez.

It has been all downhill since that 'great' Liverpool second-place Premier League finish for Rafa Benitez, hasn't it?

And now after a sour end to Benitez's six-year reign at Anfield, he was hired as a replacement for Jose Mourinho at Inter.

Needless to say, the appointment puts Benitez in the hottest seat possible.

It's already not been the best of weeks for Liverpool. A defeat at Manchester United is never easy to take, but now former manager Rafa Benitez has revealed some worrying information about the clubs hierarchy.

Pressure on the decision makers at Anfield is already at fever pitch, and Benitez's accusations will only add further strain to the relationship between the Liverpool board and the clubs fans.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is rumoured to be preparing a January bid for CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda and has been promised funds to make such a move due to the sales of Javier Mascherano, Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun during the recent transfer window.
Hodgson had hoped to secure a striker signing before the transfer deadline but failed in his attempts to sign Carlton Cole and Roman Pavlyuchenko but apparently the Anfield manager is also looking to add more creativity to his midfield and is hoping to bring in a player who can supply the ammunition for his threadbare front line.

Fabio Capello believes Steven Gerrard has been 'fantastic' since being switched to a central midfield position.
In recent seasons Gerrard has been regularly deployed on the left-hand side for England and as a support player to Fernando Torres at club level with Liverpool.
However, he has featured in the centre for his club since Roy Hodgson replaced Rafa Benitez as manager and took up a similar role in England's opening Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Kop That Fanzone: A post by Rohan Kalli- you can follow Rohan on Twitter @rohan_kalli

If there is a trait that characterises the fans of Liverpool Football Club, it is loyalty. Not only do they love their own, as illustrated by the tremendous support of Jamie Carragher's testimonial last weekend, but they will adore any individual who arrives in L4 and unreservedly shares their passion for the club.

Gazzetta dello Sport Berlusconi: I play poker... ‘I spoke with Allegri: all the best can play together' ‘But as always the last word is with him' Balotelli show in hospital: ‘Viva Milan' Benitez on...
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A San Siro, nel primo anticipo della seconda giornata della Serie A, l'Inter supera con il risultato di 2 a 1 l'Udinese e conquista la prima vittoria in campionato, dopo il pari di Bologna. Primo successo, alla seconda panchina nerazzurra, per il tecnico spagnolo Rafa Benitez, ma non è stata per nulla facile contro i ragazzi di Guidolin, come al solito autori di un'ottima prestazione ma avara anche questa volta di punti (come contro il Genoa), nonostante la reazione coincisa con il pari messo a segno da Floro Flores.

Three scorelines in Italy today, all adding up to one result: Inter has gained three points on two of their biggest rivals for the scudetto. First, they had to win their own match, at home against Udinese, which they managed 2-1. Then it was time to watch Roma, who went down to ten men in the 22nd minute away at Cagliari.

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L'esordio a San Siro di Rafa Benitez è stato vittorioso. L'allenatore spagnolo supera una buona Udinese, costretta a cedere come accaduto all'esordio contro il Genoa. Le male lingue che pensavano in un ritorno della pareggite di manciniana memoria, sono state azzittite e i nostalgici di Mou si ritrovano con i primi tre punti in tasca.

Exciting Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri is hoping that Liverpool revive their interest in him and make a move to sign him during the January transfer window.
Shaqiri was one of the youngest players to go to the World Cup, testament to his potential. The 18-year-old's pace and dribbling ability helped FC Basel to the league and cup double last term as he contributed six goals and five assists in his debut season.

The holders, the favourites and a smattering of newcomers will welcome the sound of the Champions League anthem tomorrow night when the ‘World's Greatest Club Competition' kicks-off in earnest. That moniker seems justified when on Wednesday you throw Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan and Bayern Munich (to name just a few) in to the mix.

By Dominic Vieira, writing from Portugal

The wait is finally over! Tonight at the usual 19:45PM (GMT) TV's will be buzzing with Champions League football once again! The favourites to lift the trophy at Wembley on May the 28th are generally the same as always with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid being classified as the front runners.

At present as soon as the Liverpool team sheet is confirmed, especially away from home, hopes are either heightened or sent rapidly plummeting towards the ground and the trip to St.Andrews proved to be little different, even with a jump up to 5th place in the table in the offering.

The reason.

By Gordon Fleetwood, writing from New York City

Tonight at the De Grolsch Veste Stadium in Enschede, the current Champions League holders; Inter Milan, were held to a 2x2 draw by FC Twente. The current Dutch champions gave as good as they got in the pouring, buoyed by the incredible atmosphere provided by their fans.

Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish has admitted he wanted to replace Rafa Benitez at Anfield before the appointment of Roy Hodgson.
Dalglish was player-manager at Anfield between 1985 and 1991 and he was the last man to bring the championship to the club.
The 59-year-old felt the time was right for Benitez to leave and he revealed he put himself forward to replace the Spaniard at the helm.

