Simeone: Atletico cannot give Tevez time to think

goal.com

The Argentine coach has identified his compatriot as the principal threat to the Spanish champions' hopes of beating the in-form Bianconeri

Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid cannot afford to give Carlos Tevez time to think if they are overcomeJuventus in their crucial Champions League clash at the Vicente Calderon.

Tevez has started the season in sensational fashion, netting six goals in six games in all competitions, including a double in the Bianconeri's 2-0 win over Malmo in their Group A opener.

Consequently, Simeone has identified his fellow Argentine as the principal threat to Atletico's hopes of getting their continental campaign back on track.

"Juventus have always been a very competitive team," he told reporters on Tuesday. "It's not easy to find flaws in their game. We will have to play a high-level match.

"I have enormous respect for Juventus. They always show their hard work on the pitch.

"They like to press and create spaces for players like Tevez, [Fernando] Llorente or [Alvaro] Morata.

"Tevez is a great player, especially when he is close to the goal. I know him well. We can’t let him think."

However, Simeone has been buoyed by Atletico's performance in their 4-0 La Liga demolition of the previously undefeated Sevilla at the weekend.

"Against Sevilla, we had continuity in our game and that allowed us to play a complete match," the former midfield ace enthused.

Rains complicate delivery of Ebola supplies in West Africa

news24

Washington - The rainy season in West Africa is compounding difficulties in getting supplies delivered and new treatment centres built as donors rush to isolate people infected with the deadly Ebola virus and stop its rapid spread, U.S. officials said.

Nancy Powell, newly appointed as the U.S. State Department's envoy to coordinate its Ebola response, said the top priority is to isolate as many people as quickly as possible. But that faces significant logistical hurdles.

"Infrastructure challenges in the rainy season is one of the biggest difficulties. And you add the rain and getting materials out of the capital and it is very difficult," Powell said in a news briefing last week.

Also read: Do you have flu or is it Ebola?

The July to September rainy season is coming toward its end, but October is known for heavy thunderstorms that can drench the region and turn roads to mud.

Eric Talbert, executive director of Emergency USA which has opened a 22-bed Ebola treatment centre in Goderich, outside the capital of Freetown in Sierra Leone, said the downpours complicate getting supplies along unpaved roads.

"We are talking about dirt roads that are single track. The rains wash them out, Rains are not only going to escalate the logistical difficulties, but Ebola will spread if we cannot reach people and treat them," Talbert told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Powell said delivering supplies and trained staff quickly is essential in controlling the spread of the epidemic.

"This is the key way to bend the curve, isolate people and track people with whom they have had contact," Powell said. "But the numbers make it difficult to do, and the bigger the case load, the harder it gets to do."

More than 6,000 people in West Africa are estimated to have contracted the highly contagious Ebola virus, which causes fever, vomiting, bleeding and has a death rate over 50 percent. But infections probably are far higher, especially in rural areas, and researchers estimate the epidemic could reach 20,000 people by November.

The U.S. military is helping ferry medical supplies into Liberia and within the next month plans to construct 17 new Ebola treatment units. Britain is building centres in Sierra Leone.

International donors in parallel are distributing supplies to the far-flung rural communities where they want to isolate infected patients if it is too dangerous to transport them to a hospital.

This new focus on community care in parallel with building Ebola treatment centres requires getting supplies into rural areas on roads that can become impassable after heavy downpours.

However, modelling by the African Center of Meteorological Applications for Development points to relief ahead. It forecasts rainfall well below average through December for Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal.

Ebola-hit Liberia staring into the abyss

news24

Monrovia - With its collapsed health service, sick and poorly equipped security forces and broken economy, Ebola-hit Liberia finds itself on the brink of complete societal breakdown, experts warn.

The already impoverished west African state was on the slow road to recovery after 14 years of ruinous civil war ended in 2003, following the deaths of 250 000 people.

But Information Minister Lewis Brown recently warned that the epidemic, which has left more than 1 800 dead so far this year, risks plunging Liberians back into conflict.

Also Read: Liberia's top doctor under Ebola quarantine
Many observers of the country's latest devastating crisis, while stopping short of talk of war, worry about the heightened risk of unrest in a country stalked by death.

"We have a lot to worry about. If we have thousands or tens of thousands more deaths, that's going to have a very destabilising effect," said Sean Casey, director of anti-Ebola operations in Liberia for the International Medical Corps (IMC).

