Statistics not enough for Benitez at Real Madrid

Real Madrid were in a delicate situation against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Despite a list of absences through injury, the Spanish side played perhaps their best match since Rafa Benitez took over from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. But, despite the performance, there were no goals and there was no win.

A little over two months into his tenure, Benitez has yet to lose a match but his team's performances have hardly made Madrid fans - or anyone else - fall in love with this team. The players, it seems, are still struggling to adapt to his concepts, to their new positions and to tactical formations.

The difficulties in adapting are nothing new, of course. Like Benitez, Jose Mourinho failed to win his first fixture as Madrid boss, while it took Ancelotti a full six months to get the best out of Angel Di Maria, for example.

Messi: I don't compete with Ronaldo & he doesn't compete with me

Barcelona star Lionel Messi insists he doesn’t see himself as being in competition with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo despite the constant comparisons that exist between the pair.

As individuals, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the game for the best part of the last decade, with the last seven Ballon d’Ors won by one of the two.

That’s expected to become eight in January, with Messi tipped to win it back from Ronaldo, who has won it for the last two years.