Roberto Mancini can finally prove himself in the Champions League with ...

Having struggled in Europe with Internazionale and Manchester City, the Italian will be hoping to do better with Gala

Bobby Manc: The Italian is now in Istanbul

Roberto Mancini can "prove himself" in the Champions League with Galatasaray, according to the Turkish club's chairman.

But Unal Aysal warned Mancini will be sacked if he does not qualify again for Europe's top club competition next season.

The former Manchester City boss took charge of the Istanbul club last month and drew his opening Champions League match against Juventus. But the Turkish champions lost their first Super League game under his charge last weekend and sit down in 13th place after six games.

Asked if Mancini had to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top two, Aysal replied:

"Of course, for all managers it is essential to get into the Champions League. The priority is to be successful in the Champions League. Roberto was very successful in the Italian league and in the Premier League but he hasn't done too much in the Champions League.

"Galatasaray is a good place for him to prove himself in the Champions League. Roberto Mancini will bring a new colour to Turkish football. I think Galatasaray will reach its goals at the end of this year again."

The Italian manager failed to get out of the Champions League group stage twice with Manchester City and Inter Milan won the trophy with Jose Mourinho after he had left the club.

Aysal also suggested a new European Super League of the top 20 clubs could start as soon as 2018.

"We cannot say this is a breakaway," he said. "The system has to be put in place either by UEFA or the clubs themselves. Then we will decide if a breakaway will be a necessity or not. It is not yet totally down on paper. It is a concept that has been under discussion for a few years - it is not a new concept. But we favour it."

Arsenal fan offers to pay someone to watch Champions League games, engage ...

(gumtree.com.au)

An Australian man has offered to pay one lucky applicant to watch Champions League matches and engage in social media banter on his behalf. According to News Corp Australia, the man is serious about his offer, but even if it's a joke (which seems extremely likely), it's still funny.

Here's the full, original open call posted on free classified ad site Gumtree by a 27-year-old Sydney based Arsenal fan known only as "Dino":

I'm looking for an intelligent, insightful young man (preferably a law student) with an excellent command of English and a wide knowledge of football, particularly of Arsenal Football Club.

This role requires the successful applicant to wake up at 4.30am on Champions League Matchdays and post insightful commentary and engage in banter in a private Facebook group of Football enthusiasts on my behalf.

As I have a busy work and social life, I cannot arise before 7am as I must catch up on my beauty sleep. However I also cannot allow my reputation as an intelligent football fan to fall by the wayside.

If you are successful in your pursuit of the job, you will receive a style guide which contains a selection of "Dinoisms" (common phrases and standard vernacular I utilise) which must be used when posting or engaging in banter with specified targets.

The successful applicant may also be trained to engage in strategic flirting and mind games with several females via the Facebook Messenger application.

The successful applicant may also be required to troll specific football identities on Twitter, namely [SBS and ESPN presenter] Andrew Orsatti, [former Australia international] Mark Bosnich and [Daily Mirror journalist] John Cross. You will also be expected to attend weekly team meetings with my brother and I to brainstorm ideas for attack posts, photoshopping and general group slander. You will also undergo a three-day drilling to test your quick-wit and banter skills.

This is an enormous opportunity for a young go-getter to receive great experience in the art of football banter, while building contacts in the football fan underworld.

Pay is roughly $150 per game.

News.com.au called and asked the man himself just what "Dinoisms" are and it turns out they're nothing more than the usual unimaginative, mouth-breathing Twitter banter.

One of his favourite sledges is to call Liverpool "LOL'pool". Hard to argue with that. He refers to Manchester United as "Manure". Nice. And he calls new United manager David Moyes "Moisturiser". Given Moyes' incredibly soft start to the season, you'd have to say that's pretty accurate.

Dino says he's received several applications overnight, including from one guy who said: "I am constantly facebooking girls and have also got good football banter".

Still, there's worse ways to make $150 than watching a Champions League match and firing off a few tweets trolling journalists and insulting David "Moisturizer."

