Loan out: Keirrison injury-time goal gives Fiorentina a point
Fiorentina striker and Barcelona loan-out, Keirrison (20), scored an injury time goal during La Viola‘s match against S.S Lazio (1-1) yesterday, ensuring they come out with at least a point.
The Albiceleste took the lead on the 7th minute when defender Sebastiano Siviglia flicked a corner over Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastian Frey to give the home side an early lead. Nevertheless, Fiorentina were the superior side throughout the match but lacked composure and couldn’t get the deserved goal.
Keirrison was introduced right after the break, replacing the disappointing Adam Ljajic, and although his presence didn’t have a great impact on the game, the Brazilian managed to score the equalizer after a fine assist by young star Stevan Jovetic, which saw Viola draw in the 92′ minute.
Post Match Review: FC Barcelona vs Malaga
The story could have gone either way.
Tense moments lived the Blaugrana fans when the Barcelona team conceded a goal 10 minutes before the game was over.
It was not a goal that put Barca behind, it was a bitter goal that made the score tied at 1-1. In the Camp Nou.
The first thing that occurred to my mind was the question of the week: “Is Sergio Busquets good enough?” Those who saw the match against Malaga would directly know the answer. Those who did not have the chance to, the answer would be: If we agree that Busquets is in fact a good midfielder, he for sure is not good enough yet.
Not only did he lose the ball in midfield and cost Barcelona a counter-attack, he also, just like in the game against Atletico Madrid, did not have the wit to commit a foul against Malaga players in the midfield. The question in turn would be: “Is Busquets fit to play as a defensive midfielder?”
Quote of the Day: Pep Guardiola, FC Barcelona coach
“We had done more than enough to be better than to be drawing 1-1. We did things right tonight. We were ourselves again, we played a very good game and were well organized. This is the way forward, as I said, tonight we found ourselves again.”
Pep Guardiola, FC Barcelona coach, in a press conference after the game against Malaga.
The Front: El Mundo Deportivo (28.02.2010)
FINAL ENTHUSIASM!
Barça reacted like a champion with a final victory which made Camp Nou to burst into joy.
Pedro showed in a goal the blaugrana’s superiority, it was noticeable that Alves was back and Messi finished off.
Barça 2 – 1 Málaga
[Non Barça Related]
Tenerife 1 – 5 Madrid. Too much reward for the white ones.
The Front: Sport (28.02.2010)
WITH A PAIR OF…GOLAZOS
Barça had to show all their pride to get a difficult victory.
Messi and Pedrito’s goals allowed Barça to keep themselves two points ahead Madrid.
Pic: Messi celebrates euphorically the goal which meant the victory against Málaga.
[Non Barça Related]
Tenerife 1 – 5 Madrid. Madrid won easily against a soft Tenerife.
Xerez – Espanyol (17h). Espanyol must win in the Liga’s last team’s field.
Youth: Barcelona close in on Korean Messi?
According to Catalan sports paper ‘Sport‘ Barcelona has agreed to sign South Korean starlet Sheng Ho Park (13). The 13-year-old has been labelled as the ‘Korean Messi’ in his homeland.The player has caught the attention of Barcelona scouts in a tournament held last year. Sheng Ho has been training with Barcelona over the last few days at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
The young Korean who is beleived to have caught the attention of Barcelona first team assistant Manager Tito Vilanova (Read more here), has already signed a sponsership contact with Nike.
According to the report Barcelona have beaten a number of clubs for his signature including Barca’s La Liga rivals Real Madrid. The striker has impressed in the training with Barcelona and some Barca managers have even said they havent seen anything like this in the past years.
Xavi to receive hometown honour
FC Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, 30, is to receive an honorary award from his hometown of Terrassa. The city council agreed to give Xavi the Terrassa Medal of Honour in recognition of his sporting achievements. Xavi was born in the Catalan city which lies just 2okm inland from Barcelona itself and continues to live there with his family. Although the award has been agreed upon by a council of local groups, the city council of Terrassa has yet to set a date for the honour to be awarded to the player.
