Rodgers is making Mario grow up! Balotelli is learning fast, says agent

It's fair to say that Mario Balotelli hasn't quite hit the ground running at Liverpool, and according to his agent that could be down to his struggle to cope with the demands of Brendan Rodgers.

Balotelli has scored just one Barclays Premier League goal this season - and cryptically revealed on Wednesday that 'someone doesn't like me'.

And his agent Mino Raiola says Rodgers is asking more of him than any other manager has done in a career that has seen him work under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Roberto Mancini.

Yarnold wins gold at Skeleton World Championships in Winterberg to complete career 'grand slam'

Great Britain's Lizzy Yarnold won gold at the Skeleton World Championships in Winterberg to complete the career 'grand slam' of major titles. The 26-year-old added the world crown to her Olympic, World Cup and European golds after another record-breaking performance on Saturday. Having smashed the track record on Friday, Yarnold lowered it again in the final of her four runs to clinch the victory in a combined time of three minutes, 49.95 seconds.

UFC star Rousey: I would beat '100 per cent' of male bantamweights

Ronda Rousey is the talk of UFC at the moment and the undefeated women's bantamweight champion is adamant she could beat '100 per cent' of the opposite sex in the same division.

Rousey currently boasts an 11-0 record in the sport having defeated Cat Zingano in just 14 seconds in her most recent contest on February 28.

After her latest triumph, talk turned to how the 28-year-old would fare against a man - a prospect that doesn't faze the 135-pound division champion.

Butler beaten as Tete lands brutal uppercut for eighth-round KO

Zolani Tete unleashed a brutal uppercut to stop Britain's Paul Butler and claim victory in their IBF world super-flyweight title fight at Liverpool's Echo Arena on Friday.


Butler was bidding to add to the bantamweight belt he reluctantly gave up last year, but Tete's eighth-round knock-out ensured it was the South African who emerged triumphant.

Pacquiao's gym patrolled by armed guards ahead of Mayweather clash

The Hollywood gym inside which Manny Pacquiao plots his victory over Floyd Mayweather Jnr is being patrolled by seven armed guards.

The Wild Card Boxing Club, run by the Filipino’s esteemed trainer Freddie Roach, is usually open for fans hoping to catch a glimpse of a master at work.

But now, with a $300million (£200m) mega-fight at stake, nothing is being left to chance. 

Villa and Kaka set to start in front of sell-out crowd as MLS debutants Orlando City and New York City face off in Florida

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are facing an uphill battle in the Orlando popularity stakes this weekend. Disney World is a real life Magic Kingdom for millions yet not even the grandest of shows or white knuckle rides will match the atmosphere in the creaking, cavernous Citrus Bowl on Sunday afternoon. A sell-out crowd of 62,000 will make their way downtown to witness Orlando City, led out by Brazilian legend Kaka, in their inaugural MLS match against another fellow newcomer in the shape of NYCFC.

Liverpool the only place for Rodgers as boss admits: 'When you come here, you know you can never manage Man United'

Brendan Rodgers has admitted it would be 'very difficult' for him to manage another English club as he stated his ambition to create an Anfield dynasty. Having overseen a dramatic transformation in Liverpool's season, Rodgers' star is ascending once more and it has been speculated that he would be high on Manchester City's wish-list if Manuel Pellegrini does not survive the end of this campaign.

Diaby poised to leave Arsenal after 222 weeks on the sidelines... here's the midfielder's horrific injury record in full

Abou Vassiriki Diaby's nine-year career at Arsenal has been an emotional and physical roller coaster and Arsene Wenger now looks set to release the French midfielder at the end of his contract in June.

USA survive Great Britain comeback as Bryan brothers defeat Murray and Inglot to avoid Davis Cup exit

Andy Murray finds himself with the task of killing off America in the Davis Cup on Sunday after Great Britain's scratch pair came tantalisingly close to doing the job for him. After James Ward's heroics on Friday, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot almost mimicked his comeback before going down 3-6 2-6 6-3 7-6 9-7 to the celebrated Bryan brothers in another epic, this time lasting three hours and 39 minutes.

It's time to get off Van Gaal's back... United were never going to finish above City and Chelsea this season

When Louis van Gaal was unveiled last summer, what position did you imagine Manchester United to be in going into the final 10 games? If you envisaged them leading the title race, you would have been kidding yourself. There was never any chance of United finishing in front of both Chelsea and Manchester City this season, not even after they spent £150.2million on new players and recruited a coach with a distinguished reputation. Yet given the way some people are talking about United at the moment, there seems to be disappointment and mystification that Van Gaal's team are in the middle of a fight to get into the top four and not perched in top spot, setting an unrelenting pace.

With Hodgson watching in the stands, Kane wins battle of England strikers with Austin

Roy Hodgson would have left Loftus Road with a warm-tingly feeling yesterday. It had nothing to do with the mid-March sunshine, however. It was because of Tottenham striker Harry Kane. This clash was billed as a straight shoot-out between England strike hopefuls Kane and Queens Park Rangers frontman Charlie Austin.

Real Madrid slip up at Athletic Bilbao as Aduriz header dents Ancelotti's title charge

ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-0 REAL MADRID: Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 by Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Saturday meaning if Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano Sunday lunchtime they will move to the top of La Liga. Gareth Bale hit the post from 50 yards out but it was the closest Carlo Ancelotti's team came as an Aritz Aduriz header in the first half was enough to give Athletic a famous victory that could seriously derail Real Madrid's title charge.

FA Cup semi-finals sparking mass pitch invasion

ASTON VILLA 2-0 WEST BROM - AT VILLA PARK: It has been a long, hard winter at Villa Park, full of despair and despondency. Yet in the twilight of a spring evening, it seemed the old stadium had something to celebrate again in a famous FA Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion. But, alas, that was not the whole story here on Saturday evening. Thousands of Villa fans were so intent on goading their rivals, they would invade the pitch before the game had finished. Villa's players and their new manager Tim looked on bewildered by the stupidity.