Saturday 11 April 2009

Match discussion: Recreativo

This evening at 8:00 pm bt,
Barcelona plays the 30th league game of the season against Recreativo Huelva.





Recreativo squad list:
Riesgo, Roberto, Morris, Lamas, César Arzo, Casado, Quique Alvarez, Poli, Nef, Barber, Javi Fuego, Nayar, Maidana, Akalé, Sisi, Camuñas, Ersen Martin, Marco Ruben


Barcelona squad list:
Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera, Alves, Puyol, Piqué, Márquez, Cáceres, Sylvinho, Xavi, Touré, Busquets, Keita, Gudjohsen, Iniesta, Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Hleb



Read a match preview here

Re-live the first round game here



!!! LIVE MATCH CHAT !!!

From two hours before until two hours after the game you can join a match chat (read more here)



Before (what are your expectations, what's your prediction, what should be the line-up,...), during and after the match, you can also comment on the game here.

[Crosas] Hearts-Celtic Glasgow

Celtic Glasgow played this afternoon their 32nd league game of the season. Hearts and Celtic drew one all.

Former Barcelona midfielder Marc Crosas started on the bench and came on at half-time.



Marc Crosas joined Celtic Glasgow in 2008. Since Barcelona can buy Crosas back in the summer of 2010 for two million euro (read more here), this blog will follow the performances of the midfielder over those two years.



Sunday 10 August - League game 1: Celtic Glasgow-St Mirren 1-0
Non-selectable. Crosas has signed his contract and is presented to the fans before the match.

Sunday 17 August - League game 2: Dundee United-Celtic Glasgow 1-1
Bench.

Saturday 23 August - League game 3: Celtic Glasgow-Falkirk 3-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Brown in the 73rd minute (3-0).

Sunday 31 August - League game 4: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 2-4
Bench.

Sunday 14 September - League game 5: Motherwell-Celtic Glasgow 2-4
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Nakamura in the 80th minute (2-4).

Wednesday 17 September - Champions League group stage game 1: Celtic Glasgow-Aalborg 0-0
Bench.

Sunday 21 September - League game 6: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Hartley in the 74th minute (0-2).

Tuesday 23 September - League Cup 1/8 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Livingston 4-0
Not selected.

Saturday 27 September - League game 7: Celtic Glasgow-Aberdeen 3-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by McDonald in the 72nd minute (1-2).

Tuesday 30 September - Champions League group stage game 2: Villareal-Celtic Glasgow 1-0
Bench.

Saturday 4 October - League game 8: Celtic Glasgow-Hamilton 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Saturday 18 October - League game 9: Inverness-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Hartley in the 95th minute (1-2). Yellow card.

Tuesday 21 October - Champions League group stage game 3: Manchester United-Celtic Glasgow 3-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 25 October - League game 10: Celtic Glasgow-Hibernian 4-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 29 October - League Cup 1/4 finals: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 2 November - League game 11: Hearts-Celtic Glasgow 0-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 5 November - Champions League group stage game 4: Celtic Glasgow-Manchester United 1-1
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 9 November - League game 12: Celtic Glasgow-Motherwell 0-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 12 November - League game 13: Celtic Glasgow-Kilmarnock 3-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 16 November - League game 14: Hamilton-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 22 November - League game 15: Saint Mirren-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Tuesday 25 November - Champions League group stage game 5: Aalborg-Celtic Glasgow 2-1
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 30 November - League game 16: Celtic Glasgow-Inverness 1-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 7 December - League game 17: Hibernian-Celtic Glasgow-Inverness 2-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 10 December - Champions League group stage game 6: Celtic Glasgow-Villareal 2-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 13 December - League game 18: Celtic Glasgow-Hearts 1-1
Bench.

Sunday 21 December - League game 19: Falkirk-Celtic Glasgow 0-3
Bench.

Saturday 27 December - League game 20: Rangers-Celtic Glasgow 0-1
Bench.

Saturday 3 January - League game 21: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee United 2-2
Bench.

Saturday 10 January - Cup 1/16 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee (2) 2-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Robson in the 64th minute (2-1).

Sunday 18 January - League game 22: Aberdeen-Celtic Glasgow 4-2
Bench.

Saturday 24 January - League game 23: Celtic Glasgow-Hibernian 3-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Robson in the 78th minute (3-1).

