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El Clasico 2012: Why Barcelona could attempt to play negative football for once
Negative football is what Jose Mourinho used against Barcelona at the Camp Nou during his time at Inter Milan. Although Pep Guardiola made reasonable efforts to exhibit his expertise in attacking football, he happened to be denied by the defensive walls of the former Chelsea manager.Upset with the technique used by the Special One, Los Cules heavily condemned the Milanese - indirectly vowing never to adopt this style. Despite the tensions around the issue of tactics however, Mourinho boldly went on to use his stabbing negative method again in a few other encounters he had with Barcelona later on. But never did he do so without receiving affronts from his anti-fans.
Well, inversely, negative football is what could save Barca on Wednesday night in El Clasico of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Yet probably, no Blaugrana would agree on this point - neither on first thought, nor on second thought.
Mourinho takes Clasico loss blame as Pep switches focus on Barca’s La Liga hunt
“The responsibility is mine, especially when my team loses. Victory has many fathers; defeat only one. I've been in football a long time and I understand this,” Mourinho told reporters.“The [2011] cup final victory we all celebrated, but in defeat I am the only parent.
“We were winning 1-0 and that is a great result at home in a two-legged tie, but then we concede a goal from a dead ball and you cannot do that against a side with the quality of Barcelona,” Mourinho stated has he talked about Carles Puyol’s equalizer which Xavi branded as a “psychological goal”.
Barcelona refuse to moan about denied penalty in 1-1 draw away to Espanyol
On Sunday night, Barcelona secured nothing more than a draw away to Espanyol in the Catalan derby. The eventful match saw the visitors hit the net thrice. However, two of their three strikes got rightfully disallowed—the first one for Messi’s handball in the buildup, the second one for offside.Cesc Fabregas gave Barcelona a first-half lead but Alvaro’s equalizer ended the game 1-1. Very late on, though, the Blaugrana could have stolen all three points. Raul Rodriguez handled the ball in the penalty box, but the match officials weren’t interested in awarding a spot kick.
“There is a referee for that, and if he has not seen it, it's not a penalty,” President Sandro Rosell told Canal Plus when asked to comment on this crucial incident.
Barcelona vs Osasuna: The game will not be easy, says Guardiola
Barcelona destroyed Osasuna 8-0 in a league match on 17 September 2011 at the Camp Nou. The two clubs once again face each other in Cataluña, but Guardiola is not even eyeing an easy challenge.“That was a long time ago,” he said while referring to his side’s major triumph over Los Rojillos. “The situation has changed.”
Preferring to look at his mission in its entirety, he added: “This is a 180-minute match and we have to try to get a good result.”
Indeed, good results are just what Barcelona need if they are to get through their busy schedule this month with satisfaction. Using the team’s key players wisely is the central idea of Guardiola’s plan, but he has yet to decide whether Lionel Messi will perform tonight or not.
Why Barcelona must definitely do away with tibia injury victim David Villa
The 30-year-old striker is believed to have fractured his tibia during Barca’s semi-final game against Al Sadd on Thursday. Villa was part of Guardiola’s starting XI for this 2011 FIFA World Club Cup encounter. He had to quit the field of play after 39 minutes only due to his leg injury.David Villa’s prolonged absence will leave a hole in Pep Guardiola’s squad. Why should Barcelona deprive themselves from strengthening their attack whereas the transfer window is just around the corner?
Earlier this week, Spanish news source Marca claimed that the Catalans have opened the door for Villa to join the highest-bidding team from the English Premier League. But upon hearing this report, coach Guardiola categorically refuted it by stating loud and clear:
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview
Thankfully for the public, this titanic clash is coming at a right time. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are fresh from a series of successive victories in all competitions. There have been no major injury report so far. El Clasico’s top stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez are all fit. Carlos Puyol is even expected to take part in the match after racing against time to be fit enough. The biggest name who may not be given a big role this weekend is David Villa. The striker is seriously struggling to find consistency.
At Real Madrid, the issue is different. The attackers are all in good form. Higuain, Callejon and Benzema have a multitude of goals between them in all competitions this season. Now Jose Mourinho is facing a headache over his starting XI selection.
Barcelona vs Levante Preview
Barcelona occupy the second position with 31 points, but they have played a game more than leaders Real Madrid. In midweek, they thrashed Rayo Vallecano 4-0, but they still sit three points behind their arch-rivals.They have a big game ahead of them, as they face Real Madrid in El Clasico on December 10. But Coach Pep Guardiola prefers to focus on his match against Levante. His club’s official website quoted him saying:
“The most important match is always the next one, against Levante.
