Ayew "Delighted" & "Speechless" At United Interest

Barcelona FC

While some players feel transfer rumours are an irritating distraction which can damage their on-field performances, Andre Ayew, the Marseille winger/striker has told of how "fantastic" it is to see his name linked to big clubs in newspapers. Manchester United and Barcelona - the two 2011 Champions League finalists have been said to be following the 21 year-old, and the Ghanian did not attempt to hide his amazement:

"It is fantastic to hear these stories, even if it's just through newspapers."

 "I am delighted to be linked with two powerhouses of world football. It means I have improved.

"I have not got a favourite, I am just speechless!"

"It would be a dream to join one of them, but I am living the dream here with Marseille as well and also looking forward to a strong finish to the season."

After an impressive World Cup for Ghana, Ayew has had a very good season with his club, Marseille, scoring 10 goals and assisting 2 in the French Ligue 1. He was unable to grab a goal against Manchester United however, when he played against them for Marseille in this years Champions League, with a Javier Hernandez double sealing a United victory in that tie.

Despite his understandable enthusiasm to being linked with two of the best teams in Europe, he was obliged to emphasise his love of playing where he is now, at Marseille, describing it as a "dream":

"Do not forget last season, I was playing at Arles Avignon in the second division." 

"The World Cup has made me realise my potential. It is a dream to play for Marseille and I love every minute of it."

Manchester United are not said to have made a move for the player, but Barcelona are reported to be preparing an £8 million bid for the versatile winger. Below you can see some highlights of Andre Ayew:

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"Second-String" United Were First Class

Barcelona FC

Sir Alex Ferguson may have sent out a "second-string" team against Schalke on Wednesday night, but it was nothing less than a first-class performance in front of a delighted 70,000 at Old Trafford. The United boss admitted to having second, third and fourth thoughts about the risky decision to play some players whom wouldn't usually start while resting the big guns such as Rooney, Hernandez and Vidic, but in the end, the risk paid off emphatically.

Darron Gibson, who has been the subject of huge criticism from some sections of Manchester United support, had a very impressive game with both an assist and a goal to his name. The opener was huge credit to him, feeding through Antonio Valencia, ruthlessly cutting through the Schalke defence with a pin-point pass, which some even light-heartedly likened to Andres Iniesta's quality. Valencia was one one one with Neuer, and calmly struck it past the German to lift the nerves murmuring around Old Trafford.

The second goal, was quite ironic considering Manuel Neuer's outstanding performance in the first leg, as he spilled a classic Gibson rocket into his own net, and it was at that point when Schalke, if they hadn't already, realised their Champions League dream was well and truly over. Neuer, their top performer had made a bad mistake, and that only spelled worse to come for the German side.

A consolation they did muster through Jurado, who no doubt upset Edwin van der sar by ruining his clean sheet, but it was too little too late for Schalke, who gave their fans at least something to cheer about.

Anderson then grabbed an unlikely double in the second half to seal a perfect Champions League semi-final tie, and book a place in the Champions League final with Barcelona at Wembley. It is an exciting prospect, and a game that will hopefully not be marred by the disgraceful antics that Barcelona have showcased in their far from perfect semi-final tie with Madrid.

Berbatov was his usual self; calm, drifting, and at one point showed off his outstanding and astonishingly abnormal ball control, holding off about five players and then unfortunately miscuing the cross. Michael Owen came off the bench to create a wonderful chance for himself, cutting inside on his right foot from the left and smash one towards the goal, and if it wasn't for a firm Neuer hand to stop it, the former Liverpool star would have been wheeling away in delight. That big goal he has promised is still being waited for, and he has four vital games left to do it in. Chelsea this week-end would be a good start.

Nevertheless, United have given Barcelona something to think about, with an emphatic win with their second team, having the likes of Rooney, Ferdinand and the rest watching from the stands. Schalke did not prove to be the most challenging of opposition by any means, but United did not do it the hard way like has been done before, but defeated them in style, and with apparent ease, both home and away with no blips.

 No player will miss the final due to suspension which is a huge bonus, and we must hope that no-one suffers an injury in the lead up to the huge game later this month.

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Guardiola Making a Mockery of Football

Barcelona FC

I, like you reading this now, am a fan of football. Many of you will also be a fan of beautiful football, that of which Barcelona have been praised for countless times. Indeed, their play is admirably graceful and magnificently elegant with splendid passing and exquisitely dominant attacking play. It is something that many clubs around the world aspire to be like, with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger trying their own style of beautiful passing to create the perfect goal. However, we all saw a far uglier side to their football last week in the "El Clasico" - the first leg of their Champion's League semi-final against Real Madrid.

For those who have watched the fixture before in recent times, it will have come as no surprise. It would have come as no surprise that certain players were falling on the floor as if they had been shot, rolling around on the grass as if they were on the verge of death, and screaming in absolute agony as if someone had repeatedly kicked them in the stomach with steel toe capped boots. It was a disgrace. Yet nothing was done to punish the players who were in blatant wrong.

Real Madrid, knowing that they have little chance of winning the tie thanks to the sublime Lionel Messi, resorted to accusations that some Barcelona players had been racist to their defender, Marcelo by calling him a monkey. Of course, if that is true, there must be enquiries; UEFA cannot simply sweep the matter under the carpet like no doubt they would love to do. In response however, Pep Guardiola said something quite amazing. It actually made me laugh a little in exasperation. He leapt to the defence of his player Sergio Busquets by saying:

“I know these kind of players, all of them. They are an example of professionalism, of honesty. They love the values of the sport.

