Mourinho in Ronaldo jibe

(GETTY IMAGES)

Internazionale coach Jose Mourinho believes that Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.

27-year-old Ibrahimovic has often been accused of failing to make the most of his talents, but Mourinho has full belief that he is the equal of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Portuguese said after a 2-1 victory at Siena: “When I think how a player should be, names like Kaka, Ibrahimovic and Messi come to mind.

“Messi is great and in two or three years' time he will win the Ballon d'Or award.

“Ronaldo is a good player but he is certainly not the best. He deserved the Golden Ball award because his team won the Champions League and the Premier League.

“But, for me, Ibrahimovic is the best.”

Udinese coach Pasquale Marino has admitted that his job is on the line after his side’s dismal run of form continued with a 5-1 thrashing by AC Milan in the San Siro.

Udine have now failed to win any of their last eight games in Serie A and have fallen into the bottom half of the table as a result.

Marino said: “I don't think this defeat will change anything and we talked it over with the club after the game.

“This is a club that evaluates the work of a coach over a year-and-a-half rather than the last month, remembering where we came from and how many players have developed since we began.

“At the moment we are struggling physically and psychologically. After so many defeats, it becomes difficult to react in a certain way.

“There are problems and the Christmas break comes at just the right moment for us.

“At the start of the season we were compact, concentrated and united, moving as one. In this phase we have lost our unity.”