Wednesday 29 January - League Cup 1/2 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee United 0-0 (pen 11-10)
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 120 minutes. Scores penalty.

Sunday 1 February - League game 24: Inverness-Celtic Glasgow 0-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Nakamura in the 64th minute (0-0).

Saturday 10 January - Cup 1/8 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Queen's Park (3) 2-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Donati in the 42nd minute (1-0).

Sunday 15 February - League game 25: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 0-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Brown in the 83rd minute (0-0).

Sunday 22 February - League game 26: Motherwell-Celtic Glasgow 1-1
Bench.

Saturday 28 February - League game 27: Celtic Glasgow-St Mirren 7-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Goal. Assist.

Wednesday 4 March - League game 28: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Assist.

Saturday 7 March - Cup 1/4 finals: St Mirren-Celtic Glasgow 1-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Samaras in the 74th minute (1-0).

Sunday 15 March - League Cup final: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 2-0 (aet)
Bench.

Sunday 22 March - League game 29: Dundee United-Celtic Glasgow 2-2
Bench.

Sunday 4 April - League game 30: Celtic Glasgow-Hamilton 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Wednesday 8 April - League game 31: Celtic Glasgow-Falkirk 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Saturday 11 April - League game 32: Hearts-Celtic Glasgow 1-1
Substitute. Crosas replaces McManus in the 46th minute (1-1).



Table
1. Celtic Glasgow 71
2. Rangers (31) 67
3. Hearts 53
4. Aberdeen (31) 45
[...]

Gervinho will consider future in the summer

Asked about the rumours linking him with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Le Mans forward and Ivory Coast international Gervinho (21) has said in an interview with French sports paper Aujourd'hui Sport that he will decide on his future in the summer:

"At this moment, I don't know what my future will bring. The one thing that is worrying me at this moment is the future of my club. I think I still need to make progress. It's flattering to hear your name being linked with big teams. However, to improve you need to have playing time, so that's also something I will take into account. We will see when the season ends. But I am not interested in joining a big club just to be part of it."

Read more:
Barcelona following Ivorian striker Gervinho
Hleb could already leave this summer
Ivorian Le Mans striker Gervinho being scouted


Watch a video of Gervinho here:

ReLive: Recreativo-Barcelona 0-2

Youth: Interview with Juvenil A coach Garcia

Barcelona Juvenil A coach Alex García gave an interview to the club's official media after winning the league title last week (read more here).





Finally you're the champions. The week before you had a first chance to win the league but this time it couldn't go wrong anymore.
It was the perfect game. The game before, it wasn't to be. It also was the right moment to celebrate it because we played at home. I think the boys deserved it to celebrate the title here, before their fans, before the people that come to see them each Sunday.

What are the strong points of your team?
I would say the enthusiasm and the ambition of this group. Besides winning their games, they have shown a lot of willingness to learn, to play well. I think they've shown that every Sunday. They at least are trying, one game things of course are going smoother than the other. But this has made them champions two games before the end of the league.

How do you feel after winning the title?
I'm very happy to see my players happy. Because I'm the one who's training and seeing them every day, in the cold, the rain and all the rest we had to go through this year. I'm very happy when I see them now because they deserve it. We've be on top of the league for almost the entire season, so I'm very satisfied to see them being all happy.

How about the rest of the season?
We'll try to celebrate this title with a dinner together with the Juvenil B players, although we don't have much time because on Thursday we're going to play a tournament in San Sebastián. When we come back, we'll celebrate it in a more relaxed way. Now they are enjoying this triumph with their families, with the people they love most, those who are living with them, who also suffer with them when they're not playing or for other reasons.

Read more:
Youth: Juvenil A team wins the league
An introduction to Ruben Rochina
Youth: Three players have played for three teams

Barcelona and the U-20 World Cup

source: FIFA.com

date: 2 April 2009
editing: fcbtransfers.blogspot.com



As the FIFA U-20 World Cup approaches FIFA.com took a look back at some of the stars of the previous tournaments, the common theme amongst the biggest stars of these past tournaments seemed to be one club: FC Barcelona:

As Egypt prepares to host the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the locals may well be wondering what to expect. The tournament's billing has traditionally promised 'a look at football's stars of tomorrow, today', but has the 32-year-old showpiece really lived up to this kind of hype? FIFA.com set about finding out.

