Wazzup with FC BARCELONA?!! (News)

[Classik]

Bayer Leverkusen - FC Barcelona, in statistics
www.fcbarcelona.cat 02-15-2012 11:50
Barça made it six victories on the trot away from the Camp Nou in the Champions League with the win over Leverkusen. A feat only two other teams have achieved

Messi celebrates scoring the last goal against Bayer Leverkusen / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Here are the most relevant facts and stats from the 1-3 match at the BayArena:
• Barça made it six victories on the trot away from the Camp Nou in the Champions League with the win over Leverkusen. Barça is the third team to reach this mark after Ajax (7) and Manchester United
• Barça continues their goalscoring form in Europe. They have scored in 29 consecutive Champions League matches, a feat unequalled to date
• Nine FC Barcelona players have scored in the Champions League this season, including Alexis
• Alexis’ favourite moment to score is between the 45 and 60 minute mark, 5 of his 11 goals as aBarça player have been scored in this timeframe
• The Chilean joins the group of Barça players that have scored in the league, Cup and Champions League. The rest are Messi , Pedro , Cesc and Xavi
• Messi is the first player in the history of the competition to score in six consecutive matches away from home
• In fact, the last 11 goals from Messi in the Champions League were scored away from the Camp Nou (10 as a visitor and 1 in a neutral stadium, Wembley)
• With the goal in Leverkusen, the Argentine leapfrogs Claudio Pizarro as the South American with the most goals in the competition
• More Messi records: he’s the highest goalscorerin the history of the Champions League knockoutstages with 19 goals. Raul has 18, Shevchenko 18, and Inzaghi 16
• Alves played his 40th Champions League match with Barça on Tuesday
• Pedro reached 150 official matches for FC Barcelona, so far he’s bagged 52 goals
• Puyol is the 11th ranked player with the most Champions League matches under his belt (106), including qualifying rounds
• Mascherano and Puyol are the players that won back the most balls in Leverkusen, 16 and 15, respectively
• Curiously enough, the defender Dani Alves wasthe player that participated in the most plays throughout the game (total of 153)
• Cesc was the player that crossed the ball the most (6)

FCB

 

[Classik]

The team arrives in Barcelona, training session scheduled for Thursday

www.fcbarcelona.cat 02-15-2012 13:13

The Barça expedition arrived at El Prat airport at 13:00. The team will enjoy some free time until tomorrow’s training session at the Ciutat Esportiva (11:00)

FC Barcelona’s first team arrived in Barcelona. After a two-hour flight from Cologne, the Barça entourage touched down at El Prat airport at 13:00. The Barça team spent the night in Germany after beating Bayer 04 Leverkusen by 1-3 .

Valdés press conference on Thursday

After eating together at the Camp Nou, the players were given the rest of the day off. They will convene on Thursday at 11:00 for a training session at the Ciutat Esportiva. It will be the first for three session - the team will have Friday off -before hosting Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday. After tomorrow’s training session, Víctor Valdés will hold a press conference.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Alexis marks his first team debuts with goals



02-15-2012 15:30
The Chilean, who made his debut in the starting eleven in the Champions League, and scored, also scored in his first games in the starting eleven in the League and Kings Cup
The only exception was the Spanish Super Cup match in the Bernabeu, Alexis’ first match wearing the Barça shirt, where he failed to score
With his two goals against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Alexis became the team’s third top scorer, behind Messi and Cesc

PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Messi and Mascherano, with Argentina
Leo Messi and Javier Mascherano have been called up to play a friendly for Argentina on 29thFebruary against Switzerland in Berne. JonathanDos Santos has also been called up to play for Mexico against Colombia in Miami. Remember that on Tuesday it became known that Alexis had been called up by Chile to play against Ghana in New Jersey, and Alves and Adriano were called up by Brazil to face Bosnia in St. Gallen (Switzerland). The matches will all be played in the last week of February.
Alexis Sanchez was one of the players in the starting line-up picked by Pep Guardiola for the first leg of the last 16 round of the Champions League, against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. His participation from the start of the game at the Bay Arena marked his debut as a starter in a Champions League game. The Chilean striker responded with two very important goals that allowed him to open his scoring in the top European competition.
Alexis knows how it feels to come into the starting line-up and do so well. He did it in the League against Villarreal, scoring one of the five Barça goals, and also in the Kings Cup, when in January in Pamplona he was in the starting eleven for the first time in the competition, and scored one of the goals in the win there.
The Super Cup, the only exception
On August 14th Barça played Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, and Alexis Sanchez was the surprise in the starting line-up. This is the only game where he made his debut as a starter and didn't score. In the other competitions, the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship, he either didn't play, or came on as a substitute.
Third leading scorer in the team
Alexis Sanchez has now scored 11 goals this season, with 8 in the League, 1 in the Kings Cup, and 2 in the Champions League. The striker stands as third top scorer in the team, behind Messi (38), and Cesc (15). Alexis is only 1 goal away from equalling the goals he scored last season with Udinese, where he scored 12 in all competitions.

FCB,

Anna Segura

 

[Classik]

Valerón: "I have always admired Eusebio"

02/16/2012 10:46

The emblem of Deportivo de La Coruna spoke to www.fcbarcelona.catabout his experiences in the Second Division A, the next game against Barça B, and the success of the first team

Juan Carlos Valerón, with Rafinha, in the first half of the season. PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.

