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Barcelona Are Finally Back on Track

David Ramos/Getty Images

After experiencing a rough patch in their season, Barcelona find themselves clinging to La Liga triumph and run the risk of a Champions League exit if they’re unable to overcome a 2-0 deficit against AC Milan this week.
While that may be the case however, the Blaugrana appear to be finding what every team going through a sticky bit of form wants to find: a way out.
Tito Vilanova’s men are finally getting their act back together, and Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna showed evidence that Barca are ready to return to winning ways as they enter the crucial final phases of their campaign.

Blaugrana Roster Running Deep

Thiago Alcantara
David Ramos/Getty Images

Against Deportivo, Jordi Roura, the man standing in as manager due to the absence of Tito Vilanova, fielded a significantly weakened starting XI, evidently with the European fixture against AC Milan in mind.
In what were rare starts for some of the Barcelona stars, the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Cristian Tello, Alex Song, Adriano and Alexis Sanchez all impressed, coming into the limelight for what was a comfortable win over sloppy opposition.
To be able to boast some of the world’s biggest talents is undoubtedly a major boon in any club’s arsenal, but having the ability to call talent of equal worth off the bench is just as important in any grueling campaign.
Giving key players such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Pedro and others a rest before such a vital fixture is crucial if Barcelona are to be at their fighting best for their Champions league commitments, and some of their less publicised assets all did a job in proving there’s more to this team than just their starters.

 

Big Guns Proving as Reliable as Ever

David Ramos/Getty Images

As much as one can value the gift of a deep squad, it’s of equal if not greater importance that a club’s biggest stars—of which Barcelona have many—can perform to specification when called upon.
In the latest triumph over Deportivo, the league leaders looked uncertain against a side sitting at the bottom of La Liga, unable to deliver any killing blow until late in the second half.
As if it were left up to the Fates, Lionel Messi came on with 25 minutes left to play and quickly changed the dynamic of Barca’s attack, injecting a much-needed urgency among the hosts before getting himself on the scoresheet for the 17th consecutive La Liga fixture.
However, it wasn’t only Messi that changed the game in Barcelona’s favour, as Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets each added their share of security to the home side’s midfield, putting the match beyond Depor’s reach in the process.
Add to that other talismans such as Dani Alves, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol all pitching in with good displays, and Tito Vilanova can be pleased to have an in-form batch of superstars at his disposal.
Although some got more of a chance to shine than others, the fact that Barca’s bigger talents are still showing the enthusiasm to go and earn results just two months from season’s end can certainly be considered encouraging for any among the club’s fraternity.

 

Home Form Remains Reliable

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

The backbone of any club, it’s important that a side be able to trust in their own strength when playing in front of their own fans more than anywhere else, a trait Barcelona have certainly imbued this season.
The Catalan giants may have dropped more results away from home than they would have liked in recent months, but being able to get to March having sacrificed just two points at home is quite the feat.
Those lost points, of course, came in a 2-2 home draw against Real Madrid back in September, but it would seem Vilanova’s men have learned from that mistake and are as resilient when playing at the Camp Nou as ever.
Renowned as one of Europe’s toughest venues, Barcelona’s ground is once again the fortress the Blaugrana would hope it should be. Draws against Málaga and Benfica in the Copa del Rey and Champions League, respectively, are the only blips to speak of.
As long as this remains the case, the leaders of the Spanish top flight can, like many a championship-winning team do, call home somewhere to feel at ease, evidenced in the nine-match home winning streak the club are currently enjoying.

 

Finally Signs of Defensive Security

David Ramos/Getty Images

It’s no secret that the one area in which Barcelona have struggles to maintain consistency in this season is defence, a run of form the Guardian reported is the club’s worst since 1962.
While one can’t base expectations around one result, the 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna brought to its end a clean sheet-less streak stretching back 13 matches across all competitions.
Putting such demons behind them is a major plus for the Barca defence, which will assuredly have seen its confidence hit as a result of poor results.
Against Depor, the Catalan side’s back four were assured and confident in their manner, restraining the visitors to but a handful of chances, none of which actually found their way on target.
There’s certainly a long road until the Spanish giants—currently with just the fifth-best defence in La Liga—can say their defensive issues are over, but every journey has to start somewhere, and this one begins with a clean sheet.

