Jose Mourinho is a fantastic coach. There is little doubt about it. His record speaks for itself and his ability to get the most out of players is unquestionable.

Mourinho's belligerent attitude could prove self-defeating in the long term.

However, his apparent need to upset opposing coaches, players and members of the media is damaging his image and could one day be the source of his undoing.

The latest episode involving an alleged insult or assault on an Italian journalist is just the latest in an ongoing saga of self-inflicted blows. There is rarely a week where he does not have something negative to say about someone, a point proved when his recent criticism of a referee decision resulted in him being sent off. But when confronted by questions from the media about his behavior, Jose invariably snaps back in an aggressive tone rather than considering what he has done.

Here in England he was revered and respected. He was one of the few managers whose ego was larger than his team, and sometimes even larger than life. The media couldn't get enough of him.

In Italy it has been a different story. The journalists there are used to big personalities and have not been so entertained with Jose's need to grab all the attention. They have started showing their displeasure for his attitude and demeanor, and he has not relented.

If I were Jose I would re-evaluate my behavior. I would count on my advisers to help me rebuild my image. Someone would have to tell me that you can be successful and reasonable and that the siege mentality he creates is not always necessary.

However, I am afraid this might not happen anytime soon, and I justify my opinion by telling you the following story:

Back in 2005, I once voted for Fabio Capello instead of Jose Mourinho on a World Soccer Magazine poll of best managers of the Champions League. Word got out and I immediately received a text from one of his representatives saying that Jose would never speak with me again. Following that initial reaction, I justified my vote and repeatedly tried to interview Jose, but to no avail. For some reason, Jose and his advisers thought that I should have compromised my journalistic integrity and voted for him just because I was Portuguese. This episode made me sad then and makes me sad now because we had a great relationship before it happened.

I still hope that one day we will get a chance to talk about this, maybe even laugh about it. Perhaps he will prove me wrong and show all of us a different side to his personality. I sincerely hope his belligerent nature does not destroy his career; it would be a waste.

For Liverpool, the road has come to a dead end. It may have had its twists and turns, its ups and downs, but after results conspired to dump the five-time European champions from the Champions League, there is nowhere else to go. Out of European competition and out of the English Premier League title race, the Reds are faced with yet another season when they will win no silverware of note.

Has Benitez reached the end of his useful life with Liverpool?

You can try to point the finger at the owners of the club or at some of the players, but in my opinion the man to blame is Rafa Benitez. He's had five years to get it right, and although last season he came close to ending Liverpool's title drought, in the end he came up short. A combination of bad buys and questionable tactical choices means he should start thinking about leaving Anfield.

Liverpool should have qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League. They were placed in a group that was perfectly manageable. Lyon is a good side, but Fiorentina is average at best (by Champions League standards) and Debrecen still has a long way to go before being able to battle with the best. They should have finished in the top two. But they didn't and now one is left to wonder what they have left.

Where to go from here? Thirteen points behind Chelsea in the domestic league, their title hopes are slim at best. So does this squad have enough quality to ensure a bright future? Hardly... the only promising player they have is David N'Gog and he is not someone to build a team around. If you ask me, they have to start from scratch. New manager, new players and new owners.

Steven Gerrard is still strong enough to be a central figure, but they may have to sell Fernando Torres to fund the spending spree they need to become a world class side once again. Let Fernando go for around $120 million and get a handful of players who will make a difference.

Who would be the ideal man to take over? If you ask me, they should look no further than Jose Mourinho. He loves England and England loves him. He has become an unwanted man in Italy with the press growing tired of his antics, and Inter would also allow him to leave considering he will most probably not win the Champions League this season.

Rafa out, Jose in. Torres out, new blood in. Then there may be a bright future at Anfield... because right now, there is nowhere to go.

Believe me when I say that I feel sorry for Ireland and I think it's scandalous they were prevented from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup by a goal which was scored after such a blatant handball. However, FIFA rules state and have always stated that the referee decisions are final. There was never a chance of a replay.

A dejected Irish player reacts to his team's loss to France.

Before I explain why Ireland's argument is misdirected, I will answer the question you are probably asking in your mind. What about the World Cup Qualifier in 2005 between Bahrain and Uzbekistan? That was replayed!