“They know we play for the rest of the world. Of course they can make mistakes but as a human, they are an example as a player of Barcelona, as players of Spain.”

Professionalism? Honesty? Was this not the player who was rolling around on the floor in the first leg after jumping on a Real's player's back? Replays showed that there was no contact on his face, yet he persisted to clutch it in pain and suffering, and even required medics on the field to cure his complete and utter lie of an injury. How can he possibly "love the values of the sport" when he is purposely attempting to get a fellow professional sent off for doing nothing wrong?

Guardiola goes on to say that his side play for world, and Busquets sets an example for the players of Barcelona and Spain. What kind of example does faking injuries to get other people unfairly in trouble set? When the children of Barcelona, the children of Spain, and the children watching anywhere in the world see him do what he did, it suddenly makes them start to think that perhaps this behaviour is acceptable when in fact, it is the very behaviour that we do not want to see in football.

I have never had a problem with Guardiola before, but those words wound me up. It is a blatant ignorance of the facts that a lot of his players are clear cheats, who in their competitiveness, will attempt to shamelessly con the referee into thinking that they have been the subject of red-card worthy tackles. In view of hundreds of high definition camera's, which will tell us all whether there is contact or not, it is unprincipled, and unfair.

Guardiola added that he “was getting sick of playing Madrid” because of all the noises off the pitch. Well that is something I can agree on. I'd much rather watch Arsenal, Manchester United and the rest of the Premier League who, though far from perfect, and not free from diving and cheating, do have some restraint on their diving practice on the pitch, and get on with playing football - entertaining football. Arsenal, United and the rest may not have the inch perfect passing and extraordinary attacking force as Barcelona and sometimes Madrid do, but I'll be glad when this semi-final is over, so we can all watch some football free from so much blatant cheating.

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Owen Wants To be The New Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Barcelona FC

Michael Owen joined Manchester United in the knowledge that a starting place would be very rare. At 31, he has come to accept this, and the cameo role he plays in certain matches often prove absolutely vital in games, especially when you consider he was a free signing for United. But the main reason the former Liverpool fan favourite joined United was to do something that his previous teams rarely did in his time there - win trophies.

He came to no better place, and this season, he has the chance to help United to win both the Premier League trophy, and the Champions League trophy, both of which would be the first of his long, goal filled career. In a recent interview, Owen put his lack of pitch time down to the quality and depth of the squad at United. He said:

"Even if it is just one goal or one good performance, everyone is going to play their part."

"I was in the stand on Tuesday against Schalke. You are feeling sorry for yourself thinking I would like to be on the pitch or on the bench.

"Next to you is Wes Brown, who has dozens of England caps and John O'Shea, who has got even more for the Republic of Ireland. Darron Gibson is also an international.

"They are not even getting stripped. That tells you everything about the squad of player we have got.

The majority of Manchester Untied fans see Owen's best position as on the bench, and coming on late in the game when a goal is needed - a "super-sub" if you like, and it the interview, he said something quite interesting considering United's history:

"I suppose I am dreaming of coming off the bench and scoring the stoppage-time winner in the Champions League final.

"That is the motivation that drives me on. Every day I have to be ready and prepared to come in and do something."

Sound familiar? Cast your minds back to the 1999 Champions League final, and who came on in a Champions League final to score the winner? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of course, and what was he genreally known as? A "super-sub". Scoring a late winner in the Champions League final must be a dream come true for any player, and every time I watch Solskjaer's winner in that final, goosebumps run fiercely all over my skin, so what it must be like for a player only they will know.

Michael Owen has done it before in his time at United - not in a Champions League final - but in the Manchester derby last season, when a draw seemed certain late on. His 96th minute goal is typical of United's never say die attitude, and there is no doubt, that if United make this years European Cup final, and they need a goal, Michael Owen will surely be sent on to find one. Like Solskjaer, his finishing and eye for goal are deadly. Who knows, perhaps late in May, Owen's dream may become a reality. Lets hope so.

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Video: Lionel Messi Goal v Madrid

Barcelona FC

The highlight of the game and, I suspect the tie, can be seen below, in the form of Lionel Messi's dazzling run through the hapless Real Madrid defence and delicately precise finish into the Madrid net. It was a bright light in a game filled to the rim with an utter disgrace in the all too common and far uglier form of cheating.

Watch the 2 sending off's and Messi's First Goal By Clicking Here.

Diving - A Disgrace to Football

Barcelona FC

I hesitate to take away the stunningly bright light that Lionel Messi has thrust himself into after creating beauty amidst an ugly cloud of controversy, but how can I not, when many Real Madrid and Barcelona's player's were an utter disgrace for much of the game.

The play acting and - well, just plain diving was clear for all to see. Maybe not the referee, who didn't have the benefit of replays, but luckily, or unluckily for us watching at home, we could witness the diving in it's full,  disgraceful, slow motion picture. It is despicable behaviour from grown men who should be setting an example to young footballers with their fair play. What was broadcast all over the world on Wednesday night was not fair play, and it is certainly not something which I want to see future generations of player's participating in.
I noted down several of the incidents that were particularly shameful and abominable excuses for fouls:

•  Sergio Busquets fell down clutching his face in apparent agony. Replays show that he jumped on the back of a Real Madrid player, and jumped back off of him as soon as his hand came anywhere near him. There was absolutely zero contact, yet uproar among protesting Barcelona players.