A humanitarian worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, reflects growing concern among politicians, analysts and health care workers over the possibility of a "social explosion".

"There is the fear, frustration, anger at the impotence of the government, and the associated economic destabilisation," he said.

Monrovia, a sprawling, chaotic capital city of more than one million inhabitants, remains under control but gives the impression of a powder keg that could ignite at the slightest provocation.

Early Saturday, police came to investigate a body left lying in the street, the apparent victim of a murder.

A small crowd gathered, watching as a truck with the word "Ebola" emblazoned on the side pulled up, called just as a precaution.

Suddenly the crowd began yelling, pelting police officers with stones, and a brief scuffle ensued, in which at least six men were arrested.

The force assured locals that they would investigate claims that police had killed the man because he was out during the nighttime curfew.

The atmosphere is just as tense outside Ebola treatment centres, where large crowds of relatives gather, deprived of news of their loved ones.

"We beg the international community to find a solution before everything goes off here," cries Kevin Kassah, a young man in the middle of one such angry crowd.

Hunger setting in

Woefully short of manpower, security forces do not intervene in the protests of these seething gatherings.

Several police stations in Monrovia have closed after officers died of Ebola fever, and a military camp on the outskirts of Monrovia has reported around 30 sick soldiers, according to a diplomat.

The health system - embryonic at best before the crisis, with some 50 doctors and 1 000 nurses for 4.3 million people - has been hit hard, losing 89 health workers out of 184 infected, according to the World Organization Health Organization (WHO).

"A lot of hospitals are closed right now because the staff died," says Casey, of the IMC.

In a stark illustration of the crisis, the country's most senior medical officer is currently in quarantine after her deputy died of Ebola fever.

The WHO and various charities have stepped in to fill the gap left by the weakened authorities, basing their activities in a new but desperately short-staffed "Ebola Operation Centre" run jointly with the government.

Also Read: Ebola wards: Beds and staff becoming scarce

The World Bank gave Liberia 41 million euros ($52 million) last week towards its Ebola response, but the government, lacking the resources or the confidence to manage the money, immediately handed it over to the United Nations for the maintenance and construction of treatment facilities.

In another symbol of the breakdown of governance and heightened tension in the capital, a male junior finance minister was sacked last week for assaulting a policewoman.

No sector of society has been left untouched by the crisis.

Schools have been closed for months with no reopening date in sight, and unemployment is soaring as both the formal and black-market economies collapse.

Meanwhile hunger is becoming a problem in the streets of Monrovia.

"Before, I was making 1,500 (Liberian) dollars (14 euros, $17.75) a day. Now to get 500 is not easy. Everybody remains home," says Kerkula Davy, a father of three who sells belts to motorists at a crossroads.

"It's not enough for food. I need at least 800 a day."

Dallas hospital monitoring patient for Ebola

news24

Dallas — A patient in a Dallas hospital is showing signs of the Ebola virus and is being kept in strict isolation with test results pending, hospital officials said Monday.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas said in a statement Monday that the patient's symptoms and recent travel indicated a case of Ebola, the virus that has killed more than 3 000 people across West Africa and infected a handful of Americans who have traveled to that region.

Preliminary test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to come back Tuesday.

Also Read: Ebola screening for ships' crews in WAfrica's biggest port

Hospital spokeswoman Candace White would not answer any questions about the patient or where the patient had visited.

The National Institutes of Health recently admitted an American doctor exposed to the virus while volunteering in Sierra Leone. Four other patients have been treated at hospitals in Georgia and Nebraska.

Presbyterian Hospital's statement said officials there were following CDC recommendations to keep doctors, staff and patients safe.

According to the CDC, Ebola symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus.

U.S. military to quickly ramp up Ebola mission in Liberia

Monrovia - The United States plans to quickly increase its presence in Liberia, where military personnel are deploying to help the West African nation halt the advance of the worst Ebola epidemic on record, the general in charge of the mission said on Monday.

news24

Washington is sending some 3 000 soldiers to the region to build treatment centres and train local medics. Around half will be based in Liberia, with the rest providing logistical support outside the country.

"This is about urgency and speed. So what you're going to see here pretty soon is forces flown here," Major General Darryl Williams told journalists in the capital, Monrovia.

