UEFA's decision to come down hard on Chelsea is yet another example of one set of rules for English teams and another for the rest of Europe.

I'm not defending Mourinho or Chelsea's actions after the Barcelona game but let's keep things in perspective shall we? What Mourinho, his assistant and the Chelsea security officer said may have been disrespectful and even wrong, but it was certainly not meant to incite any hatred or provoke mass unrest.

Yet Chelsea could now face a variety of punishments, including being kicked out of the Champions League, for their actions when their case comes up for hearing at the end of the month.

A far cry from the punishment handed out to the Spanish club whose fans were guilty of racial abuse. That was, if memory serves, just 600 Euros. A clear case of double standards here, but nothing short of typical for UEFA.

Should Chelsea get anything more than a warning, or a fine of 10 Euros, then it will be final proof once and for that there is a vendetta against English clubs amongst European football's governing body.

Mourinho and Liverpool

If Jose Mourinho is the Jekyll and Hide of management, then apparently Liverpool are the team equivalent.

An absolutely awful performance against Blackburn last week was followed by a much improved, almost impressive display against Everton in the derby on Sunday.

It was still far from the great Liverpool of old, but overall they showed spirit and determination that was sorely lacking from their previous match in overcoming their neighbours 2-1.

The result was more remarkable for the fact that they had Baros sent off and Garcia playing with a heavily strapped ankle having used all their substitutes on other injuries by half time.

The stark contrast in the two Liverpools that I have seen over the past week can only mean one thing - they are burdened with players who only raise their game for the big occasions. And that would explain their Champions League successes too.

Benitez now has the problem of making his big time Charlie players realise that every match is important and that raising your game for glamour ties and local derbies is just not good enough.

Time will tell if he has the motivational and coaching skills to get it done.

But he certainly won't be helped by a staggering selection problem he now has - no less than all four of his first team strikers unavailable.

Cisse and Mellow were already out with long-term injuries before Sunday's game and Morientes joined them on the list by aggravating a thigh strain. Add to that the three match ban Baros will serve for his sending off and the picture is not particularly rosy.

Michael Schumacher

Two races into the Grand Prix season and Michael Schumacher has not won one of them? Could this be a new dawn for Formula 1? Or is it merely a blip before normal service is resumed?

With the new Ferrari on the horizon and the possibility of it even being ready for the next race in Bahrain, there is every chance that Schumacher will bounce back and win 10 races in a row at some stage and secure his sixth consecutive title in the process.

But even the big man himself is not sounding too confident the ways things are going: "If after five or six races we are still struggling then we won't have to bother talking about the championship," he said after finishing seventh in Malaysia.

There is no doubting that Renault are going to be the team to beat this year. After showing signs of their progress last season it seems they have finally got their act together properly this time round, taking the first two races with relative ease.

But I still wouldn't write off Ferrari just yet. They purposely delayed launching their new car to ensure it would be as fast as possible when it hits the track. And, if their previous efforts are anything to go by, the F2005 will probably leave everyone else trailing in its wake.

Sir Clive Woodward

Former international rugby manager Sir Clive Woodward is till harbouring desires of moving into football and could be about to sign a contract with Southampton to work with their academy youngsters.

The man who led England to World Cup glory has long insisted he wants to try his hand at football management having reached the pinnacle in rugby. And his close friendship with Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe is probably his best route into the sport.

The only problem there could be surrounds manager Harry Redknapp who left Portsmouth earlier this season after his chairman there brought in a director of football to oversee the running of the sports side of the club.

Harry was not keen on that type of interference and will probably not be very keen on having a World Cup winning coach peering over his shoulder at St Mary's either.

Which could all mean that Sir Clive gets his chance to try out top level management sooner than he thinks...

Contact James on: [email protected]