Yes it was, but for different reasons. The referee at the time made a crucial technical error which concerned the laws of the game. Instead of ordering a penalty to be retaken following encroachment in the area, he gave the opposing team a free kick. Therefore the rules had been compromised. This time they weren't. It was a judgment error on the part of the officiating crew.

So, onto the barking and the wrong tree. Ireland should use this opportunity to call for union between football federations around the world in a call for technology in football. This is a perfect time to have one voice in favor of using video replays. At a time when fans around the world have the chance to see every play from 10 different angles, it seems silly that the only man who doesn't have this benefit is the referee.

To their credit, UEFA have started experimenting with five referees, but even they have already made basic mistakes. At a recent Europa League match between Fulham and Roma, they sent off the wrong player after a foul in the area.

So Ireland, take this one on the chin, and take one for the team. You're not going to get a replay, so re-direct your energy towards uniting football federations to change the way the game is played. Is it fair? No. But focus your attention on a battle for a clearer and brighter future in football.

Most football fans in the UK don't rate Emmanuel Adebayor as a person.
Many consider the Togolese striker to be a mercenary who signed for Manchester City just for the money.

Adebayor is challenged by former team-mate Alexandre Song.

His actions in a recent Premier League game against his former employers did not do him any favors either.

Adebayor provoked Arsenal fans by effusively celebrating a goal scored against them, and also kicked out at Robin Van Persie, later receiving a three-match ban.

Now as we know and should never forget, there are always two sides of the story. I had a chance to hear Emmanuel's version of events last week during an interview in Manchester.

The first impression I got was that he was genuinely hurt by the way Arsenal treated him in the summer.

When Arsene Wenger told him he wouldn't play this season and that the club had agreed to sell him to Manchester City, initially he didn't want to leave.

He felt unwanted and under-appreciated. Following a couple of meetings with City representatives Adebayor was eventually persuaded that the club had high ambitions and that he would be a big part of them.

That is when he agreed to go. Not for the money, but because he felt wanted.

As far as the game with Arsenal is concerned, Emmanuel told me about how Arsenal players did not want to shake his hand in the tunnel and how their fans sang about his family.

How they insulted his mother and father, the people that always meant everything to him. He regretted his goal celebration, but said it was the only way he had to reply to the supporters.

He also apologized to Van Persie and wishes he had never kicked out at his former teammate.

Adebayor knows he made mistakes. He just wants a second chance. Every person deserves that.

I recently made a trip to Madrid to interview several of Real's players and club president Florentino Perez. All of them talked about how expectations were raised this season because of the investment made over the summer. Perez especially stressed the importance of the club becoming a contender for the Champions League title, a competition they haven't won since 2000.

Manuel Pellegrini is under pressure to remedy Real Madrid's recent shortcomings.

Well, they didn't look like contenders on Wednesday night, did they? Real lost to a Milan team which had won just three of nine games this season and whose first XI would have been great five years ago but now, honestly, looks like largely like a group of has-beens. The average age of the side Leonardo sent out at the Bernabeu was 30.8.

Now the excuses have already started rolling out of the Bernabeu. After the defeat to Milan, coach Manuel Pellegrini said he needed time to build his team. He added that he thought the game wasn't that bad. Well, the press thought otherwise and in response to that comment, Marca asked, on its front page, "What game were you watching?"

It may be too early for alarm bells, but Pellegrini won't get much time to get it right. I can guarantee that. In his last stint as Real president, Florentino had six managers in six years. He expects the best, always, and has no problems pulling the trigger when it comes to firing coaches.

So what is going wrong? For starters, the defense isn't good enough. Pepe is and has always been overrated, so much so that with Portugal he doesn't even play at center-back sometimes – Carlos Queiroz uses him in midfield. His heading is poor and his concentration erratic. Neither Marcelo nor Drenthe are great left-backs. They are both great at going forward, but don't have the necessary discipline to track back everytime the team loses possession. Sergio Ramos is OK but I still think he is better as a center-back than a right-back. Raul Albiol is solid, but not the leader the Real backline needs.

In other words, I expect Real to concede bags of goals this season. They will score them too, but Pellegrini might need to think about playing with two defensive midfielders to protect a shaky defence. This means Kaka could be forced into a wide position. Curiously, Madrid had a similar problem during the first instalment of the Galacticos. Zinedine Zidane had to be dragged out to the left so the manager could fit all his stars in the team, while at the same time ensuring some solidity in the center of the park.

