Vote for Liverpool's Man of the Match against Sunderland

Christian Benteke's 46th minute finish granted Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Sunderland Wednesday night at the Stadium of Light, leading his side on a two game winning streak to end-- or appease-- the club's past struggle.

Though the Liverpool players walked out of the park victorious, NBC elected Sunderland's keeper Vito Mannone as Man of the Match. The Italian keeper racked five saves out of Liverpool's six shots on target.

Including palming Roberto Firmino's shot off the post in the 11th minute, stopping Fimino's header after the half-hour mark and denying Benteke from bagging a second one on the night as the striker was left one-on-one with him in added time.

Since Mannone's terrific performance denied one of the winners the NBC Man of the Match, let's vote for a Liverpool player as Man of the Match on Read The Game.

1. Christian Benteke

The goalscorer. Yet he had a poor performance, failing to connect his passes to his teammates as he held the ball up top. And missing a substantial opportunity to put the Reds 2-0, striking the ball straight at Mannone on a one-on-one play.

2. Roberto Firmino

The Brazilian miscontolled the ball when he was alone in the box early in the first half. But he recovered with an impressive game, coming very close to scoring twice.

3. Philippe Coutinho

The midfielder was subbed out late in the second half. But for the 83 minutes he was on the pitch, he was instrumental in Liverpool's midfield, also recorded six shots but failed to put five of them on target.

If you have another Liverpool player in mind, feel free to vote for him.

The Managerial Show: Episode 11-- Real Madrid's coaching job

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In 2010, Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho asked for Zinedine Zidane to be the players' special adviser. Zidane got the job!

Scene 2 

Zidane later became Real's assistant coach in 2013-14 under Rafa Benitez.

After that season, the Frenchman went on to becoming Real Madrid's second team head coach, Real Madrid Castilla. Where he coaches his son Enzo Zidane.

Coach Zizou:

Scene 3

 Meanwhile, Real Madrid's current coach Rafa Benitez has been under sack-threat this season. It was even reported that Cristiano Ronaldo will leave the club if Benitez doesn't get fired. 

"Cristiano Ronaldo, the superstar of Madrid and top scorer in La Liga in 2015, reportedly told team-mates in the dressing room following the loss that 'either he goes, or I go,'" writes journalist Jack de Menezes on Independent ensuing Real Madrid's 4-0 loss to Barcelona on Nov. 23. 

Scene 4 

With Benitez under-pressure and Zidane coaching the B-team, this speculation started around Oct-Nov: Zidane is going to replace Benitez.  

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Zidane eased that pressure on Nov 22 saying: "I'm the Castilla coach and Benitez is the first team coach. Things are in proper place the way they are at the moment."

Scene 6 

Los Merengues lose to Villareal on Dec 13, this put more pressure on Benitez. The Zidane-is-going-to-coach-Madrid starts growing again. 

Elsewhere, Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho is sacked by Chelsea on Dec 17 (Episode 6). Soon after that the Portuguese is linked to move back to Real Madrid (Episode 8).

Scene 7 

Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez subs in to deny all speculations on Dec 18. 

"Nobody can predict the future but right now he [Mourinho] is not going to come to Madrid," the president said.

He later added: " We have a great coach. Rafa is the person that we have chosen and we have to let him work with the collaboration of the players. It's not true that the players don't get along with Benitez, I have spoken with them. Zidane will not replace him." 

But Perez is impressed with what Zidane has been doing with the B team, he even said: "He will be the trainer of Real Madrid in the future. You can see it."

Benitez ain't going nowhere for now. Case closed. Party!

   Photo taken on Dec 23rd.

Scene 8 (Dec 24)

Not so fast, Luis Figo got something to say this about all this. 

"So if you want to be a coach and he's now coaching the second team... I think in his head it's the objective and the goal to one day to coach the first team. So I don't know. It's always depending on the opportunities-- if they give you the responsibilities or not."

Do you think that opportunity will come anytime soon with Benitez's situation, Figo?

"Madrid is a club where you don't have time. You always have to win. So it depends on the people who takes the decision if they're going to give him [Benitez] more time or not."

That same day, Real Madrid senior players voted on this issue. The results were: Zidane 72%, Victor Fernandez [former Deportivo de La Coruna manager] 15%, Rafa Benitez 13%. If Perez keeps his decision to hold on to Benitez, "the club's dressing room will rally behind Zidane as the head coach," writes Tom Sunderland on Bleacher Report.