 

Tiki-Taka Style Still Alive and Well

David Ramos/Getty Images

Following their most recent drop in form, Barcelona heads had almost begun to drop, unfamiliar with the below-par lack of success that was currently plaguing their season.
The knee-jerk reaction to such instances is to look for change, a way out—a “get rich quick” route back to the lofty heights enjoyed in a previous life.
However, such concerns are all too premature and the uncharacteristic three losses suffered in Barcelona’s last five outings across all competitions are natural anomalies which can occur at any club, even those considered most powerful.
The old adage goes that one should always play to their strengths, and the irrepressible, omnipresent strength embodied by the Barcelona way of life is Tiki-Taka, the most modern form of Total Football.
It’s with Tiki-Taka that Barca have come across an incredibly rewarding last decade or so, and it’s with Tiki-Taka that the side will continue to see such grand success.
If there’s one positive any Barcelona supporter can glean from the recent quagmire of results, it’s that the club continue to showcase the all-involving style that has made them the force they are in recent years, the latest masterclass of which came against Deportivo.
In total, the 14 men that played against Depor racked up a tally of 876 passes with an average pass completion rate of more than 90 percent (via WhoScored.com).
In contrast, the visitors were restricted to just 336 passes, averaging a substantially more disappointing rate of just 74 percent passes completed.

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Real Madrid to shell out £110m to bring Gareth Bale to Spain?

Gareth Bale celebrates after the Premier League match between Tottenham and Arsenal

Real Madrid have proved that they will not rest until they are able acquire Tottenham’s Gareth Bale. This time, the Galacticos are preparing an astronomical £110 million package to sign the hot shot Welsh international.

Sources report that Real are sizing up with a £60 million bid, coupled with a £10 million a year, five-year deal for Bale.

The Spanish giants are aware that a quite a large amount of money will be needed to convince Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspurs, to let go of their star player. It is also understood that the English club will need to offer Bale a huge pay rise to keep Bale at White Hart Lane.

Reports suggest that should Tottenham qualify for the Champions League next season, they are ready to overlook their wage structure and offer Bale an astonishing £170,000-a-week salary.

With Real Madrid ahead leading the pack to sign the Welsh star, it will definitely not be a walk in the park for Spurs to keep Bale.

Bale has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the White Hart Lane. To make matters worse for the Spurs fans, Bale said he might consider a move to the Santiago Bernabéu when he came to watch the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester United.

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Chelsea to sell Fernando Torres for £15 million

Fernando Torres' time may be up at Stamford Bridge

Torres has never been able to recapture his form at Chelsea (©GettyImages)

Chelsea are prepared to sell striker, Fernando Torres, for £35 million less than what they signed him for back in January of 2011.

The club signed the Spaniard from Liverpool for a fee of £50m, but he has never been able to find his form that he showed at Liverpool and has failed to settle in at Chelsea despite being their now for twoyears.

It is report that mega-rich Russian side, Anzhi Makhachkala, are interested in signing the striker at the end of the season, but it is thought that Torres would prefer a move back to his home country with ex-club, Atletico Madrid interested.

If Madrid do offer for Torres, this will then see Chelsea try and buy Radamel Falcao off them, who has been a long-term interest of Roman Abramovich and he could be prepared to make a bid for him this summer.

A source close to the Chelsea chairman has revealed that the Russian is fed up with Torres and has accepted that the £50m signing has been a waste of money and a failed experiment.

Last night, a source close to Abramovich said: “Roman will now sell Torres – if he can get the right offer.”

It is reported that the 'right offer' will be around just £15million. Torres has never settled since joining the Blues for such a high fee in 2011 and with the recent edition of Demba Ba and Romeo Lukaku to return to the club it may mean end to his Stamford Bridge career.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeFootball Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeFootball.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeFootball.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.

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Manchester United in talks with Nike over €75m Cristiano Ronaldo return

Manchester United have met with officials from sports manufacturer Nike to plot Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the club from Real Madrid.

The Sun claims representatives from the American company flew in to London yesterday (Friday) to discuss the renewal of their shirt sponsorship agreement.