Diego makes his entrance
Nothing compared to the sense of history-in-the-making that accompanied the 1979 edition in Japan. This was the tournament at which a certain Diego Maradona gave the world a memorable first glimpse of his awesome potential, inspiring an outstanding Argentina side to glory.

Star-studded supporting casts
The elegant, imperious Robert Prosinecki proved a popular choice as the tournament's outstanding player, but the title-winning Yugoslavia team alone provided the midfielder with a plethora of worthy rivals such as Zvonimir Boban, Predrag Mijatovic and Davor Suker. There was similarly stiff competition in Saudi Arabia two years later, with Diego Simeone, Sonny Anderson and Oleg Salenko all in the running for honours.

Portugal 1991 witnessed the crowning of a 'golden generation' as the hosts retained the trophy, despite the efforts of emerging talents such as Giovane Elber, Andy Cole and Paulo Montero. Yet the player identified as the competition's shining star was not Luis Figo, nor Rui Costa or Joao Pinto, but rather Peixe, who unlike his overlooked team-mates went on to enjoy a surprisingly unspectacular career.

South America again dominated the podium in 1997, but while an Argentina side including Juan Roman Riquelme and Esteban Cambiasso took home the title, it was Nicolas Olivera who bagged the Golden Ball award. The Uruguayan's happiest times thereafter were spent with Sevilla, but although he also appeared at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, his achievements have been overshadowed by rivals from that class of 97 including Thierry Henry, Michael Owen, David Trezeguet and Nicolas Anelka.

By this stage in the history of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, there was an established pattern of future superstars failing to land the end-of-tournament awards, and this continued at Nigeria 1999 when Ronaldinho, Roque Santa Cruz, Xavi and Diego Forlan all missed out on the Golden Ball. Yet while Seydou Keita was perhaps a surprise recipient at the time, the Malian is currently cementing his reputation as an outstanding, hard-tackling midfielder with the mighty Barcelona.

Messi spearheads new generation
The Camp Nou has proved a popular destination for stars of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and Javier Saviola - winner of both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe at Argentina 2001 - was expected to become a Barça legend when he completed a £15 million move at the age of just 19. As it transpired, El Conejo never really won the hearts of the Catalan faithful and is currently to be found warming the bench of Barcelona's old rivals, Real Madrid. Incidentally, Kaka featured among the players beaten by Saviola to the 2001 honours, not the first time a future FIFA World Player had found himself overlooked.

At UAE 2003, the role of bridesmaid fell to the likes of Andres Iniesta, Daniel Alves and Javier Mascherano, with the erstwhile unknown Ismaeil Matar emerging as the tournament's star attraction.

Yet it says much for the continued ability of the FIFA U-20 World Cup to showcase the best emerging talent that the two most recent recipients of the tournament's Golden Ball award are expected to be star attractions in South Africa. Lionel Messi, the star of Netherland 2005, needs no introduction of course, with many already insisting that the Barcelona star is the world's greatest player.His fellow Argentinian, Sergio Aguero, who shone in Canada two years ago and went on to dazzle just as brightly at last year's Men's Olympic Football Tournament, is another youngster for whom hopes could hardly be any higher.

The only question now is: who will follow in the footsteps of this galaxy of stars? Whoever it is, history would suggest that Egypt can safely expect a treat.

read the full and original article here

Note by barca4life:
Spain have been drawn in group B along with Nigeria, Venezuela and Tahiti. FIFA.com says: "With the rising star of Spanish football Bojan Krkic expected to be absent - the Barcelona man is eligible to play but likely to have a full agenda with the U-21 and senior teams - it will fall to several of his former team-mates from Korea 2007 to take a leading role." FIFA.com goes on to list possible Spain stars as rumoured Barcelona target David de Gea and former Barcelona youth player Fran Merida. The coach of the Spanish U-20 team is ex Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder Luis Milla. He played 53 games for Barcelona between 1988 and 1990, before joining Real Madrid and playing 159 games for Los Merengues. He was last season assistant coach at Getafe where he served under Barca legend Michael Laudrup who coincidentally also played for both Barcelona (1989-1994) and Real Madrid (1994-1996).