"I have 175 soldiers and I have another 30 that are in other countries that are beginning to set up the logistics hub to fly forces in here," he said.

Also Read: Ebola-hit Liberia staring into the abyss

Williams said the U.S. mission was planning to build and supply 17 Ebola treatment units across the country but added that Liberian authorities would still be leading the effort.

"The (Armed Forces of Liberia) has a great capability. They are already out there ... and helping us, because they have this knowledge of the local area. So we are not doing anything by ourselves," he said.

At least 3,091 people have died from Ebola since the West African outbreak was first identified in Guinea six months ago.

Liberia has recorded 1,830 deaths, around three times as many as Guinea or Sierra Leone, the two other heavily affected countries.

The epidemic has overwhelmed regional health sectors still struggling to rebuild after years of civil war and turmoil. The disease has infected 375 healthcare workers across the region, killing 211 of them.

Bernice Dahn, Liberia's chief medical officer and deputy health minister, put herself in quarantine over the weekend as a precaution against Ebola after one of her assistants died from the disease.

Also Read: Dallas hospital monitoring patient for Ebola

"As destructive as the Liberian Civil War was, at least our people knew the warring factions and the frontlines," Liberia's Foreign Affairs Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday.

"With Ebola, the enemy is more insidious and there are no clear-cut frontlines because someone's child, someone's husband, someone's workmate could actually be the enemy and the frontline at the same time," he said.

The U.S. embassy in Morovia said on Monday that work to build a 25-bed unit to treat infected health workers, international and Liberian, had begun in Margibi Country in central Liberia. Construction is due to be completed in a few weeks.

"It is intended to provide a high standard of care, so that when they put themselves at risk they have someplace they can go to be treated," said Deborah Malac, U.S. ambassador to Liberia. "We will be sending approximately 65 medical personnel to staff that hospital."

After a slow initial response, foreign governments and international organisations are now pouring funds, supplies and personnel into West Africa.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called on more nations to help fight the outbreak, saying hundreds of thousands of lives were at stake.

Britain, France, China and Cuba have all pledged military and civilian personnel alongside cash and medical supplies.

Air France flies to Ebola-hit Guinea out of 'solidarity': Hollande

news24

Paris - Air France is maintaining its flights to Ebola-hit Guinea as a sign of France's "solidarity", President Francois Hollande said Monday as he hosted a visit by Guinea's President Alpha Conde.

International help needed to be ramped up for Guinea and other west African nations struggling with the deadly epidemic, which has killed more than 3,000 people since the start of the year, the French leader said.

At the same time, those countries suffering "should not be isolated and should remain open," he said.

Also Read: Ebola-hit Liberia staring into the abyss

"That is why Air France continues to work" by maintaining flights to Guinea's capital Conakry, Hollande said.

Air France, however, in August suspended its services to neighbouring Sierra Leone, which is also beset by the virus.

Other airlines, including British Airways, have also halted flights to Ebola-struck parts of west Africa.

Hollande assured Conde of France's "total solidarity" as Guinea grapples with the disease. Ebola has infected 1,074 people and killed 648 in Guinea.

He said his government has allocated 35 million euros ($44 million) and would soon establish a third Ebola clinic with the dispatch of another 25 French doctors to help Guinea battle the epidemic.

Air France flies to Ebola-hit Guinea out of 'solidarity': Hollande

news24

Paris - Air France is maintaining its flights to Ebola-hit Guinea as a sign of France's "solidarity", President Francois Hollande said Monday as he hosted a visit by Guinea's President Alpha Conde.

International help needed to be ramped up for Guinea and other west African nations struggling with the deadly epidemic, which has killed more than 3,000 people since the start of the year, the French leader said.

At the same time, those countries suffering "should not be isolated and should remain open," he said.

Also Read: Ebola-hit Liberia staring into the abyss

"That is why Air France continues to work" by maintaining flights to Guinea's capital Conakry, Hollande said.

Air France, however, in August suspended its services to neighbouring Sierra Leone, which is also beset by the virus.

Other airlines, including British Airways, have also halted flights to Ebola-struck parts of west Africa.

Hollande assured Conde of France's "total solidarity" as Guinea grapples with the disease. Ebola has infected 1,074 people and killed 648 in Guinea.