“When you are behind, you must have the ambition of trying to catch the leader. It's normal.”
Barcelona chasing Real Madrid ahead of El Clasico – Editorial
Barcelona’s defeat to Getafe came as a real shock to the Catalans, who saw Real Madrid establish a promising six-point margin at the top of the standings. From a neutral point of view, this can seem huge - especially considering Real Madrid’s great form at the moment.From Barca’s prospect though, there could be much hope. Indeed, Guardiola totally understands the current situation in which his team is. The positive side of this fact for a Barcelona fan of course is that the manager - in this case - certainly knows what are the necessary steps to take in order to catch Real Madrid in the race for the league title.
The Spanish boss so far has never had to deal with such an amount of “pressure” so early in a season. In his pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona’s game against Rayo Vallecano, he revealed:
Messi: I am not the best but Pep is phenomenal and Barca has changed football
In an interview with Onze ahead of Barcelona’s enticing fixture away to AC Milan, the talisman shared his humble opinion with the public, stating:“I don't consider myself the best in the world. If I am what they say, I repeat, it is thanks to my team-mates. We have done all this work together.”
Messi, who is a hot favorite to win the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or award, is in top form this season as well. However, many pundits believe his greatness is down to the influence of Spanish midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta. Lionel Messi had special comments for the duo:
Milan vs Barcelona: Mr Ibrahimovic is not my enemy, says Guardiola
When Ibrahimovic switched from Internazionale to FC Barcelona in 2009, he was expected to enjoy a collection of great moments with the Spanish club. Many even predicted that he would turn into a loyal member of the club and pursue his career at the Camp Nou for several years.
Ibrahimovic himself stated that he was more than happy at Barca shortly after his arrival; but his love for the team - and especially for the coach - soon died. It was said that mid-way through the striker’s term with the giants, his relationship with Pep Guardiola completely broke lose, causing more or less significant tensions to separate them.
After his departure to AC Milan, Ibra told the press: “He (Guardiola) went down as a person in my estimation. He avoided me and wouldn't even look me in the eye.
FIFA Ballon d’Or 2011 award shortlists for men’s player and coach of the year revealed
Most football fans are particularly interested in the player award nomination. Lionel Messi, who is the reigning champion, is poised to retain his title. However, his 2011 Copa America fiasco with Argentina could cost him a ball made of gold. A potential contender would be Luis Suarez. The ex-Ajax striker was controversially omitted from the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or award list.Expectedly, Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been named alongside Messi whereas Sergio Aguero, Nani, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez are the only English Premier League-based players in the list.
Interestingly, young Brazilian star Neymar is part of it. Copa America hero Diego Forlan and Anzhi Makhachkala’s Samuel Eto’o have been included as well.
In-control Barcelona poised to reaffirm their strength against Sevilla
“What Madrid can do, Barca can do better,” pro-Catalans believe. “Barca play very well and win titles,” Cruyff said this week “but Real Madrid play well and crash in El Clasico” added football fans. On Tuesday, Los Blancos made things so easy against French giants Olympique Lyon to maintain their perfect record in the UEFA Champions League. At the delight of the home crowd, Real Madrid scored 4 goals and kept a clean sheet to steal the show on the night.
Considering the size and inexperience of Viktoria Plzen, Los Blancos’ rivals Barcelona were expected to do "better" by banging a flurry of goals in the net of Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday night. The Catalans did not respond to this expectation. Still, they ran away with 3 massive points to keep pace with Group H leaders AC Milan.
BATE vs Barcelona: Time for Barca to catch up in the UEFA Champions League
It was actually their bitter 2-2 draw with Milan at the Camp Nou that took away from them two precious points at the very beginning of their Champions League campaign. Luckily for them, BATE and Viktoria Plzeň also shared a point on the first matchday, keeping them in a good position to rise in the table.Perhaps, it would be right to look upon their intimidating victory in La Liga over the weekend as a preview of their subsequent battle in Europe. Nevertheless, the fact that they will be facing BATE Borisov away from home somehow reduces their chances of repeating the stunning show they put on against Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona’s Valdes and Guardiola reflecting differently on Valencia draw
Jeremy Mathieu took the opportunity to exhibit his talent against the Catalans as Valencia profited from his fine performance on the night. Eric Abidal conceded an own goal under the pressure created by Mathieu whereas Pablo Hernandez netted an easy strike to finish Mathieu’s incredible work in attack. But goals from Pedro Rodriguez and Fabregas helped Barcelona avoid defeat at the Mestalla on Wednesday. Valdes, who conceded 2 goals in the match, shared his opinion about the score line. He told Spanish daily Marca:
Valencia vs Barcelona: A Matter Of Consistency For Both Teams In La Liga
La Liga Table
Valencia currently sit above everyone else with three wins out of three. Nine points, a goal difference of three with six goals scored and three conceded has been good enough to give them a narrow advantage over Real Betis, who share the same amount of points.