1 / 2

Juan Carlos Valerón (Arguineguin, Gran Canaria, 1975) is the undisputed leader of

Deportivo, Barça B’s rivals on Saturday. In the words of his President, Augusto Cesar

Lendoiro, "he sets the standard at a sporting, technical, and philosophical level".

Just like the Galician club, in the last decade, he’sbeen to heaven and hell (mainly

due toinjuries). His experience has brought serenity, and simplicity: Valerón feels an

obligation to return Depor to the elite, even if it’swith the last spark of magic that

comes from his boots.

- After the relegation of your team last year, you said "I'm just as excited to play for

Depor in the second division, as I am playing for the national team". With half the

season over, is your enthusiasm still intact?

"Of course. That was a way of saying that I was very involved with the club after so

many years here. I felt that the veterans in the team had the responsibility to step up".

- Can we conclude that Deportivo is fully adapted to the Second Division and will host

Barça B at a good time for them?

"We’re in good shape and in the last few games we’ve had some very good results.

However, you can’t ever relax too much. We have to be prepared each week, each

game. Those of us who’ve spent many years in the game know what it means and how

difficult it is to stay at the top. We try to bring normality to the situation, there is still a

lot to do".

- Is this the Depor team that’s playing the best football in recent years?

"It's possible. With new manager, the proposal isto want to play well, take the

initiative, with combinations and possession. Personally, I’m enjoying it very much. The

arrival of Oltra has helped me".

- What does it feel like as a player who has won so much when he plays against others

just starting out, above all young players, such asmany of the Barça B team?

"As you approach the end of your career you try to make the most of this time,

showing great respect and humility towards young players. I identify with them. I

always observe them carefully, whether they’re in my team or the opposition".

- Is there any particular player that you like in the Barça B team?

"I find it very difficult to pick out just one. They have many very good players. I saw

some of them in the Youth Kings Cup last season,when they played against Deportivo.

I know they have footballers at a good level".

- After their third place last season, can Eusebio maintain that level?

"His team is improving, they’re more connected. It seems they have some stability

although the first team keeps calling up players. I've always admired Eusebio. As a

player I admired him because he didn’t make any noise and always did well, wherever

he was playing. As a manager I noticed him when he was at Celta with the daring offer.

I wasn’t surprised when Barça signed him".

- You’ve already played against them, so do you see the potential in the young players

like Montoya, Bartra, or Muniesa that might consolidate them in the first team?

"There is little doubt of their quality. However, every process needs time and a number

of things to happen. We can’t anticipate events. We should bear in mind that some

players grow before others ... It takes patience".

- At most grounds there are some players, just like Valerón, that are cheered when

they come onto the pitch. What do you think the fans really appreciate?

"I am very grateful. I guess that's because I've been at it for years. I noticed especially

after returning from injury that kept me out for two years. I was filled with satisfaction

to see the Camp Nou applaud me on the penultimate day of last season".

- How do you see this stage of Barca’s hegemony?

"This is a team that has been better than the rest. There has always been the doubt

about whether a team could play well and win and Barça have shown that it can be

done. They’ve done a lot for Spanish football, because a lot of people are trying to

copy their model".

- What would have happened if your SuperDeporwith Djalminha, Makaay and

company would have coincided with the current Barça team?

"It’s difficult to say. They’d have been good games and you would have seen some

great football. However, we have to recognise that this Barca, and Real Madrid as

well, are at a very high level, well above many other historic teams. Ten years ago we

weren’t so good".

- You are under contract until 2015 with Deportivo, first as a player and then as advisor

to the President. If Depor gets promoted will we see you in the Directors Box or on the

pitch at the Camp Nou next year?

"I don’t know what will happen, just now I’m noteven thinking about it. I'm really

enjoying helping the team. At the end of the season we’ll take a look at the situation

and see how I am. In any case, before makin a decision I’ll want to know the ideas of ​

the Club and the Managerâ€.


FCB,

Jordi Clos

 

[Classik]

Welcome back Keita!
www.fcbarcelona.cat 02/16/2012 12:23
The Malian is back with the squad after returning from the African Nations Cup and was heartily welcomed home by his colleagues
There was also huge applause for Afellay, who has started training on the pitch

Keita, a l'entrenament d'aquest dijous. FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
Two players were the focus of all attention on Thursday morning at the Ciutat Esportiva: Seydou Keita and Ibrahim Afellay. The Malian is back after an excellent performance at the African Nations Cup, where his country came third and he was named in the All Star XI. Keita, who left for Gabon in early January, was given a rapturous welcome home by his team mates.
Meanwhile, Afellay has started working out on the field, almost fve months after picking up a knee injury. He was also given an ovation this morning and then exercised in isolation.
Specific work for Busquets and Adriano
Sergio Busquets, with a wounded knee, and Adriano, who was taken off on Tuesday as a precautionary measure due to a problem with the soleus in his left leg, also trained separately, as did Xavi, who stayed in the gym. Four B team players made up the numbers, namely defendersMontoya, Bartra and Muniesa plus striker Tello. Dos Santos and Sergi Roberto, who have been regular features of first team sessions of late, trained with the reserves today.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Afellay starts training on the field
www.fcbarcelona.cat 02/16/2012 12:25
The Dutchman’s recovery from injury has moved into the next phase and on Thursday he was seen training on the pitch for the first time in almost five months