He said his government has allocated 35 million euros ($44 million) and would soon establish a third Ebola clinic with the dispatch of another 25 French doctors to help Guinea battle the epidemic.

Reds look for European lift

news24

Basel, Switzerland - Liverpool are confident that they can put a frustrating run of domestic form behind them when they face FC Basel in Switzerland in Champions League Group B on Wednesday.

The Reds are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, with Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Everton in the Merseyside derby, in which they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to a stunning Phil Jagielka strike, following three defeats in their opening five matches.

But midfielder Jordan Henderson believes the performance against Everton, which featured a marvellous Steven Gerrard free-kick to put Liverpool in front, means they can go to the St Jakob-Park in a confident frame of mind.

"I don't think it'll affect us because the performance level was very good," said the midfielder, who along with Liverpool colleagues Raheem Sterling and Rickie Lambert played in England's 2-0 win over Switzerland in Basel in a Euro 2016 qualifier just three weeks ago.

"We've got to take the positives out of that. The goal was in the top corner so we've just got to keep going and keep playing like that.

"If we keep putting in performances like that we'll win more than we don't."

Liverpool go to Switzerland having started their Group B campaign with a 2-1 win against Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria two weeks ago, although they required an injury-time Gerrard penalty to get the three points in their first match in the competition for five years.

Brendan Rodgers's side are on paper strongly fancied to progress to the last 16 along with Real Madrid but a slip-up on Wednesday would put them under pressure ahead of a double-header against the defending European champions.

Rodgers confirmed that he would check on the fitness of striker Daniel Sturridge, who has missed the last five matches due to a thigh injury but is now getting closer to a comeback, raising hopes that he might be involved at some stage.

- Sturridge close to return -

"I'll see how he is. He wasn't far away for Everton, but he certainly wasn't fit enough to be on the bench," said the Anfield club's boss, who also has Emre Can, Joe Allen, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan on the sidelines at the moment.

"But Daniel is obviously a top talent, whatever part of the game he comes into. And he's not far away from being back playing."

Basel are top of the Swiss Super League just now, although a 1-1 draw at home to Thun at the weekend -- in which they also conceded a late equaliser -- suggested that they are not yet up to the standards of the side that beat Chelsea home and away in last season's Champions League.

Midfielder Taulant Xhaka is nevertheless hopeful that the Swiss title holders will raise their game against the five-time European champions, saying: "This will be a different game. We will be well prepared for it and will give everything we have."

Basel coach Paulo Sousa, who was the Swansea City manager before departing for Leicester City in 2010 and being replaced by Rodgers, promised after the crushing 5-1 loss to Madrid in the Spanish capital a fortnight ago that his team would "be stronger in the next matches."

The home side will, however, again be without Chilean midfielder Marcelo Diaz, a stand-out performer at the World Cup who serves the second of a three-match ban in Europe, while Ivan Ivanov is a long-term absentee as he recovers from a knee problem.

These clubs last met in the group stage in 2002, when Liverpool, with a sprightly 22-year-old Gerrard in their side, came from three goals down to draw 3-3, although that result could not prevent Basel from advancing at their expense.

Friends reunited: Dzeko & Pjanic face off for the first time as Manchester City host Roma

goal.com

The pair have played alongside one another for years at international level with Bosnia and Herzegovina but they will be rivals at the Etihad on Tuesday night

When Edin Dzeko was a child growing up in war-torn Sarajevo, he would sometimes have to spend his days hiding from grenades in the basement of his family home. But that never stopped the Bosnian from taking every possible opportunity to play the game he loved.

However, one day, his mother Belma refused to allow him to go to the local playground for a match with his friends. It was a decision that may well have saved Dzeko's life, as the playground was hit by a grenade a matter of minutes later.

Consequently, Dzeko knows more than most that there are far more important things in life than football, which is precisely why Tuesday's crucial Champions League clash with Roma will not be about rivalry for him - but friendship.

The game at the Etihad Stadium not only brings together two sides intent on qualifying for the last 16 but two men who have played together many times but never against one another - Dzeko and his Bosnia and Herzegovina team-mate, Miralem Pjanic.

"Miralem is my friend," the Manchester City striker tells Goal. "We spoke right after the draw [for the Champions League group stage] and I am happy we will finally meet. 

"He is one of best Roma players and my team-mates will have to keep an eye on him. If we leave him with too much space, it could end fatally for us."