• Real Madrid defender, Marcelo went down from a foul. It was a foul - his feet had been taken away from him, and it was nothing more than a free-kick - and it was given. Yet rolling around was the added effect and waving his arm in the air to indicate a card to be shown added insult to... "injury".

• Next up was Pedro. He ran into a Real player and fell down, holding his face whereas replays clearly show there was no contact. To carry on the act - or to hide his shame, he needed medics to come on and check on it, whilst pouring water on it. What's worse is that the Barcelona players hounded the referee like hungry dogs as if Pedro had been assaulted.

• Hypocrisy was also rife. Dani Alves - a serial diver if I ever saw one, complained about a foul given against him, claiming that the Madrid attacker went down to easily. Amazing.

• The last two involve Madrid's Pepe. Firstly, he was the perpetrator, jumping - almost flying through the air like a deranged bird after a slight touch from Mascherano. Yes, it was a foul, but there is simply no need for the play acting.

• Finally, the sending off. Dani Alvez was up to his old tricks again, and this time conned the referee into sending Pepe off. It was a high foot from Pepe, but a yellow card at the worst. However, professional ballet-like pirouettes from the Barcelona defender added to theatrics. Replay's showed that the contact was minimal, and was on his shin pad. Unless his pain thresh-hold is nothing on a scale of 0 - 10, surely he wouldn't have needed a stretcher to take him off the pitch.

I want to know why such talented footballers, who have made it to the top of their games and managed to reach this stage of such a prestigious competition feel the need to cheat. That is what it is - cheating, and it is an absolute disgrace. 

I don't want to draw comparisons, but when Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney swore into the camera, he was banned for a few games. In my opinion, what I saw in the Real Madrid - Barcelona game was just as bad. It is cheating, cheating, cheating. That is what they are doing - cheating. It is infuriating, and it is something that millions of young kids will have watched and thought "I could do that", or "they did it, so I can". Many of the principles that were broken by Rooney swearing into a camera were broken in this game, with an awful, explicable example being set to young, aspiring footballers. 

The game was ruined by all of the controversies, sending off's and cheating but sprinkled in glory and glamour in the end by a fabulous footballer, and one who does not get involved in all of the blatant deception of the referee. Lionel Messi - a true example of a fair and honest football player, and the best in the world without a doubt. Some of those cheating divers should take a leaf out of Messi's book, and start playing football, letting their skills do the talking. It isn't too much to ask is it?

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Watch: Gomes Blunder v Real Madrid

Barcelona FC

Tottenham's chances of progressing into the semi finals of the Champions League were pretty much dead in the water before this game even started. It would have been the biggest and best comeback in Champions League history if it were to have been completed, but it was never very likely. Spurs held hope as they kept it a 0 - 0 a half time, but when a Ronaldo shot left the former Manchester United players' right boot, Tottenham's 'keeper, Gomes was left looking like another Robert Green.

It was all too much for Gomes and Spurs, and this goal simply emphasises the overpowering force that Tottenham faced over the two ties. A very good team who are entertaining and attacking, with two fantastic wingers and a brilliantly creative midfield were outdone by a team who are filled with international superstars, worth in today's money, fees of £60 and £80 million.

Tottenham had a great journey on their debut season in the European competition, and they entertained throughout, but this was one comeback that proved too much. Next up for them is Arsenal, a completely different prospect. A win against Wenger's side may just make up for this quarter final tie forget.

Liverpool Eye Two Dutch Wingers For Carroll

Barcelona FC

£35 million is a lot of money, and as Liverpool are finding, if you spend it all on one player but don't use his main asset to your advantage, you won't always get your moneys worth. It could be worse though - they could still have Fernando Torres. Anyway, Liverpool will reportedly look to exploit Andy Carroll's heading talents by purchasing two natural wingers - something severely lacking a Liverpool; both Barcelona's Ibrahim Afellay and Hamburg's Eljero Elia.

In October of last year, Afellay, a now 25 year old Barcelona player said:

"Playing in the Premier League would be best for my prestige. I'd like to play for Liverpool or Manchester United , the top-level prospect for any player.

In the January transfer market however, he completed a move to Barcelona - a move which was quite an odd move for the player. Surely if an inexperienced attacking midfielder wanted to play games, they wouldn't attempt to push players like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets out of a side by joining Barcelona. Nevertheless, the deal was done, and unsurprisingly, Afellay has since found that his game time has been limited to only 9 League games.

Liverpool held a keen interest in Afellay before his move to the Nou Camp, and as the summer window approaches, talkSPORT claim:

"talkSPORT understands Afellay will speak with officials at the Nou Camp regarding his future in the coming weeks and if there are no assurances over his future, he will be free to leave this summer."

You may ask why Barcelona will want to sell a player they have only just purchased. Some say that it was simply a money making ploy on Barcelona's half. They recognised his potential, and saw that his contract at PSV was almost up, they had a tiny three million euro offer accepted, and signed the player to a long term contract. They now hope to sell him on for a lot more than they bought him for, due to the length of his contract at Barcelona. It's intriguing, but certainly a possibility.

On to Eljero Elia now, and another player that Liverpool were reportedly very close to signing in the January transfer window. His club, Hamburg confirmed a bid was received for Elia, but not from Liverpool, rather Wigan Athletic. However, a £13 million bid for the 24 year-old was quoted in certain publications, and Liverpool remain interested with Damien Comolli eyeing possible promising transfers.

There is no doubting that Elia has potential. In 2009 he was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands - an award that has previously been won by Arsenal legends Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars as well as Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart.