Barcelona have scored fifteen goals and conceded only two thus far, yet - as a result of their costly 2-2 draw away to Sociedad on September 10 - they can only afford a place in the fourth position. A win for the hosts at the Mestalla would eventually cause a huge damage to Barca’s season, knowing that arch-rivals Real Madrid could hence regain the edge in the standings - depending on their score line against Racing Santander.
Barcelona vs Osasuna Preview
Barcelona vs Osasuna is one of the 5 matches in La Liga which will take place on Saturday. With rivals Real Madrid playing only on Sunday, Barca have a genuine opportunity to erase the 2-point gap which keeps them away from the very top of the Spanish Primera Division table. Thus far, Osasuna are unbeaten in La Liga. Last week, they clinched a valuable victory against Sporting Gijon to join Barcelona on 4 points. Only goal difference puts Osasuna behind the Catalan at this early stage and coach Pep Guardiola is aware of this team’s threat.
As he stated at a press conference on Friday, Pep is expecting a tough one-on-one encounter with Osasuna coach Mendilibar at the Camp Nou on Saturday night.
Barcelona vs Osasuna: Not an easy game for Barca in La Liga
Watching the Catalans get stunned twice in a space of three days caused many to put in question the style and form of the club. Although there were terrible defensive problems and lack of efficiency in front especially in the second half of their match against Real Sociedad, they undoubtedly put on a better show for their fans in their following game against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
Certainly though, as one might say, luck was what was missing on Tuesday - above anything else. With hard work not really paying off, it appeared Barcelona were forced to swallow yet another setback, which could in fact have transformed in a victory any other day.
In point of fact though, this has not necessarily locked the team in a long period of troubles, and redemption against Osasuna may well help them take back control of their season. Fortunately for them, being the hosts against Los Rojillos, they have great chances of snatching the authority to take all three points.
Barcelona vs AC Milan: A tricky test to kick off the UEFA Champions League campaign
This may be, in one way or another, for different reasons. In the end though, it is all for the same goal: succeeding in Europe. As title holders and UEFA Super Cup winners, the Spanish giants have much to defend.
On their side, the Italians will be looking to build something new on a strong foundation - having failed to leave their mark at continental level last season subsequent to a bitter defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16. They certainly have the players to undertake their mission with confidence, but their latest result somehow puts in doubt their capability to shake the Camp Nou.
At the weekend
AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw against Lazio, but it wasn’t in the most disappointing manner. The Rossoneri actually came from two goals down to level the match, thanks to goals from former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano. In fact, they probably had more positives out of their league game than the Catalans.
Choosing Ferguson’s successor at Manchester United: should Mourinho be ruled out?
The former St. Mirren and Aberdeen boss defines the word “addiction” at its best. On November 6, Sir Alex Ferguson will reach his 25th year at Old Trafford. On December 31, he will turn 70; don’t be surprised if the Old Scot maintains his managerial role at Manchester United until death prevents him from doing so.
But sooner or later, the Red Devils will need to prepare for life after Fergie. It’s something that has crossed the coach’s mind a number of times as he could reveal to the English media on Wednesday.
“Over the years, I have had the question, ‘who do I think could replace me’? Now some of the coaches who people were talking about to replace me don't have jobs anymore,” Alex Ferguson explained.
The 2011 UEFA Super Cup in quotes: What Barcelona and FC Porto have been saying
FC Barcelona and FC Porto are arguably the two hottest teams in Europe right now. Porto went through an unbeaten run last season and they are keen to put the icing on the cake by stunning UEFA Champions League holders Barcelona in Monaco on Friday night.
The match at the Stade Louis II will certainly not lack excitement with stars like Hulk, Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez expected to deliver a great show. Below, we preview the 2011 UEFA Super Cup’s Barcelona vs FC Porto match in quotes. What have the Catalans and the Dragons been saying?
How prepared are Pep Guardiola’s men? How confident are Porto following the departure of some their key men in the form of striker Radamel Falcao and Andre Villas-Boas? Note that Chelsea target Alvaro Pereira has also been left out from the squad of Porto’s new coach Vitor Pereira.