Afellay back training on field / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Ibrahim Afellay worked out separately from the rest of the team at the Ciutat Esportiva on the first occasion he has been seen on a football pitch since sustaining his injury. In the company of a physio, the Dutchman did circuit training andrunning exercises at different paces.
This is a further step forward in what have been more than four months of recovery for Afellay after an operation on cruciate ligaments in his left knee. He underwent arthroscopy on October 3 with doctors Ricard Pruna and Ramon Cugat, whose verdict that day was that he would be outof action for about six months.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Freixas: “The Bernabéu is the best option for the good of footballâ€



02/16/2012 13:18
The secretary and spokesman for the Board of Directors has said that considering previous finals and the desire to play in the biggest stadium possible, Real Madrid’s ground would bethe best option for this year’s Copa del Rey final
The Santiago Bernabéu, reckons Freixa, “is also the best choice for the Federationâ€
If the Spanish Football Federation decides against the proposal made by the two finalists, Freixa has said that the Camp Nou should not be offered as an alternative “because the ground should be neutralâ€

Toni Freixa / PHOTO: ÀLEX CAPARRÓS - FCB
Toni Freixa has made it clear where the club believes the forthcoming Copa del Rey final should be played after both FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao met the Spanish Federation on Monday. The two finalists would like to see the game played at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, he revealed today that the club has not heard any further news on the matter, although wherever the game is eventually played "we intend to fully go along with whatever the Spanish Football Federation considers best". However, the spokesman insisted that FCB will still be pushing the Federation to "look into all possibilities. We shall be defending the idea that the venue should be that one for the good of football".
FC Barcelona "is currently waiting an official response in order to look at other options if this one is not to be ... Our main criterion is the capacity. We have a lot of very dedicated supporters. If it turns out that the Bernabéu isn't possible, although we have every hope that it is, we shall look at other options." But Freixa insisted that the Camp Nou should not be offeredas an alternative "because the ground should be neutral."
Challenges for the sports world
Freixa also said that the Club "is taking its request very seriously, always for the good of the members ... This is the most important game that the Federation organises ... Our sport has to take on such ambitious challenges. It would be an example of civility and sportsmanship for a Basque team and a Catalan team to play each other in the capital of Spain."
But he added that Real Madrid "has every right not to want to host this final ... But if we look at tradition, a lot of finals have been played at the Bernabéu ... The objective reason is the stadium'scapacity. But it is also the best option for the Federation. However, we obviously also need the authorisation of the owners of the stadium."
Freixa reiterated that Barça is still waiting to hear the Federation's verdict. "We understand that Spanish football, the FC Barcelona members and those of Athletic Club Bilbao deserve a lot more respect than the information that is filtering through into public knowledge but that is not official. There are ways of doing things, and all we want to do to is defend the interests of our members". He ended by saying that "FC Barcelona would be proud to be able to host a Copa del Rey final".

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

FCB to take action against fraudulent resaleof tickets



02/16/2012 14:10
FC Barcelona has passed on to the Disciplinary Commission the case of 179 fraudulently resold tickets for this week’s away game at Bayer Leverkusen

Partit entre el Bayer Leverkusen i el FC Barcelona / FOTO: ARXIU FCB
"No concern about Guardiola renewing"
Asked about the possible renewal of Josep Guardiola's contract, Toni Freixa made it very clear that the Club is not worried about the matter, adding that if he were to stay here for longer "it would be good news at any time ... TheBoard has every confidence in the manager and the way the squad is being handled."
"The Board wants to crack down on the fraudulent resale of tickets" said an emphatic Toni Freixa as he explained events at Wednesday's meeting of senior directors. After irregularities were detected at the game in Milan (where there were Italian supporters in the Barça zone), FC Barcelona decided to implement special measures for the game in Leverkusen.
Toni Freixa explained that the data for applications for tickets for the game with Bayer Leverkusen were cross-compared with those for the AC Milan fixture, and 180 cases were detected of possible cases of ticket touting. To check this, Barça requested the collaboration of the host club, and sent its own staff, both from the ticketing and security departments, to Germany. The next step was to cancel these tickets, which were purchased at a considerably higher cost than the original 20 or 26 euros, in order to prevent the ticket holders from getting into the stadium.
Over to the Disciplinary Committee
Once these tickets had been detected, the person was taken to a ticket booth to find out where the ticket was purchased. If it was an FC Barcelona supporter, they were allowed to enter, while Bayer fans were refused access on the basis of UEFA's crowd segregation rules. Finally, it was determined that of the 180 suspicious tickets, 179 had indeed been resold. Given this situation, the Board has passed the issue over to the Disciplinary Commission, who as Freixa says "is the body that will call a meeting to investigate these cases".
Running for Barça
On another matter, the secretary and spokesmanfor the Barça board of directors spoke about the decision to promote an initiative that will be called "Corrent fem Barça" (Running for Barça) and will "encourage leisure, health and social activity among the members in the form of a series of fun runs." The idea is to maintain a series of tables of exclusive and parallel results for Barça members that take part in certain fun runs. The tables will be available for viewing on the club website.