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Suarez can realise his Champions League dreams at Anfield, says Liverpool ...

By John Drayton

PUBLISHED: 03:03 EST, 9 October 2013 | UPDATED: 03:33 EST, 9 October 2013

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner says Luis Suarez stayed at the club in the summer because he genuinely believes they can qualify for the Champions League this season.

The Uruguay forward, who has just returned from a 10-match suspension to sustain the Reds' excellent start to the season, was linked with big money moves to Real Madrid and Arsenal.

But Werner insists he can fulfil his European ambitions at Anfield as they will finish in the top four.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Werner said: 'There was interest in him from other clubs throughout the summer, but it was important for us to try and keep him.

'He is one of the great players of the world and we felt that we would be a stronger club with him than without him.

'That does not mean I don't respect his intense desire to play in the Champions League.

'But it would be a very happy day next May, if and when we get to the Champions League by finishing in the top four, and he is part of it.

'It is our intention to keep him for a while. Our intention is to build a winning club and he is integral to that. The past is the past and I have great affection for him personally.

'I gave Brendan Rodgers a great deal of credit for making sure Luis knew how needed he was at Liverpool.

'Brendan made it plain to him how much he was embraced by the fans, and the supporters have been terrific.'

While the attention of Werner and owner John W Henry is focused mainly on the Boston Red Sox's baseball play-off with Tampa Bay at the moment, he is delighted with the start Liverpool have made to the season.

They are currently second in the Barclays Premier League, behind Arsenal only on goal difference.

And Werner said: 'It is certainly promising. We have a softer schedule at the start of this year than we did last year, but all you can do is win the games you are supposed to win.

'The team has played brilliantly at times. It is not unfair to say that Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are a powerful a striking force as any in the league.'

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Suarez vital for Champions League push

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists Luis Suarez is an "integral" part of the club's future and believes the Uruguay international can fire Brendan Rodgers' side into next season's Champions League.

Suarez gave several interviews over the summer in which he stated that he wanted to leave Anfield. But Liverpool rejected two bids from Arsenal as they made clear they had no intention of selling the 26-year-old, who is under contract until 2016.

Suarez has only recently returned to action for Liverpool after completing a ten-match ban, making his first appearance in a competitive match at Anfield since then in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last Saturday.

The striker was the centre of attention before the match as he showed off his new-born son Benjamin to the crowd before kick-off, then opened the scoring.

Werner told the Daily Mirror: "I got a kick out of the fact that Luis came out on to the pitch before kick-off with his baby and his daughter. He shook hands with all the officials and the other players carrying his baby. That is the side of Luis I know, the loving parent.

"There was interest in him from other clubs throughout the summer but it was important for us to try to keep him. He is one of the great players of the world and we felt that we would be a stronger club with him than without him.

"That does not mean I don't respect his intense desire to play in the Champions League. But it would be a very happy day next May if and when we get to the Champions League by finishing in the top four and he is part of it.

"It is our intention to keep him for a while. Our intention is to build a winning club and he is integral to that. The past is the past and I have great affection for him personally.

"I give Brendan Rodgers an enormous amount of credit for making sure Luis knew how needed he was at Liverpool. Brendan made it plain to him how much he was going to be embraced by the fans, and the supporters have been terrific.

"The team have played brilliantly at times. It is not unfair to say that Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are as powerful a striking force as any in the league."

Werner has also given his backing to manager Rodgers, whose side lie second in the Premier League after seven games.

"I think Brendan has made remarkable progress," he added. "He's a great strategist and has shown strong leadership. When we hired him, we were confident we were getting one of the brightest managerial talents in the game and he is proving his worth.

"He's dedicated to improving the club as a whole and shares our vision of developing a club that is built for sustained success. He has shown a willingness to use young players and at the same time, demonstrated the ability to get the best out of our established stars.