Scene 9

Somehow, two-timed Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello was linked to replace Benitez too-- poor Rafa-- on Dec 26. "Is this a joke?" Capello said before cracking up laughing.

"No, no, no. I don't want to talk about this because it's a joke. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," the former England manger added.

Sources: goal, espnfc, bleacher report.

Vote for Boxing Day's biggest blow

1. Manchester United lose yet another game-- 2-0 to Stoke City-- to add more pressure on Louis van Gaal. The Manchester United boss let the media know that he has the option to quit the club.

After being asked if he was alarmed about the fact that the club could sack him after today's loss at a media conference, the Dutchman answered: "That is something I discuss with [executive vice-chairman] Ed Woodward. It is not always the club that has to fire or sack me."

He later added: "Sometimes I do that by myself."

2. Arsenal fall to 12-placed Southampton 4-0 at St-Mary's Stadium, after a promising victory over Manchester City five days ago.

3. League leaders Leicester end a 10 match non-losing streak as a struggling Liverpool prevailed them 1-0 at Anfield.

4. Diego Costa netted twice to drive Chelsea to a 2-2 draw against Watford at Stamford Bridge. The forward was booed and named "rat" (alongside Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas) by the Chelsea fans during the game against Sunderland last Saturday.

That's for calling me rat last game:

Costa hadn't scored in five games before today.

Which one do you think was the biggest blow today?

Sources: BBC

Boxing Day's pre-fight press conference, predict scores

Tomorrow's Boxing Day schedules a tenfold of thrilling encounters. The three most I-can't-wait matchups are arguably: Manchester United vs Stoke City, Chelsea vs Watford and Leicester vs Liverpool. In boxing, the most important thing is the pre-fight press conference. Let's take a look at these three matches' pre-fight press conferences.

Boxing Day rounds off with under pressure Louis van Gaal fighting for his job against Stoke City at Britannia Stadium.

Though, under sack-threat, the Dutchman blazes with confidence in his team. 

"Four weeks ago we were first in the Premier League," Van Gaal said in his five minute press conference on Wednesday. "And in about four weeks we could be back in that position." 

Stoke's top-scorer Marko Arnautovic believes that they're more than capable of slowing the Red Devils from racing back to first place with a lost.

"If we perform like the last week [against West Ham and Crystal Palace], but score the goals, then I think we can take the three points," the striker told the Stoke Sentinel.

• Will Stoke City take those three points and more than likely get Van Gaal sacked?

Elsewhere, Guus Hiddink will manage his first game at Chelsea since 2009, taking on red-hot Watford at Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea's squad have been suffering from lack of form, the former Netherlands manager tackled this issue. "I told them as professionals to look in the mirror and be ultra-critical," the interim manager said. "There must be a desire to play. If you don't have it, knock on my door and we'll talk-- briefly."

Watford's center back Craig Cathcart believes that even if Hiddink manage to spark desire in the Chelsea players, a disciplined Watford won't be defeated.

"No matter who we play against," Cathcart said. "As long as everyone keeps doing their jobs, then there's no reason why we can't keep picking up wins over this Christmas period." Watford is on a four-game winning streak.

• Is Watford going to keep their winning streak alive and aggravate Chelsea's season?

And looks like Forrest Gump will partake in this Boxing Day too. For Leicester's manager Claudio Ranieri said that his team is Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump will play Liverpool at Anfield.

"Why can't we continue to run, run, run?" Ranieri asked. "We are liked Forrest Gump-- Leicester is Forrest Gump." The Foxes haven't had a lost in 10 matches-- they've been running for a while.

Liverpool's top-scorer Christian Benteke know exactly what his side have to do in order to try to stop Forrest Gump from running: "Everything."

"Of course we have to respect [Leicester] them," Benteke told Liverpool's website. "But when we play them we have to do everything to try to take the three points."

In boxing, the winner always reveals himself in the pre-fight press conference. Can you predict tomorrow's scores?:

1. Stoke City vs Manchester United

2. Chelsea vs Watford

3. Liverpool vs Leicester City

Read The Game will have a prize for the closest person to the right scores.

Sources: goal, espnfc.