It seems Elia's services will be available in the summer too, as Hamburg's Technical Director Bastian Reinhardt admitted that he would be available if a “good offer” was submitted:

"In sporting terms we would like to keep him. But when we receive a good offer..."

So, this may be music to Andy Carroll's and Liverpool fans' ears. Next season may see the start of a new Liverpool, thriving on wingers' crosses into the box to be headed down expertly by the big Englishman to the predatory Luiz Suarez to finish with a goal. It looks like a recipe for success. But Liverpool need the investment first.

Arsenal Accused, Djourou Ashamed & Fabregas Out

Barcelona FC

Arsenal have had a rough week. If being well beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League wasn't enough to darken the mood around the Emirates, seeing rivals Tottenham progress a stage further really rubbed salt in the wounds. The amount of competitions Arsenal are now involved in has been halved in the space of a few weeks, and with Manchester United just around the corner in another winnable competition - the FA Cup, the next game will be massive for the season.

Manuel Almunia was one of only a few players who had a good game against Barcelona on Tuesday after he came on in the 19th minute for the injured Sczcesny, and from his busy goal, he watched his team mates closely. Like many others, he wasn't impressed. The Spaniard accused his team mates of lacking effort, and believed that if they did more and showed more fight in the game, they may have been able to snatch a win.

"Barcelona bossed us and in the second half we had players that were not running. We only needed one goal and with a bit more effort we could have caused them damage at the end.


"Even at 3-1, we only needed one goal and, well, you can't understand how there can be players that were walking. We were tired.


"It seemed that everything was lost but you can score a goal at any moment. So the only explanation I have is that we were so tired and the players couldn't give any more.


"And down to 10 men, it was double the effort. We came up against a Barcelona side that are the best in the world."

Almunia can't be blamed for his light criticism of the team - the now infamous statistic of a total of zero shots on goal will be and as been brought up by rival fans for years to come and Barcelona's domination in every area of the pitch was clear for all to see.

The match however did not come without it's controversies - the referee's decision to send van Persie off for shooting at goal after the whistle had been blown for offside the big talking point. Massimo Busacca, the referee in question, was called many things after the game, but his Swiss compatriot Johan Djourou even went so far as to claim a sense of shame:

 "I am Swiss and the referee was Swiss. I feel a sense of shame.

"He had no right to take a decision of that kind. It changed the course of the game. At this level of football you can not accept decisions like that.


"But you have to be honest and admit Barcelona deserved their win. Lionel Messi is an exceptional footballer, all the more so when he plays at home, and he does some amazing things.


"It is really hard to mark him. We succeeded in the first half. We were very compact and it was a real pity that we conceded just before the break."

Arsenal's next game will not be as hard as the last - that is for sure, especially in United's current form. United have lost their last two games against Chelsea and Liverpool, and in the absence of Nani after his deep cut on the shin, Arsenal will be hoping to make United's losing streak a miserable hat trick.

Arsenal will be without Fabregas however, after his suspect performance at Barcelona was explained by a recurring hamstring injury, as Wenger said:

"He will be out maybe for the next two games"

Sczcesny's injury - a dislocated finger - will also rule him out for the immediate future, and Almunia will fill in for him for the game against Manchester United. Robin van Persie will be available too, as he went off - admittedly in questionable fashion - but without an injury.

Time for a trophy for Arsenal, and time for a win against a big team. The victor in the weekends game will - I believe - go on to win the Premier League. It's going to be massive.

Valencia Back for Arsenal Game - Nani Out

Barcelona FC

It will come as no surprise that Nani will miss the Arsenal game on the weekend after the horrible tackle that he was the victim of which left him with a gaping wound on his shin. Apparently, the injury was worse than originally expected, and the Portuguese's injury swelled up so much, that they couldn't stitch it up to close the wound. This means that the influential creative spark in United's average midfield may be out for up to a month rather than a few games.

That bad news is countered with the report from the Daily Mail which claim that Antonio Valencia, who, as I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing, broke his leg against Rangers (terrible game) over half a year ago, "is likely to be in Manchester United’s squad to face Arsenal".

This is of course fantastic news, and the strikers will be delighted that Valencia could be back to deliver some sumptuous balls into the box for their predatorial instincts to strike home. He was left out of Wednesday's reserve game against Blackpool in which he was expected to play, as apparently, United didn't want to risk him on such a bad quality pitch.
On Monday Valencia played a 30 minute a half game for the youth team.

I'm quite worried however about United's midfield to play against Arsenal. It doesn't sound like Valencia will start, and Nani and Park are out, laving only Giggs as the natural winger. He wouldn't threaten the opposition with his speed, while Fletcher who could play on the right isn't the most adventurous of attackers anyway. Rooney may play on the wing, and Hernandez and/or Berbatov starting up top.

Surely United can't lose three in a row? Arsenal's Jack Wilshere hopes so - even off the back of the beating they got from Barcelona:

"We know Manchester United are a great team, but they have a European game next week, so they might play a weakened side, then we can go there and take advantage of that."

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson broke his media silence with this:

"Last season they (Arsenal) faded around the February to March period to leave Chelsea and ourselves in a two-horse race that saw us pipped at the post by a point.

"I think most pundits expected to see something similar this season, plus a challenge from Spurs and Manchester City to make it even more difficult for Arsenal to get back up to the top.

"But Arsene Wenger and his players have rearranged the pecking order somewhat to come storming through to lie in second place.

"Clearly they represent the main danger to us achieving our ambitions in a revival of the rivalry of a few years ago, and I am sure they regard us as the major threat to their hopes."