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

Valdés: “The Champions League will affect what happens in the Leagueâ€



02/16/2012 14:37
The Barça goalkeeper believes that a good run in the Champions League could have a good effect on their chances of cutting down Real Madrid’s lead in the domestic championship
According to Valdés, in order not to lose ground in the league “we have to keep believing and the wins will start comingâ€

Victor Valdés / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
"We won't let our heads drop. We have to keep believing and fighting"
"Gerard Piqué is the best centre back in the world and he's always shown that"
"Alexis Sánchez is one of the best finishers in the world"
Víctor Valdés reckons that Tuesday's win away toBayer Leverkusen was very important for the team. Doing so well in Germany "keeps us alive in the competition, which is something very important for us ... And at the same time it provided inspiration for the league." Valdés feelsthat the way they performed at the BayArena was ideal preparation for what's left of the season. "The Champions League will affect whathappens in the League" he claimed.
As many of his team mates have made patently clear this week, Valdés believes they have to keep fighting to reduce Real Madrid's ten-point lead. "If we look at how the season has gone, there's no denying that we haven't been getting the away results we'd hoped for. And that's why we're ten points behind" he said. "But we have to keep at it. We won't let our heads drop. We have to keep believing and fighting".
Piqué sidelined
Valdés didn't want to make a big thing of Piqué not being in the team against Leverkusen ."There's no need to go on about that. He's the best centre back in the world and he's always shown that. It was just the manager's decision the other day" he said, before adding that "I haven't noticed any change in him. He's working harder than ever and enthusiastic about things".
Xavi Hernàndez also watched the win at the Bayer 04 from the terraces. Valdés agreed that the team missed the midfielder "because he's animportant player for us ... He's trying to get fit again as quickly as possible. I'm sure he'll be back soon".
Praise for Alexis
The Barça stopper also mentioned Alexis Sánchez 's great form. "He's phenomenal. He hadno problem adapting and he's done everything to perfection ... He's one of the best finishers in the world".

FCB,

Anna Segura

 

[Classik]

New signings have scored 23% of the team's goals
www.fcbarcelona.cat 02/17/2012 10:25
Cesc, Alexis and Thiago, plus with Fontás, Barça’snewest players this season, have scored 29 of the team’s 124 goals in official matches
Last year’s signings scored 27 goals in the 2010/11 season

Cesc and Alexis / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Barça’s signings this season have brought in a lot of goals for the first team. Cesc Fábregas, Alexis Sánchez and Thiago Alcántara - his first year as a first-team player- have scored 23% of the team’s goals (29 of the 124). Cesc has 15, Alexis 11 and Thiago 3. Andreu Fontás also joined the first team this season, but before he could net any goes he sustained a serious injury.
Last year, 18%
This year’s signings have outscored the players brought in last year. At the end of last season, Villa, Mascherano, Afellay, Adriano and Jeffren netted 27 times, totaling 18% of the team’s goals.

FCB

 

[Classik]

The alternatives to Alves and Mascherano


02/17/2012 10:30
Heading into the league game this weekend, Guardiola will have to make a makeshift defence seeing that Alves and Mascherano are suspended for the match against Valencia
In the first games of the season, with a lot of absences in the back line, Guardiola opted for a 3-4-3 formation

Montoya against BATE Borissov. PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ.
Josep Guardiola will be forced to replace Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano, both suspended, ahead of Barça’s next league match against Valencia at the Camp Nou this weekend. The manager will either have to call up reserve players or reshuffle his first-team line-up in order to fill the centre back and right back positions.
Right back
Under Guardiola, Carles Puyol has taken up the task of stepping in the right back position from time to time. The absence of Mascherano, however, could force the manager to keep the captain in the middle and instead opt to send Adriano Correia out wide. It’s worth noting that the Brazilian is still recovering from injury. Guardiola’s third option is to call up Martín Montoya. The youngster is a pure right back, he’sa regular feature in Eusebio’s line-ups, and he’s played and scored for the first team this season.
The two centre backs
Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué are the only true first-team centre backs at Guardiola’s disposal against Valencia. In the event that one of the two don’t line-up in the middle of the defence, the manager could call on the reserve team’s Bartra and Muniesa. The coach could also use Éric Abidal or Sergio Busquets to fill the possible gap in the middle.
Left back
It looks as though Abidal will be the man to defend Barça’s left flank. If Guardiola decides to use him in the middle, however, Adriano or Muniesa could replace the Frenchman out wide.
Tactical change
On Matchday 1, Barça played against Villarreal with a makeshift defence; Guardiola only had Mascherano and Abidal at his disposal. The manager sent his men out in a 3-4-3 formation, moving Busquets back and positioning the Argentine and the Frenchman on either side of him. Curiously enough, Barça played with 3-4-3 formation against Valencia in the first half of theseason.


FCB,

Jordi Clos

 

[Classik]

Messi on verge of 200th league appearance


02/17/2012 13:55
The Argentinian will make it to 200 league games for FCB if he plays against Valencia on Sunday, making him the fifth member of the current squad to do so
Xavi (401), Puyol (359), Valdés (317) and Iniesta (258) have made the most league appearances for Barça in the present squad
In 199 league outings, Leo Messi has scored 142 goals

