FC Barcelona Cules: April 2013

Monday 29 April 2013

Mascherano wants Agger to come to Barcelona

Barcelona are reportedly ready to reignite their interest in Liverpool defender Daniel Agger during the summer transfer window, after the talents of the Dane were endorsed by former Reds teammate Javier Mascherano.

According to the Daily Express, Barcelona are not prepared to give up on Agger after missing out on his signature last summer, and the Catalan club have been urged to sign him by centre-back Mascherano.
Agger and Mascherano played together at Anfield for four seasons before the latter left Liverpool for Barcelona in a deal worth €24 million, and the Argentine now reportedly wants his ex-clubmate at the Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old Denmark international has excelled under the tutelage of Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers this term, and his ability to play the ball out from the back marks him out as an ideal acquisition for Barcelona.
Barcelona are on the lookout for new recruits at the centre of defence with Carles Puyol edging towards the end of his career, while Eric Abidal has just returned to competitive action after well-documented health problems. Abidal underwent an liver transplant in April of last year, before making his first appearance for the Barcelona first-team in almost exactly 12 months when he featured against Mallorca three weeks ago.

Valdes to stay put

Arsenal’s summer transfer plans have already been dealt a blow, after it was revealed that target, FC Barcelona goalkeeper, Victor Valdes is unlikely to be sold this summer.
Valdes has publically declared his intentions to leave the Camp Nou after making just shy of 600 appearances for the team over the last decade, and he has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League after speaking to Four Four Two about his admiration of English football.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s search for a new goalkeeper is well publicised after neither Wojciech Szczęsny nor Lukasz Fabianski have managed to secure the number one jersey at the Emirates for themselves.

It was believed that Barcelona would be willing to sell Valdes this summer as opposed to risking losing him for nothing next year, however, Barcelona vice-president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has stated that it would be beneficial from a football perspective to keep him.

Bartomeu said: '[President Sandro] Rosell has had contact with Valdes to make it clear that we have to leave the doors open [on him changing his mind].

'As we prioritise sporting aspects, we prefer to run out the contract until June 2014 rather than sell him this summer.

'We have no deadline in Valdes’ case, one option is to run to the end of his contract and in that case we will not sign a goalkeeper [this summer].

Cesc rumoured to go back to Arsenal

Has the new Cesc Fabregas transfer saga started? It seems like just yesterday that the former Arsenal man’s move to Barcelona was on again and off again. A media fueled frenzy that finally ended in the summer of 2011 with the midfielder signing official terms with the Catalan giants. Now, nearly two years later, the media is at it again – this time linking Cesc witha move away from Barcelona and possibly back to England.
But why? It’s rumored that Barcelona are looking to stage a massive clear out to free some funds to rebuild their team. Amongst those same rumors is where Cesc’s future away from the Nou Camp lies. But is the possibility of a Fabregas move even in the realm of reasonable? One thing is for certain – the competition for places in Barcelona’s midfield is fantastic. With the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas, all at his disposal, Tito Vilanova has a fantastic arsenal of weapons to select from. Xavi, 33, has missed several matches due to injury this season, while Iniesta, 28, continues to impress on a regular basis. When all of Barcelona’s players are indeed fit, Fabregas often times finds himself on the bench. When he finds himself on the pitch, however, he’s been efficient and even effective in front of goal. Lionel Messi’s injury worried many Barcelona fans, but Fabregas filled in without hiccup and even scored his first professional hat-trick against Mallorca several weeks back.
So just how good has Fabregas been this year? A quick look at his statistics in La Liga show that he has been very good. Having made a total of 28 appearances in the league this season, Fabregas has missed out on the action in a total of five of Barcelona’s La Liga matches. He boasts an 88% average pass accuracy with an average pass length of 15 meters. Throughout the season, he has created 44 chances and converted 10 of those into assists. In front of goal, he’s taken a total of 33 shots this season and scored a total of 10 goals.
So ten goals, ten assists, with an 88% pass completion average? Not too bad. If you take a look at one the guys in Barcelona’s team that he competes with for playing time, Andres Iniesta, you’ll see that Cesc really isn’t too far off the mark. Iniesta has featured in 26 La Liga matches this season and has a 91% average pass accuracy with an average pass length of 14 meters (Xavi leads the team with a whopping 95% average passing accuracy). Iniesta has scored twice but assisted 14 goals this season with a total of 38 chances created. All things considered, the two players have been very effective for their side.
Lets take a look at the team he left behind now and the man he left behind to fill his boots: Aaron Ramsey. Just as Arsenal fans were confident that Cesc could fill in for Patrick Vieira once the Frenchman left for Juventus, the idea that Aaron Ramsey was maturing into a player that could eventually replace Cesc was on the mind of many around the world when Cesc finally did leave for Barcelona. An awful broken leg at the hands of Stoke City put a massive speed-bump in Ramsey’s growth as a player, but he’s back playing now and competing regularly for Arsenal. Ramsey has played in 33 of Arsenal’s 35 League matches. He hasn’t scored in the League yet this year, but he has created 38 chances, converting two of those into assists. He also has an 88% average pass accuracy. Ramsey hasn’t been able to find his goal-scoring boots this season, but his passing has been good and he will continue to improve at just 22 years of age.
So what if Cesc did come back to Arsenal and found himself playing alongside fellow Spaniard Santi Cazorla? Cazorla has been impressive in his first season averaging an 87% pass accuracy throughout this year’s league campaign. He’s featured in all 35 of Arsenal’s Premier League matches, scoring 12 goals and assisting 7 others in the process. What is most interesting is the fact that he has created 87 chances, a substantial number. A combination of both Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla could make for a very competitive Arsenal midfield. Throw in the likes of Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta, and suddenly Arsenal once again have the competition for places they need to compete for the Premier League. Whether or not they bring in some new attacking options is still left to be determined.
Fabregas does indeed find himself in a tricky situation now. The two-time European Champion and one time World Cup Champion is at the point of his career now where he should be playing regularly. He was doing so at Arsenal during his time in London, but has found his opportunities at Barcelona slightly inconsistent. With Xavi and Iniesta both Barcelona’s first choice midfielders, Fabregas has to decide whether or not he is happy being a third option or if he needs to seek out his football elsewhere. Arsenal fans would surely welcome back the Spanish Ace, but whether or not he actually does leave Barcelona is yet to be determined.