Xavi is a favourite of the Barca fans having played over 500 games for the club during a career that has seen him earn 83 caps for Spain, win nearly all trophies available to him, whilst personally being recognised internationally as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
The Ratings: FC Barcelona vs Malaga
FC Barcelona 2 – 1 Malaga CF
Valdes: Was alert on the rare ocassions that he was called into action. Will be disappointed to have conceded the equalizer late in the game as Valdo put the ball past him in a one on one to get the Andalusians back in the match. – 6
Alves: A solid performance from the full back in his comeback game after having been out for three weeks. Ventured forward, linked up well with Messi and put in some great crosses . Broke into the box and provided Messi with the simplest of tap ins for the winner. Gives Barcelona that much needed width which they have been lacking lately. – 7.5
Pique: He was strong in defense. Made some important interceptions and dealt with aerial balls well. Had a quiet night as Malaga did not threaten much. Brought the ball out of defense and even tried to find Ibrahimovic through some long aerial passes a couple of times. Booked for dissent in the first half. – 6.5
The Result: FC Barcelona 2 – Malaga CF 1
Result:
FC Barcelona: 2
Malaga: 1
Goalscorers:
FC Barcelona: Pedro (68′), Messi (83′)
Malaga: Valdo (80′)
Lineups:
FC Barcelona: Valdes,Alves, Pique, Puyol, Maxwell, Busquetes, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Ibrahimovic, Messi
Malaga: Munua, Gasper, Stepanov, Welington, Torres, Fernando, Toribio, Juanito, Baha, Duda, Obinna
Substitutes:
Match Preview: Barcelona vs Malaga
Saturday, February 27, 22:00 CET – Camp Nou, Barcelona
There are bigger fish to fry in La Liga than the one tonight for FC Barcelona, not withstanding all games are of significance and this game is another stepping stone to achieving the clubs ultimate goal of 2009/10.
Tonight, in the wake of the Blaugrana’s worst run of matches in 2010 wherein Pep Guardiola’s troops succumbed to debilitating results against Atletico Madrid and Stuttgart respectably, Barcelona will take on mid table Malaga CF who, despite their lacklustre squad ‘on paper’, their tendency to under perform against easier opposition and their ‘lower side of La Liga’ tag, have an impressive recent record and have already caused some hassle in the Catalunya camp.
The Estadio La Rosaleda played host to Malaga and Barcelona as the two sides began to enter their stride in the wake of the new season, the pitch may have that day been engulfed in a drenching sunlight, but it wasn’t long before a typhoon of hatred and brutality cast itself over the game as a blood-bath soon emerged between the two sides resulting in a mammoth 7 bookings in total as questionable refereeing saw to it that this number was held lower then could have been possible.
An enraged Barcelona entered the field instantly frustrated as Malaga opted for an aggressive all-out defensive approach as the Boquerones took aim against the Blaugrana players, resulting in Thierry Henrys early departure via a knock, enter Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who made the most of a sublime Lionel Messi chip to make it 1-0 for the Blaugrana, only for Gerard Pique to double the score line before full time despite Malaga coming frightfully close on numerous occasions.
Live Match Chat: FC Barcelona – Malaga CF
FC Barcelona vs Malaga CF
(Saturday February 27, 2010 @ 22:00 Barcelona time – Convert to local time)
Chat Link: http://fcbarcelona.hopto.org/
Facebook Application: http://apps.facebook.com/fcbarcelonachat/ (direct chat through Facebook)
Have you ever sat in front 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?
Song of the day: Te esperaré~ Shuarma
Carles Puyol’s motivation song before games!
Guardiola: “When things go badly, I never shout”
FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is confident that his side will win something again this season as he prepares his team for the encounter with Málaga at the weekend.
The Blaugrana boss is convinced that the quality of his players and their ability will guide the club to success once more.
“I think that we will win something, but we may not of course. I just hope that the team is involved in both competitions until the end. Then we will see if we win something or not,” Pep said.