Messi / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
On Sunday, Leo Messi will join the circle of players to have made a double century of leagueappearances in an FC Barcelona shirt. The Argentinian has played every league fixture this season, and will make it to a career total of 200 if Pep Guardiola plays him against Valencia at the Camp Nou (21.30). This will make him the fifth member of Guardiola's team to make it to this particular bicentenary, a ranking currently topped by Xavi, with 401 appearances, followed by Puyol (359), Valdés (317) and Iniesta (258).
142 goals in 199 matches
Aged just 17 years, Leo Messi made his debut on October 16, 2004 under Frank Rijkaard for a derby at the Olympic Stadium, Montjuïc coming on in the 82nd minute as a replacement for Deco. Eight seasons have passed since then, and in 199 matches, Messi has scored 142 times, an amazing 0.7 goals a game. His highest scoring season was 2009/10, when he got 34 goals in 35games and won the Pichichi trophy.
This year Messi is scoring goals are regularly as ever, and after 22 games he has been on target 23 times, an average so far of more than a goal agame.
SEASON
LEAGUE APPEARANCES
LEAGUE GOALS
2004/05 7 1
2005/06 17 6
2006/07 26 14
2007/08 28 10
2008/09 31 23
2009/10 35 34
2010/11 33 31
2011/12 22 23
TOTAL 199 142

FCB,

Anna Segura

 

[Classik]

The Azulgrana Roundup, week 4

02/17/2012 20:29
Check out what journalists and fans had to say about FC Barcelona after a week of Champions League football, the King’s Cup final qualification and La Liga action

Pep Guardiola. PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ (FCB).
“At a club level, [Messi] has surpassed [Maradona]†-Filippo Ricci
“So acute is Lionel Messi's vision on the football pitch that he seems to have eyes in the back of his head†- UEFA.com
If you have suggestions for this column, please tweet them to Barça’s twitter account , make sure you tag your tweet with #FCBroundup
FIFA.com . Ladislao Kubala: International ground-breaker, Barça king
“But the only tears Barça fans shed because of Ladislao Kubala over the next decade were ones of joy – triggered by his enthralling repertoire of tricks, defence-piercing through-balls and devastating right-foot shooting from free-kicks and open play. The attacking midfielder inspiredone of the greatest sides in the club’s history; Kubalamania inspired the creation of Camp Nou.â€
The New York Times . Rob Hughes. Why Ask Why? Just Enjoy Mess i
“On Tuesday night in the cold, wet, industrial Rhineland of Germany, Messi found a new field and new opponents to conquer. He created two goals for Alexis Sánchez with passes of breathtaking imagination. He scored a goal out of the sheer desire to run beyond any teammate,any opponent.â€
UEFA.com . Messi’s sixth sense explained
“So acute is Lionel Messi's vision on the football pitch that he seems to have eyes in the back of his head, but is there a scientific explanation for his sixth sense?â€
Goal.com . Ben Hayward. A Champions League love story - Barcelona’s Lionel Messi breaks competition record with 19th strike in knockout games
“So it is perhaps fitting that on Saint Valentine's Day, the much-admired Argentine created his own celebration of love by breaking yet another record, as he surpassed the mark set for goals scored in the knockout stages of the Champions League in Germany on Tuesday, with his 19th strike in games played at the business end of thetournament.â€
El Gráfico . Martín Mazur. Guardiola: Genio Trabajando [Spanish]
“La mente brillante de Josep Guardiola es el motor del mejor equipo de la historia. Los pases de Xavi, los lujos de Iniesta y las aceleraciones de Messi nacen en un sótano, donde Pep se encierra a pensar.â€
Los Corresponsales . Sid Lowe / Martin Ainstein / Filippo Ricci. ¿Maradona or Messi? [Spanish, stay tuned - English version could be on the way]
Twitter . Víctor Valdés . Picture of the keeper and a very young Sergi Roberto.
Valdés' photo caption: It fills me pride to share the [Barça] locker room with teammates like @SergiRoberto10 . Check out the photo he gave me, it was taken in 2005.
Weezer.com . Matt Sharp, now with The Rentals, shows his footballing colours to the world in Weezer’s ‘El Scorcho’ music video (released in 1996). Spoiler: Keep an eye out for a vintage Barça jersey.
Twitter . David Villa . Picture of two screws that were removed from the player’s tibia.
Villa's photo caption: Two less screws in my tibia.Without them, my recovery will be faster!

FCB,

Ian MacLurg

 

[Classik]

Guardiola: "Valencia creates problems for you out of nothingâ€


02/18/2012 17:00
The Barça coach knows this Sunday’s opponent well, especially with the memory of the Cup semi-final fresh in his mind, and has made it clear that Barça will have to perform at their best if they want to take all three vital points
As regards an extension to his current deal, Guardiola thanked the Club for not putting a deadline on his decision
However, he admitted that he has been involvedin planning next season for some time now