Nike could help United bring Ronaldo back.
(©GettyImages)

However, discussions also took place over bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford in a deal that would benefit both parties.
The Portuguese winger has a boot deal with Nike, but wears the Adidas-sponsored Real Madrid kit week-in, week-out in Spain.
And, the report claims Nike believe their global brand would be even stronger if Ronaldo played for a team sponsored by the famous swoosh.
A deal wouldn’t be cheap though, with Manchester United needing to spend in the region of €75million to bring the player back to the Premier League, plus a player like Nani to sweeten the deal, the paper claims.
Nike’s current €350million deal with the Red Devils expires in 2015 after 13-years, and that figure could double during renegotiations.
And, with the paper reporting that Ronaldo would snub big-money from PSG to play under Sir Alex Ferguson again, Nike want to help ‘in any way they can’ to make such a move happen.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic steals show with PSG double

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the star of the show for Paris Saint-Germain in a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Nancy.
Benjamin Moukandjo’s strike gave the visitors a surprise advantage at the break, but it all changed in the second period as the Swedish striker struck twice in three minutes.
The first was a simple finish when the ball fell at his feet in the box, whilst the second took a little more individual work as Ibrahimovic beat the keeper to the ball and slotted it home into an empty net.
Ibrahimovic was also in the spotlight in the first-half, wasting a fantastic opportunity with a free-kick by passing it back to the goalkeeper in a brilliant gesture of sportsmanship.
David Beckham was also introduced in the second period, and the result sees PSG remain top of the Ligue 1 fixture ahead of tonight’s other fixtures.

Watch all the incidents involving Ibrahimovic - brought to our attention by 101 Great Goals - at the top of this story, and let us know how good you think the striker is…

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REVIEW | Manchester City vs. Barnsley 5-0: Grades and Post-Match Reaction

By Ben Chodos

Manchester City was expected to dominate its FA Cup matchup with Championship side Barnsley, and the reigning English Premier League champions did not disappoint en route to a 5-0 victory.
Despite playing a team from a lower division, Roberto Mancini had no plans of letting his best chance at a trophy slip away and fielded a competitive side that included several of the team's stars.
None made more of an impact than Carlos Tevez, who scored a hat-trick and had two assists after coming into the match with controversy hanging over his head. The Argentine star faces jail time after being arrested for driving without a license, as The Guardian's Daniel Taylor and Jamie Jackson reported. 
City showed true class in this performance, maintaining an impressive amount of possession in front of Barnsley's goal and forcing the visitors to constantly chase the ball. The pace and accuracy of the Citizens' passing was superb and led to several golden opportunities for Tevez.
The Argentine completed his hat-trick just five minutes into the second half, with Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva scoring the other two goals. Barnsley had a few decent chances in the final 40 minutes, but this was ultimately a dominant performance from Manchester City.

Grades
Carlos Tevez, Manchester City: A+
The beauty of Tevez's hat-trick is how little work he had to do in order to get his three goals. City's performance was about spacing and possession, and Tevez provided the clearest example of how organized the team was.
City moved the ball from one side of the pitch to other with quick passes while players off the ball made intelligent runs. Tevez was in the right place to knock the ball into the net three times, showing that he knew exactly where he wanted to be throughout this match.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Chris Dagnall, Barnsley: C-
Dagnall was the man Barnsley was counting on the grab a goal in this game, but he was not a factor in this match.
With Barnsley facing a massive talent deficit, Dagnall knew he would have to deliver a fantastic individual performance as the rest of his teammates would need to focus primarily on defensive duties. He had a tough task today and did not deliver, which caused him to be taken off after just 50 minutes.

Yaya Toure, Manchester City: A
The key to City's smooth passing in this match was the big man in the middle. There is no other central midfielder in the England who can impact a game in so many different ways.
He is a remarkably intelligent and creative distributor, a brilliant finisher and has the pace to make piercing runs forward. But it was his ability to maintain City's shape and put players into dangerous positions that stood out in this fixture.

Ryan Tunnicliffe, Barnsley: C+
Tunnicliffe had added motivation to orchestrate an upset as he is on loan from Manchester United. But the Barnsley midfield was overrun in this match, and the youngster was lost for most of the contest.
He had a few promising moments after City had already taken a commanding lead, but ultimately, he and the rest of the Barnsley squad had a day to forget.

