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Chelsea vs Barcelona and Mourinho’s prediction: Are Barca sure Champions League finalists?
The Chelsea vs Barcelona match is factually a huge matchup, and in this article, we look at Jose Mourinho’s controversial statement, while we analyse various aspects of the game.
It was just after Real Madrid’s qualification into the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League that Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho began what appeared to be mind games with rival Pep Guardiola, as he downgraded Chelsea’s status by overly elevating the Catalans prior to their meeting at the Stamford Bridge.
“It could be Bayern or Barcelona,” the BBC quoted him saying. “I just don't think it will be Real Madrid v Chelsea and we know why.”
"Barcelona aren't the favourites, they are super-favourites."
Such a statement – especially from a football personality as experienced as Jose Mourinho – cannot be instantly substantiated. One can even question the level of sincerity behind this statement.
Exaggeration of opinion? Perhaps, but it is easier to believe that the Real Madrid manager was simply trying to make one or several points implicitly.
The Barcelona and Real Madrid rivalry: are Los Blancos jealous of the Catalans?
Expect Barcelona followers to answer the question above with a capital “YES” even if Real Madrid and their fans insist that they are not jealous of the Catalans…
“Jealous? We do not envy any other team! I play for the best club in the world. Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world and it's impossible for us to be jealous of other clubs.”This is what Portuguese defender Pepe recently told AS as the ping-pong conversation between the two camps continues.
When Barcelona came back from the FIFA Club World Cup victorious, they got acclaimed as the best team in the world and possibly in history. Pep Guardiola’s team exhibited football at its best with emphatic wins over Al Sadd and South American champions Santos in the semis and in the final respectively.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Report
Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona, and this is how El Clasico ends… Jose Mourinho has once again failed to dominate Pep Guardiola’s men, but the match was far from being dull.
What else could we expect from El Clasico anyway? Only video highlights can best describe the heat of the match, in which both teams aimed for a famous victory.Unexpectedly, it did not take too long for the scoreboard’s indication at the Santiago Bernabeu to change. A goal from Karim Benzema after only 21 seconds immediately put Real Madrid in front, subsequent to a costly mistake from Victor Valdes.
With the match going on at a lightening pace, Barcelona never looked too likely to net an equalizer. Conversely, it was Madrid who appeared to be perfectly on track as they fought to inflict even more pain on their visitors.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Players to watch and El Clasico comparisons
2011’s last Real Madrid vs Barcelona match kicks off on Saturday evening in Spain, and Casillas, Valdes, Marcelo, Dani Alves, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi cannot be ignored.
Yes, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, when it comes to naming the true favourites, it is largely a matter of management.
Certainly, trying to determine who has the best players only raises issues of personal taste. It is not wrong however to assess both teams’ positives and weight their advantages along with their expectations. This puts into question the form and aim of each key player in El Clasico.
All 22 active players on the field after the referee’s opening whistle will surely be ready to put on a good show for a million reasons. But then, each player will be having his challenges; and one could identify these challenges as the results of both teams’ close standards - which eventually increases the excitement ahead of El Clasico in the Spanish capital.
Devoted Dani Alves Claims Brazil Must Know Only Victory Before Paraguay Match
Dani Alves has spoken in the name of Brazil’s pride as a successful nation in the world of football…
Brazil played out an uneventful goalless draw against minnows Venezuela in their opening match of the 2011 Copa America. The reigning South American champions are now expected to win at all cost against Paraguay on Saturday. And whereas some may beg Brazilian fans to take it easy, key player Dani Alves wants to build on confidence and pedigree to make things happen although he agrees that patience is also needed.
The Barcelona defender has seen pal Lionel Messi stumble against Bolivia and Colombia and wants Brazil to backup instead of emulating Argentina’s disappointing feat so far. In the build-up to their game against the Paraguayans, Dani Alves told the press:
Brazil vs Paraguay Preview
Brazil and Paraguay will meet on Saturday as Group B is yet to produce a single goal.
Each team’s rather boring draw on the first match-day might have served as a huge lesson. Fans are unhappy, and certainly rightfully so. But for Paraguay, Coach Gerardo Martino has promised that the main focus will be to score. The manager, who works with strikers Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Haedo Valdez at his disposal, has ordered his team to approach Brazil boldly.“We won’t give up the intention of playing, attacking and trying win the game,” Martino revealed during a press conference.
“We are not perfect as a team. But we are working to maintain attention, concentration, and work-rate for 90 minutes.”
Champions League Final 2011: Barca-United Match Will Be A Classic - Dani Alves
Dani Alves is predicting a masterclass battle at Wembley when Manchester United take on Barcelona in the Champions League final.
This coming weekend will witness two of the best teams in Europe battle it out for Champions League glory. However, both sides are familiar to each other, having met at the same stage of the competition in 2009, with Barca triumphing at the end of the day. Nevertheless, Dani Alves believes that a classic encounter can still be expected this time around."I imagine that both sides will play a very open game, because they’re both teams that like to play football - that try and create chances and attack from the off.
Barcelona Vs Shakhtar Donetsk: We Will Not Underestimate Shakhtar - Dani Alves
Although many expect Shakhtar Donetsk to be outclassed by Barcelona easily, Dani Alves insisted that their Ukranian opponents have what it takes to cause problems for the Catalans.
Dani Alves warned his teammates against any complacency as they get ready to face a spirited Shakhtar Donetsk side tonight. While the odds are all neatly stacked in favor of the Blaugranas, Alves believes there are much more difficult aspects in this tie that could be detrimental to Barca's chances."Everybody seems to think that it will be an easy game for Barcelona, but I'm convinced that it will be a difficult match. Shakhtar really know how to play ball and they're very strong in possession," said the Brazilian to Sport.
