Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Barca Win Over Dynamo Kiev (2-0) !!!
Lack of finishing from 30 shot but still claiming victory ...
Lionel Messi set Barcelona on their way with a typically cool strike in the first half, before Pedro made sure of the points with an equally clinical strike 15 minutes from time. A mad scramble on 20 minutes in front of Victor Valdes’ goal almost left the
However, the deadlock was broken on 25 minutes when Messi ran onto Iniesta’s delicate through pass, skipped past two challenges before rifling a low shot past Shovkovski at the near post.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Pedro wrapped up the points when he made it 2-0 to
Dani Alves almost put the icing on the cake five minutes later when his rocket of a free kick from 25 yards out was saved by Shovkovski. Xavi had an identical opportunity moments later but his attempt just shaved the bar. Finally Barca claimed the 1st victory in Champions League Campaign .
Iniesta Will Be In The Starting Lineup !!!
Thierry Henry will be replaced by Iniesta againts Dynamo Kiev...
The 25-year-old has been out of action for four months due to a thigh injury.After making increasingly lengthy substitute appearances in the last few games,Iniesta is set to make his first start for Barcelona this season.
While good news to Barca Fans where Ibrahimovic has not picked up any lasting damage from an ankle injury acquired against Racing Santander, coming through the weekend test against Malaga unscathed.
We Will Beat Dynamo Kiev - Chygrynskiy
He describes that Barca is the best option to win this game...
The former Shakhtar Donetsk defender will be a spectator for the game, as he is ineligible for Barca in the Champions League having represented the Ukrainian outfit in the preliminary stages of the competition.
While he is sure that Barca will win the game, he is under no illusions about the potential threat Dynamo can pose.
"They are a very strong team. Keep in mind that they are Ukrainian champions. Their style is to pressure their rivals and leave no spaces. They are very strong physically, and quick on the counterattack," he is quoted as saying by Sport.
"Barcelona will win, because they are a better team than Dynamo.
"In fact ours we are the best team in the world, and I am convinced that we will win."
Champions League Against Dynamo Kiev !!!
Guardiola response about this match...
Dynamo, better than Shakhtar
He pointed out that Tuesday’s visitors are ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk, a side Barça have met recently both in the Champions League and the European Super Cup. "We know Shakhtar very well, and Dynamo have beaten Shakhtar. They beat them in the last league and are ahead again this time. They are a fine team with some interesting players up front ".
Ukrainian danger
Although he has yet to speak to Chygrynskiy, a man who knows Ukrainian football very well, Josep Guardiola has had a look at Dynamo Kiev: "They are very strong physically, very powerful, very tall and they work well on strategy, especially defensively "."We can’t let ourselves down"
Josep Guardiola spoke about how important Tuesday’s game with Dynamo Kiev is: "We can’t let ourselves down, especially in home matches. We don’t know what we’ll come up against in Russia and the Ukraine, where there will be some very low temperatures ".
And although this is still the group stage and there is some margin for error, he added that “there are far fewer options than you would have in the League ".
Monday, September 28, 2009
Receiving Injury Test Result (Chygrynsky & Henry)
Due match against Malaga this 2 players has been knocks...
Henry
Has strained the adductor muscle in his left leg and now faces a race against time to be fit to play in the midweek European outing when Dynam Kiev visit.
Henry picked up the knock in the 23rd minute of the match in La Rosaleda and was substituted soon after for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Chygrynsky
He will be out for 3 weeks. The club had told that he suffered ligament strain in his right knee .he could be return when Barca meet Valencia on October 17 or 18.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Players Rating !!!
Barcelona
Victor Valdes - 6: Didn't have much to do, but nearly made a complete hash of a back pass from Puyol, and was lucky to see it trickle wide.What a mess from him .
Daniel Alves - 7: Was his usual menacing self going forward, but gave Duda far too much room down the right, and was lucky not to be punished for it.
Carles Puyol - 8: A commanding performance from the skipper, who made a number of last ditch challenges. Dmytro Chygrynskiy - 6: Not the most confident performance, was beaten for pace by Obinna often, and his distribution was also inaccurate.
Eric Abidal - 8: A very solid performance, kept his flank quiet, and even made some rare forays forward.
Yaya Toure - 6.5: Not his best performance, made a few careless errors.
Xavi - 7: Not as commanding as usual, but still showed some flashes of brilliance, including a sublime back-heel for Messi.
Seydou Keita - 7.5: Continued his excellent recent form with a strong display in a match where his strength was needed.
Lionel Messi - 7.5: Plenty of trademark runs and a brilliant assist for Ibrahimovic, but should have finished some of his chances.
Thierry Henry - N/A
Pedro - 6: Showed some nice touches, but still needs some experience to stop fading out of games.
Substitutes
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 8: Missed a decent chance seconds after coming on, but then made amends with a great finish, and proved a tough opponent throughout.
Gerard Pique - 8: Another supersub, displayed his brilliance at both ends of the pitch.