Dante warns about Barca surge

Bayern Munich's Dante has warned team-mates to be wary of Barcelona ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg clash with the Catalan giants.The Bundesliga outfit secured a 4-0 victory at the Allianz Arena but Dante is wary of the threat Barcelona pose at the Camp Nou."The Spaniards will be very motivated and aggressive. We put in a good performance [in the first leg] against Barcelona, but we must remain alert. We have to be focused right until the end in order to qualify for the final," he toldKicker."Barca will be desperate for revenge. They will do whatever is necessary to get back into the tie, but we cannot let them surprise us. One thing's for sure, though, and that is that it's up to Barca to attack."Bayern kept Lionel Messi quiet in last week's first leg and Dante has stressed that they cannot afford to allow the Argentine attacker any space in the return either."The key thing was not waiting to come at you with the ball at his feet. You have to try and attack him as soon as possible."

Valdes explains captaincy situation

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has clarified his refusal to assume the captaincy after the substitution of Xavi Hernandez in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao, saying the armband was "too small" for him to wear comfortably, reports El Mundo Deportivo.

The 31-year-old was heavily criticised on social networking sites for his apparent snub, but moved to clear up the confusion surrounding his actions by posting a response on Twitter.

Valdes was next in line to take the armband from Xavi after the midfielder was replaced by Lionel Messi just before the hour mark at San Mames, with Carles Puyol and Andres Iniesta not in Tito Vilanova's line-up.

Thiago Alcantara was handed the Barca band to pass on to Valdes, but the Spanish stopper shunned the responsibility, leaving Messi to stand in as skipper.

"The assignment of the captain's armband to Messi during yesterday's game was for no other reason than because of a problem with size," explained the goalkeeper.

"By not being able to adjust comfortably to my arm I decided to transfer it during the match."

The criticism aimed at Valdes - who is out of contract at Camp Nou in 2014 - comes after the number one recently announced his intention not to sign a new contract at Barcelona, with speculation suggesting he could leave Spain this summer.

If that is the case, at least the player will exit on a high, after helping Barcelona reclaim the Primera Division title, though there celebrations were put on hold after Ander Herrera's late equaliser gave Athletic Bilbao a share of the spoils.

Arsenal wants Cesc back

Cesc Fabregas could be set for a dramatic return to Arsenal as Barcelona look to revitalise their current squad.

The Spanish giants have been found wanting in big matches this season and despite being on the verge of reclaiming their league title, major losses to Real Madrid, AC Milan and most recently Bayern Munich have left the club questioning whether they’re too reliant on Lionel Messi.

While a complete squad overhaul is clearly not on the agenda, Barca may consider selling peripheral players like Fabregas and Alex Song in order to finance moves for a centre-back and new striker.

A Barcelona source told the Daily Star: ‘If an important offer for Cesc arrives we will study the situation.’

Arsenal, who have a first-refusal option on the midfielder they sold in 2011, may be tempted to re-sign their former captain, and it’s believed Fabregas would be open to a return.

With the World Cup looming, the 25-year-old knows first-team football will be crucial to his chances of making the plane to Brazil 2014, and given Abou Diaby’s injury situation at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger will likely be on the lookout for a midfielder come the end of the season.

Fabregas’ partner, Daniella Semaan, has also recently given birth to their first daughter, and it’s reported the couple are keen to raise their family in London.

Cuenca wishes to stay

Barcelona forward Isaac Cuenca, on loan at Ajax, wants to stay for another season at the Eredivisie side.

The 22-year-old was loaned to the Dutch league leaders on January’s transfer deadline day for the remainder of the season. Earlier, he missed the first half of the campaign with the Catalan giants nursing a knee injury.
"I want to stay another year at Ajax", the Spanish footballer told Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

"Barcelona know what I want and the two clubs are negotiating. Since the relationships are good, I feel I’ll stay."

Cuenca is struggling to make his mark in the game after being plagued by injuries this season. He has made just three league appearances so far with Ajax, the last one being in the 2-0 win against NAC Breda on Saturday, where he came on as a 81st minute substitute.

"Because of my injury I cannot play much, but next season I want to be important. I have fun at Ajax, feel comfortable and their style of play resembles that of Barca.

“I think it’s good for my development for another year under Frank de Boer to train and play."

Cuenca, in contrast, made 16 appearances with Barcelona in La Liga last season.

He has a contract with the Spanish league leaders until June 2015.

Busquets rushing up treatment for second leg

Sergio Busquets is Barcelona's main fitness concern for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich, after Lionel Messi confirmed his return to form with a scintillating goal in Saturday's 2-2 La Liga draw at Athletic Bilbao.