Guardiola / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Double century for Messi
This Sunday will be Messi's 200th league appearance for Barça. "That shows the magnitude of what he's doing. He's the most competitive player that I've ever met or known".
Barça welcome Valencia back to the Camp Nou for a vital league clash just eleven days after knocking them out of the Cup. Josep Guardiola is in no doubt that Sunday night's encounter will be "a difficult match against a team that gave usa tough time in the Cup tie". He insists that his team will have to pull off "a great performance" to beat third placed Valencia .
According to Guardiola , "Teams you have playedagainst recently can make life that little bit more difficult" and called on his players to try and maintain the same standard they have shown over the last few games. "Valencia creates problems for you out of nothing. Although it's certain to be a complicated match, we will try and maintain the good feeling from the last few games".
The dangers of Valencia
Guardiola was asked about the dangers posed on Valencia's left wing by the pairing of Mathieu and Jordi Alba and admitted: "They attacked well there". However, he stressed that Valencia are not a one trick team: "It's true that they create a lot of chances down that wing but we'll try and do what we always do. We'll play our possession game".
As for Barça 's position in the league, Guardiola believes that Real Madrid are too far ahead "to start thinking about hypothetical fight backs". So he's encouraging his players "to think about something a simple as winning the next match". "There's still a long way to go in the league, but Iunderstand that some people might think it's very difficult. While there is still a chance, we'll keep on playing the way we know how".
Turning to the matter of his contract renewal, Josep Guardiola admitted that he has been working on the planning of next season for some time. He insisted that he has yet to make adecision and that it was "a personal question that doesn't have anything to do with the Club". He admitted that he's better off at Barça than anywhere else but would like to have a little more time to decide: "It has to feel right for me. I can't work in such a demanding Club if I'm not fully convinced that I'll have the strength to do it. I don't want to do something if it doesn't feel right. The Club has every right to set me a deadline, which they haven't done, and I appreciate that. This is very demanding and I have to be convinced.
Keita returns
Guardiola also commented on the return this week of Seydou Keita from the Africa Cup of nation: " Keita has come back in very good shape, as always, very happy about his country's performance. He's a very important player for us, both on and off the pitch, and he'll be a great help because he knows the way we work".
Finally, Guardiola gave a vote of confidence to three players from Barça B: " Montoya is a strongright back with focus and stamina. Bartra is a central defender, strong in the air and very fast. Muniesa can play at centre back and full back and is tactically the best. The Club is very fortunate to have all of them".

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

Spotlight on Valencia


02/18/2012 19:50
Valencia are the all time third most successful club in Spain behind Barça and Real Madrid and have won six league titles – the last in 2004. They have finished third in the La Liga in each of the last three seasons, a position they look likelyto repeat again this year

Cuenca taking on Miguel / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Fourth meeting this season
Valencia and Barça are set to meet again on Sunday – for the fourth time this season following
the 2-0 Cup win for Guardiola’s men 10 days ago,the 1-1 draw in Mestalla in the first leg and
the 2-2 La Liga draw earlier this season. That Cupdefeat for Unai Emery’s men left them with the
Europa League as the only title they can realistically challenge for – they are currently 18
points adrift of the La Liga leaders – but they are certainly on course for another Champions
League spot behind the big two, sitting 12 pointsahead of fourth place Levant.
Form Guide
It’s not been a great 2012 for Valencia, with last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing of Sporting their
first La Liga win of the year, following four draws – away to Villarreal, Osasuna, Racing and
Atletico Madrid as well as a 0-1 home defeat to Real Sociedad, though they did see off Seville
and Levante in the Cup before coming up againstBarça in the semi-final. On Thursday they
found themselves in the unlikely setting of the Britannia Stadium in Stoke where they beat the
Potters 0-1 to take a big step towards the last 16of the Europa Cup – a competition they won
when it was still the UEFA Cup in 2004, when David Albeda captained the team in their 2-0 win
over Didier Drogba’s OM Marseille.
History
That UEFA Cup win marked the end of a Golden Era for the club, following Champions League
Final appearances in 2000 and 2001 and La Liga titles in 2002 and 2004. The club, which was
founded in 1919 and moved to Mestalla four years later, staked its claim as one of Spain’s
big teams in the immediate post-civil war years, taking three league titles in the 1940s. In the
60’s they took two Fairs Cups – including the 1961 edition when they beat Barça in the final –
and again won a league title in 1971, to kick start a decade which saw the signing of the great
Argentinean idol Mario Kempes. Disaster hit in 1985 when after a few seasons of narrowly
avoiding the drop amidst deep financial trouble, Valencia were relegated, putting an end to
55 years in the top flight. In recent years, the club has proved a rich source of top players who
have moved on to the continent’s biggest clubs, including David Villa, David Silva and Juan
Mata, whilst maintaining a secure place behind the big two.
The boss
Emery moved to Valencia in 2008 after success atAlmeria and has won just over 50% of
his games in charge of the team over the last three and a half years. Nobody could say that
Emery is relaxed on the touchline and he is oftento be seen gesticulating wildly at his players
and the officials, but he is a much admired youngcoach(40) who has guided the club through
what could have been a difficult period with the loss of players of the stature of Villa, Silva and
Mata.
Ones to watch
Jeremy Mathieu and Jordi Alba caused Barça plenty of problems in the 2-2 draw at the
Mestalla earlier this season, with the Frenchmanproviding the crosses for both Valencia’s goals
– something he repeated in the Cup game at Mestalla. Mathieu joined Valencia from Toulouse
in 2009 and his cavalier attacking style and his fine physique have made him an integral part
of Emery’s team. The pocket-sized Alba, who as a youngster was on Barça’s books, has made a
great impression over the last couple of seasons and was called up for his first full international
in 2011. He is equally at home as a left back, left midfielder or left winger.