Sergio Busquets - N/A
Malaga Gustavo Munua - 6: Made a couple of point blank saves from Messi and others, but should have done much better for Pique's goal, and flapped at a few crosses as well.
Jesus Gamez - 6: Was decent on the right, but came under increasing pressure as the game went on.
Ivan Cuadrado - 6: Another solid start, but found Barca's attacking riches too hard to handle in the end. Weligton - 5: No nonsense defending, put in plenty of rash challenges, and was lucky to still be on the pitch at the end.
Manu Torres - 7.5: Provided valuable support attacking down the left, and was not embarrassed by Messi. Fernando - 6: Fairly quiet, with all Malaga's attacking going down the other flank.
Xavi Torres - 7: Started out well, stopping Barca's midfield, but ran out of legs.
Juanito - 6: Harried the Barca midfield well initially, but was overrun in the end.
Duda - 7.5: Was a constant menace for Dani Alves down the left, but his final ball could have used some improvement.
Nabil Baha - 6: Didn't do enough to get involved, especially in the early stages, when he had plenty of support. Victor Obinna - 7.5: Looked lively throughout and provided plenty of troubles for the Barca defence, but just lacked the finishing touch.
Substitutes Valdo - 7: Was lively throughout the second half, but could not make the difference.
Fernando Forestieri - N/A
Albert Luque - 3: Can consider as bad boy and have been sent off for a challenge that was very poor.
Pique And Ibra Our Star's At Rosaleda !!!
Despite of rugby performance from Malaga and 'Piggy's ' field area , Barca continues their wins...
Malaga were first to look for the goal, when on 7 minutes Duda played Obinna through, but the striker could not do better than sent the ball against the side netting from a very tight angle.
Barcelona created their first chance just 23 minutes into the game. Messi picked up a loose ball in the centre before sending a cross to the right, Henry almost got to it and Pedro could not connect to it cleanly and sent it wide.
Ibrahimovic was introduced in the 30th minute for Henry as the Frenchman had to be replaced because of an injury, and the Swedish ace found the back of the net just nine minutes later. Messi chipped the ball over the defence and Ibrahimovic, with only the keeper to beat, made no mistake to put his side ahead.
The second half began practically with Pique being brought on for Chygrynskiy, and once again the substitution bore immediate fruits as the defender sent the ball past Munua after a free kick was sent into the middle of the box by Xavi.
Barcelona almost added a third on 62 minutes, as Xavi played a backheel into the path of Messi, but Munua rushed out to deny the Argentine wizard the opportunity to score.
Pique incredibly missed a goal 73 minutes into the game after being played by Pedro, who was looking for Messi, but he sent the ball flying over the bar with the goal completely empty.
Albert Luque, who had been brought on in the 75th minute for Duda, was sent off just ten minutes after being introduced following a dangerous challenge on Daniel Alves.
The last chance of the match went to Barcelona, two minutes into added time, as Messi was played through inside the box and he had only the keeper to beat but his low effort was denied by Munua.
Good News !!! Ibra's Back 4 Action
Ibrahimovic in the squad...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named in FC Barcelona’s squad for the game against Málaga on Saturday after making a speedy recovery from an ankle injury that was predicted to see him miss the encounter.
The Swedish striker picked up a knock in the midweek game against Racing Santander and early indications were that he would be unable to travel to Andalucia while he recovered. But after two days rest Ibrahimovic trained on Friday morning and was given the green light to be included in Pep Guardiola’s 19-man squad.Everyone included
The inclusion of Ibrahimovic means that Guardiola has named every available first-team player to make the trip south. With 19 players in the party the Barça coach will have to tell one that he will be watching from the stands before the match. Gabriel Milito and Bojan Krkic are both still out injured. Training day
After having the day off on Thursday, Barça trained on Friday morning for the last time before they fly down to Málaga to prepare for the match the day after. Barça are set to travel to Málaga on the day of the game and will leave Camp Nou at 9am and take off an hour later before arriving at their destination at 11.25am.
'Titi' is set for a starring role at La Rosaleda !!!
Barca Forward Against Malaga...
While the Swede has recovered from his sprained ankle and has been included in the squad to face Malaga, Sport believe that the Frenchman will still be at the heart of the attacking line.
Perhaps ,He has been frustrated by being frequently used on the left hand side of the Blaugrana's attacking trident recently, and an injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic had reportedly given him the opportunity to start in the centre.
The former Arsenal star has not been troubled by injuries recently, although Pep Guardiola fears that if Henry is overused then his chronic back problems will return.
The other problem facing the Frenchman is Andres Iniesta's continuing lack of fitness, which leaves very few options on the left hand side other than himself.
Barcelona face Malaga on Saturday at 20:00 .
Friday, September 25, 2009
Will Argentina Qualify For 2010 World Cup ???
This seems to be the question in everyones mind nowadays...
If you have asked me this before the Argentina- Brazil match, I would have definitely said a Yes; but now even I am doubtful. Maradona has been the major reason for that fixation and it is sad to see Argentina struggling to qualify under him. The old saying "Good Players, don't Make Good Coaches" looks like becoming true in Maradona's case.
