Hleb regrets leaving Arsenal for Barcelona

Speaking to American football site ESPNsoccernet, Stuttgart attacker and Barelona loan out Alexander Hleb (28) has repeated that he regrets his move from Arsenal to Barcelona:

"Of course I regret leaving Arsenal. I was playing every week for one of the most exciting sides in Europe, a team which was always in the top-four in the Premier League and were Champions League contenders.

Also, I was being guided by one of the best coaches in the world in Arsene Wenger. I owe him a great deal. I developed a better all-round game under him and I became more robust physically, learnt to look up more and play better passes and generally improved greatly as a team player. No player ever gets worse under Wenger.

For me, leaving Arsenal was not a good move. A footballer only exists when he takes to the field and makes a proper contribution to the team and even though I was part of a Barca squad that was almost unstoppable, it was hard not to feel detached from all the happiness and celebration at the end.

Barca were my dream club as a kid, but I couldn't continue with them if the chance to play was not coming. I'm 28 and who knows how much time I've left in the game. I needed to move on and the chance to go back to a place that I feel happy in was the best solution.

I'm happy to be back in Germany. It was more a pro-Stuttgart than an anti-Inter decision. I was coming off the back of a season almost entirely spent on the bench at Barca and just wanted to go to a team where I was completely comfortable and could play regularly.

I needed to bounce back at the first possible opportunity and returning to Stuttgart is a low-risk way of setting about it as this club is like home to me. Even though Bayern Munich showed interest in me and I was tempted, Stuttgart's offer overrode everything."

read the full interview report here


Read more:
Stuttgart wants to make Hleb loan permanent
Hleb regrets Barcelona move
OFFICIAL: Hleb to Stuttgart on loan

Video: Ibrahimovic on transfer to Barcelona

Zlatan Ibrahimović interviewed by former football player Frank Leboeuf,
followed by a discussion.

source: ESPNsoccernet,
aired: Monday 3 August 2009

Barcelona's finals through the years

author: John Brewin
source: ESPNsoccernet
date: 26 May 2009
editing: fcbtransfers.blogspot.com





Manchester United and Barcelona are two of Europe's most celebrated clubs.

Yet, while both go into Wednesday's Champions League final with recent European titles to their name, these are two clubs who have suffered long waits to win the continent's greatest competition.

Both were denied triumphs in the old European Cup's formative years. United were victorious in 1968 yet had to wait 31 years to triumph again. Barcelona suffered two horrendous disappointments before finally being able to claim the crown in 1992.


1961: Benfica 3-2 Barcelona
To lose this final was as cruel a blow as Barca have suffered in their history. The previous five seasons had seen Real Madrid win consecutive European Cups at a time when confirmed Los Merengues fan Francisco Franco was Spain's dictator. Barca, champions of Spain in both 1959 and 1960, had knocked Real out of the 1960-61 European Cup in the very first round.

Yet Benfica ended hopes of emulating the hated Castilians. The talents of Hungarian trio Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, László Kubala, along with Brazilian Evaristo and Ballon D'Or winner Luis Suárez were bested. Barca's captain-cum-keeper Ramallets suffered a nightmare as he blew the early lead with two terrible errors. A Coluna volley gave the Portugese club a commanding lead. Barcelona got back into it with a Czibor strike but time ran out. A golden opportunity had gone and tears flowed in Catalonia. The Generalissimo probably allowed himself a smirk.

watch a video of this game here


1986: Steau Bucharest 0-0 Barcelona (Steau won 2-0 on penalties)
The pain of Berne 1961 was repeated in Seville after a truly x-rated final. Terry Venables had ended 11 years of domestic misery by coaching La Blaugrana to the Spanish title. Between 1961 and 1985, they had won just one title, when inspired by Johan Cruyff in 1974. Venables' first move had been to sell Diego Maradona to Napoli and replace him with Scottish striker Steve Archibald, a gamble that paid off in their first season together. "El Tel" and team reached the final at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Their Romanian opponents looked to pose few problems. Yet lines were fluffed once again.