Over to you, Mr. Pellegrini. Maybe you can convince Florentino to buy a world-class defender in January. If you make it that far... 

Love him or loathe him, but you certainly can't ignore him. Florentino Perez is "Mr Real Madrid" and his name has and will always mean business.

Perez is the personification of Real Madrid's ambition to be the best team in the world.

On and off the pitch he has been a winner. This is a man who owns the largest construction company in Europe and has spent more money on football players than any other club owner in history.

This season's Real Madrid squad has been nicknamed the "Florenteam". There's a reason for that. Perez is the only reason why Real landed the talents of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and the rest of the player captures during the preseason.

The previous president, Jose Ramon Calderon, was there for over two years and he couldn't do it. He said he would bring in the stars, but failed. So what does Perez have that no-one else can boast? Well, he's got the name and he's got the curriculum vitae of one of the top businessmen in the world.

Right now, according to the latest estimates, Perez is worth just under two billion dollars while his construction company, Grupo ACS delivered a revenue of 16 billion dollars in 2008. Money is not a problem.

Even in these tough economic times, Florentino can walk up to any bank in Spain, ask for a loan, and be given what he wants. This is an X Factor few can compete with.

His aura helps. Having met him for the first time last month, it was clear that here was a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. He doesn't take anything less than the best. Just ask the six managers he hired and fired in his six years in charge at Real Madrid during his first term as president.

His total investment of $365 million this summer raised eyebrows, but he is convinced that it was the only way to put Real Madrid back in its rightful place (in his perspective) as the world's top club.

Now, he is hoping, or should I say expecting, the high-profile stars he has invested so many resources in, live up to their price tags and bring back some silverware to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Will they do it? Well, fortune is said to favor the brave, so would you bet against Real?

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – The bid cities are making their final presentations to members of the International Olympic Committee right now and you can feel the tension and the sense of anticipation in the air.

U.S. President Barack Obama is in Copenhagen to pitch for Chicago's bid. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Around me, in the media hub of the Bella Center, are hundreds of journalists from all over the world, most of them from the countries which are vying for the Games. Every now and then I hear one of their reporters live on air. It really feels like I am in the eye of the storm here.

Everyone has been speculating about who is going to win. There are four really strong candidates and the chances are the host city for the 2016 Games will not be decided in the first round of voting. This, my friends, is going down to the wire.

Who will be the final two bids standing? Well, in my opinion, it will come down to a duel between Rio de Janeiro and Chicago. The Brazilian city could make history by becoming the first in South America to host the Games.

Sport in this region has developed a lot in the last decade, and the fact that the economic situation has also improved means that this continent is finally ready to receive the Olympics.

With Chicago, the IOC knows it has a safe bet. Three American cities have already hosted the Games, and the United States has the experience and know-how needed to organize a great event.

Furthermore, the money the IOC could make from TV deals with American networks will exceed any amount received from channels from other countries. And we all know money talks, right? So it will basically come down to whether the IOC members vote with their hearts of their heads.

The heart calls for Rio, the head for Chicago.

What about the others? Well Madrid has a shot. A realistic shot. Over 70 percent of Olympic venues are already in place or have started to be built in the Spanish capital so from an infrastructure standpoint, it is a very strong bid. Its main problem is the fact that the previous Games will also be held in Europe. if London were not organizing the 2012 Olympics, then Madrid could be the frontrunner.

As far as Tokyo is concerned, this is a long shot. The bid has lacked passion and the last media activities here in Copenhagen have reflected that. The fact the 2008 Games were in Beijing is also a disadvantage.

Its strength is the green and environmentally-friendly approach. The Japanese city has presented a plan for an Olympic stadium run entirely on solar energy.

So the scene is set. As the presentations are made, we follow them with great interest. Who will win? Watch this space...

Diego Maradona, Luis Figo, Ronaldinho and Leo Messi. Just four of the many football stars who first attracted attention at FIFA's Under-20 World Cup.

Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli should be gracing the U-20 World Cup for Italy.

Over the years, this tournament has featured talented youngsters who impressed scouts and fans alike with their skill and technique.

Many were expecting this year's edition in Egypt to again expose the football world to the next Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but we may all be disappointed.

What has changed? Well, Europe's top clubs keep recruiting the world's top teenagers at a younger age every year, and they don't want to risk losing them to injury or fatigue during the season.