[2008] Ronaldinho to Milan: principal agreement

this post was published exactly one year ago:


Catalan radio station Ona FM claimed first last night that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain, AC Milan representative for the Spanish market Ernesto Bronzetti and Roberto de Assís, brother and agent of Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho (28), met on Thursday in the Rey Juan Carlos I hotel in the centre of Barcelona to discuss the transfer of the Brazilian. The meeting had been planned during a first contact earlier this week between Roberto and Barcelona.

Although Roberto would have pressured Barcelona by saying his brother will only leave on a free transfer, the parties would now have agreed that Ronaldinho will leave for a transfer fee between 15 and 20 million euro°. The radio station says a new meeting has been scheduled for next week to look at the further details of the agreement.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo gives today a slightly different version of yesterday's events. The paper says it all began earlier this week when Inter seemed willing to step back in the race, making Milan decide to act immediately and try to close the deal as soon as possible. Roberto nevertheless would have promised Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti that he won't sign anything before the two have met.

Milan representative Bronzetti first met with Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain in Barcelona, where Bronzetti put down a formal offer of 20 million euro, lifting that up until a principal agreement was found between the two teams on a transfer fee of 30 million euro*. A Barcelona official told the paper that it was time for the club to put an end to the collaboration with Ronaldinho.

Bronzetti then asked if Milan could enter direct negotiations with the player and his agent, something that was allowed by Barcelona. Yesterday afternoon Bronzetti met with Roberto in Barcelona to inform him about the latest developments. In the evening, both decided to travel together with Roberto's legal adviser to Milan, using the private jet of AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi.

In the already famous Giannino reastaurant (after another dinner last week, read more here and here), they met with Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, who said when entering the restaurant that it was 180% sure that Ronaldinho and Shevchenko would join Milan next season. Roberto said: "We only want Milan, that's why we're here." Milan president Berlusconi, who runs to be the next Italian prime minister, would like to conclude and announce the transfer of Ronaldinho before the end of the week.

Barcelona officials admitted to Spanish news agency Europa Press that there has been a meeting with Milan and described it as "a first contact". The talks will continue in the coming days. Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Inter Milan has not said their last word and that Inter president Moratti won't surrender without a fight. Ronaldinho has a contract with Barcelona until 2010 which includes a buyout clause of 125 million euro°°.


Read more 11 April 2008 news:
Eto'o could be Fenerbahçe star transfer
Inter and Juventus rival for Deco

Hleb to strenghten Barcelona midfield
Youth: Miralem Pjanic (Metz)

Pichichi and Zamora (day 29)

With Barcelona players competing for the trophies of best goalscorer and best goalkeeper of the Spanish league, this blog will follow the events during the second round.



Pichichi
26 Eto'o (Barcelona)
21 Villa (Valencia)
20 Forlán (Atlético Madrid)
19 Messi (Barcelona)
17 Negredo (Almería)

Zamora
0,83 Víctor Valdés (Barcelona)
0,93 Palop (Sevilla)
1,07 Casillas (Real Madrid)
1,21 Toño (Racing Santander)
1,29 Roberto (Osasuna)

Live Match Chat: FC Barcelona - Recreativo Huelva


(original post by OmarX)





FC Barcelona - Recreativo Huelva
(Saturday 11 April 2009 @ 20:00 barcelona time)

Chat Link:
http://fcbarcelona.hopto.org/

Chat starts around 18:00 - 6:00 pm


Have you ever sat infront of your TV or computer while you were watching a FC Barcelona game and hoped you could share your excitement, feelings, and opinions with other fans LIVE as it happens?

We are proud to present you the new FC Barcelona Match Chat. Now you will be able to communicate before, during and after the match. The chat will be available from two hours before until two hours after the match. In the future this could turn into a 24/7 chat.

The chat is designed to be very user friendly and just requires you to enter your desired nickname and join (no registration required!). It is open to everyone, therefore make sure to invite your friends and spread the message. If you encounter any troubles or difficulties please put them here in the comments section or contact omarx in the chatroom.


To make all this work, we're setting up a moderator's system. Until that's in place, please keep in mind the following basic rules:

- on the public chat the main language is English

- you can hold private conversations by using the appropriate button you find below at the right of your screen
(mark the person you want to have a private talk with and click the button)

See you there!

Four Barcelona players could end up in England

British tabloid The Daily Telegraph claims that four Barcelona players could end up in the English Premier League next season.