A half-fit Archibald played instead of semi-final hero Pichi Alonso and offered little. Steau came to defend, making their game plan of spot-kicks evermore plain as the game went on. Archibald and Bernd Schuster were both subbed as the inevitable arrived. A chanceless game was echoed by all of the first four penalties being missed. Lacatus finally scored before Alonso had the next spotkick saved by keeper Helmuth Duckadam. Balint scored before Marcos' kick was again saved by Duckadam, making him the hero of Romania. Twenty-five years on, Barca were miserable again.

watch a video of this game here


1992: Barcelona 1-0 Sampdoria (aet)
Wembley provided the venue for one of football's greatest names to end a long drought. It also provided Johan Cruyff with the ability to put an end to unfinished business from his playing career. This was the first European Cup to feature a league phase and Barca held off Sparta Prague to reach the final. Barca lined-up against the other group winners in Sampdoria, Italian champions boasting Vialli, Mancini and Lombardo in their ranks.

Yet again, nerves wracked Barcelona, marshalled in midfield by current boss Pep Guardiola, then just 21. Goalkeepers Pagliuca and Zubizarreta were kept busy but neither side's strikers were on form. Bulgarian firebrand Hristo Stoichkov hit a post and Vialli blazed over on a number of occasions. Extra-time came and the doom of penalties lurked in the background before a foul on Eusebio gave Ronald Koeman a free-kick chance from 25 yards out. It was a chance he took, propelling a missile past a despairing Pagliuca and thus ending over three decades of Catalan hurt.

watch a video of this game here


1994: AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona
Cruyff's "Dream Team" was in its pomp and had added Romário to their arsenal while AC Milan, beaten in the previous year's final, lacked their first-choice central defence. Baresi and Costacurta, had provided ballast to Milan's twin triumphs of 1989 and 1990 but were missing through suspension. Van Basten was missing with the injury that eventually ended his career. With Wembley throwing off the curse, Barca entered the game as favourites but were massacred in Athens' Olympic Stadium.

Milan, for whom Balkan pair Boban and Savicevic glittered, positively destroyed them from the start. Savicevic created an opener for squat striker Massaro before the Italian grabbed his second from a Donadoni cross. Two minutes after half-time, Savicevic seized on a defensive mistake to score from an improbable angle. Barca were finished and misery was compounded when Marcel Desailly powered through a shell-shocked defence to score a fourth.

watch a video of this game here


2006: Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal
Paris in the springtime brought together two of European football's flair teams. Barca had rediscovered the flowing football of the Cruyff era under another Dutchman in Frank Rijkaard and possessed the world's most celebrated talent in Ronaldinho. Arsenal featured future Barca striker Thierry Henry. Barca had gained some revenge for 1994 in beating AC Milan in the semi-final after Chelsea were earlier despatched in the second round.

The game had looked to be swinging their way when Gunners keeper Lehmann was dismissed for up-ending Eto'o as the Cameroon striker was through on goal. Giuly had knocked the ball in but Barca had to be content with a numerical advantage in terms of personnel rather than scoreline. That looked poor consolation when Campbell headed in from a lofted free-kick. An understandably tiring Arsenal looked to have weathered the storm until the introduction of veteran sub Larsson. The Swede first set up Eto'o for the equaliser and then played in overlapping sub full-back Juliano Belletti to score the winner.

watch a video of this game here


read the full and original article here


Read more:
Barcelona vs Manchester United through the years

Barcelona vs Manchester United through the years

author: John Brewin
source: ESPNsoccernet
date: 8 May 2009
editing: fcbtransfers.blogspot.com





Andres Iniesta's 90th minute goal may have set Chelsea into a furious rage but it seems Barcelona v Manchester United is a highly popular choice for this season's final. Few outside the Stamford Bridge area wanted a repeat of last year's final, and it is hoped that the finalists will again show off the attacking flair that has guided them to Rome. An anti-climax is a possibility, though the two clubs have shared some classic past encounters.


Season 1983-84: European Cup Winners' Cup
Manchester United win 3-2 on aggregate

This now defunct competition was an old-fashioned two-legged knock-out. United, managed by Ron Atkinson, had qualified after winning the FA Cup after a final replay with Brighton and Hove Albion. Barcelona meanwhile, suffering a decade without a Liga title, had won the Copa Del Rey by beating Real Madrid in an unforgettable final. In that game, Diego Maradona had finally begun to look the part under the coaching of compatriot Cesar Luis Menotti.

March 1984 saw a meeting of two clubs both largely confined to cup successes during that era. The first leg took the tie to the Camp Nou where United put up a decent account of themselves but fell to an own-goal from young Scottish defender Graeme Hogg and a late blockbuster from Juan Carlos Rojo.