"Brendan is respected by the players. They feel he is a good strategist and a good leader and his philosophy has been embraced by everyone. We are all moving in the same direction and Brendan is very much the leader.

"We're pleased with the progress we're seeing on the pitch but our goal is to create sustainable, long-term success at Liverpool and to consistently compete for silverware, so we're not getting carried away with a few good months.

"The club is definitely moving in the right direction under Brendan and as owners we're very optimistic and excited about the future."

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The Reasons Why Tottenham Are Champions League Material

Closing the Gap

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Both a by-product of, and a factor as to why the previous reasons matter, is the fact that Tottenham have already closed the gap on those clubs who have frequently been competing for Champions League places.

In six of the last eight seasons Spurs have finished in the top five. While only two of those seasons have seen Spurs make it to the Champions League places (of course in 2011-12 they were denied qualification by Chelsea winning the tournament), they have notably helped to break up the old order.

For example, Liverpool-a former fixture here-have not finished fourth or higher since 2008-09.

Spurs' fellow unwelcome interloper Manchester City were temporarily kept out by the North London club a year later and but for their heroics in Munich in 2012, Chelsea too would have missed out on UEFA's cash-cow because of their cross-city foe.

Spurs have more than proven they are a genuine contender in the upper echelon of the Premier League. Their attempts to maintain that status will be affected by the different circumstances they are in.

The substantial alterations made to Villas-Boas' squad have engendered a little uncertainty to just how good the overall group will be.

So long as they go some way to being as good as they are on paper (that means both the existing players who contributed to the aforementioned achievements, plus the new arrivals who have been highly rated elsewhere), it is difficult to see them dropping off.

Currently sitting in sixth place having recorded four wins from seven games, the start to the season has been encouraging enough.

The inability to kill off Chelsea and the capitulation to West Ham did provide reasonable cause for concern. However, the teething problems that marked these outcomes were always likely to be a feature of refashioning a semi-successful team.

Moving beyond this process is the immediate challenge for Tottenham. Should they do that swiftly and positively enough, they have it within them to be competing for a Champions League place again.

The long-term challenge will be just how strongly that claim compares to their rivals, among whom a stronger Arsenal and a resurgent Liverpool will make things as difficult as ever.

More from Always Managing: My Autobiography by Harry Redknapp

By Harry Redknapp

PUBLISHED: 18:05 EST, 7 October 2013 | UPDATED: 04:08 EST, 8 October 2013

More from Always Managing: My Autobiography by Harry Redknapp

I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life the night I went to watch Chelsea win the 2012 Champions League final.

You all know what happened. Chelsea were outplayed by Bayern Munich - as they had been by Barcelona and by Napoli in previous rounds - but they won the trophy.

It meant Spurs hadn't qualified for the following season's Champions League, despite finishing fourth - two points above Chelsea in the Premier League. They took our place as holders. I was distraught. I felt like crying.

Jamie invited me over - he said Sky had a box at the game and I should go as his guest.

Ruud Gullit was there and was carrying on right in front of me like a lunatic. He had nothing riding on the game - Chelsea had sacked him, for heaven's sake - but he didn't care.

Ruud was jumping around, cheering, singing, banging on the windows to draw the attention of the Chelsea players - and, when they looked up, in the background was me, feeling probably at my lowest as a football manager.

In the end, I think Jamie got quite upset on my behalf.

'Ruud, do us a favour, they sacked you, didn't they?' he said to him. 'Ah, yes, but that was different people,' said Ruud and then carried on oblivious.

I felt embarrassed, really, as if I was spoiling the party, but I still think his behaviour was over the top.

As I left, I thought: 'Get a top-class front man in for next season and the sky's the limit for us.'

Little did I know I had 25 days left as Tottenham manager.

We had been through a lot together that year. There were people from Tottenham in the Crown Court every day during my tax evasion trial and our season had gone so well until the injuries intervened.

Even taking away Chelsea's Champions League win, we were close, just a point in it between us and Arsenal in third place.

My departure wasn't straightforward by any means.