Busquets missed the game with a groin problem and did not train with his colleagues at Barca's Ciutat Esportiva on Sunday morning. The Spain international 'pivote' is expected, however, to be fit to start Wednesday's game at the Camp Nou, where Barca must reverse the 4-0 defeat from last week's first leg in Munich.

Better news for blaugrana fans is that defender Javier Mascherano appears close to a return just four weeks after seriously injuring his knee during the quarter-final first leg at Paris Saint-Germain, according to a club statement released on Sunday.

The statement read: "The players who started the game in San Mames (2-2), together with Adriano and Messi, did recovery exercises plus physio treatment in the gym. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad exercised on the pitch under a rain-filled Barcelona sky. Two of the players who did not make the trip to Bilbao, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano, also exercised out on the pitch but separately from the main group. Busquets was rested for the game as a precaution due to his groin discomfort, while Mascherano is suffering from a knee ligament problem picked up in the game against PSG."

If Mascherano is not declared fit in time to return, youngster Marc Bartra, who was rested in Bilbao, will start alongside Gerard Pique at centre-half on Wednesday, as Adriano is needed at left-back to replace the suspended Jordi Alba. David Villa and Cristian Tello are options should coach Tito Vilanova wish to replace Pedro Rodriguez, who was again subdued in Bilbao, up front.

Barca's hopes of an unlikely comeback against Jupp Heynckes' side are focused on Messi, who looked sharp during his 30 minutes on the pitch on Saturday. He scored a superb solo goal just six minutes after entering as a substitute, before two minutes later assisting Alexis Sanchez's second goal.

Sanchez, who now has three goals and four assists in his last five games, hailed Messi's influence when speaking with reporters after the game.

"We know what it means to have Messi on the pitch, it doesn't surprise us, when he comes in, he changes the game," Sanchez said. "He is the best player in the world, and his appearance was tremendous. We are going to fight until the end against Bayern."

Pep could lure Spanish meastro to Munich

Rumours are rife about a possible deal that would see Cesc Fabregas return to Arsenal from Barcelona this summer, but with Pep Guardiola set to take over at Bayern Munich at the end of the season, will he ready an offer to lure the Spanish midfielder to Munich?

Guardiola was the man who brought Fabregas back to the Nou Camp from Arsenal when he was manager of Barcelona, but since his move from London, the former Arsenal skipper has failed to really establish himself in the Barcelona team, with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Arsenal would love to bring Fabregas back to England, although it is believed that the Catalan side will hold out for a bid upwards of £30million which may rule Wenger out.

Bayern however, have that kind of cash to spend, and although Fabregas would prefer to stay in Barcelona,if Guardiola came calling with Bayern, he would find it very difficult to turn that offer down.
It could be a busy summer for Bayern who are set to let some of their star players leave, in order to blood some new talent in Germany, with Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Mario Gomez among the players who may leave in the summer.
However, after signing Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund, the German champions have drawn up a transfer list for a summer spree that includes Liverpool star Luis Suarez and may include Cesc Fabregas.
It would be somewhat of a shock move if Fabregas left the Nou Camp at all, but with Guardiola at the healm of Munich, a Fabregas deal may not sound too far fetched.

Sunday 28 April 2013

Stoke keeper in Barca radar

Asmir Begovic is a possible target for Spanish giants Barcelona.
Stoke goalkeeper Begovic is on the list of names Barca are considering to replace Victor Valdes and has been watched by Nou Camp scouts.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool have all been trailing Begovic, who will leave the Potteries at the end of the season.
But David de Gea’s good form means United, like Chelsea and City, would not be able to offer 25-year-old Begovic guaranteed first-team football.
Arsenal believe they are well placed to convince Begovic to move to the Emirates as No.1, although Stoke’s £15million asking price could prove to be a stumbling block.

Barcelona have scouted both De Gea and Liverpool’s Pepe Reina, but have also been alerted to the fact Begovic has been the Premier League’s best goalkeeper this term.
Begovic has made 20 international appearances for Bosnia.
But he has never played in the Champions League and does not speak Spanish – which could count against him. Other than Begovic, De Gea and Reina, Barcelona are big fans of Inter Milan’s Samir Handanovic but the Italian club claim they will not sell the Slovenian.
Valdes has not extended his Barca contract which expires next year.
But the club have told the 31-year-old, who is also an Arsenal target, that he will not be sold this summer unless they find a replacement.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has admitted that defeat by Bayern Munich was the low point of his career.

Santos awaiting bids for Neymar

A senior Santos official has been left hastily backtracking in an attempt to quell speculation that the Brazilian club will consider bids for prize asset Neymar this summer.
Odilio Rodrigues, vice president of Santos, was initially quoted as telling Spanish radio station SER: “Neymar has rejected our offer of a new contract and we will listen to offers for his transfer this summer.”
However, he then quickly acted to claim that he’d been drastically misquoted, insisting: “Interviews through the phone are a complicated thing. A Spanish radio station called, but that thing they put in the paper is not true.
“I told them that I had read that Neymar said he wanted to leave. They either tried too hard to get something out of it, or they simply misunderstood what I said.
“It is not true either [that Santos are willing to start welcoming bids for Neymar]. He asked me if there were any clubs interested, and I said yes, of course, every transfer window there are new bids for him coming in, and we don’t expect it to be different this time.”
It remains to be seen whether the truth of the matter resides in the original comments attributed to Rodrigues or his later retraction, but there is every chance that Neymar will indeed make his way across the Atlantic in the summer.
Although other clubs have also been linked, notably Manchester City and Real Madrid, Barcelona’s case was strengthened with the revelation last autumn that they have already made a €10million (Dh47.8m) pre-purchase payment for an unspecified player, widely believed to be the Brazilian forward.
And the Catalan club’s hierarchy have regularly expressed their desire to bring Neymar to the Nou Camp, most recently less than a fortnight ago when club spokesman Toni Freixa confided: “I really like Neymar and I know lots of clubs are trying to sign him.”
Barca president Sandro Rosell also revealed that both former boss Pep Guardiola and current manager, Tito Vilanova, are big admirers of the player.
"The Brazilian interests us because the coaches have asked for him. (Pep) Guardiola did it and Tito (Vilanova) has confirmed it," he said.
Neymar has never explicitly stated his preference for joining Barcelona, but has repeatedly hinted they will be his number one choice with a series of complimentary comments about the La Liga leaders and their players.