FCB,

Nick Bedson

 

[Classik]

FC Barcelona - València: Another ‘Cup Final’


02/19/2012 10:42
21.30, Canal+ and Radio Barça – Eleven days after their Cup semi-final duel, Barça welcome Valencia back to the Camp Nou determined to keep alive their hopes of regaining the league title

FCB-VALENCIA / FOTO: FCB
It's not a Cup tie but it might just as well be. Tonight, FC Barcelona needs another win against Valencia , the same opponent they knocked out of the Cup eleven days ago, in order to maintain their chances of winning La Liga. Barça are 13 points off top spot after Real Madrid's win defeat on Saturday and urgently need the pointsfrom tonight's game to keep in touch with the league leaders.
Keita returns from Africa
Josep Guardiola has a total of 20 players to choose from, 16 from the senior squad (Villa, Afellay and Fontàs are still out injured while Mascherano and Alves are serving match bans), plus four players from Barça B . The good news is that Seydou Keita is once again available aftermissing the last eleven matches due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Xavi, Busquets and Adriano , who all had slights knocks on Thursday and trained separately from the main group, should be available but will remain a doubt until the last moment. Montoya, Bartra, Muniesa and Tello could also find themselves on the final squad list.
Defensive doubts
What ever happens, Guardiola will be forced to field a changed side from the one that defeated Valencia in the return leg of the Cup semi-final. Without Alves (though he didn't feature in the starting line-up in the Cup) and Mascherano , the main doubt in Guardiola's mind will be focussed on the back four, where three players - Piqué, Puyol and Abidal - would appear to be guaranteed a place. The defensive quartet could be made up by any of Montoya, Bartra or Muniesa , or indeed Busquets or Adriano , assuming they're fully fit.
Soldado to lead the line
Valencia boss Unai Emery will also be fielding a different team. He looks set to welcome back his first choice striker, Roberto Soldado , who dropped out of the squad for the Cup match at the last moment. However, the manager will be without Barragán and Ever Banega , both of whom have right knee problems. Unai Emery has brought 21 players with him to Barcelona and will be looking to improve on their last outing in the Cup. But they'll be up against a Barça side who are determined to stay in the hunt for the league title.

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà

 

[Classik]

No surprises in the final training session
www.fcbarcelona.cat 02/19/2012 13:22
This morning, Guardiola worked with the same footballers that trained yesterday. Xavi, who missed the match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, trained with the group

Training at the Camp Nou / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
The team trained this Sunday morning at the Camp Nou . Pep Guardiola worked with the samefootballers that participated in yesterday’s practice. The manager has 21 footballers - 17 from the first team and 4 from Barça B - at his disposal for of the match against Valencia.
Xavi Hernández , who missed the match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen due to injury, trained with the group for the second day in a row.
Tello , Montoya , Muniesa and Bartra are the four youngsters called up from the Barça B team by Guardiola to replace Alves and Mascherano, bothsuspended, for tonight’s match against Unai Emery’s men.

FCB

 

[Classik]

FC Barcelona - Valencia: Brilliant Messi leadsfight back (5-1)



02/19/2012 23:39
Barça came back from an early goal by Piatti for the visitors to bury Valencia with four goals from Messi and a fifth from Xavi to round off a fantastic performance that showed the team arestill up for the fight for the league title

PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Messi put in an extraordinary game to destroy the third placed team in La Liga and reiterate Barça's faith in their chances of fighting for the La Liga title. The team showed immense character and commitment when they came back from a sticky looking situation – 13 points behind the leaders, trailing 0-1 to a Piatti goal on 9 minutes - to blow away Valencia.
Led by the four goal hero Messi and with Xavi putting the icing on the cake with the fifth, Barçacould have won by an even wider margin, such was their superiority on the night.
The win leaves Barça 10 points behind Madrid in second place and will be a real boost ahead of a difficult game at the Vicente Calderón next Sunday.
Piatti puts Valencia ahead
A goal within the first 10 minutes from Piatti, who met a Feghouli cross from the right and took advantage of a mix up between Valdes and his defence, put the visitors one up before Barça really knew what had happened. Their response, however, was devastating with Pedro and Alexis opening up the flanks and Abidal and Montoya pushing forward from the full back positions, Barça were soon creating plenty of danger.
Messi brace leads fightback
After a somewhat cold start, Barça's stars soon began to fire on all cylinders. Alexis, Cesc, Iniestaand Pedro were all at the top of their game and Messi was playing at his very best. The equaliser came after a Pedro cross from the left which Rami mis-cleared and Messi put away. Five minutes later, a great cross from Abidal allowed Messi to calmly make it 2-1 and as the team began to play some of their best football, Alexis and Cesc, with a spectacular bicycle kick that hit the bar, both came close to making it three before the break.
Domination without reward
The second half was all Barça, as the team madechance after chance, with Valencia keeper DiegoAlves forced to make some excellent saves to keep Guardiola's men out, but despite two great chances for Alexis and Cesc and a Messi header against the post, the score unbelievably stayed 2-1 as the game entered the last 15 minutes.
Four from Messi... and triumphal return for Xavi
Finally though, Valencia's resistance broke, when Messi pounced on a parry from a Tello shot after the youngster had come on for Pedro, to claim his hat trick. Not content with that however, the world number one made it four with a brilliant chip over the keeper following a great through ball by Busquets.
Guardiola brought on Xavi, who has been struggling with a foot injury, and the Catalan midfielder responded with the fifth of the night to make the score a more realistic reflection of Barça's domination on the night.

