Diego Costa is the striker Chelsea need- Drogba

Diego Costa is set to confine Didier Drogba to the Chelsea bench for most of this season, but that has not stopped the Stamford Bridge legend hailing the Spanish marksman is the perfect striker to lead the Blues trophy charge.

Drogba made his first start of the season in Wednesday's Champions League clash against Schalke at Stamford Bridge, but he is likely to be back on the sidelines as Costa is expected to return for Chelsea's vital Premier League trip to Manchester City on Sunday.

Yet there is no hint of envy in Drogba's voice as he endorses Costa to fill the lead striker role he enjoyed during his first spell at Chelsea, in spell that saw him play a key role in the west London club winning ten major trophies.

"He is the striker we needed this season," said 36-year-old Drogba when quizzed about Costa. "When I look at him I can see the desire to win every challenge, and to score goals.

"He is hungry for goals and that's the best thing for a team like us. For him to start this season in England, coming from Spain which is a different league and to recreate the same thing he was doing in Spain is fantastic."

Drogba went on to suggest he had a role to play as both a striker and a mentor in the Chelsea dressing room this season, as he hopes his status as a Stamford Bridge legend acts as an inspiration to the younger players in Jose Mourinho's Blues squad.

"I'm here to help but I'm also here to show, if I can say that, to show them the spirit," Drogba said when asked about his leadership role at the club.

"Even if I don't have any doubt about their desire to win, I'm here to help and I will give what I can. I'm preparing myself to give something extra to the team and achieve what we want to achieve."

Drogba went on to suggest he will relish the chance to take on an old colleague when Chelsea travel to face a Manchester City that could feature Frank Lampard on Sunday.

"I can't wait to see him, my partner in crime," added Drogba. "It is a pity that I came back and he's not here any more, but I will be happy to see him.

"It doesn't matter the team where he is playing, I think he still belongs to us. He is a Chelsea player, for what he did. For me, he is part of the history of the club."

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Mario Balotelli reunite with his supercar after shipping it over from italy

Mario Balotelli drove to Liverpool training on Thursday in his £240,000 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta that has been shipped over from Italy.

The 24-year-old has now been reunited with his beloved supercar, which was seen arriving at Liverpool's Melwood training base as Balotelli and his team-mates prepare for Saturday's Premier League trip to West Ham.

The Italy forward joined Brendan Rodgers side in a £16million switch from AC Milan in August and he will have been buoyed by the fact his luxurious vehicle has finally made the same move.

Balotelli's love of cars is legendary and many of his infamous scrapes and japes have involved one of his motors.

The Italy star's most famous vehicle was probably the camouflage £160,000 Bentley GP in which he was spotted in Manchester. His white Maserati was also ticketed in the city centre.

Earlier this year, his former fiancee - according to some reports - Fanny Neguesha posted a video on Instagram showcasing Balotelli's love of fast cars.

She also put up a picture of some car keys, including those to the Ferrari, a Lamborghini and an Audi.

Balotelli is motoring on the pitch after opening his account with a goal against Ludogorets in Liverpool's 2-1 Champions League win on Tuesday.

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A Russian Man Hangs himself on skype while online users cheer him on

A shocking Skype suicide where a young man hanged himself while online spectators urged him on is being investigated by police in Russia.

Victim Sergey Kirilov, 26, from Moscow, had announced his own death on a social networking site and asked anyone who wanted to see it to link to him on Skype.

Astonished police say instead of trying to stop him, many urged him on, saying a 'real man' would have killed himself more quickly.

Dozens of spectators linked to troubled Mr Kirilov's account and looked on as he prepared to hang himself.

Only one attempted to stop him.

One even told him: 'Come on, are you ready yet? Go on - do it.'

And another urged: 'If a man says he's going to do something, he needs to do it.' 

Moscow police are now trying to trace all the people who watched Mr Kirilov's suicide through their internet service providers.

Spokesman Leonti Zubarev said: 'It is beyond belief that people could watch this as a form of entertainment.

'We will be investigating everyone who watched this incident, especially those who urged him to carry it out who may be guilty of negligent homicide.'

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Emirate Defensive woes: Arsene Wenger set to sign Diego Lugano and Joseph Yobo to ease Arsenal's defensive holes

 

Arsenal are exploring the free transfer market in a desperate attempt to ease their defensive problems.woes

The Gunners’ lack of depth in defence was apparent on Tuesday night when Arsene Wenger was left with just three senior defenders for their 2-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

The club are looking for a central defender to provide cover for Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.

Clubs can still sign free agents despite the transfer window closing on September 1.

Scouts have been asked to examine short-term options Diego Lugano and Joseph Yobo, who are both available and have been discussed at the club’s London Colney HQ.

The pair have Premier League experience — Yobo for Everton and Norwich and Lugano with West Brom — which is key for the Gunners.

Any moves, though, are a way from fruition with the club still considering their options.

There was at least some good news for Wenger on Wednesday when scans on the right ankle of Jack Wilshere, injured in Germany, revealed no serious damage.

Also, Mathieu Debuchy who came off against Manchester City, confirmed he has avoided a broken ankle.

‘No fracture but one broken ligament,’ the Frenchman posted on his Facebook account. ‘I have to wait until Friday in order to know if I must have surgery.’

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, admits Arsenal have no chance of winning the Champions League if they cannot solve the problems which led to their defeat in Dortmund.

‘We have to react,’ Arteta insisted. ‘If you make errors like we did against the top sides, we know there is no chance to win the Champions League.'

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Pep Guardiola says Bayern Munich were tested, but deserved win

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola felt his side underperformed despite creating the majority of an entertaining game's chances in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in their first match of the Champions League campaign on Wednesday.

Former City defender Jerome Boateng gave the German champions the victory over their English counterparts when he struck from the edge of the box in the 90th minute thanks to a slight deflection off Mario Gotze.

Guardiola said he felt the goal was coming as Bayern controlled the match's closing stages.

"We played well. In the first 20 minutes, Manchester were better than we were but the last 15 minutes we dominated," he said. "We created a lot of opportunities to score but it was not easy against them. We played with a lot of courage and we won and we earned it."

Guardiola paid tribute to the resilience of Manchester City, who were without manager Manuel Pellegrini as he served a touchline ban.

"I know Manuel Pellegrini very well, his defensive movements in the back line are first class, almost perfect," the Bayern manager said. "It is not easy creating so many chances but we were consistent. We tried, we made everything and we deserved it.

Bayern are in second place in Group E, behind on goal difference to Roma, who trounced CSKA Moscow 5-1 on Wednesday.

"We know how difficult this group is. We know it will not be decided until the last game so to start with this victory is very important for us."

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