It certainly wasn't a case of walking in and being sacked.

In fact, we had previously been talking about extending my contract.

Having had these discussions, I went to see chairman Daniel Levy again. 'What's happening, Daniel?' I asked. He seemed very unsure. 'Maybe, Harry, we've just come to the end.'

I wasn't happy, but I had to accept it and I wasn't going to let it cloud my memories of my time at Spurs. I loved every minute of it. And I am proud of my record there.

They had never seen Champions League football until I arrived - and haven't since - and it's not as if they were a top-four Premier League team in the recent past, either.

Spurs had finished behind West Ham three years on the spin when I was at Upton Park.

I got on fine with Daniel. I still do. He loaned me some of his players last season with QPR.

People think Daniel Levy and I were always clashing over players, but it wasn't like that.

Yes, he has his own views, but he never signed a player who wasn't run by me first.

He didn't always fancy some of my choices, such as Scott Parker or Younes Kaboul, but I got most of them.

He was the first person to ring me up to wish me luck when I took over at QPR, and even on the night I left Tottenham, the car phone rang and it was Daniel.

'Harry, let's keep in touch,' he said. 'I hope we can still be friends.'

I thought, 'He's got some front. He's just sacked me and now he wants to be mates.'

But we have stayed in touch. I'm not one for grudges.

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UEFA Champions League landmarks, milestones

UEFA.com look back on matchday two of the UEFA Champions League, when FC Barcelona moved top of the all-time rankings and Chelsea FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen reaching scoring marks, and ahead to the third round of matches when several teams will be hopeful of reaching landmarks - and a few looking to avoid them.

* For the first time, two UEFA Champions League fixtures were played at the same venue within 24 hours: the Stadion Petrovski in St Petersburg. FC Zenit took on FK Austria Wien on Tuesday with PFC CSKA Moskva facing FC Viktoria Plzeň there the following day in a match moved from Moscow due to the condition of the pitch at the Arena Khimki.

* Last-minute goals from Frank Lampard and Jens Hegeler brought up landmark UEFA Champions League marks for Chelsea FC (200 goals scored) and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (100) respectively.

©AFP/Getty Images

* RSC Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans became the third youngest player to feature in the UEFA Champions League when, at the age of 16 years and 148 days, he played the entire 90 minutes at home to Olympiacos FC. Only Céléstine Babayaro (16 years and 87 days, Anderlecht 1-1 FC Steaua Bucureşti, 23/11/94) and Alen Halilović (16 years 128 days, GNK Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain FC, 24/10/12) were younger than Tielemans when they made their bows.

* There was another notable feat from the same game as Olympiacos striker Kostas Mitroglou scored all the visitors' goals in a 3-0 success in Brussels - becoming the first Greek player to score a hat-trick in the competition.

* There were three red cards on matchday two, for Celtic FC's Scott Brown, FC Bayern Munchen defender Jérôme Boateng and Axel Witsel of FC Zenit, taking the overall total in 2,315 UEFA Champions League matches to 398.

* Matchday two was FC København's 150th match in UEFA competition; they lost 4-0 at Real Madrid CF. Club Atlético de Madrid and Galatasaray AŞ will hope for better on matchday three when they play 250th UEFA fixtures.

* The 1-0 loss to Barcelona was Celtic's 100th in UEFA competition - they have recorded 49 draws. Olympiacos are set to reach the same, unwanted, century should they lose on matchday three.

* While Anderlecht (450) and Steaua (350) conceded notable goals in UEFA competition in their last fixtures, Galatasaray (350) and Borussia Dortmund (300) reached significant scoring figures of their own.

* In European Cup terms, FK Austria Wien (95 goals scored) and Olympique de Marseille (147) could reach landmarks if they find their shooting boots on matchday three, while AFC Ajax (196 goals conceded) and Olympiacos (199) will hope to delay breaking the 200 barrier. In UEFA competition, Celtic have scored 449 goals - Benfica have conceded 398.