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà

 

[Classik]

Messi scores 4 goals to celebrate his 200th game



02/20/2012 00:25
Messi scored four of Barça’s five goals against Valencia on the day he played his 200th game for FC Barcelona
It’s the second time the Argentine has scored four goals in a match. The first time was against Arsenal in the Champions League (April 6, 2010

Messi scored four goals against Valencia / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Messi has 27 goals in the Liga, one less than the current Pichichi, Cristiano Ronaldo
The last time a Barça player scored 4 goals in the Liga was on Nov. 8, 2008, when Samuel Eto'o netted 4 times against Valladolid
In Messi's 200 Liga game he's scored 146 goals for his team
Lionel Messi gifted the 74,240 Camp Nou spectators with 4 goals on the day played his 200th game for FC Barcelona . When it looked like Messi would close out the match after scoring his 15th hat-trick for Barça, he subtly chipped Diego Alves for his fourth after Sergio Busquets brilliantly assisted the Argentine. It was Barça’s, and his, fourth goal - which keeps him in the running for the Pichichi award. Messi has scored 27 goals in the Liga so far, Cristiano Ronaldo has 28.
Second time Messi has scored four
This isn’t the first time that Messi has bagged four goals. The first time was also at the Camp Nou, but in the Champions League against Arsenal. The Argentine fired four past the Arsenal keeper in the 2009/10 quarterfinal. The last Barça player to score four goals in the Liga was Samuel Eto’o , on Nov. 8 2008, in the game against Valladolid.
44 goals in 39 matches
Messi has played 3,421 minutes so far in all competitions this season, which is about 39 games (almost as many games that are played in the Liga). In this time, Messi has scored 44 goals - 27 in the Liga, 2 in the Cup, 7 in the Champions League, 3 in the Spanish Super Cup, 1 in the European Super Cup and 2 in the Club World Cup . In total, the Argentine scores 1.15 goals per game.
In his 200 Liga games, Messi has 146 goals. An incredible statistic for a player that is only 24. He’s the youngest Barça player to each the bicentennial mark, and the 12th youngest to do it in Spain’s top flight.

FCB,

Anna Segura

 

[Classik]

Lionel Messi: "I have the confidence of those that matter, that makes me happy"


02/20/2012 00:43
The Argentine striker, who scored four goals tonight against Valencia, called on his manager, Pep Guardiola, to stay at the Barça helm next season
The players highlighted the group’s unity and they hope to continue on form in the future

Two days off for the team
Barça will train at 18:00 at the Ciutat Esportiva Sant Joan Despí next Wednesday, February 22. Isaac Cuenca will hold a pre-training press conference at 17:00.
Tello: “Messi doesn’t stop. He is and will continue to be the best player in the world"
Iniesta, on Guardiola: "It's everyone's wish for him to stay"
Messi: “The manager knows what we think, but he will make his decision at the appropriate timeâ€
After putting in a majestic performance against Valencia , scoring four of Barça’s five goals (5-1), Lionel Messi said, “the truth is that I’ve been verycalm. My teammates, manager and the people that are important to me have confidence in me, and that makes me happy,†said the Azulgrana player.
Despite his personal goal tally, the Argentine talked about the team’s effort tonight: “it was a bit difficult for us at the start, we started losing. But what’s really important is that we had a good game and we played well.â€
Messi said that the team needs to keep on form for the rest of the season: “it’s important that theteam has found its form again, like we did in Germany. We have to keep on playing like this, important games are coming up.â€
The Barça squad asks their manager to stay
The Argentine start also talked about Guardiola ’s possible contract renewal: “the manager knows what we think, but he will make his decision at the appropriate time. Obviously, we all want him to stay at Barça because, to us, he’s very important.â€
Here are the statements made by Barça players after the match against Valencia:
Cristian Tello:
“Messi doesn’t stop. He is and will continue to be the best player in the world.
“I’m happy for the confidence the manager givesme.
“It was a very good game. This team won’t stop and we’ll keep on fighting until the end.
“It was a spectacular game, we created a lot of goalscoring chances, but Valencia’s keeper had agreat game.â€
Andrés Iniesta:
“We always try to offer up a good performance. The truth is that we have to keep on winning three points each game and hope that Madrid falters.
“The team needs to play like this to aspire to thethree titles.
“It’s not easy making a comeback, but the team reacted well.
“We have to keep on enjoying Messi, and he needs to keep on enjoying the team.
“It’s difficult to maintain this level of play in all of our matches, but we feel similar to how we felt in past seasons. Despite everything, it’s true that we’ve lost points.
“The team is eager to do a good job.
“[Real Madrid] has an important advantage over us and we cannot allow ourselves to make any more mistakes.â€
On Guardiola’s possible contract extension: “I hope that he renews and that he stays with us for a long time. He has to decide and he knows that the team wants him to stay. That’s everyone’s wish.
“Guardiola is eager. We have a lot of beautiful things still yet to see.â€
Pedro Rodríguez:
“I would like to highlight the team’s work, it wasvery good, we created a lot of clear chances and we got a good result.
“Perhaps we didn’t have the luck in front of goal in past matches that we had tonight against Valencia.
“We have to going game by game and not lose anymore points.
“The team is doing very well, we’re happy and excited. We want to do something great.
“We were playing against Valencia, we’re extremely happy for tonight’s victory.
“I honestly don’t know what to say about Lionel Messi [anymore].
“I feel better physically and I’m confident. I needto improve.â€
Martín Montoya:
“The boss warned us of the dangers of Valencia’sleftwing, I think we managed it pretty well.
“I’m happy, it’s a very positive thing for me to play another Liga match. I hope to have more minutes on the pitch.
“We played like always. The best players of the world play here.â€

FCB,

Sergi Garcia