Back at Old Trafford it seemed United had been handed mountain to climb. Yet on a night still remembered by fans of an evermore August vintage, the roof was very nearly taken off the Stretford End by a United performance matched by the ear-splitting baying from the stands. Bryan Robson, the subject of rumoured bids from Juventus and AC Milan, put Maradona in the shade with the type of lung-bursting and inspirational performance that gave him the monicker "Captain Marvel".

watch a video of these games here


Season 1990-91: European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Manchester United win 2-1

Seven years later, Robson was an elder statesman at United, while Maradona had departed Catalunya the summer after his only appearance at Old Trafford. "Big Ron" was long gone too and plain old Alex Ferguson had been given time to start the rebuilding process that had first borne fruit when his team won the FA Cup Final in 1990.

Barcelona awaited in Rotterdam, coached by Johan Cruyff and freshly crowned the champions of Spain. This was English clubs' first season back in European competition after the Heysel ban. Ferguson set out to contain, even placing striker Brian McClair as a man-marker on Ronald Koeman, Barca's influential sweeper. Mark Hughes had suffered an unhappy spell at the Camp Nou before being returned to United.

Hughes' first goal came from a Robson free-kick in the 67th minute. Seven minutes later he proved he could score great goals too. Powering on to a long ball, he outpaced the Barca defence, carved past keeper Carles Busquets and from an impossible angle he sliced in a shot that soon nestled in the side of the net. Ferguson had picked up his first European silverware as United boss.

watch a video of this game here


Season 1994-95: Champions League Group Stage
2-2 and 4-0 to Barcelona

Three years on and United had ended their league title drought. A second title saw them qualify for the embryonic Champions League, then made up of league champions only. Barcelona, along with IFK Gothenburg and Galatasaray, made up the quartet. United were hampered by the swingeing foreigner regulations imposed at the time. They were allowed to play just three "foreigners", which also included those players from the UK not of English birth.

The first game at Old Trafford saw United struggle against Cruyff's "Dream Team". An experiment of playing the pacy Paul Parker at sweeper to deal with Romario failed when the Brazilian equalised a Hughes goal. Jose Maria Bakero put Barca into a deserved lead before Lee Sharpe equalised with a brazen of estimable cheek, back-heeling in a Roy Keane cross.

Having been dealt a fair warning, United's naivety was fully exposed in the return game in Spain. Ferguson took an enforced gamble on dropping Peter Schmeichel for the underused reserve keeper Gary Walsh and lost, big time. Hristo Stoichkov scored twice while Romario and Albert Ferrer grabbed the others on a night that had United fans reaching for the Spanish brandy in shame.

watch a video of these games here


Season 1998-99: Champions League Stage
3-3 and 3-3

The summer of 1998 was a watershed time for Manchester United. Not only had they been unseated from the Premiership title, they were also the subject of a massive takeover bid by BSkyB. In amongst the intrigue of due diligence and monopolies there was actually football to be played. These twin encounters were the game at its thrilling best. Both were classics.

The first encounter took place in Manchester and United set off at a rattling pace, Ryan Giggs scoring a great header, Scholes soon had a second. Sonny Anderson's goal after half-time signalled a breathless half in which Beckham, in the process of rehabilitating himself after that sending off in the World Cup, scored a tremendous free-kick. That had put United back in the lead after a goal from Giovanni had levelled matters. Barca passed United to death from then on until Nicky Butt was adjudged to have handled a goal-bound shot and sent off. Luis Enrique converted the penalty.

Two months later, United were beginning to hit the stride that would eventually carry them to a Treble. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole showed off a telepathic partnership by grabbing three goals between them for United. Yorke, signed in August, scored a long-ranger and a header. That came either side of a thrilling exchange with Cole that resulted in the England striker smashing home. That put United 2-1 up but there was another man in form on the field.

Rivaldo was playing at his irresistible best, cancelling out Cole's goal with a free-kick which bedevilled a visibly angry Schmeichel. Then, after Yorke's second, the Brazilian controlled a Sergi cross and bicycle-kicked in the sixth goal of the match. He was to be denied a hat-trick when his thumping shot smashed off the crossbar. For either of the teams to win would have been an injustice.

watch a video of these games here


Season 2007-08 Champions League semi-final
United win 1-0 on aggregate

Just under a decade on, the pair met up again in a far more tactical affair. Ferguson had abandoned gung-ho in favour of a tactical approach. Barcelona meanwhile, were in the final straight of Frank Rijaard's tenure at the Camp Nou. The tie was billed as Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi.