Player ratings

Player ratings from yesterday's match

Victor Valdes: 5/10
The Catalan keeper only made one save on the day and claimed only a single cross. He did not have much to deal with, but did not make the saves he needed to. Though the shots were very difficult, one has to wonder if he could have done better.

Dani Alves: 7/10
Brazil’s right-back did not put in his best performance, but was still important. His five tackles came at very key moments and his two dribbles won nearly led to goals. His cross was a deciding factor in the second half.

Gerard Pique: 4/10
Pique did not show up for this one. He did make three strong tackles, but he needed to do more. Being the tallest defender on the team warrants winning more than 50 percent of his headers. But it was his positioning and decision making that cost Pique the most.

Eric Abidal: 7/10
The French defender did not do much, but that is exactly why his rating is a bit higher. He was not forced to make a single tackle due to his strong positioning. He also built up a lot of play from the back and looked like the most comfortable defender on the pitch.

Jordi Alba: 6.5/10
The first half was not Alba’s best showing. But he did pick things up the second Messi came on. Alba made three strong tackles and won every header he challenged for. His link up with Alexis was also strong and nearly led to a few goals.

Xavi: 6.5/10
Although Xavi played well, he did not contribute very much. He pulled the strings with his passing but was more than content to let Thiago do most of the work. Xavi did enjoy 88 percent passing efficiency but gave the ball away far too many times.

Alex Song: 8/10
The Cameroon international put in a masterful performance for his second game in a row. His seven tackles had the midfield locked down and his physicality forced Bilbao to play out on the wings.

Thiago: 8/10
The Spanish youngster was arguably the best player on the pitch for Barcelona. He completed 90 percent of his passes and gave an assist to Messi. Thiago also made two key tackles and controlled the offensive side of the midfield for Barcelona.

Alexis Sanchez: 7/10
The Chilean winger put in a decent performance at San Mames using his speed and ability to track back. He rattled the post early in the game and eventually scored in the second half. He was quiet for the majority of the match, but did step up at important moments.

Cesc Fabregas: 6/10
Playing as a forward, Fabregas was severely disappointing. He gave the ball away almost every time he touched the ball and was not a scoring threat whatsoever. But when he moved back to the midfield playing behind Messi, the Catalan performed much better.

Pedro: 5/10
Pedro played much better in defense than he did in attack. He made two strong tackles and linked up a few times with Xavi. However, Pedro really did not do much of value despite enjoying a passing efficiency of 84 percent.

Adriano: 6/10
The Brazilian came on at the start of the second half for Eric Abidal. He performed quite well beside Pique and won every header he challenged for. His speed was very important, but it is still clear that his positioning needs improvement.

Lionel Messi: 9/10
As soon as Messi stepped onto the pitch, everything changed. The Argentine took over, scoring one goal and giving an assist to Alexis. His presence made defending difficult and Barcelona finally took command of the match.

Andres Iniesta: 6/10
Iniesta entered the match for Alexis late in the second half. He really did not have time to accomplish much but boasted a passing efficiency of 92 percent. His link up with Jordi Alba was present, but was not given enough time to execute an attack.

Fabregas may return to Arsenal

CESC FABREGAS could be sold by Barcelona this summer to pay for a big rebuilding job at the Nou Camp - putting Arsenal on red alert.

The former Gunners midfielder is out of favour in Spain and was left on the bench for his side’s Champions League disaster against Bayern Munich in Germany.

He does not want to quit his boyhood club – but has fired the exit rumours by trying to buy a £5.4million flat in London.

Fabregas’ girlfriend Daniella Semaan gave birth to the couple’s daughter Lia earlier this month and the pair are looking into bringing her up in England.

Arsenal sold the midfielder, 25, to Barcelona for around £35m in 2011 – and would jump at the chance to re-sign him.

He is under contract until June 2016 but has his World Cup place with the Spain team to worry about and could be tempted by the prospect of regular football in the Premier League.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger wants to make a big splash in the summer.

And sources at Barcelona told the Daily Star Sunday: ”If an important offer for Cesc arrives we will study the situation."

Saturday 27 April 2013

Wenger feels under rated Carrick can fit into Barca

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick deserves the PFA Player of the Year award over Robin van Persie and could play for Barcelona, according to Arsene Wenger.