While Dzeko grew up in Sarajevo, Pjanic was born in Zvornik but his family moved to Luxembourg as soon as the Balkan war broke out. Pjanic started out with Schifflange in his adopted nation before being picked up by Metz, breaking into the senior side in 2007. 

After a stellar season at the Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien, Pjanic joined Olympique Lyonnais, where he established himself as one of the most exciting young playmakers in the game, eventually earning an €11 million move to Roma. 

He took some time to settle at the Stadio Olimpico but flourished following the arrival of Rudi Garcia as coach last summer and is now considered one of the finest players in Serie A.

Dzeko took a different route to the top. He came through the youth team ranks at Zeljeznicar before joining Teplice. It was while playing with the Czech outfit that he came to the attention of Wolfsburg, who brought him to the Volkswagen Arena in 2007. 

It was an inspired decision, with Dzeko scoring 84 goals in all competitions over the next four seasons before joining Manchester City in 2011 for €32m.

He has proven just as prolific at international level and is his country's record goalscorer, with 37. Many of those strikes were created by Pjanic but 'The Little Prince' was very nearly lost to Luxembourg, whom he represented at underage level.

Indeed, Pjanic was only granted a Bosnian passport in 2008, thanks to the intervention of a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina presidency, Zeljko Komsic.

Still, while their backgrounds may be different, the respect between Pjanic and Dzeko is mutual. Indeed, after watching Dzeko net twice in City's 4-2 win at Hull on the weekend, Pjanic knows that his international colleague is more than capable of shooting down Roma. 

"Edin is in top form and he will be the biggest threat," the midfielder admits to Goal. "I hope he will have a bad day on Tuesday!

"He is very dangerous and I know how little space and time he needs to find himself in a goalscoring opportunity."

Still, whatever the outcome of the game at the Etihad, Dzeko and Pjanic know that both life, and their friendship, will go on.

Manchester United have 'everything in place' for Champions League return - Van Persie

goal.com

The Dutchman believes the summer arrivals of Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria have given the Red Devils a frontline to be feared as they bid to return to the top four

Robin van Persie insists everything is in place for Manchester United to return to the Champions League this season.

United have endured a mixed start to life under new manager Louis van Gaal, winning just two of their opening six Premier League fixtures.

There is plenty of cause for optimism at Old Trafford, however, after United spent around €192 million on the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao before the transfer window shut in September.

And while United are yet to completely convince, Van Persie remains confident the Manchester giants will be among the top four at the end of May.

"That's our aim this year to be sure," he told reporters. "To be in the top four.

"If you look at our players, fans, squad, stadium, it's normal to be in the top four. This year we have a great manager, great staff, great fans so, when you look at everything together, it makes it hard [not to be in the Champions League].

"Everything is in place to be up there competing with the very best teams. I think we can do it and we will."

With United's fragile defence under the spotlight, having conceded nine goals in six games, the pressure is on the club's attackers to produce the goods.

Falcao, Di Maria and captain Wayne Rooney and are all at Van Gaal's disposal and Van Persie - buoyed by Saturday's 2-1 win over West Ham - is confident the star quartet can strike fear into their opponents.

"I think we can be able to actually do that. If you look at these players, they are great players in their individual way," the Dutchman added.

"But now we are working together on this project and I think games like winning 4-0 against QPR help. We had a setback against Leicester [losing 5-3], but to win in these circumstances like the weekend sends a message and shows that even in these difficult games we can win. Now we have to extend that.

"The first half was 11 v 11 and we were playing really well as a whole team. Eight minutes later it was 10 v 11 and the whole thing changed, but the way we fought for each other was unbelievable.

"It was a bit nerve-wracking at times, but we dug in and we did it so it gave us a lot of confidence."

Leo's last tango in Paris - Messi never quite the same since PSG injury

goal.com

Still a formidable force, the Argentine has returned from his hamstring problems a different player to the one hailed as the game's greatest goalscorer in 2012

Paris probably isn't Lionel Messi's favourite city. The Argentine watched on in disappointment as he was left out of the squad for the 2006 Champions League final at the Stade de France due to injury and was then laid low with a hamstring problem picked up in last year's Champions League clash at the Parc des Princes.