Both fluffed their lines. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the third minute of the tie while Messi played at half-pace with his injured thigh heavily strapped. Having gone so close to scoring, United then played as if they had decided to abandon attack altogether. Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park played almost as auxiliary full-backs as Barca made waves of attacks that never really convinced of their potency.

The tie went to Manchester on a knife-edge and it was a veteran of the 1998 meetings who proved the assassin. Paul Scholes had previously not scored all season but that was forgotten when he lashed in an exocet missile of a strike. The rest of the game followed the pattern of the first leg but United held strong, if extremely nervously. Tension was the order of the night and Mancunian hearts were treated to many a flutter before the final whistle eventually sounded.

watch a video of this game here


read the full and original article here


Read more:
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A touch of Barcelona in India

authors: Priyanka Kumar and Adarsh Vinay
source: ESPN Star
date: 2 May 2009
editing: fcbtransfers.blogspot.com





Indian youngsters aspiring to become the next Lionel Messi have a ray of hope to inch closer to their dream. Three youth coaches from FC Barcelona are in India to conduct a football clinic in an attempt to spread their club's awe-inspiring style of football.

The initiative is a part of the ‘Just for Kicks' project launched by Japanese fastening manufacturers YKK. Launched two years ago in Singapore, the project has come to India this year, in partnership with the Catalan giants as well as with the support of the All India Football Federation.

The three coaches - Guillermo Oriol Gil, Joan Della Morte and Ivan Palanco Santiago - will be in New Delhi for three days from May 1-3, and intend to work with both coaches and kids during their brief stay. On Friday evening, a session was held at the Ambedkar Stadium for aspiring local coaches in India, selected by the AIFF. Over the next two days, the coaches will also conduct four camps training children the Spanish way.

At a press conference in a Delhi hotel, Della Morte, the technical director of Barca's academy in Cairo, explained what exactly the coaches are here for. "We are here because YKK and AIFF have given us this chance. We will be coaching children of the age group 10 to 14 years."

He emphasized that the focus would specifically be on the FCB brand of football - the immaculate passing game of the Barca team, which includes stars like Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, that has fans all over the world swooning in delight. "We'll be training them the way we do in Barcelona. Over there, we have a particular way of playing and understanding the game. We like to keep possession of the ball. We want to put tactical, technical and physical skills, all together in a global methodology, the Barca way."

Football in India may have not yet reached the heights as in Europe or even South-East Asia, but that doesn't deter these coaches from the FC Barcelona Soccer School. Guillermo, a second level youth coach, elaborated on the challenges faced for those hoping to promote the sport in India.

"Football is not your national sport. So it's more challenging. Cricket is the most important sport here. So we need to promote football in such a way that in the future the level of the sport will improve." He added: "It will be difficult but in every country there is potential and you can improve. So we are here to help you use our philosophy from Barcelona. This is to help the children to learn, enjoy and improve their game."

And in the end, that is indeed what it is all about - to ensure the children have an enjoyable and memorable experience learning the game they love. As Guillermo explained, "Football is not only just about tactics and techniques. So we need to teach children how to use all these skills together. We plan to use fun activities and exercises all related to football for the warm up, cool down and the main game as well. That's what they really need to do in training sessions. That's what we are here for."

read the full and original article here
read a report of the training session here


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Hiddink: "We expect a very attacking Barcelona"

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink gave an interview to football site ESPNsoccernet.





Back in February when you first learned you had the job you had the job did you have something specific that you knew you had to change right away?
Well I was asked indeed in February and at that time they were a little bit scared of slipping off to 5th or 6th position in the league, it is true. I started from the first day having my talks to the players that we must deliver from the first day and not get used to each other's way of working or me to them and how they play and vice versa. We managed to work hard and push the luck, not just the luck, we played well in Villa to get the first score over there, the first three points which I think were very important. We put the pressure on each other in the first week already.

Looking from afar back then, before you got the job, was there always something that you thought that if you were Chelsea manager you would do?
Well I came in and I had some ideas of course because in the few days when I knew I was going to do this I was of course analysing the situation within the team also with the players what is most important to see if players can cope together. Maybe to make some changes or to be a little bit more flexible tactically in the system to see if we could play with two central strikers, yes or no?, so I was analysing that and it worked out perfectly in that first game.