Daniel Alves
Eighteen months ago the right-back was reduced to begging his then club Sevilla to let him move to Chelsea, who valued his attacking tendencies highly. Although he subsequently joined Barcelona, the Stamford Bridge connection resurfaced last month when Chelsea were said to be preparing an end-of-season bid (read more
here).

Yaya Touré
The Ivorian, allegedly courted by both Arsenal and Manchester City, would surely be drawn to the Emirates Stadium if pushed thanks to the presence of brother Kolo. The midfield enforcer has flourished into one of the most intimidating playmakers in the world game (read more
here).

Samuel Eto'o
Known as a disruptive loose cannon in the dying days of Frank Rijkaard's regime, the Cameroonian has experienced a revival in form this season. As such he has attracted the attentions of Liverpool in the last fortnight (read more
here).

Thierry Henry
Still an iconic figure for the Premier League brand, thanks to 174 goals in 254 games during his eight years with Arsenal. A tentative start to his Barcelona career led to rumours of interest from Manchester City but these have since been quashed (read more
here).


read the full article here

Most read posts of the month: March

Friday 10 April 2009

Preview : Recreativo

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Barca take on “El Decano” Recreativo de Huelva at the Nou Camp on Saturday in a clash between the oldest and third oldest football clubs in Spain. This is Recreativo’s 3rd and longest run in the Primera Division after gaining promotion in June 2006. The previous two times they clawed their way into the top division in 1979 and 2003, they slipped straight back down. The grand-daddy of football in Spain as they like to be known, have nevertheless shown remarkable tenacity in staying relevant over 120 years and also considerable improvement in the new millennium.

Their struggle to consolidate continues this season which they have spent the greater part of; in the bottom 5 places. They currently sit at 18th in the table within the relegation zone, 2 points ahead of Numancia and 1 point behind Getafe and Betis. To put this in perspective though, Valladolid at 9th are only 9 points ahead of Recreativo so another 10 points from the remaining 9 matches might be enough to see them to safety.

Recré have 7 wins overall, 3 of them coming away from home. Their cohesiveness in defence is perhaps illustrated by the fact they have conceded 41 goals which is the same as Valencia and the 8th best in the league. With the available talent though scoring goals has been a lot harder and their record of 27 goals scored is currently the poorest in La Liga. There is little to pick between their home and away records, 53% of their points coming at home and 47% away.

Pep Guardiola might be inclined to dig out the video of the Osasuna game to remind his players just how tough matches against the relegation zone clubs can get. An attitude typical of the bottom of the table clubs in Spain is to go for it, trying just as hard every game while paying little reverence to rank or reputation. Hence they tend to fare better against the big teams than the mid-table clubs who regard them as a genuine threat. Recré have lost all their matches so far to the top 4 clubs but none of those have been by a wide goal margin; the largest being the 2 – 0 loss to Barca.

In that game, the first goal came in 52nd minute and the 2nd in the 86th. After the Bayern win however caution may be an easy thing to preach but much harder to truly instil for Barca. Therefore Pep might help his cause by using for this game, players who still have a lot to prove and hence the motivation to push hard even against weak opposition.

First on the list is Hleb. Guardiola has used Hleb predominantly in the wing positions but Xavi being due a rest after playing a full 90 mins in the international matches and the Valladolid and Bayern games, Hleb might get his chance in the playmaker role. Gudjohnsen or Iniesta are the other options in that position. Caceres will be hoping to get a run out though giving Sylvinho some warm-up before the Bayern game will be the priority. So, I reckon Sylvinho will play about half the match and then be replaced by Caceres. Busquets should be a certainty to start and Bojan will fancy the same.

For the rest of the line-up, it is pretty much shooting in the dark. The key point is that there has to be enough regulars to retain some of the Fear Factor to keep Recré worried while at the same time saving the players for the tough run of games coming up. After this one, the next is Getafe and then the mini-league kickstarts with the CL semis sandwiched in between them.

Lucas Alcarez is the coach of Recré and has had some success getting teams promoted from the Segunda Division to La Liga. However the teams he has handled in the Primera Division invariably drop back to the Segunda; a record he will be hoping to break this time. He hardly has any household names to call on and hence the collective effort of the players will be his only hope to thwart Barca. Additionally some of his best players are ruled out with injuries or suspensions including team joint top scorer Colunga although Camunas is available.