The Gunners boss was asked whom he would give award to, when he lauded the form of Carrick this season ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on Sunday.
Manchester United signed Van Persie from Arsenal last summer and he is tipped to come away with the award in for a second season in a row.
However, Wenger felt Carrick was undervalued in England and even suggested his style and talent mean he would fit in perfectly at Barcelona.
“I would give it to Carrick. He could play in Barcelona as he would be perfectly suited to their game,”.
“He has good vision and is an intelligent player and it is for what he has achieved in his career.”
Carrick is likely to be in the starting XI when Manchester United turn out against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the Sunday late kick-off but Wenger will likely be worrying more about his former captain.
Van Persie is on course to win the Golden Boot again this season after a hat-trick against Aston Villa took his tally to 24 and clinched the title for Ferguson’s side.
A hostile reception will await him if he plays, despite Wenger’s request that the Gunners faithful respect their former star.

Heynckes might return to Spain

Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes will leave Bayern at the end of a record-breaking season to make way for former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.
On Saturday, Munich paper TZ reported the former Real Madrid coach could incredibly join Guardiola's former club.
Current Barca coach Tito Vilanova stressed on Friday that he feels fit and able to continue as coach for next season, during his first press conference in three months.
"I did not come here before due to secondary effects, but each day I feel better. I have the strength and motivation to continue next season," Vilanova, who, earlier this year received cancer treatment in New York, explained. "In no moment have I thought of stepping down. Football is my life."
But TZ reports that Barcelona have a Plan B in case Vilanova needs to step down for health reasons.
According to information from the Barcelona board room it involves either Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini or Heynckes, with the newspaper claiming the Catalans have been eyeing the veteran German for a long time.
During a press conference on Friday, Heynckes, who has also been briefly linked with a return to one of his former La Liga clubs Real Madrid and Atletico Bilbao commented on his future plans.
"You don't really believe I will discuss what I will be up to after June 30 with you," he told the press. "There is a lot of noise in the press right now. I know what I will be doing. Have known it for quite some time."

Match result

Lionel Messi sparked Barcelona to a second half comeback but it was Athletic Bilbao who had the last laugh thanks to a 90th minute equalizer from Ander Herrera. Athletic had the lead at half-time but Messi helped push Barca ahead with a goal and an assist in the second half.

Both sides had chances to take an early lead but neither could convert. Athletic's Ander Herrera whipped a low ball across the Barcelona box, catching the defense sleeping, to an unmarked Aritz Aduriz who just missed putting the ball in the empty net with a sliding effort. Ten minutes later, Alexis came whisker close for Barcelona sending an off balanced show pinging of the post.

In the 28th minute Herrera again made a nuisance of himself down the left taking advantage of a slip by Gerard Piqué and sending a cross/shot to the far post where Markel Susaeta had slipped behind Jordi Alba. Susaeta did not miss his chance and poked the ball into the net, giving Athletic a 1-0 lead.

Aduriz missed his second sitter of the game in the 44th minute, heading a beautiful cross from Oscar de Marcos just over the cross bar. The only thing worse than the finishing from Adruiz was the marking by Piqué and Abidal who allowed the Athletic a tremendous amount of space right in front of Victor Valdés.

Another close call for Athletic in the 56th minute after Adriano's foul gave the home side a free kick just on the edge of the Barca area. Susaeta's free kick took a slight deflection off the wall and hit off the crossbar and back out in front of the goal at the far post. Defender Mikel San Jose was well placed and his follow up header went just wide, appearing to hit off the post.

At that point Tito Vilanova had seen enough and replaced Xavi Hernandez with Lionel Messi. As you might expect, Barcelona immediately looked like a new side. Les than two minutes after entering the match Messi rocketed through the midfield and sent the ball right to Pedro whose shot was stonewalled by Gorka Iraizoz.

Vilanova's decision paid off in the 67th minute as Messi did a magical dance through three Athletic defenders, weaving his way into the area before beating Iraizoz with a low rolling shot inside the post. Two minutes later Barca surged into the lead when Dani Alves lofted a cross to Messi who headed the ball down to Alexis for a short range strike past the goalkeeper.

Athletic kept fighting at were rewarded in the 90th minute with the equalizing goal. De Marcos' initial cross was headed poorly by Adriano right to Herrera who hammered a low shot just past the sprawling Valdés.

Barcelona will not be able to clinch the title no matter what happens with Real Madrid and will have to wait until next week at home against Real Betis. Ths was the final meeting between the two sides at the San Mamés as Athletic will be moving across the street into their new stadium next season.

Barca to bolster the squad this summer

Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed that the club are to invest in as many as five new signings this summer after Tuesday's 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Tito Vilanova has five targets in mind as he will look to strengthen the squad at the Camp Nou, while Barca have recently told their coach that his job is safe despite their humiliating loss in Germany.

"We'll make four or five signings in the summer. We need to shake up the squad. We've also got players from the B team," Bartomeu toldCatalunya Radio.

The vice-president was also asked about the potential signing Brazilian starlet Neymar.

"We haven't signed Neymar," the Barcelona vice-president commented. "He's a player we are interested in, we've said that before, and we'll see what happens when the season finishes."

Neymar is just one of the many targets for Barcelona with Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund linked as a possible replacement for Carles Puyol, as the experienced defender is spending more and more time on the sidelines.

Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is also a target to replace Victor Valdes should he leave in the summer.

Barcelona will look to move some players along, with the names of David Villa, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Song and even Cesc Fabregas available at the right price as they look to increase their transfer kitty.

The Catalan giants face Athletic Bilbao in La Liga this weekend but, with the title effectively wrapped up, Vilanova is expected to field a team of fringe players to keep his star performers fit for next week's Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern.

Herrera hopes to continue watching Messi magic

Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera says he hopes Lionel Messi stays at Barcelona for many years to come.

The 23-year-old is a huge admirer of the four-time Ballon d'Or winner, but while he acknowledges the importance he has in the side, he does not believe the Blaugrana are overly dependent on the Argentina superstar.