On Tuesday night, the 27-year-old is back in the French capital for Barcelona's group game against Paris Saint-Germain, but he returns a different player to the one that arrived in the City of Light back in April of 2013.

That game, arguably, marks a watershed moment in the Argentine's astonishing career. All appeared normal as the forward fired Barca into the lead late in the first half, but several minutes later he felt a sharp pain in his thigh on a trademark run into the area. He didn't reappear after the break.

In his absence, Barca were pegged back to a 2-2 draw and he was nowhere near fit for the second leg in the Catalan capital. Nevertheless, with the Blaugrana a goal down and heading for a last-eight exit, Tito Vilanova sent on a limping Leo and the Camp Nou crowd were lifted immediately. And one moment of magic proved sufficient as Messi helped set up Pedro for the clincher on away goals in a 3-3 aggregate draw.

Still struggling for fitness, the forward was a peripheral figure as Barca lost 4-0 to Bayern in Munich. He then came off the bench to score a wonder goal in a 2-2 draw at Athletic Club and looked ready for the Champions League semi-final second leg at Camp Nou, but was not even deemed fit to start and missed the entire game as Barca lost 3-0 (and 7-0 on aggregate). Both player and club had paid the price for the injury problems which had begun on that night in Paris.

Last season, Messi endured further pain as he suffered a recurrence of the problem against Atletico in the Supercopa, then at Almeria in September and again versus Betis in November.

Still not right, the forward took time out to recover and even returned to Argentina for fitness and recuperation sessions in December before making his comeback in January.

On his return, he still scored prolifically but saw his hunger questioned and was unable to prevent Barca from missing out on the major trophies at the end of 2013-14. He was also criticised for covering only 6.8 kilometres in the Champions League quarter-final loss at Atleti - just 1.5 more than goalkeeper Jose Pinto.

"Messi is a player on a different level to the rest, but he had a lot of muscular problems and he was less participative for a while," former Barcelona defender Miguel Angel Nadal told Goal. "He still scored a lot of goals, but he suffered and the whole team suffered.

"There were lots of things that affected Barcelona: Eric Abidal’s illness, what happened with Tito, [Pep] Guardiola’s exit… there were a lot of circumstances. The team last season was adapted to Tata’s ideas, but some of the ambition was missing and the play was less fluid. All of that contributed too."

Bang on form this term with five goals and seven assists already, it is nevertheless a very different Messi to the one that started against PSG in April last year.

"Neymar is in his second season and Barca have more alternatives than before," Nadal added. "They won’t be relying on only Messi to score goals as they did previously."

Indeed, the Argentine is currently operating - and thriving - in a deeper role under Luis Enrique as Barca opt for a slight change of direction in 2014-15. So even though his injury problems are now behind him, there will be a before and after the night at PSG when Leo looks back on his distinguished days in Barcablaugrana.

Still a wonderful player, but now a different player, the formidable goalscorer who wowed the world with 91 strikes in 2012 and 73 in 2011-12 has never really returned in the same vein since his troublesome thigh problem on that night at the Parc des Princes. Messi remains remarkable in so many ways, but has never been quite the same since suffering that inopportune injury in Paris.

Neuer: Bayern must keep working in order to achieve even greater success

goal.com

The Germany international has urged his team-mates to keep working hard in order to win more silverware this campaign

Manuel Neuer has stressed that Bayern Munich realise they must keep working hard if they are to win silverware this term and has made it clear they will not take Tuesday's Champions League game with CSKA Moscow lightly.

The Bundesliga champions started their European campaign with a 1-0 win over Manchester City, whereas CSKA were beaten 5-1 by Roma on matchday 1.

Nevertheless, Neuer has insisted the Russian giants could surprise Bayern if they are not fully focused.

"We understand that this is not just any old game, but this is the Champions League, which is always an important experience. We have come here to get three points and want to keep on winning," Neuer said at a press conference.

"Its nice if the opposing head coach says that we are from another planet. We understand that we have had a lot of success, but we need to keep on working in order to achieve even greater success.

"We have three points already and we don't intend to drop points against CSKA.

"We are really up for this game because we know there can always be surprises in the Champions League. Therefore we are taking this game very seriously."