He had no excuses for the abysmal display at Liverpool in which United lost 3 - 1. Manchester United will be hoping for the good of their season and their teams morale, that the depressingly bad performance at Liverpool is not repeated against Arsenal this weekend.

Tottenham get the Job Done against AC Milan

Barcelona FC

Tottenham have done one better than their local rivals tonight with a winning draw against AC Milan, which saw the London side hold on to their first leg lead to progress to the quarter finals.

It wasn't the most eventful of games, with a William Gallas goal line clearance being the biggest save whilst the main controversy being Mathieu Flamini's continued aggressive tackles from the San Siro. In comparison with Arsenal's controversial, action packed clash at the Nou Camp yesterday, this game was more of a competitive kick around.

I thought there would be more attacking from both sides, however Milan were predominant in attack but were not being able to create any chances of real merit, apart from a few ambitious shots from Pato and Robinho. Zlatan Ibrahimovich whose biggest fan is himself, mustered a powerful freekick which needed a good save from Gomes in the Tottenham goal.

Spurs didn't take full advantage of their wing play which has been good to them in the previous European rounds - most notably against Inter with Bale. Lennon didn't have many opportunities to stretch his little legs in a super sprint, and was restricted to a few impressive crosses up to the towering Crouch who seemed intent on heading it down to van der Vaart. After one particularly good cross from Lennon, Crouch, who was only about 8 yards out and at not a particularly tight angle, hit it back where it came, hoping for an on runner to strike it in rather than going for goal himself.

The pressure that Spurs were under was nothing in comparison to Barcelona's relentless attacking of the Gunners yesterday, and so they coped with it well. Milan were pretty poor for a team who had to score a goal in truth, never looking threatening.

So Tottenham progress to the final eight, and Redknapp becomes the first English manger to take a team to this stage - which was quite surprising but quite an achievement. They will most probably hope to avoid Barcelona in the next round, although will surely love the opportunity to have a go at them, and perhaps get yet another one over on Arsenal who were quite harshly described yesterday by one Spanish journalist:

“This Arsenal is a losing team, they lack grandeur, ambition and talent, there’s only one Barça and are no imitations are accepted.”

Tottenham will not be wanting that sort of description.

Arsenal Outplayed & Dominated by Relentless Barca

Barcelona FC

Watch Goals Here
Barcelona achieved 76% of possession against Arsenal. Need I continue?

When Barcelona have the ball and keep it, which they do tenaciously and in apparent ease, the opposition has very little chance of getting anything from the game. Arsenal attempted not a single shot on target. Not one. The utter dominance of Barcelona in all areas of the pitch meant that the absence of their two centre halves, Puyol and Pique was irrelevant in an easy win for the classy Spanish side (I use classy very loosely with Dani Alves, but more on that later).

Arsenal may say that they were hard done by, with a red card brandished to the hard of hearing Rob van Persie early in the second half as he shot wide after the whistle had gone for offside. His pleas that he could not hear the whistle due to the 95,000 screaming fans - a good defence - fell on deaf ears, and the referee decided to show the second yellow in an extremely harsh move which all but ended any fair competitiveness in the painfully one sided match.
Van Persie complained after the match of his red card:

"I think it was a total joke. How can I hear his whistle with 95,000 people jumping up? How can I hear it? Please explain that?"

"I can't understand the view from the ref. One second from his whistle to my shot is a joke. He has been bad all evening. He was against us. I don't know why he was here tonight, it's a joke.

"We feel betrayed, almost. We tried really hard. When it was 1-1 it was all to play for. But, in my opinion, the ref killed the game."

Even so, Arsenal were being controlled, pinned back, outplayed before the sending off, and if anything, Arsenal spent more time in the Barcelona half after the Dutchman's sending off. It was simply a story of the better side winning; I have never seen a game so one sided in possession and chances in the Champions League.

The first goal was inevitable. Wojciech Sczcesny went off early on after his first save of the game injured his finger. Almunia came on, and had a good game - probably Arsenal's best player, but he could do nothing to stop Messi from dinking the ball over him and swiping it into the back of the net for the opener.

In between the action, there was the odd pathetic dive. Diving infuriates me beyond belief, the replays shown on Sky making my fists clench in anger and jaw tighten in utter fury. Although so many footballers are at fault in this department, Dani Alves is one that so many times throws himself to the floor, clutching some part of his body - any part of his body all to con the referee. He gets away with it too. Maddening.

Arsenals goal was scored by Busquets - from a Nasri corner. Perhaps he felt sorry for them, wanted to give them a fighting chance - something to work with and hold on to. Probably not. But for all the intricate passing from Barcelona, their beautiful football was countered by a simple ball into the box, headed into their own net by their own player. A little ironic.

But Barcelona fought back with their wonderful football. Intricate passing, great vision, umarkable movement, all leavin Arsenal defenders on their rear ends, as the tricks and turns left them flat footed. Carved open, Xavi passed the ball into the net, as if it were his team mate, and wheeled away, jubilant. Onto the third.

The Arsenal box was occupied so often by Barcelona, and so it was only a matter of time before someone went down and won a penalty. To my diving hating relief, it was a penalty, fairly awarded for a Koscielny tackle which brought down the Barca player with a late, trailing leg. Messi duly stroked it artistically home, and the game was won.

The deserved winners march on in the competition, leaving Arsenal licking their wounds in preparation for a crucial clash with Manchester United in a far more winnable FA Cup tie. Time to pick themselves up and push on.