Symbolic of those changes is perhaps the form of Didier Drogba, back in the days of Luis Felipe Scolari he was low in confidence and obviously not in the form that he is now. What is it that you think you did with Didier Drogba to see the form he is in right now?
It is impossible for me and I don't want to judge the time before February, there are always reasons to make decisions. But, in Didier's case from the first day I started working with all of them and I did not want to have a lot of information about the past because I was watching towards the near future. He is very ambitious. Not just on the pitch but also off the pitch he has the influence on the team with other leaders and he got his form, his shape and from there on he marked also his goals which is very important for everyone.

And the form that he is in right now do you feel like he is the best striker in the world, how does he compare with the other top strikers?
It is difficult to compare, it is always said that the guy who makes goals is the best and it is not always true because he is in big shape but it is difficult to compare him with players who are playing in other leagues. What is important for us and for him is that he is having these performances, not just by scoring the goals but also by working hard.

Was there a key moment in the season in your time here where you really thought this is the game where things have changed or maybe on the training pitch?
From the first day we said, "hey guys, you have the experience of World Cups, European Cups and a lot of Champions League games and I have a bit of experience gathered all over the world so let's not hide and let's deliver from the first day. And all the guys responded.

You have been in this situation before with PSV where you are challenging for three trophies but of course when you are involved with so much there must be a focus for you.
We are still on three roads going towards success hopefully of course the league is difficult because every week there is one game less and if Manchester does not drop the points then they will be champions. In the Champions League we will face a very beautiful team Barcelona who can play wonderful football, I like to see that not just because I am now the opposing manager but also because I am a lover of good football, they are always nice to see.

Do you think your experience as Real Madrid and Valencia coach will help in that tie against Barcelona?
No, That is a long time ago already that was more than 10 years ago. Football has changed and managing style has changed but what I like very much is the philosophy of Barcelona. I know that and I know people there in their house and they have this philosophy of always signing players who are very attractive and very attack minded and also very attractive for the public and that is what they like in bringing in a team and I think it is very good to see.

What should we expect from that first leg at the Nou Camp, should we expect to see a very attacking Chelsea?
We expect a very attacking Barcelona and Chelsea has the character not to sit back, it is impossible in this team even if I say to the team "hey guys let's sit back and defend" it is impossible because there is this desire in the team to play football as well.

Of course the 2nd leg is back at Stamford Bridge, how crucial is that?
It is very tight, we have seen that in the game against Liverpool and we saw that in the game before against Juventus, it is very tight playing. These are all finals, if you play Barcelona-Chelsea then it is a final and if you play Liverpool-Barcelona or Liverpool-Chelsea they are all finals. So it will be very tight but if you play away we always try to play, as I said before not just defending.

In the game against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge how difficult was it to stay calm on the sidelines?
It seems calm because I have learned in the years that I must try to control myself because with the limited power you have as a manager on the sideline, if you can have some influence on the game and if I am acting like a supporter and following every action then I get mad etc. then I can't make the right and cool judgement about what, if needed, can be changed so I have to have control but it is not easy. If you saw both games we had a wonderful game at Anfield and we had a problematic game in several periods of the game at Stamford Bridge so it is not easy to stay disciplined and calm every time.

A lot has been made of the half time team talk, from your perspective what kind of approach did you have with the players?
We had in the first half this dual approach to the game, conserving, preserving the result from the first game 1-3 away and then of course we talked about that it is difficult for a team not to get split up. One part of the team wanted to attack more and one part was dropping back so you get too much space in between your defence and midfield and attacking line. That is what we talked about tactically and then also of course we were 2-0 down and we talked also man to man as big men should do to get a better performance and the players always react and they always know what is happening there that they were touched in their pride as well.

Of course in that game Ashley Cole got suspended and will miss the game at the Nou Camp. Does that mean that Lionel Messi will be even more of a threat? And how can you contain him without Ashley Cole?
Well, Ashley is unfortunately suspended it is true and we will see. Messi is one of the most beautiful players in the world, very attractive but in these two games I hope he is not delivering and producing what he normally does but I have to think about how to do that. We still have a little bit of time.

read the full interview here


Read more:
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Belletti: "The winners will end up being champions"
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Sylvinho doesn't exclude a renewal

Asked about his future now that his contract expires in the summer, Barcelona left back defender Sylvinho (34) has said in an interview with football site ESPNsoccernet that he will make a decision later on in the season:

"I didn't yet had time to decide what to do as from next season. I will wait to go further on in the season, until it is almost over, and then I will take a decision.