'I'm not done' - Ashley Cole returns to England ready to prove his doubters wrong

goal.com

The 33-year-old will hope to silence the doubters both at home and in Italy, who have suggested he is a spent force, when he faces Manchester City with Roma on Tuesday

Have a browse through Ashley Cole’s Twitter account and you’ll soon come across an advert starring the left-back for his boot sponsor Nike.

As he’s so often done on the pitch, on screen the 33-year-old cuts an uncompromising figure. ‘I’m not done’ is the mantra he repeats in his east London twang, while pointing to the large haul of silverware he’s acquired over the years.

It was, of course, a public relations stunt in December last year, in response to the doubters who claimed his powers had at last deserted him as he was consigned to the Chelsea bench; with Cole morphing into a caricature of a snarling, urban misfit.

It is that public persona – quite how accurate it is of TheRealAC3 (the handle he goes by in the Twittersphere) is open to conjecture – that has followed him for much of his career and why the naysayers were only to happy to see his time at Stamford Bridge end this summer.

They’d have laughed loudly, too, when his England career was brought to a shuddering halt after being overlooked for the World Cup. It’s difficult to remember another player to have won 107 caps with such distinction, treated with such disdain.

Cole handled his exit from Chelsea and England with an impressive and refreshing display of maturity. He applauded the Blues for eight success-laden years, while giving his blessing to Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw in taking over the left-back mantle that had been exclusively his for the best part of 13 years.

It was considered and thoughtful and gave the impression of a man now resistant to the impulsive behaviour that saw him christened ‘Cashley’ for his honest but ill-thought financial revelations in his 2006 autobiography My Defence. His alleged marital infidelities and the incident involving him, a work experience student and an air rifle are stories for another time.

Much has changed in his world. His decision to move to Italy by joining Roma on a free transfer in July has brought with it an opportunity to sample a new culture – another browse of his Twitter page tells of Italian lessons and a trip to the Colosseum.

It also gave him the chance to escape the English press with whom he has endured a much troubled relationship. He admitted as much upon landing in Rome, though he will already have learnt that the Italian media aren’t too far removed from their UK counterparts.

A report in La Repubblica on September 10 claimed Cole has already decided to cut short his stay at the club after failing to settle in. This came shortly after he had cut a lonely figure in a team photo, in which he can be seen stood several yards away from the rest of the squad, prompting another round of social media vilification. It was almost tempting to feel sorry for him.

On the evidence so far, he’s a changed man on the field as much as off it. Supporters expecting to see the buccaneering force of old charging up the left flank have been left disappointed. 

One possible factor behind the conservative Cole could well be Roma boss Rudi Garcia’s tactical approach. The Frenchman prefers his right-back to be the most offensive of the two full-backs, with Maicon given the freedom to make marauding runs upfield, leaving the former Chelsea man to remain in position and form a back three during offensive spells. 

Regardless, Cole has often been handed ratings of just five and six out of 10 by Italian journalists covering the Giallorossi, who were perhaps expecting the attacking force of years gone by, though Goal Italy’s Renato Maisani believes the problem lies elsewhere.

He said: “Ashley Cole's performances have not been brilliant, but I think the ratings of him are exaggerated.

“He has never once made a serious mistake. Simply he doesn't push regularly down the left wing. Perhaps he's not yet 100 per cent fit and so he conserves his energy. 

“Rudi Garcia trusts him and, at least momentarily, there is little chance he will leave in January. However, it's sure that everyone expected more from him.”

Doubts remain, as they often do when a player enters the tail end of his career, though it would surely be too soon to make a cast iron judgement given he is yet to concede a goal in his four Serie A appearances for the club to date.

Cole is again expected to pull on the No.3 jersey when Roma face Manchester City in their Champions League group stage clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Ironically, he will face former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard, another player deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge this summer, with the left-back wary of his goal threat.

"If I am selected and Lamps is selected it would be nice," said Cole at the pre-match press conference.

"Everyone knows what Lampard brings to any team - he's a great experienced player who scores goals."

 Just don't expect Cole to give him an easy night. He’s not done yet.

The reason Gervinho is a star at Roma but flopped at Arsenal? The coach

goal.com

The Ivory Coast star was mismanaged at the Emirates Stadium and became a figure of fun. Under Rudi Garcia he is a man possessed.

Gervinho is a player whose career may be destined to be defined by a two-year spell at Arsenal during which he was misused by Arsene Wenger and therefore misrepresented.