By Chris Wright

Indecipherable Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has revealed that he officially put his name forward to succeed former manager Rafa Benitez at Anfield, only to be told by the club's board that he 'wasn't wanted'.

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has revealed that he was interested in taking over as Reds manager after the departure of Rafa Benitez, but was snubbed by managing director Christian Purslow and chairman, Martin Broughton. Dalglish made the revelations in his new book "Dalglish in his own words". Liverpool eventually appointed Fulham's Roy Hodgson as Benitez's successor earlier [.

It would be quite an understatement to say that Manchester United and Liverpool fans have not exactly been bosom buddies over the years but that has not always been the case when it comes to their...
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Roy Hodgson believes his long-term friendship with Sir Alex Ferguson has not been affected since he took charge at Liverpool.
Hodgson and Ferguson meet for the first time as managers of arch-rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the Liverpool boss believes the occasion will be different from previous hostilities.

Inter Milan head coach Rafa Benitez has struck back at Sir Alex Ferguson's comments about him being the reason Liverpool hit their slump.

During Benitez's six years at Liverpool, the Spaniard led his squad to a fifth European Cup during his first year as coach, as well as notching an FA Cup title.

Liverpool lost 3-2 to Man Utd at the weekend, with one of Berbatov's goals being a header off a corner which Torres of all people was chosen to mark him. At any opportunity, the so called "experts" from Skysports had a go at the zonal marking system preferred by Rafa Benitez; so where are these critics today when we conceded from man-to-man marking?

Liverpool lost 3-2 to Man Utd at the weekend, with one of Berbatov's goals being a header off a corner which Torres of all people was chosen to mark him. At any opportunity, the so called "experts" from Skysports had a go at the zonal marking system preferred by Rafa Benitez; so where are these critics today when we conceded from man-to-man marking?

The start of the season hasn't exactly gone to plan for Serie A's biggest clubs. Inter have stuttered under Rafa Benitez's management, Milan's ageing squad looks over the...
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The start of the season hasn't exactly gone to plan for Serie A's biggest clubs. Inter have stuttered under Rafa Benitez's management, Milan's ageing squad looks over the...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit the website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen believes Roy Hodgson's difficult beginnings at the Anfield helm are being undermined by the previous managerial regime of Rafa Benitez.
Much of the preseason optimism has evaporated at Liverpool according to the aforementioned Anfield hero, but Hansen believes Hodgson has already made inroads into a squad that was in desperate need of an overhaul, praising the additions of Raul Meireles and Joe Cole.

I like Rafa I've defended him in the past when even the Liverpool fans had turned on him but he can be terribly transparent when it comes to manipulating the press.

So when he says:

"The last year at Liverpool I had directors who knew nothing about football and you couldn't talk about football with them.

Torna al goal il Principe Milito (per ben due volte ), a secco dalla notte di Madrid, gloriosa per lui e per l'Inter, si conferma super bomber Eto'o (gi a dodici centri se contiamo Champions e nazionale), ma soprattutto Benitez cancella l'ombra di Mourinho e si gusta il primo posto in classifica, senza clamore ma [.

Torna al goal il Principe Milito (per ben due volte), a secco dalla notte di Madrid, gloriosa per lui e per l'Inter, si conferma super bomber Eto'o (gi a dodici centri se contiamo Champions e nazionale), ma soprattutto Benitez cancella l'ombra di Mourinho e si gusta il primo posto in classifica, senza clamore ma con [.

Although following another devastating blow for the club, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson was humble and decent enough to unreservedly apologise for his side's latest shambolic cup exit to lower league opposition at the once "fortress" of Anfield, this defeat was merely the tip of a significantly greater iceberg when the true and harsh realities of Liverpool Football Club's plight is continued to be further scrutinised under the ever present microscope of English football's fans and media.

When Rafa Benitez signed Glen Johnson in Summer 2009, I argued at the time that it was a waste of money, for a player that Liverpool (arguably) didn't need. According to many fans, Johnson was a world class signing (!); a player who would undoubtedly enhance the team. Clearly, this was wildly optimistic wishful thinking.

Kop That Fanzone: A post by Rohan Kallicharan- you can follow Rohan on Twitter @rohan_kalli and also see his other articles at hetoreahamstring.me.uk

This is not an easy period in which to be a supporter of Liverpool Football Club. Rumours continue to gather about the detested Tom Hicks finding additional funding to refinance his loans, and take a controlling interest in the club.

I am first going to subject our BFZ regulars, most of who might empathize with me, to a description of the routine of the average, single, Indian working professional. You go through the week doing the same thing - office, back, sleep, office, back, sleep... Friday night and Saturday nights are the outlet for all else that you wanted to do over the week and so you go ahead and do them.

By Chris Wright

Didier Deschamps goes rummaging through Platini's ballbag

Marseille manager Didier Deschamps has revealed that he was approached by Liverpool over the summer, and was the club's first-choice to take over from the now-departed (so to speak) Rafa Benitez.