Maradona was a legend and could single handedly take his team to greatness.They can't understand how he play so great with Barcelona and looks out of sort in the Argentinian Jersey.
Barcelona ace Lionel Messi has been the subject of many attacks by Argentinian fans in recent times.Messi has been trying hard to defend himself and he do have a point - football is essentially a team sport. Until the team clicks he can't do anything. There are rumours that Maradona is so unhappy with him and is not in talking terms. Messi is not alone in this kind of manners.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Luis Suarez Is On The List !!!
According to 'El Mundo Deportivo' Pep Guardiola had interest in high rated Uruguayan Striker/Winger ...
Despite receiving very favourable reports back and being impressed by video footage of the Uruguayan, no offer was made as Ibrahimovic arrived at Camp Nou.
However, that has not been the end of the matter and Guardiola is reportedly ready to ask the Barca board about the possibility of making a move for the 22-year-old.
Having hit double figures for both Nacional and Groningen in his season with each club, Suarez moved to Ajax in 2007 and has scored almost 50 goals in just over 70 appearances.
The Ajax captain's adaptability has also attracted Guardiola because he can play on the wing and would fit perfectly into Barca's front three system.
Please Don't Go To Real Madrid !!! (HOT News)
Arjen Robben jokes to Ribery not to leave Bayern Munich For Real Madrid ..
Ribery apparently repeatedly refused to answer questions to the press as he left the ground after Bayern's 2-1 victory at the weekend against Nurnberg.
Robben stated that,
"I wouldn't advise him to go to Real Madrid because I want to play with him!" he joked in an interview with Noticias Cuatro.
With their debt of €327 million, it remains to be seen whether Ribery's move would come about if los Blancos fail to win any trophies this season.
The Frenchman has also suggested that he may sign a new deal with the German side; his current contract expires in 2011.
Barcelona also could get Ribery if Bayern change their minds .They also know that we want to talk *although we won't take part in a bid race*.
Searching Backup For Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Luca Toni could move to Nou Camp on January transfer...!!!
Based to Tuttosport, Spanish Giant (Barcelona) are considering a move for Luca Toni in January. The Italian is currently out of favour with Louis Van Gaal, and would jump at the chance to move to the Camp Nou.
Pep Guardiola believes that Toni could play a similar role to that of Henrik Larsson a few years ago, namely an experienced striker who could come off the bench to devastating effect.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Pep Guardiola Backup Messi From Being Criticised
Messi has recently received a lot of criticism from the Argentine fans and press...
They claim that the Blaugrana star is not as committed to the national team as he is to his Barcelona club.
Guardiola said to Sport press,
"Argentina must know that Messi is the same with the national team,no one can say that he does not love his country, because a year ago he did not play in the Champions League qualifier [against Wisla Krakow] in order to be with Argentina [at the Olympics] where Argentina win the gold medal .
"This year, he did not play in the first game of the league season [against Sporting Gijon] so that he could be with his country [for their World Cup qualifiers]. "I am sure that he will be fine against Peru. The only thing that he must have is to be left to work in peace." In my opinion, i hope Argentina's should offload Maradona ASAP because he is the main factor that lead to this problems !!
Zlatan Broke The Scoring History ( SPECIAL !!! )
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has become the first FC Barcelona player to ever score in each of his first four league matches for the club.
Neither Romario, Johan Cruyff, Hans Krankl,Laszlo Kubala or Samuel Eto’o could match that incredible record, despite all of them going on to become club legends in front of goal. The Swedish striker arrived in a blaze of publicity in the summer and has lived up to his billing with an impressive start to his Barça career.
4 goals in 4 league appearence !!
(not included the assists)
Having netted four goals in his first four matches for the Blaugrana it remains to be seen if he can continue the run. After netting on his debut against Sporting de Gijón on September 1, Ibrahimovic showed that even though he was settling into the team, he could still score.
In his next game at Getafe he added a second and then matched that feat with goals against Atlético de Madrid in Camp Nou and then Racing Santander on Tuesday evening in El Sardinero.
Trashed Racing
Having played seven games in total for FC Barcelona the former Ajax, Juventus and Inter forward’s adaptation to life at Camp Nou has been quick. His display in El Sardinero was outstanding as he nodded home the opener before showing his strength and ability to set up Gerard Piqué for Barça’s third of the evening.
Over-taking Stoichkov
Ibrahimovic has taken the record of goals at the start of a Barça career off Hristo Stoichkov as it was the Bulgarian who had been at the top as he scored in each of his first three matches for the club in 1990. After opening his account against Espanyol, the striker netted against Valenica and Real Betis before being unable to add to that against Rea Valladolid.
Barça strikers first four matches for the club
| League | R.1 | R.2 | R.3 | R.4 | |
| Zlatan | 2009/10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Eto'o | 2004/05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kluivert | 1998/99 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Rivaldo | 1997/98 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Romario | 1993/94 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Stoichkov | 1990/91 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cruyff | 1973/74 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Re | 1962/63 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Escolà | 1934/35 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
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