While former Lille team-mates Eden Hazard and Yohan Cabaye exploded into the spotlight in England, the Ivory Coast international was left hung out to dry by Arsene Wenger, whose approach failed to maximise the talents of one of the most dashing wingers in European football.

At the Emirates Stadium, the 27-year-old mustered only nine league goals in two seasons, but has had the credibility blown back into his career by Rudi Garcia, who has acted as the father figure of his career, signing him on no fewer than three occasions.

Garcia has been a long-time ally of the African, having first spotted his raw talents at Le Mans, where the coach spent the 2007-08 season. A year later, the trainer invited the player to make the first big step of his career by joining him in Lille for €6 million. The pair briefly parted company when Gervinho left for England, though it was Garcia who swooped to the rescue to revitalise the attacker’s career in Rome.

It has proven an almost perfect partnership, with the Ivorian marking his first season in Italy with nine strikes in 33 Serie A matches as Roma have established themselves as the likeliest challengers to Juventus’ hegemony.

Arsenal fans may, with hindsight, lament his loss – particularly for the paltry fee of €8m – but in truth, unless Wenger changed the style of his whole side, the Ivorian was always going to be running down dead ends in north London.

The Gunners’ approach was simply too slow and too methodical to get the best out of the winger. The wideman thrives under Garcia’s more direct and exciting system, which exploits his phenomenal speed - the player once joked that with a ball at his feet he is quicker than Usain Bolt.

Gervinho is a man who is at his best when he is allowed to be instinctive, has room behind an opposing defence to penetrate and is backed with belief from the dugout. At Le Mans, Lille and Roma, he has been given these tools, but at Arsenal he was asked to play a more concrete role in a more methodical team. He struggled and lost all confidence.

"The difference between Roma and Arsenal? The coach," the 26-year-old told Sports Illustrated earlier this year.

"Here my coach, Rudi Garcia, gives me confidence, I know that he believes in me. When I wake up in the morning, I like to come to work, I cannot wait."

Simple opportunities would often pass the attacker by at the Emirates, where he was stripped of every last shred of confidence until he mustered only 1,022 Premier League minutes in his final term there, having been turned into something of a joke figure by the club’s fans.

Back in love |Gervinho's torrid time in London has been forgotten already in Rome

Now he is at the vanguard of one of the most dangerous and charismatic teams in Italy, having been handed the offensive keys by his tutor, who tied him down to a new contract on September 16 that expires in 2018. When Gervinho is not in the Roma side, they do not look nearly so potent, and it is a rare thing indeed for Serie A opponents to stifle the relentless direct dribbling of the attacker. 

The praise he has earned over the last year has flown freely. Roma legend Francesco Totti described him as a “beast” while Garcia has painted the Ivory Coast star as a “player with unique characteristics”.  

Crucially, though, he has been allowed the opportunity to express himself by a dynamic 4-3-3 system that fits his needs.

Following the first Champions League match of the season, a stunning 5-1 win over CSKA Moscow, Garcia explained that his tactics had revolved heavily around the African. 

“We played like we wanted to play. We knew that it would be possible to build good chances playing through CSKA's lines and we did that, exploiting the speed of Juan Manuel Iturbe and Gervinho,” he explained.

“Garcia has a very special style,” Gervinho explained in February. “He often tells me that he knows my qualities better than anyone else. There are many players with talent, but it is important to find a coach who knows how to make the most of that.

“Rudi was very good with me in that sense. He knows how to do what is best for the team and, at the same time, to let me be free with my football.”

It is little wonder then, that Gervinho was arguably the most decisive player during his final year in France – even arguably outplaying the blossoming Eden Hazard. While the Chelsea star scored seven goals and made 10 assists, Gervinho accrued the same number of decisive passes but found the net 15 times – all in three fewer league appearances.

Astonishingly, Gervinho, a lynchpin of the LOSC side that won a league and cup double, was overlooked in the Player of the Year nominations and publically wondered in L’Equipe: “What have I to do to be named in the four best players in France?”

His career since has been rather like that, as he has been left underappreciated and, to some extent, pushed unjustly into the shadows. 

On Wednesday, he can go some way to restoring his damaged reputation in England by leading Roma to victory away to Manchester City, yet it is unlikely that Premier League fans will ever truly appreciate his instinctive and thrilling nature.