"Barcelona have also won lots of games without Messi," he told Goal.com.

"It's obvious that it's different when he plays or not, as he is the best player in the world. I hope he stays in Barcelona."

Barcelona travel to face Athletic on Sunday off the back of a humbling 4-0 Champions League semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich, but Herrera does not believe the Catalans' era of dominance is coming to an end just yet.

"Barcelona will need to have a revenge from their tough loss in Munich, but even their secondary players can easily win. There is no a good moment to play against them," he continued.

"I don't think Barca's era has come to its end. It's the best team I've ever seen and they are only going through a bad moment."

Herrera also paid tribute to former team-mate Javi Martinez - who played key role in for the Bavarians in their triumph at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday - describing him as the strongest player he has played alongside in his career.

"Javi Martinez played his best game of the season in a key moment last Tuesday," Herrera said. "He is so good that the team needs him at his best. Bayern needed his strength and, to be honest, he is the strongest team-mate I've ever had in my short career. I'm happy for him; he deserves it."

Herrera has continued to flourish at San Mames since the departure of Martinez last summer, but he insists any talk of a Spain call-up remains premature at due to the depth of quality at Vicente del Bosque's disposal.

"The national team is still quite far from me," he added. "There are many great players but I will keep working in case I have my chance in the future. It's time to focus in Athletic though and I can enjoy watching those huge players on TV."

Is Messi dependence affecting Barca big time?

It was the cruelest of blows. Lionel Messi's recent muscle injury has left Barcelona hamstrung at the worst possible time and seemingly contributed to the Catalans downfall in the Champions League semi-finals after a half-fit Leo failed to help his team in the Blaugrana's brutal battering at Bayern Munich on Tuesday night. It looked like extremely bad luck, yet it could almost certainly have been avoided.

Messi constantly claims that individual awards and personal marks mean little to him; that he is more concerned with winning the top trophies for club and country. "Indivdual prizes don't excite me that much," the Argentine claimed ahead of his fourth Ballon d'Or earlier this year, while he also played down his recent record of scoring in 19 consecutive rounds of La Liga, saying "The important thing was the win," after his momentous goal against Celta on March 30th. But almost a month later, he has not featured again in the Primera Division and the pursuit of such records has cost his team dear.

TOO MUCH, TOO YOUNG: MESSI SINCE 2008

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13	51 games (38 goals) 53 games (47 goals) 55 games (53 goals) 60 games (73 goals) 47 games (57 goals)

Just four days prior to starting against Celta, Messi was struggling for breath in La Paz in a World Cup qualifier for Argentina against Bolivia. He was noticeably in severe difficulty during that match, like many of his team-mates, and was ill during the half-time interval. Surely it is no coincidence, then, that he was injured just a week later, along with Javier Mascherano (who also started for Argentina in La Paz) in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Paris Saint-Germain. Records are all well and good, but with the Champions League in play, why didn't prudence prevail?

Messi, of course, always wants to play. Sometimes, as on Tuesday, he should probably be more honest with himself, hold his hands up and admit he is not in the optimum condition. So often, however, he has starred for Barcelona when half-fit, and against PSG in the second leg earlier this month he emerged from the bench to save his side when they badly needed inspiration and, more importantly, a goal.

It is well known that players pick up injuries after international breaks, particularly when they have travelled half way around the world to feature for their countries. Pep Guardiola always exercised caution in such situations and Messi rarely started matches after a World Cup qualifier in South America. Tito should have followed suit.

This time last year, Messi was chasing Gerd Muller's mark of 67 goals in a single season and the Argentine eventually overhauled the German great in early May. By that time, however, he had looked below his best in the home loss to Real Madrid (which saw the Catalans wave goodbye to La Liga), and in the two semi-final matches versus Chelsea. The 25-year-old was ineffective at Stamford Bridge and then imprecise at Camp Nou, missing a penalty in the 2-2 draw which saw the Blaugrana beaten by Roberto Di Matteo's men.

This term, something similar has happened. Messi hit the heights in the build-up to the Ballon d'Or and smashed another magical Muller mark as he hit 91 goals in 2012 for club and country to beat the Bayern legend's 85 strikes from 1972. But none of that was important, of course. Not for Leo, nor for Barcelona. So why the obsession with such records? Why not rest your star man, your go-to guy, your commander-in-chief, for the important tests ahead?

Muller, meanwhile, was gracious and genuinely happy for his records to be broken. And now his beloved Bayern are on the verge of a place in the Champions League final, he will be even happier still. Some 34 years after pulling on a Bayern shirt for the last time, he has inadvertently played his part in the Bavarians' semi-final success, with Leo looking tired and off the pace on Tuesday. So Barca, instead of chasing rainbows, should have focused on their bread and butter, put their foot down - and given Messi a rest. Because La Liga, after all, was won a long, long time ago.

Can Barca seal the Liga today?

Barcelona will win La Liga on Saturday if they can beat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames and rivals Real Madrid lose in their derby clash against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

Both Barca and Madrid are reeling from their disappointing defeats at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, in the Champions League this week, but the Catalans can cheer up their frustrated fans by clinching the Primera Division title tonight.

However, it is not solely in their hands. Barca must beat Athletic in what will be theBlaugrana's last-ever game at the old San Mames stadium, but also hope Atletico can defeat Real in the Madrid derby - and that hasn't happened since 1999.

Many of Barcelona's players would rather win La Liga in front of their own fans. "Last time we won it away from home [at Levante in 2010-11] and this year it would be nice to win it at home so we can celebrate with our supporters," Adriano said just last week.