Predicted Lineups

Barca : Valdes, Alves, Marquez, Puyol, Sylvinho, Busquets, Iniesta, Keita, Hleb, Bojan, Henry

Recreativo : Riesgo, Lamas, Poli/Morris, Casado, Barber, Nayar, Sisi, Camunas, Ruben, Maidana

Recré are a plucky team and it is unlikely they will roll over and play dead. At home though, even a reserve Barca team should be able to handle them without overexerting themselves. Barca have to maintain the rhythm they have built up, retaining the 6-point advantage over Real and the psychological edge that goes with it heading into El Classico in the first week of May.

Oh, and another clean sheet will put us on 5 consecutive in La Liga alone.

Prediction : Barcelona 3 – 0 Recreativo




kamikaze kontiki

Quote of the day: Rummenigge






I saw my friend Udo Lattek at half-time: he was crying. I don't know if they were tears of rage, tears of sadness or of pain. But it was significant after what we unfortunately have seen here tonight.


Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich president





Valencia willing to listen to offers for Silva

Asked about the rumours linking Valencia left winger and Spanish international David Silva (23) with several European clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Valencia sports vice-president Fernando Gómez has suggested in an interview with Italian television channel Italia 1 that the club is ready to listen to offers for the player:

"A lof of important clubs are interested in him. There hasn't been any concrete offer yet and we don't plan to offer our top players to other clubs. The value of Silva is certainly not 18 million euro like has been said. 25 million euro? I cannot say anything about the money issue.

We don't put a price tag on our players, especially not on the star players. A football player is worth what others want to pay for him. We will wait and see which offers will come in. But we don't have a fixed asking price. His wish is to stay at Valencia but if he changes his mind and wants to leave, he will have to tell us where he would like to go."

Read more:
Asenjo, Zhirkov and Silva main transfer targets
Poll result: Next season's left winger
Possible new bid for Silva

[Crosas] Celtic Glasgow-Falkirk

Celtic Glasgow played on Wednesday their 31st league game of the season. Celtic defeated Falkirk 4-0.

Former Barcelona midfielder Marc Crosas played the whole game.



Marc Crosas joined Celtic Glasgow in 2008. Since Barcelona can buy Crosas back in the summer of 2010 for two million euro (read more here), this blog will follow the performances of the midfielder over those two years.



Sunday 10 August - League game 1: Celtic Glasgow-St Mirren 1-0
Non-selectable. Crosas has signed his contract and is presented to the fans before the match.

Sunday 17 August - League game 2: Dundee United-Celtic Glasgow 1-1
Bench.

Saturday 23 August - League game 3: Celtic Glasgow-Falkirk 3-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Brown in the 73rd minute (3-0).

Sunday 31 August - League game 4: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 2-4
Bench.

Sunday 14 September - League game 5: Motherwell-Celtic Glasgow 2-4
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Nakamura in the 80th minute (2-4).

Wednesday 17 September - Champions League group stage game 1: Celtic Glasgow-Aalborg 0-0
Bench.

Sunday 21 September - League game 6: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Hartley in the 74th minute (0-2).

Tuesday 23 September - League Cup 1/8 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Livingston 4-0
Not selected.

Saturday 27 September - League game 7: Celtic Glasgow-Aberdeen 3-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by McDonald in the 72nd minute (1-2).

Tuesday 30 September - Champions League group stage game 2: Villareal-Celtic Glasgow 1-0
Bench.

Saturday 4 October - League game 8: Celtic Glasgow-Hamilton 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Saturday 18 October - League game 9: Inverness-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Hartley in the 95th minute (1-2). Yellow card.

Tuesday 21 October - Champions League group stage game 3: Manchester United-Celtic Glasgow 3-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 25 October - League game 10: Celtic Glasgow-Hibernian 4-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 29 October - League Cup 1/4 finals: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 2 November - League game 11: Hearts-Celtic Glasgow 0-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 5 November - Champions League group stage game 4: Celtic Glasgow-Manchester United 1-1
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 9 November - League game 12: Celtic Glasgow-Motherwell 0-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 12 November - League game 13: Celtic Glasgow-Kilmarnock 3-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 16 November - League game 14: Hamilton-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 22 November - League game 15: Saint Mirren-Celtic Glasgow 1-3
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Tuesday 25 November - Champions League group stage game 5: Aalborg-Celtic Glasgow 2-1
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 30 November - League game 16: Celtic Glasgow-Inverness 1-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Sunday 7 December - League game 17: Hibernian-Celtic Glasgow-Inverness 2-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Wednesday 10 December - Champions League group stage game 6: Celtic Glasgow-Villareal 2-0
Injured. Crosas has a hamstring injury.