Watch: Barcelona 3 - 1 Arsenal (4 - 3)

Barcelona FC

Arsenal were well and truly beaten tonight against a relentless and mercilessly attacking Barcelona.
Full Match Report Here

Barcelona 1 - 0 Arsenal [Messi]

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"Massive boost" For Arsenal in Build up to Barca

Barcelona FC

For every strength someone has, there is always a fault - a weakness. In football, there are many faults in players, and putting aside those misplaced passes, wild, ambitious shots, dangerous, lunging tackles, off the field troubles and terrible temperament that some have, a shared feature for any sportsman is the injury.

Robin van Persie is no stranger to the irritating pests that are injuries. The 27 year-old has only played 15 Premier League games this season because of them, and although not allowing them to destroy his contribution to the team (10 goals, 5 assists), injuries are still an ever present feature to his game.

In the process of scoring another wonderful goal against Birmingham in the Carling Cup final which, as you all know Arsenal were unsuccessful in winning, the Dutch striker injured himself whilst adjusting his knee to bend around the defender to make contact with the ball. There were major doubts as to whether he will be fit for the scond leg of Arsenal's Champions League tie against Barcelona. Wenger said:

"Fabregas will have a final test (on Monday). It is 90% he will travel and be fit. It is vital for us because he is important in the transition between attacking and defending. He is also the leader of the team so we want him there."

Arsenal's former left back Nigel Winterburn summed the situation up nicely:

“A van Persie playing at the Camp Nou is going to be massive for Arsenal and it will give the other players a massive lift as well,”

“It’s a massive boost because it was looking like Robin van Persie was completely out for three or four weeks, so not only for the Champions League but for the Premier League as well.

“If he is fit and can play then, with the goalscoring form that he’s been in, it just gives Arsenal another added dimension that they lack a little bit when he doesn’t play.”

Of course, the situation must be considered as to what would happen if Wenger were to start van Persie only for him to suffer another injury - which seems unfortunately likely. Winterburn added:

"If he’s not 100 per cent fit I don’t see how they can risk him because they’ve also got the FA Cup and a fantastic chance now in the Premier League as well,”

“I’ve got to think that maybe the injury is not as serious as first thought and he’s healed a lot quicker. I just don’t see how they can take that chance.


"I possibly could see him being on the bench if he was sort of 75 per cent fit but not starting because there are two other big prizes to go for if they come up short in the Champions League."

Van Persie's fantastic ability to achieve the improbable was layed on a plae for all to see at the Emirates a cuple of weeks ago when he smashed the ball past a helpless Victor Valdes in the Barcelona oal from the tightest of angles. If Arsenal are to succeed at the Nou Camp, they are going to ned all te improbabiliy and skill they can get. Van Persie therefore, is vital.

Javier Pastore Transfer News

Barcelona FC

Javier Pastore is close to agreeing a move to Manchester United. That is what the world of football transfer rumours tells us, as Sir Alex Ferguson, apparently a known admirer of the Argentinian 21 year-old sees the attacking midfielder as the perfect replacement for Paul Scholes.

Here is what has been said:

• Pastore's current side Palermo are said to be sticking to an asking price of 40 million euros which is £34.4 million.
• That means Sir Alex Ferguson would be willing to break the clubs transfer record set by the signing of Dimitar Berbatov for just over £30 million.
• The controversial and very much disliked Manchester United owners have promised Ferguson substantial transfer funds to compete for the best players in the summer - including Pastore.
• The promise of increased funds comes from the Wayne Rooney transfer saga, when the England striker questioned United's ambition. The injection of funds is apparently a show of ambition to persuade United's top players to stay.
• United will look to sell some of their current players to help in the funding of Pastore. Players such as Owen Hargreaves, Michael Owen, Johnny Evans, Bebe, Gabriel Obertan and Darron Gibson are all said to have an uncertain future at United.
• The player’s agent Marcelo Simonen is supposedly almost finalizing a deal with the head chiefs of ‘The Red Devils’.
• A number of top clubs have already been linked with Pastore, including Real Madrid and Barcelona. Manchester City have also expressed an interest.
• Barcelona travelled to Italy to discuss a verbal agreement with Palermo to unite Pastore with fellow countryman Lionel Messi. No agreement was reached which left United open to discussion.

Pastore joined Palermo in 2009 and his performances were rewarded with a place in the Argentina squad in the 2010 World Cup. He was also awarded with the 2010 Serie A Young Player of the Year - the first Argentinian ever to win it and an honour previously won by another United target, Marek Hamsik, as well as Alexandre Pato of AC Milan.

All of these rumours are somewhat destroyed by what the player said little over a month ago:

"It's not yet time to talk about my transfer. We will see later. Now I'm happy to stay in Palermo," the 21-year-old told Corriere dello Sport.

"This is the ideal place to complete my growth. One day I'll be ready for the biggest clubs, but now I'm happy where I am.

"I have a contract with Palermo until 2015. If an important offer does arrive and president (Maurizio) Zamparini decides to talk about it with me, the situation could change, but now I think I still have a few years in Palermo.

"When I leave, I will go to a team where I can play. Going now to Barcelona or Real Madrid would mean to stay on the bench if not in the stands.

"I can do a transfer like that when I'm 28, when I'll be ready."

Below you can watch videos of the player and what has so many clubs interested.

Nasri: Arsenal are "stronger" & "more macho"

Barcelona FC

Samir Nasri is full of confidence as his side prepare for an intense, hostile, and in the context of Arsenal's season, huge game at the Nou Camp next Tuesday. He believes that Arsenal have largely improved since being toppled at the stadium filled with close to 100,000 fiercely competitive Catalans, loyally cheering their stars and being rewarded royally last season with a 4 - 1 win.