However, a title triumph on Saturday would represent a big boost after the 4-0 defeat at Bayern on Tuesday and coach Tito Vilanova (who on Friday gave his first press conference since returning from cancer treatment in New York last month) says he hopes to win it sooner rather than later. "This a league we are fighting for against Real Madrid and I want to win it as soon as possible," he revealed. It would also be his first trophy as Barca boss after taking over from Pep Guardiola in the summer.

Barcelona will need to better last season's 2-2 draw at San Mames to have any chance of claiming the title, but must wait to see how Madrid get on in the capital clash at Atletico before the celebrations can begin.

By the end of that match, Barcelona will already be on the plane back to the Catalan capital, although they will be kept informed of events at the Calderon by the captain and the cabin crew.

Atletico have failed to beat Madrid in a competitive match since 1999, but Diego Simeone's side may have their best chance for some time as Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out with a muscle injury and Jose Mourinho will have more than one eye on Tuesday night's Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Dortmund (after the first match was won 4-1 by the Germans on Wednesday).

Nevertheless, assistant Aitor Karanka claimed on Friday that Real would work hard to preserve their amazing derby record. "[Atletico] are a team who haven't beaten us for many years, but they are strong at home, we are fighting them for second place and it is the city's derby - we will have to play with great intensity," he told the media.

Atletico celebrated their 110th birthday on Friday and the capital club will hope to mark that anniversary with a first derby success this millennium. Simeone's side are currently third, six points behind Mourinho's men. "Let's hope we can finish second," Koke said on Friday, while captain Gabi added: "We have been waiting for 14 years to win the derby - it is a very special game and we are desperate to win it."

Atletico also meet Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu next month.

If Barcelona beat Athletic and Madrid win or draw at Atletico, the Catalans will have to wait until next weekend's game at home to Betis for their next chance to be crowned champions. Vilanova's side currently lead Madrid by 13 points with six rounds of La Liga remaining, but Madrid edge out the Blaugrana on the head-to-head record (if the sides are level) after claiming a win and a draw from this season's two Clasico clashes in the Primera Division.

Match review

It could be the perfect end to a difficult week; provided Barcelona win tonight at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid lose against city rivals Atletico Madrid, the Blaugrana could secure their 22nd La Liga title, just a few days after suffering a heavy defeat against Bayern Munich. Of course, that would require Atletico winning their first derby match of the millennium, and snapping a nine-match losing streak against Los Blancos, but with Cristiano Ronaldo missing out through injury, Cules will perhaps feel a little more confident of Atleti's chances. Just like Barcelona, Atletico have not conceded a single goal in their last three La Liga matches, while Falcao appears to have found his scoring touch once again...could Atleti move level on points with Real Madrid tonight, gifting the Blaugrana the title in the process?

Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but first Barcelona will have to fulfil their side of the bargain, and defeat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. Over the years, Barcelona have played 99 matches at the historic stadium, winning just 28 of those fixtures and losing 49 matches - and if Iker Muniain is to be believed, Athletic will be going all-out to make that 50 with a win tonight. However, having won just one of their last five fixtures, Bilbao are still heavy underdogs to secure a result tonight. Even without Sergio Busquets and possibly evenLionel Messi, Barcelona are expected to be too strong for their Basque counterparts. But what do you think? Predict the score of tonight's match by voting in our poll below, and commenting with your prediction to be in with a chance of winning a Barca-related prize at the season's end. Best of luck!

Friday 26 April 2013

Tito approves Messi-depencia

The 44-year-old Blaugrana coach believes any side would be reliant on a player as good as the Argentine and says he does not care when his men win La Liga

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova believes that any team in the world would depend on Lionel Messi.

The Argentine has been absent through injury recently but returned to the starting line-up for the clash with Bayern Munich as the Blaugrana slumped to a 4-0 defeat, with the Argentine not looking 100 per cent fit.

"It's quite normal for us to notice when Messi is absent, who wouldn't?" he told reporters.

"[Depending on Messi] is nothing new and it's normal since he's the best in the world. We hope to be dependent on him for many years."

Vilanova went on to reject the notion that there has been a power shift in football towards Germany and vowed that his side would give their all to turn around the tie with Bayern on Wednesday.

"I don't think it's the end of an era for Barca. If we didn't have a great team, we wouldn't be close to winning the league and in the Champions League semi-finals," he continued.

"We're Barca, we are playing at home and we have an obligation to our fans to try to turn the tie around. I accept the criticism we received after the Bayern game but we're not going to throw the towel in yet."

Vilanova went on to say that his relationship with Pep Guardiola is not as it once was and thanked Jordi Roura for his services to the team while he was receiving cancer treatment in New York City.

"Pep and I have been close friends since we were kids, but of course things cool down a bit when you are far apart," he continued.

"I'm grateful to Jordi for everything he has done. It wasn't an easy situation for him, but he did great."

Barca can mathematically win La Liga this weekend but Vilanova says he does not care when the title is wrapped up.

"I don't care where or when we would win the league, I just want to win it, against the best Madrid in history."

What do theses twin defeats mean to Spanish national side?

In the aftermath of Bayern Munich’s 4-0 humbling of Barcelona in the Champions League, I was left with a nagging question – what does Tuesday’s result mean for Spain’s national team?