Saturday 13 December - League game 18: Celtic Glasgow-Hearts 1-1
Bench.

Sunday 21 December - League game 19: Falkirk-Celtic Glasgow 0-3
Bench.

Saturday 27 December - League game 20: Rangers-Celtic Glasgow 0-1
Bench.

Saturday 3 January - League game 21: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee United 2-2
Bench.

Saturday 10 January - Cup 1/16 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee (2) 2-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Robson in the 64th minute (2-1).

Sunday 18 January - League game 22: Aberdeen-Celtic Glasgow 4-2
Bench.

Saturday 24 January - League game 23: Celtic Glasgow-Hibernian 3-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Robson in the 78th minute (3-1).

Wednesday 29 January - League Cup 1/2 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Dundee United 0-0 (pen 11-10)
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 120 minutes. Scores penalty.

Sunday 1 February - League game 24: Inverness-Celtic Glasgow 0-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Nakamura in the 64th minute (0-0).

Saturday 10 January - Cup 1/8 finals: Celtic Glasgow-Queen's Park (3) 2-1
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Donati in the 42nd minute (1-0).

Sunday 15 February - League game 25: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 0-0
Substitute. Crosas replaces Brown in the 83rd minute (0-0).

Sunday 22 February - League game 26: Motherwell-Celtic Glasgow 1-1
Bench.

Saturday 28 February - League game 27: Celtic Glasgow-St Mirren 7-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Goal. Assist.

Wednesday 4 March - League game 28: Kilmarnock-Celtic Glasgow 1-2
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Assist.

Saturday 7 March - Cup 1/4 finals: St Mirren-Celtic Glasgow 1-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and is replaced by Samaras in the 74th minute (1-0).

Sunday 15 March - League Cup final: Celtic Glasgow-Rangers 2-0 (aet)
Bench.

Sunday 22 March - League game 29: Dundee United-Celtic Glasgow 2-2
Bench.

Sunday 4 April - League game 30: Celtic Glasgow-Hamilton 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Wednesday 10 April - League game 31: Celtic Glasgow-Falkirk 4-0
Starter. Crosas starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.



Table
1. Celtic Glasgow 70
2. Rangers 67
3. Hearts 52
4. Aberdeen 45
[...]

[Valiente] Hercules-Sevilla B

Spanish second division team Sevilla Atlético, the second team of first division club Sevilla, played last weekend their 31st league game of the season, losing 8-0 against Hércules.

Former Barcelona Atlètic player Marc Valiente (21) didn't play because of a yellow card suspension.



Because Barcelona has the right to buy Valiente back at the end of this season (read more here), this blog will follow the performances of the central defender during the season.





Sunday 31 August - League game 1: Albacete-Sevilla Atlético 2-1
Injured. Valiente has pubis problems.

Sunday 7 September - League game 2: Sevilla Atlético-Salamanca 1-1
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Central defender.

Sunday 14 September - League game 3: Córdoba-Sevilla Atlético 1-1
Injured. Valiente has an ankle injury.

Sunday 21 September - League game 4: Sevilla Atlético-Rayo Vallecano 0-0
Substitute. Valiente plays the second half. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 28 September - League game 5: Levante-Sevilla Atlético 2-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 5 October - League game 6: Sevilla Atlético-Real Sociedad 1-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Central defender.

Saturday 11 October - League game 7: Las Palmas-Sevilla Atlético 2-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 18 October - League game 8: Sevilla Atlético-Zaragoza 0-4
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Central defender.

Sunday 26 October - League game 9: Murcia-Sevilla Atlético 2-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 2 November - League game 10: Sevilla Atlético-Hércules 1-2
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Central defender.

Sunday 9 November - League game 11: Alavés-Sevilla Atlético 2-2
Starter. Valiente starts the game and is excluded in the 87th minute (2-2). Central defender. Red card.

Sunday 2 November - League game 12: Sevilla Atlético-Elche 0-2
Suspended. Due to red card.