Now I'm focused on my work, which is demanding every day and every week, concentrating in all matches and training sessions. That's why I prefer to concentrate on my work for now."

The Brazilian left back defender is quoted by Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo as not excluding another renewal of his contract despite not having heard anything from the club yet:

"The club didn't tell me anything so far. It's not easy, it's a delicate situation but I don't have a deadline. Last season it was hard but this year I try to focus on the three competitions we're still in, so my mind is busy. I prefer to be involved with the team. Besides, I get to play more this season and I feel strong, dealing better with my situation and my place within the squad than last season."

Read more:
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Sylvinho: "Even the players are surprised"

Sylvinho: "Even the players are surprised"

Barcelona player Sylvinho gave an interview to football site ESPNsoccernet.





Inundated by records, goals, victories, finalist in the Copa del Rey and still in the Champions League... Was it something you imagined to achieve after an average season last year?
It's true that, after a very bad season last year, we didn't imagine to have a good season this year. But then you can never say at a club like Barcelona that after a bad season you're not going to fight to achieve important things. It's also true that our statistics are also very good and that surprises everyone, even the players. Obviously there are things to improve, months ahead and matches ahead, but we're happy with what we've achieved up to now.

Even so, now the team is fighting against a bad run of results that many call a crisis. Does it bother you to have people question everything the team has accomplished in such short time?
All the criticism, what the press writes about... it's fine to have people express their opinion and talk about bad runs or complicated situations. But all this questioning... Trying to find explanations is a waste of time and that bothers me a bit. We still have a lot of work ahead of us and of course we accept criticism. We have lost points and it's obvious it's because we were doing something wrong, but that's it. It's about facing mistakes, correcting them, but you can't just beat yourself over it because it's no use. Maybe the most important part of the season is about to start, and we can't waste our time on things that aren't worth it. We have to correct problems and move on.

You said Barcelona was the envy of Spain and some Madrid players agreed with you. It's always tougher to be the leader than the second seed.
Yes, there's a responsibility to keep being at the top of the table and always win games. People watch you, not just in Spain but in Europe. Any rival can make life difficult for you because all rivals are extra motivated when they play against us, whether that's at home or away and if they win, they feed from that the rest of the season. It's always tougher to be leader but we're convinced that the job we're doing is a good one and us players are doing the best we can.

An odd question, but do you prefer a calm league with a 12 point difference or do you prefer an exciting league where every match is a huge challenge?
It's a tough one! (laughs). It's difficult because it's not about points or figures. I think the truth is that whether it be 12 or 4 points, you have to suffer and suffer a lot to be league champions. No one wins a championship without sweating or without making an effort. With 12 or 4 points difference, you always have to make an effort, be committed and put in a lot of work. We were making a huge effort at Barcelona with 12 points and we still do with 4. We shall see how it all ends. We fully trust our work, which is the most important thing at the moment.

It's still three months to go for your holiday break and fighting in three competitions isn't easy.
It's not easy but it's also thanks to the amount of players you have. People may think of changing one competition for the other, but I don't agree. If we split the season into three cycles and we have three important competitions, it's because we want to do our best in all three. That's why it's unacceptable when people say one competition is in the way of the other or that it'll mean the team's tired to play, and I don't agree with that.

I imagine you want to go on holiday after a big celebration. Do you have any personal preference for one of the three competitions?
No, personally, I don't. For a club, the Champions League is always important; the Champions League is, after all, the Champions League, then the Spanish league and then the Copa. But then that depends on what people think on the outside. For us who are on this side, at the club working, the Copa has the same value as any other competition and to win it is just as tough as any other. Any of the three competitions is important to us.