Is this right? No. At least not in my opinion. FIFA has expressed its frustration at the European clubs' attitude and I have to agree with them on this occasion.

Many of the players who have been denied the opportunity to represent their countries at this event are sitting on the bench at their respective clubs.

Wouldn't budding teenage talents like Jack Wilshere of England, Mario Balotelli of Italy or Thomas Muller of Germany benefit more from the experience of playing in Egypt than playing a handful of minutes with their professional clubs? It is my opinion that they would.

At senior level, FIFA can enforce rules to make clubs release their players, they should also be able to so on the youth platform as well.

I understand European clubs want to have their best players around, but most of the time they don't even count on their youngsters, giving them limited first team opportunities in second and third tier competitions.

So what I ask is for the decision makers to focus on what's right for these young players. Let's give them a chance to shine. After all, this could be their only opportunity to play at a World Cup, at any level.

It's called common sense, and Emmanuel Adebayor could and should have used it after scoring for Manchester City against his former club in Saturday's English Premier League clash.

Adebayor’s celebrations prompted Arsenal fans to pelt him with objects, including a plastic chair.

Let's face it. Adebayor was a little-known forward when he was signed by Arsene Wenger.

He enjoyed two and a half decent seasons at Monaco, where he scored once every four games, but it was with Arsenal that he became a star.

Does it mean that he needs to feel indebted to the Gunners or Wenger for the rest of his career? No, probably not.

However, it does mean that he should show his previous employers a little more respect.

Did he not think about what he was doing? I don't buy that argument. He had a good seven or eight seconds while he was running from one edge of the pitch to the other to consider his actions.

He could have stopped at the halfway line. He could have turned and headed to the Man City bench. But he didn't. Instead he ran to celebrate in front of the fans of his former club, rubbing salt into their wounds.

So that excuse won't fly in my book. This was an action which should be punished because the celebration could have ignited violence in the crowd.

It could have led a few of the Arsenal fans to jump the barrier and invade the field.

Believe me, I love goal celebrations. I have no problems with players taking their shirts off, or putting hats on, or jumping up and down like little children.

That shows passion, it shows they care. I personally believe players shouldn't be booked when they become bare-chested after scoring in a professional game.

However, this was over the top. The English Football Association has taken action and rightly so.

A five-match suspension may be harsh, but I would back a two-game ban. It would stop other players from behaving similarly, which could one day spark violence in the stands and on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo's new Real Madrid shirt sold out at the club store on Tuesday. A total of three thousand strips gone in one day. Hundreds were also reported stolen.

"Ronaldomania" is at fever pitch in the Spanish capital and is showing no signs of relenting as his first training session approaches on Friday. Fans of all ages have been captivated by the arrival of the most galactico of all galacticos.

Move over The Beatles, here's Ronaldo.

The screams and shrieks heard at CR9's (the nickname that stands for Cristiano Ronaldo number nine) unveiling on Tuesday surely rivaled the rapturous response The Beatles experienced while at their peak in the 1960s. I am too young to have been at any of their concerts, but I gather the hysteria was simply overwhelming.

At the Bernabeu, hysteria was in the building. I even saw fans running onto the pitch and dodging past security, trying to touch Cristiano as he walked by. For a rock star maybe, but for a footballer?

What really impressed me on Tuesday was Cristiano's composure in the face of the chaos which surrounded him. He never stopped smiling or waving, even as supporters crowded and pushed around him in search of an autograph or a handshake.

He took it all in, and then was also calm enough in the press conference to answer multiple questions in Portuguese, Spanish and English, about his footballing skills and personal life.

- Shouldn't you get a girlfriend?
- How will you resist temptation?
- What about the paparazzi?

Not questions you hear every day at a normal football presser, but then again, this is not a normal footballer. Instead of showing impatience of frustration, Ronaldo smiled and answered calmly.

He said there is time for everything in life and he plans on having fun as long as it doesn't interfere with his job. He added he likes to stay at home and will try to stay away from the limelight as much as possible.

Sadly for him, that won't be possible. Every move will be watched, every word studied. The best he can do is concentrate on the job at hand, and that is helping Real Madrid on the field to become a force to be reckoned with. That is why the club spent a world record transfer fee to bring him to the Bernabeu.

Then again, if they sell a few more thousand shirts and tickets, they won't complain. The club has to strike while the iron is hot. And it could not be any hotter at the moment.