The Frenchman was speaking at the Adidas launch of the official match ball for the UEFA Champions League final Wembley 2011 in which Nasri of course hopes to be a part of. He said:

"Barcelona seemed much better last year because we've become more macho, both physically and psychologically."

"Some of the players are much better this year than before - Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, myself. We've all stepped up and become stronger and more macho.

Players have stepped up and driven the team forward. We can compete with everyone now. We approached the game differently this time because last year we were a little bit scared of Barcelona."

"It was the first time we had played against a team like that. They were fantastic and played amazing football. We were really surprised at how good they were. This year we've said, 'listen, they are the best team in the world, if we beat them it will be fantastic.

If we lose, it will be normal because they are the best team in the world'. We went in without pressure and played our game. We showed everyone we can beat them."

Arsenal came back from a goal down in an incredible show of fight as they restored pride in front of their fan at the Emirates. It showed the improvement that Nasri spoke of for all to see. They had recovered from an early blow - not allowing it to knock them out, but helping it to spurn them on to turn the tables on the Spanish Champions. A late comeback showed the persistence and fighting spirit that has been said to have been lacking in recent seasons.

Arsenal need this kind of fight and resilience to survive on the 8th March, especially if they go down to a goal early on. Nasri said:

"We came back in the first leg because physically they dropped. This is because the Spanish league is not the same as the Premier League. In England there is an intensity that isn't there in Spain.

"It was good for us because in the last couple of years everyone has questioned our mental strength."

"We showed in the match that we have that mental strength. It was special for us because we proved to ourselves that we can beat big teams. We felt fitter in the first leg and last year as well. We were losing 2-0 but came back 2-2.

"This year for 70 minutes they were great, they had the ball and were playing. But they made some changes, were less dangerous and we put more pressure on them and became more aggressive.

"Barcelona are like Brazil. They don't like it when you put pressure on them and attack them. They want to play their game. If you put pressure on them, they're not the same team."

Arsenal have already lost a cup final already at the hands of Birmingham - an unlucky loss that will hve dented their confidence in a game they were expected to win. From what Nasri said here, it seems like he believes Arsenal have everything to play for, and will simply go for it - go for the win, and allow being the underdogs rather than favourites to work in their advantage.

One thing is for sure, it will be an excellent game.

Fabregas & Walcott Out - And Arsenal want Bojan Krkic

Barcelona FC

Despite the injuries, there is good news. Arsenal apparently want Bojan Krkic of Barcelona [Full Story].

That seems unlikely; especially as Barcelona have only recently called Arsenal "immoral" in their capture of a Barca academy player. I wouldn't think Barcelona would be too keen on dealing with Arsenal after that.

Anyway...
Fabregas and Walcott will miss the Carling Cup final through injury, and Walcott is likely to miss the Barcelona clash on the 8th March. This must be unbelievably frustrating for Fabregas especially, seeing as his main aim as captain was to lift a trophy, and now Arenal's best chance of doing so has come about he is going to be nothing more than a Wembley spectator.

Wenger said of Walcott who suffered an ankle injury against Stoke:

"Walcott will be out for two to three weeks with an ankle problem.

"I would say today it is very unlikely he will be fit for the second leg of the Barcelona game.

"I imagine the worst so maybe I will be surprised in a positive way but I just give you my gut feeling at the moment."

And of Fabregas:

"You cannot play football when you're injured. He's sad and disappointed but it could have been worse the injury - it's a very small one. We have many targets in front of us so it is important he is not out for longer."

Asked how long he would be absent, Wenger replied:

"One or two games maybe."

I think it isn't so bad that Fabregas will miss the next few games. The injury isn't at all serious, so he will just be rolled up in cotton wool and rested until the Barcelona game. It may work out well. No disrespect to Birmingham, but even without Fabregas and Walcott, Arsenal are comfortably the better side and should win comfortably.

The Walcott injury on the other hand isn't so good. His pace will be missed against Barcelona, but Arsenal should cope - although Wenger hasn't completely ruled him out of it, and still hold the hope that he will be pleasantly surprised.

Wilshere Admirers Grow by the Day

Barcelona FC

Jack Wilshere told of the best week of his life after Arsenal's win against Barcelona at the Emirates, and as his excellent performances become an ever frequent feature at the North London club, his fans, admirers, supporters, followers - call them what you like - increase by the day. No-one can doubt his obvious quality, skill and footballing artistry, and in such a young player it is very rare to see such natural ability so perhaps it is unsurprising that praise for him is not in short supply.

The most recent to heap praise on the 19 year-old is Barcelona's manager, Pep Guardiola. The manager, who has led Barcelona to eight trophies since taking over in 2008, is about to sign a contract extension at his club. Speculation had begun however, as to whether Guardiola may try to sign Wilshere for Barca in light of his brilliant performance against his side. The 40 year-old moved to rubbish the rumours, but not before adding his compliments to the players growing number of them:

"He [Wilshere] is a great player - a great player for Arsenal and in any case, Arsene Wenger doesn't sell his best players."

He continued to praise Arsenal:

"Arsenal are a wonderful side. You will not hear me discredit Arsenal - they are a great side with a great coach and they will be a very difficult opponent. It will be a great game against a great team."

His own manager has nothing but good to say about Wilshere. Arsene Wenger likened his playing style to that of Spanish players while applauding how he plays unworried and unfazed by his surroundings and occasion:

"He has a Spanish technique certainly, yes. He has an English heart because he's an English boy.