England and Spain, with four teams per country in the Champions League, dominates European football in a way. Which do you think, of the two countries, is above the other and why?
It's tough to say. Fortunately, I experienced an important stage of my career playing at Arsenal for two seasons, where I grew to know the Premiership and how it worked. I have been in the Spanish league for eight years now and know it well too. The English, since the market opened, added good foreign players to their clubs and there was an important increase in the technical level of their football and I think that was a good addition to their game. With the intensity English clubs have, plus this quality, the level increased. That's why in the Champions League there's always one or two English clubs in the semi-finals or final. They're very strong, physically strong too. Spain has a different style; they have more technique and are also physically strong, but not as much as the English. It's a cultural question. Which one is better? I don't know, it's about preferring one or the other and I don't see the English better than the Spanish. Both are very strong.

Do you think the return leg at home against Lyon can be more complicated than it seems?
It's always, always complicated. We achieved a good result away from home but now we have 90 minutes ahead of us at home. I think the small advantage we have in the Champions League, and even if it's small it's still and advantage, is that we're playing at home and we can make the most of that. Lyon is a good team, has great players and it'll be a tough match.

Read the full interview here.


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FCB Miami: Barca serious about MLS involvement

Author: Keyvan Heydari
Source: ESPNsoccernet





In mid-October, when an FC Barcelona delegation led by club president Joan Laporta disembarked in Miami for a surprise announcement of a Major League Soccer expansion bid, the waves rippled from New York to Barcelona. Since then, more details have been revealed, and Miami's joint bid between FC Barcelona and Bolivian cell phone magnate Marcelo Claure has started to take shape and gain strength.

Because Miami historically has been a fickle market for soccer despite its large Latino population, its diverse soccer groups were surprised and energized by news of the potential team. Speculation is that Laporta, who has vacationed in Miami, would live in Florida once his term as Barcelona president expires in 2010. According to Laporta, hiring the front-office personnel would be Barcelona's responsibility. "That is our specialty," he said.

Miami has several advantages. It's home to knowledgeable soccer fans, and it's the production headquarters for networks such as Univision, Telemundo and Gol TV, and it's one of the closest American cities to South America and to Europe. It also already has a club, Miami FC, which competes in the USL First Division.

Barcelona's exact role in the venture is not yet clear. "It's a very serious initiative, the way we do things at Barça. We would have the sporting lead in this project," said Laporta. "Also, we think Miami is the gateway to America and a cultural crossroads."

Miami also might be an attractive destination for European stars. Players such as Barcelona forwards Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry have vacationed in Miami in the past year. Dario Brignole, Barcelona winger Lionel Messi's commercial agent, also is based in Miami. He says it would make business sense and would be a good link for Messi down the line. (Messi just signed a deal to replace Henry in the Gillette ad with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.)

Barcelona -- which has a joint marketing agreement with MLS -- and Claure are asking the league to modify its expansion strategy, which foresaw a new team in Seattle for 2009, one in Philadelphia for 2010 and two more in 2011. MLS is expected to make a decision later this year or in early 2009. Claure and Laporta insisted their wish was to begin playing in MLS in 2010.

"We think we have all the ingredients in place," Claure said. "We're not very patient, and if we could, we would start in 2009. Never has a team of the quality of Barcelona made the choice of starting a 'sister' team in another league. This is the first time this happens."

The financial muscle of the 37-year-old Bolivian entrepreneur, president of the largest Hispanic-owned business in the U.S., is expected to smooth over any resistance at FC Barcelona, a nonprofit sports club. Claure is the owner of privately held Brightstar Corp., which has assets of more than $4.8 billion.

"This is a sweetheart deal. The financial risk is zero," said Joan Oliver, Barcelona 's general manager upon his return to Spain . "Barça has to become a global brand. If we don't get into ventures like these, then we would be overtaken by the teams that have new investors from the East and the Gulf."

Laporta and his traveling committee were aware that a constituency of Barcelona "socios" in Catalonia are debating the merits and faults of the MLS initiative. In an online poll of more 3,000 Barca fans, 56 percent were in favor of the proposed MLS franchise and 42 percent were against.

In an e-mail, Claure fleshed out how the joint MLS gambit came about and noted that he and Laporta have been talking about MLS since February. "It never made sense … that Miami did not have an MLS team," Claure wrote. Claure had several conversations with D.C. United shareholder Will Chang, but it was a few weeks back that Marcelo and Laporta met with Don Garber, commissioner of MLS, and MLS president Mark Abbott. "After the meeting, Claure and Laporta 'both decided that it would be a very good move to partner and bring soccer to Miami.' We said, 'Let's make it happen.'"