“I cannot tell the players or the media that we are doing things well because we all know that we are not playing at the level that we want,”
The Front: El Mundo Deportivo (27.02.2010)
“I’VE GOT THE FEELING THAT WE WILL BE CHAMPIONS”
Guardiola trusts his team but asks them for more.
“I’ve got similar feelings to last year’s”, said Pep.
If Barça wins today, they will have one more point than they had last year at this moment.
Ibra: “Liga or Champions? I want both”
Barça – Málaga (22h, Tv3/La Sexta)
The best Barça, with Alves, to face Málaga tonight.
Piqué signs his new contract accompanied with his family.
[Non Barça Related]
Madrid come back to their cursed island. Tenerife – Madrid (20h, C+Liga/Gol TV)
Espanyol: Nakamura, to Yokohama
The Front: Sport (27.02.2010)
IBRA WANTS TO HAMMER AGAIN AT HOME
Barça – Málaga (22h, Tv3/La Sexta)
Guardiola has some good feelings again. “I’ve got the feeling that we will be champions”.
Piqué: A 200 million worth signing.A supercrack’s buyout clause.
Sala i Martín stays in the Representative.Laporta doesn’t listen to Ferrer.
[Non Barça Related]
Barça relies on his “friends forever”. Tenerife – Madrid (20h, C+Liga/Gol TV)
Know The Opposition: A Profile of Malaga Coach Juan Ramón López Muñiz
On Saturday in the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona will come up against a Malaga side coached by yet another ex-defender, Juan Ramón López Muñiz.
Muñiz (42) has yet to really make his mark on the coaching world. He took control of the Malaga squad initially for 2 seasons beginning in 2006-07 while the team was still in the spanish second division. The following year, he guided the team back to the first division, but left in 2008 for a job with Racing Santander. The job at Racing lasted just one season, and he accepted an offer to return to Malaga this year.
Like many ex-defenders, Muñiz tends towards tactical conservatism in the way he lines up his team. During the first part of this season, he often switched between an orthodox 4-4-2, a more defensive 5-4-1, and even a 4-4-1-1. In the last nine games, Muñiz seems to have settled on a 4-2-3-1 as his preferred formation.
Antonio Rubinos Pérez to Referee Barcelona – Malaga
Madrileño Antonio Rubinos Pérez will oversee Saturday’s contest at the Camp Nou between FC Barcelona and Malaga. Perez (40), a chemical engineer by day, has been a first division referee in Spain since the 2002-03 season. In 2007, he was awarded his FIFA badge and has presided over a number of international UEFA Cup and Europa League matches.
Pérez has a reputation for being somewhat liberal in the way he dispenses justice on the field. Last season he showed 103 yellow cards in 18 matches. This season, he leads the league in red cards, with 8 players expelled in 12 matches; 49 yellow cards have also been thrown in for good measure.
FC Barcelona are no strangers to Perez’s disciplined approach to officiating. He infamously gave Barcelona defender, and Spanish youth international, Marc Muniesa (17) a straight red card on his official first team debut in last season’s home contest with Osasuna, a decision that was met with vigorous protests from players, coaches and fans alike. Perez also recently refereed the first leg of the 2009 Spanish Supercopa which pitted eventual winner Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao.
Quote of the Day: Laurent Blanc, Girodins de Bordeaux coach
“There’s an ogre in the Champions League, We don’t see it at the moment because they are a little unwell and suffering from injuries, but it’s Barcelona. They have between 60 and 70 per cent of possession every time they play. That leaves you with 30 per cent!”
Former Barcelona player and Ligue 1 champions Girondins Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc during an interview with French site L’Equipe
Messi is world’s biggest media star
FC Barcelona forward and Argentine international Lionel Messi (22) outshined Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (25) and Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (25) who came second and third respectively in terms of media value, a team of Spanish researchers claimed on Friday.
Messi was given a media value of 21.6 while his Real Madrid counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo apparently has a media value of 19.6. England’s Wayne Rooney was given a media value of 13.6.
A research group named Economics, sports and intangibles (ESI) from the University of Navarra rated the last year’s Ballon d’or winner as the player with the highest profile in the world for the second year running.