Saturday 22 November - League game 13: Sevilla Atlético-Xerez 1-2
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Central defender. Yellow card.

Saturday 29 November - League game 14: Girona-Sevilla Atlético 1-0
Injured. Valiente has an injury.

Sunday 7 December - League game 15: Sevilla Atlético-Castellón 1-0
Injured. Valiente has an injury.

Sunday 14 December - League game 16: Gimnástic-Sevilla Atlético 3-1
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 21 December - League game 17: Sevilla Atlético-Eibar 0-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 4 January - League game 18: Tenerife-Sevilla Atlético 2-1
Starter. Valiente starts the game and is replaced in the 65th minute. Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 10 January - League game 19: Sevilla Atlético-Huesca 1-1
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 17 January - League game 20: Celta Vigo-Sevilla Atlético 2-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 25 January - League game 21: Sevilla Atlético-Alicante 2-3
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder. Yellow card.

Saturday 31 January - League game 22: Sevilla Atlético-Albacete 1-1
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Sunday 8 February - League game 23: Salamanca-Sevilla Atlético 6-0
Bench.

Saturday 14 February - League game 24: Sevilla Atlético-Córdoba 0-2
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 21 February - League game 25: Rayo Vallecano-Sevilla Atlético 1-0
Injured. Valiente has an ankle injury.

Sunday 1 March - League game 26: Sevilla Atlético-Levante 1-2
Injured. Valiente has an ankle injury.

Sunday 8 March - League game 27: Real Sociedad-Sevilla Atlético 1-0
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder. Yellow card.

Saturday 14 March - League game 28: Sevilla Atlético-Las Palmas 2-2
Substitute. Valiente replaces Cabral in the 56th minute (1-2). Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 21 March - League game 29: Zaragoza-Sevilla Atlético 4-0
Substitute. Valiente replaces José Carlos in the 52nd minute (2-0). Defensive midfielder.

Saturday 28 March - League game 30: Sevilla Atlético-Murcia 3-3
Starter. Valiente starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Defensive midfielder. Yellow card.

Sunday 5 April - League game 31: Hércules-Sevilla Atlético 8-0
Suspended. Due to yellow cards.




Table
1. Xerez 57
2. Hércules 56
3. Tenerife 56
4. Zaragoza 54
5. Rayo 53
6. Real Sociedad 49
7. Salamanca 48
8. Levante 46
9. Castellón 44
10. Huesca 44
11. Gimnástic 42
12. Elche 42
13. Girona 39
14. Murcia 39
15. Albacete 37
16. Las Palmas 36
17. Celta 36
18. Córdoba 36
19. Alavés 31
20. Eibar 28
21. Alicante 27
22. Sevilla Atlético 12

The top three are promoted to the Primera División. The bottom four are relegated to the Spanish third division.

Barça Classic: Barcelona-Inter Milan (february 2003)


Uploaded by odn-barca4life

Lucky sausage didn’t help Bayern

German tabloid Bild claims that one of their journalists, Kai Traemann, had buried a lucky "Weisswurst", a traditional Munich sausage made from finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon, beneath one of the corner flags at the Camp Nou stadium before the Champions League game between Barcelona and Bayern Munich.



Only Pedro and Sanchez not in Recreativo list

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola announced earlier today a list of 20 players for the 30th league game against Recreativo Huelva tomorrow evening at 8:00 pm.

The list:
Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera,
Alves, Puyol, Piqué, Márquez, Cáceres, Sylvinho,
Xavi, Touré, Busquets, Keita, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta,
Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Hleb

Víctor Sánchez and Pedro, who both didn't train with the first team today, will play with Barcelona Atlètic this weekend. Abidal, who trained with the group today, and Milito are still recovering from their injuries. Two players, among which one goalkeeper, will have to fall from the list tomorrow.

Tomorrow, there's a last training at 11:30 am. At 1 pm the players will have lunch together. They then have the afternoon off and are expected back at the Camp Nou at 6:30 pm, one and a half hour before the start of the game.









Poll result - Man of the match: Bayern Munich

This is the final result of this blog's Barcelona-Bayern Munich: who was our man of the match? poll:



1. Messi 61%
2. The whole team 21%
3. Iniesta 4%




see full results here
see previous poll results here

The Pictures: Bayern Munich (part 3)

(click a picture to enlarge)











































(click a picture to enlarge)


part 1
part 2


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