Local Miami soccer promoter Tom Mulroy said, "They are already involved in the sport, and that's good. I would have to reserve judgment until I find out exactly what Barcelona's exact involvement is. But if the team is not good, they risk their putting their name at risk."

Observers feel that a new South Florida MLS franchise has potential. "People here know what good soccer is about," said Munga Eketebi, FIU's soccer coach. Eketebi noted that Miami could be an entry point for Barca into the North American market, not for fans, but for nurturing players in Barcelona's famed youth academy. "You send Bojan [Krkic] here for a year, it would be tremendous," Eketebi said.

But Albert Vicens, a former Barca vice president, questioned the Miami initiative in an article published in El Periodico de Catalunya. "It seems to sign a deal with an unknown businessman, in a league that holds little interest for the Barcelona faithful," Vicens wrote. "If it's such a great deal, then why bring in a third party?"

Read the full article here


Read more:
Interview with Barcelona partner Claure
Henry could leave for Miami in 2010
Weighing the seven bids

Hleb: "I want to start scoring goals"

Barcelona player Alexander Hleb gave an interview to football site ESPNsoccernet.





It's been a few months for you now at FC Barcelona. How are things fitting in for you?
Now things are much better and of course, I'm learning Spanish, I feel more like at home. I'm more integrated in the team and that's something that is very important for me.

When you received the offer from Barcelona, did you have to think about it very much or was it an appealing challenge for you?
Of course it was an offer from a fantastic club. It's harder work here to make it into the first eleven. But Barcelona is fantastic and everything is very good.

There's quite a connection between Arsenal and Barcelona, players coming and going and obviously you had Cesc to tell you about Barcelona and Henry to guide you.
Yes, it was great. I spoke a lot about Barcelona with Cesc before I arrived here. He explained about a lot of things, about the place and about the fantastic weather. I want to enjoy my time at the club and I'm very happy to be here.

For some time now there are rumours about Cesc returning to Barcelona. Would there be 'room' for him in the team with Xavi in midfield?
I don't know. I can't really say anything about that. Xavi is a fantastic player and Cesc is my friend. You'll have to ask him if he wants to come to Barcelona or not because I think he is happy at Arsenal.

If there's one thing impressive about Barça recently it's the amount of good players coming through from the youth teams.
Yes, the club has a fantastic youth scheme and we see the young players at Barcelona playing as if they were already 30-years-old. Busquets, Pedro, Bojan, etcetera. I think for the clubs it's excellent.

What do you think of the coach: young, knows the club very well and doing surprisingly well...
I think he's very good. He's young, he's brought a lot of discipline into the club and he has a lot of contact with the players and that's fantastic at the moment because everything is going so well at Barcelona.

With your league debut in mind and the tackle which led to your injury against Racing Santander, you've said the Spanish league is much tougher than the English one.
I saw that sometimes in Spain players kick you, they go after you rather than the ball. I think referees need to protect the players more during games in the Spanish league.

What other things in Spanish football are you learning to handle?
Well, I think the Spanish league has very good quality, fantastic football. I think everyone in Spain can play well which means we have to be concentrated in all our games because we can lose points if we're not 100% concentrated.

34 goals in 10 games is the best record since the 1950s at Barça. That's obviously good news but does it worry the coach and the team in the sense that the supporters will always demand big wins?
But I like winning 5-0 or 6-0! (laughs) And I think the team likes that too! I think it's very important to win but it's much better if it's a 5-0 win. I think the fans like those results, enjoy the matches with such big scores.

Samuel Eto'o is on 13 goals now. Did it surprise you that Pep Guardiola didn't want him in the team during the summer?
I don't really know why. Eto'o is one of the best strikers in the world. I don't really want to speak about why Guardiola didn't want him in the summer. But the truth is that I'm happy he stayed in Barcelona, he's helping us a lot, he's scoring a lot of goals.

In your case, you have said you think you can adapt to playing in other positions and hope to start scoring too.
I want to start scoring goals, yes. But after my injury I'm still not in my best form. What I do know is that coach Guardiola believes in me and we talk a lot about my game so I hope soon enough I'm back into my best form.

After the draw against FC Basel means the next game against Sporting Lisbon is a key one to guarantee the first spot and avoid 'top teams' in the next draw.
Yes, I think we always want to win our games and we don't think about the draw so much as we do about winning our matches. We're out to win the three points against Sporting. I know this isn't done yet, but we're counting on it.



Read the full interview here