It’s no secret that La Roja’s success on the international stage over the last five years is largely attributed to Barcelona’s domination of club football (European and world) during the same period.
Since their 2006 Champions League Final victory over Arsenal, Barcelona have amassed a whopping 16 trophies in all competitions, including a further two Champions League titles and four La Liga crowns.
In that time Spain have won and successfully defended their European crown and became World Cup champions in our own back yard in 2010. The victorious Euro 2008 side was managed by Luis Aragones. It had only three Barcelona players in it – Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez – four if you count La Masia bred Cesc Fabregas, but it’s noteworthy to add that Xavi was voted Player of that Tournament.
But since Vincente del Bosque has taken over it’s been a Barcelona-themed affair; the Iberians becoming the international equivalent of the Blaugrana – without Lionel Messi of course.
At the last Euro (2012), Del Bosque even deployed Fabregas as a “false number nine”, assuming the role Messi plays at club level.
David Villa, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodriguez, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and the aging Puyol have all been at the core of Spain’s success. The high intensity and pressing Barcelonesque style has served the world champions well, famously recording a 24-game winning streak – stretching back to 2007 – in qualifiers (World Cup and Euro) that ended with a 1-1 draw against France last October.
Bayern’s dismantling of Barcelona exposed more a failure to adapt when the situation called for it than the need for a wholesale change in the Catalans’ philosophy.
Insisting on a half-fit Messi, despite his lack of penetration and not bringing on an Alex Song to shore up a midfield that was clearly over-run are just some of talking points that attributed to Barca’s defeat.
It’s this lack of a ‘Plan B’ that will be a worry for Spain supporters. During their Euro defence, as fore mentioned, Del Bosque on three occasions chose to start without a recognised striker – despite having the two Fernando’s, Torres and Llorente, and Alvaro Negredo in the squad.
Though they did go on to emphatically beat Italy 4-0 in the Final, Spain’s displays throughout the tournament weren't always the convincing spectacles we’ve come to expect from the world champions.
It was in their recent World Cup qualifier against Finland on March 22 that some alarm bells would have gone off. Despite going ahead in the 28th minute, the home team failed to finish off the 87th ranked team.
For all their intricate passing, possession playing and ‘Fabregas false-nining’, Spain were unable to add to their goal as Finland kept them at bay and scored a 78th-minute goal of their own to claim a famous away draw.
Looking forward to next year’s World Cup, Joachim Löew’s young guns will be the team everyone watches. Germany is reaping the rewards of overhauling its youth development structure in the early 2000s – which included the mandatory prerequisite that all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs must have a youth academy.
Made up mostly of Munich and Dortmund players, Die Mannschaft will look to make good on their obvious potential.
That said, the propensity of Löew’s teams to crack under pressure is well documented: they narrowly lost the 2008 Euro Final and the 2010 WC Semi-final to the Spaniards, not forgetting the Euro 2012 semi-final exit to Italy when they were expected to progress.
Even at club level the impressive Bayern have reached two of the last three Champions League finals but failed to convert their opportunities into silverware.
The question remains, have the Germans grown and matured from these disappointments or will they flatter to deceive on the big stage once again?
This in large part is still up to the Spaniards, who will look to use the upcoming Confederations Cup as a platform to defend their World Cup title and achieve an unprecedented four-title grand slam.
But with just over 13 months to go before Brazil 2014, Del Bosque will need to come up with a suitable Plan B to avoid a potential Barcelona-style implosion.

Handanovic not needed the next season, says Barca VP

Barcelona have reacted to links with Inter’s Samir Handanovic by insisting they don’t need a new goalkeeper until 2014 at the earliest.
Barca have been paired with the Slovenian international after Victor Valdes confirmed earlier this season that he wouldn’t be signing a new contract at the Camp Nou.
“We still need to make a decision, but we have plenty of time,” Vice-President Josep Maria Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio.
“We don’t need a Valdes replacement immediately as he’s told us that he will leave in 2014. We consider Valdes to be the best goalkeeper in the world, but he doesn’t want to stay.
“When we sign a new goalkeeper we will thank Victor and let him go, but we hope he reconsiders before then.”
Handanovic replaced Julio Cesar at San Siro in the summer after his arrival from Udinese. There were reports that Barca are ready to offer €28m for him.

Betting high on Barca to win Liga tomorrow

With a 13-point lead at the top of La Liga and six games left, Barcelona will be crowned champions if they win at Athletic Bilbao in the next round of Spanish fixtures and Real Madrid lose the Madrid derby at Atletico.

With Barcelona 8/13 to win their clash and Atletico Madrid 13/8 to gain the derby bragging rights, putting the two victories in a double would normally pay at 16/5.
However, with Ladbrokes offering 4/1 that Barcelona are crowned champions after the next gameweek of La Liga fixtures, punters can take advantage of a little price boost.
The good news for Barca maintaining their end of the bargain is that they are unbeaten in their last 19 clashes with Bilbao in all competitions and have won all of the last three, including a 5-1 rout at the Nou Camp earlier this season.
Furthermore, on the five occasions that they have played away in the league this season after returning from Champions League duty, three points have been secured.
Bilbao’s home record against the top half of La Liga isn’t the best either, losing six of their nine games against opposition to start this round of fixtures in the top ten of the standings.
The bigger problem for the success of the bet is Atletico beating Real, as they have lost nine on the bounce between the pair in all competitions, including six in succession on their own patch.
But better news comes with the news that Real have already lost five away games in La Liga this season, in contrast to losing six across the last three campaigns combined.
The chase for second spot should additionally ensure Atletico don’t lack desire as a victory over their neighbours would put the pair level on 71 points, although it is Real Madrid that have the far superior goal difference.