"He takes everything at the moment with a cool head, that's what I like. At his age you want to play and play again and show what you are. What I like as well is he isn't fazed by the occasion; he's not inhibited and just plays free off his chest which is fantastic."

Meanwhile his team mates, both club and country have told how they love to play with him. Fellow Arsenal midfielder Alex Song called him an "unbelievable young player" and he s "very happy to play alongside him". Song said Wilshere "always want to listen and learn" an invaluable quality in young players.
Wayne Rooney, who has had the privilege of playing with Wilshere for England and will undoubtedly do so in he future too, said after Wilshere's first start for England:

"I thought Jack Wilshere did really well. He is really composed on the ball and really good to play with. You can see the potential he has got."

Chelsea's Frank Lampard echoed Rooney's comments:

"We have learned that Wilshere can come in and continue showing the composure he plays with for Arsenal. Credit to him on his full debut because it isn't easy, but he is only going to get better and better now.

The media have given Wilshere rave reviews after watching his performance very closely, and he has been compared to the likes of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, Wilshere's Arsenal team mate Cesc Fabregas, and the two Spanish central midfielders Xavi and Iniesta. He is a superb player, and one with a fantastic future. If he continues to improve and showcase his excellent performances on footballs biggest stages, there will be little doubt that in the future, up and coming quality players will be compared to Wilshere himself.


With the Nou Camp coming up, he will have possibly the biggest stage in world football to pull Arsenal through to the final stages of the Champions League.

Fabregas: Wilshere was Scared to ask Messi to Swap Shirts

Barcelona FC

Despite being probably the best player on the pitch, which held the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Fabregas, Nasri and David Villa, Jack Wilshere was apparently too scared to ask Lionel Messi for his shirt after the game between Arsenal and Barcelona. 

The Arsenal captain, Cesc Fabregas, tweeted Wilshere saying:

"can't believe i had to go to get Messi's shirt for u. U were so scared. You were MOTM [Man of the match] so next time please ask urself!"

In the end, Wilshere walked away with both Messi's and Xavi's shirts, and tweeted a picture of him [Right] and his dad holding the precious items which hold such significance to the young man early in his career.
He said:

"Morning tweeps. You will like this one. Me and my dad with Messi and Xavi's shirt after the game."

Wilshere was praised by his manager Arsene Wenger as outstanding after the Champions League clash, saying that the young midfielder was unfazed by the quality that surrounded him. After all, he will be - if not already - as good, if not better than the players he was up against. Wilshere is an outstanding and rare English talent and Arsenal are lucky to have such a down to earth, footballing man, who plays football so well - the heartbeat of the Arsenal midfield at times.

After the game, Wilshere was ecstatic:

"It's been a great couple of weeks - the best of my life.

"Outstanding" Wilshere has Wenger "Delighted"

Barcelona FC

Jack Wilshere showcased his fantastic natural - and rare - ability to keep calm on the ball as he played the heartbeat of Arsenals centre of midfield when he came up against some of the best central midfielders in the World; Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquettes. Those three Spanish midfielders were an integral part of the World Cup winning side of 2010, and as they came up against Arsenal's midfield on Wednesday, they must have been very excited at the prospect of the 19 year-old Englishman.

Wenger had only good words to say about Wilshere after Arsenal's first ever win over Barcelona, and quite correctly pointed out that Wilshere was not fazed by the occasion, despite the massive significance of the hard fought game:

"He was outstanding tonight. Jack (Wilshere) wasn’t fazed by the occasion. In the difficult periods when we were under pressure he took the ball and kept the ball. He played really well."

Wilshere had a great time, relishing every opportunity to show off his talents, and admitted he has had the best couple of weeks in his life playing for Arsenal:

"It's been a great couple of weeks - the best of my life. There was a spell in the first half where for about 20 minutes we (Arsenal) didn't touch the ball. But we knew they were going to do that."

The young midfielder praised the Spanish midfield, but despite the quality of the opponent emphasised the need for Arsenal to continue to play their way, and in the end, it paid off:

"I watched these [Barcelona] players in the World Cup and they were the best team there, so I knew a bit about them before the game. But once you get into a game, you get used to them," Wilshere said.

"We had to go up a level in the second half and we passed it around better. We had to carry on playing the Arsenal way and we did that."

The second leg at the Nou Camp will be an altogether different proposition, and a far harder one, as the Gunners learned last year when they felt the full force of Lionel Messi's magic as he scored all of the goals for Barca in a convincing 4 - 1 defeat of Arsenal. March 8th will determine how far Arsenal have come since last year. They gave a good account of themselves in a breathtaking comeback at the Emirates, and were drawing 2 - 2 this time last year, so an improvement is clear, but Barca need only one goal with no reply from Arsenal to progress on away goals.

Wenger however, is still revelling in the success of Wednesday night, and he highlighted the psychological
belief that his team now have going into the secnd leg. The players now know that Barca are beatable, and they can go into the second leg, remembering this, and using it to their advantage:

"I am highly delighted. It was a special football night. The game promised a lot and fulfilled that promise. It was two exceptional teams who tried always to be positive.

"We are not favourites now, but what is important is the belief that we have a chance. Barcelona are still favourites. We know now that we can beat them, though. We did not know that last year.

"This gives us a chance to to go to Barcelona with belief. Every game is difficult but we will prepare well and be highly focused.

"We took advantage through one special skill from Robin van Persie and a second goal through a build-up of how we like it."