Barcelona vs Arsenal: Hopeful Dani Alves Bets Arsenal Won’t Be Defensive
Arsenal have a one-goal lead to defend ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match. And whereas Barca are looking to overturn their defeat, defender Dani Alves has already made his predictions…
“It will be the same Arsenal as ever - an attacking team. That's the way they play and I don't think they know any other way,” the Brazilian told PA Sport.“I don't think Arsenal know how to play like Zaragoza did [last weekend by playing defensively]. But nor do we; against Zaragoza we carried on attacking and we didn’t seat back, not even once.
“We’ll look to play as we always do, we’ll try to enjoy our football and without changing the way we are. But we must make sure that we’ve learnt from the experience of last year against Inter.”
Valencia Vs Barcelona: We Must Not Doubt Ourselves - Dani Alves
Barcelona defender Dani Alves admitted that Valencia would be a tough nut to crack while insisting that they should never have any doubts about themselves.
Valencia will host Barcelona at the Mestalla tonight and Dani Alves believes that they can never take Valencia lightly. The Catalans are seven points clear at the top and it is looking increasingly likely that they would win the league for the third time in a row.However, Alves believes that Barcelona have to keep on winning if they want to win the league, especially with Real Madrid waiting to pounce on any dropped points.
"The most important thing is that we don't doubt ourselves," said the Brazil international, according to Fifa.com.
Barcelona Transfer News: Man City Free To Get Dani Alves - Cruyff
Almighty Barcelona won’t fall apart without Dani Alves, so Johan Cruyff is ready to see the defender make a Manchester City transfer. Good money should replace groans for Barca, Cruyff believes.
Dani Alves, who has been valued at £25M, will see his contract at the Camp Nou expiring at the end of this season. According to reports, negotiations between the club and the ex-Brazilian star to extend his stay at Barcelona haven’t gone smoothly. This has given chance for transfer rumours about an exit for Dani Alves to run in the media. This week, The Sun spoke to Barca legend Johan Cruyff as a few details about the current situation related to Dani Alves’ transfer issue got revealed.
“Barca area sensational team – with or without Alves,” the Dutch reportedly said.
Transfer Rumours: Barcelona’s Dani Alves – To Manchester City Or Going Nowhere?
Manchester City have come closer to stealing defender Dani Alves away from Barcelona, as there have been reports that the Brazilian and his club have failed to reach an agreement over a new contract.
Apparently, Alves is unsatisfied with his weekly salary, which places him way behind team mates Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, and David Villa in terms of earnings. The former Sevilla player is however regarded as the best right-back by many, but it has been said that rising financial problems at Barcelona have made the Blaugrana unable to elevate Alves’ income to the standard he desires.Should the player keep refusing to renew his contract at Barca—as it is said—then he will be enabled to leave the Catalans for free in 2012; causing the defending Spanish League champions to lose him without getting anything in return. Looking at the financial state of the club, this is not something Los Cules would want to do; hence, it appears an offer from Manchester City this summer could solve the issue.
Lionel Messi Deserved The Ballon D’Or After All – Barcelona’s Alves
Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Betis powered Barcelona to a 5-0 advantage as this Cup tie looks settled. Messi’s display actually proved that he deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, according to Barca mate Dani Alves.
Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or Award victory on January 10 this year may forever remain controversial in the history of football. The Argentine ace became one of the few players to clinch the prize despite having lost out on World Cup glory in a World Cup year. Interestingly, Lionel Messi was nowhere near redeeming Argentina during their 4-0 trouncing against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup. So how did the superstar edge past midfield maestro Xavi and World Cup final goal hero Andres Iniesta to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010 winner?
For Barcelona’s Dani Alves, the answer is simple: Lionel Messi’s unmatchable performance on the ball is what got him the prize.
Cristiano Ronaldo Too Arrogant To Be El Numero Uno, Messi Wins – Barcelona’s Alves
Cristiano Ronaldo is hurting his own greatness with arrogance while Lionel Messi has the qualities of a football role model, thinks Barcelona's Dani Alves.
Cristiano Ronaldo is once more at the center of attraction following his wonder free-kick against Real Zaragoza which powered Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory in La Liga last weekend. The Portuguese winger has a remarkable talent when it comes to free-kick and this is something that – according to some fans – puts him ahead of Barcelona’s amazing dribbler Lionel Messi. Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are on the same line in terms of goal scoring statistics. Both players have netted 17 times in La Liga only to create a fierce individual battle at the top of the chart. Whereas this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or award is likely to go to La Pulga, next year’s edition of the prize could once again be contested by CR7 and his Argentine rival.
El Clasico: Real Madrid Are Ready, But Barcelona Will Make It – Barca’s Dani Alves
Cristiano Ronaldo has warned Barcelona of Real Madrid’s readiness ahead of El Clasico, but the Blaugrana aren’t fazed by that. According to Dani Alves, Barca have what it takes to beat Real Madrid.
The talking is set to continue as everyone is anxiously waiting for El Clasico to begin. Deportivo La Coruna coach Lotina, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, as well as Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi have all shared their comments in the build up to the titanic Barcelona vs Real Madrid battle. However, more keep flowing and Blaugrana defender Dani Alves has make himself heard to the media concerning Monday’s Clasico.
“Monday, the match will be tough. It will be very intense,” Alves told reporters.