The Ultimate Game: Get inside Guardiola’s head
This is a featured post. Please scroll down for all the latest news.
It’s back… This is your chance to prove not only your knowledge about the game of football but also your psychological insight by cracking the code of Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola’s master brain:
PREDICT BARCELONA’S STARTING LINEUP
You can give your starting line-up until 3 hours before the start of the game against Malaga.
Pique: “I want to be Blaugrana for life”
FC Barcelona defender and Spanish international Gerard Pique (23) is delighted to have signed a three-year extension to his contract, tying him to the Camp Nou until June 2015. Pique, who is an academy graduate from La Masia, has impressed hugely since returning from Manchester United in 2008 and was an ever-present in the clubs treble-winning season in his first year back.
The 23-year-old, whose contract was due to expire in 2012, becomes the tenth Barca player to renew his deal this season and is keen to lift as many trophies as possible.
Four youth players called up ahead of Malaga clash
Pep Guardiola called up four youngsters to continue their learning curve by training with the first-team on Friday morning as the squad prepared for the visit of Málaga at the weekend.
The Blaugrana boss added Carlos Planas (18) and Albert Dalmau (17) from the juvenile A side and Oriol Romeu (18) and Ilie Sánchez (19) from Barça Atlètic to add to the 19 regulars for the session. As is the norm the day before a game Barça trained behind closed doors at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
Alves bouncing back
Official: Pique signs new deal at Camp Nou
FC Barcelona defender and Spanish international Gerard Pique (23) has signed a three-year extension to his contract, tying him to the Camp Nou until June 2015.
Pique, a former Barcelona youth team player, has impressed since returning from Manchester United in 2008 and was an ever present in the Catalans’ treble-winning season in his first year back.
The 23-year-old, whose contract was due to expire in 2012, becomes the tenth Barca player to renew his deal this campaign.
Adebayor: “I was star-struck when I first met Messi”
Manchester City forward and Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor has admitted to BBC Sport that he was star struck the first time he met Barcelona’s European Player of the Year Lionel Messi. Adebayor recalls meeting the Argentine international for the first time when he visited former teammate and current Barcelona forward Thierry Henry in Barcelona.
“I went out to see Thierry Henry in Barcelona,” said the former Arsenal forward.
Five Barca players called up for Spain
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has revealed his squad to face France in a friendly next week. Five Barcelona players namely Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta have been included.
The five players have been named for the encounter on Wednesday and all five are also likely to earn a place on the plane to South Africa for the World Cup Finals in the summer. Thierry Henry will be captaining the opposing side in the Stade de France in Paris as he was called up by Les Bleus’ trainer Raymond Domenech.
FC Barcelona winger Jeffren Suárez (22) has also being called up by coach Luis Milla for Spain Under-21, for their encounter with Liechtenstein. The game in Ponferrada on Tuesday is a qualifier for the European Championships.
Alves: “We are on the right path”
FC Barcelona defender and Brazilian international Dani Alves (26) is on the verge of receiving a medical clearance. The marauding right back recently gave an interview to catalan sports paper Sport. These are some excerpts:
Has the team let their guard down?
We are on the right path. Maintaining the level that we had achieved was difficult and it’s better that this slump has happened now than at the end of the season. It’s tough, but better now.
Does the current Madrid team motivate you more?
Toure: “Everybody thinks we are unbeatable”
FC Barcelona midfielder and Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure (26) spoke at a press conference after training on Thursday about how hard it is for the team to demonstrate the same form as last year.
“It’s much harder after winning six titles, we can’t make any mistakes any more. Everybody thinks we’re unbeatable, and that’s not true. We are human and teams are fired up when they play us”, said Toure.
“There are so many games, and after what happened last year, it’s not easy, there are difficult times in sport, and this is one of them. We don’t just have to think about beating Malaga and Stuttgart. We have to be at one hundred per cent and play easy, delicate football. But we are well prepared and focused on our objectives … however, both the League and Champions League are going to be very hard this time round”.