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

David Silva, Manchester City: A
It is easy for teams to play down to their competition in a match like this, but Silva followed Tevez and Toure's lead in maintaining possession, moving the ball around the pitch and playing clever balls forward.
He deservedly got his name on the scoresheet just before he was given the rest of the night off.

What's Next
Manchester City is through to the semifinals of the FA Cup and Barnsley's run in the tournament is now over.
City will return to Premier League action next weekend against Everton while Barnsley will head back to the Championship to play Brighton on Tuesday.

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Brazilian Goalie Bruno Fernandes de Souza Convicted of Murdering Ex-Girlfriend

By Tyler Conway

Photo via The Mirror

Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza has been convicted for ordering the murder of ex-girlfriend Eliza Samudio in 2010 and sentenced to 22 years imprisonment, according to a report from the BBC.
He was also found guilty of hiding Samundio's body and kidnapping the couple's son, per the BBC report. Though convicted, Fernandes has maintained that he knew of the killing but had no other involvement: "The ex-Flamengo goalkeeper admitted to knowing that Ms Samudio had been strangled and her remains fed to dogs, but denied ordering the killing."
Fernandes was charged with ordering the murder of Samundio, 25, after she had requested child support from the Brazilian soccer star. He had contracted friend Luiz Henrique Ferreira Romao and former policeman Marcos Aparecido dos Santos to commit the crime, both of whom were also charged with murder.
Romao and Santos were reportedly the ones who carried out the crime, which became a national story due to its gruesome nature. According to the police report, Samundio was murdered via strangulation before having her body parts dismembered and fed to dogs, per a report from The Guardian.
Romao later admitted to being involved with the crime and pointed to Fernandes as the orchestrator.
One of the world's up-and-coming goalkeepers in 2010, Fernandes was most famous for his time with Flamengo. A fan favorite for his charismatic style, the young keeper was expected to play for Brazil's national team during the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
When charged with the murder in 2010, Flamengo suspended Fernandes’ contract until its termination last year. The case then took on a life of its own, as it captivated the Brazilian media and soccer fans everywhere.
Two years later, with Fernandes convicted, it seems all sides will finally be able to move on from one of the ugliest incidents in world football history.

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REPORT and HIGHLIGHTS | FC Barcelona 2 Deportivo de La Coruña 0

Just three days before the vital Champions League return match with AC Milan, Barça returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Deportivo de La Coruña thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez and Leo Messi at Camp Nou tonight. Messi’s goal took him to 40 in this season’s Liga and it was also his 17th consecutive league game scoring which is a world record, beating the Polish player Peterek who scored in 16 straight games for Ruch Chorzow in 1937/38.
With such a big task facing the team on Tuesday night in the Champions League Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba were all left out of the initial lineup. With Victor Valdés suspended and Xavi still trying to get fit, Barça started with an XI of: Pinto, Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Adriano, Thiago, Song, Fabregas, Alexis, Villa and Tello.
The game began with a somewhat subdued atmosphere. As a protest at the board’s decision to drop plans for a young people’s section at Camp Nou, three blocks remained empty behind the south goal which Barça were attacking in the first half. There was just one shot from Barça in the first ten minutes which Tello sent well over from 25 yards. At this point Carles Puyol showed his captain’s qualities by gesturing to the crowd to get behind the team. The crowd reacted by increasing the volume and the team began to lift the rhythm.
The first real chance came in the twelfth minute. Thiago found Alves forward on the right and the Brazilian sent in a cross that was just too high for Villa but the ball carried to Tello who headed the ball back across goal to Alves who sent in a low shot from an angle which Depor keeper Arunzubia did well to save with his legs.
Alves was being particularly active and a couple of minutes later he sent an excellent long ball to Fabregas who controlled on the run with his right foot but could then only fire over with his left. From here on the first half was a just a series of chances for Barça though the goal took a while to come. Thiago threaded a pass through for Tello but Arunzubia came out bravely at the winger’s feet and Adriano fired the loose ball wide. Villa then put Tello away on the left but Silvio did well to get in front of Alexis as the cross came in. Then Thiago showed tremendous skill to twirl away from two players before sending a glorious long pass to Tello on the left, the winger darted into the area and sent in a low cross which hit Aythami and an own goal was only prevented by an excellent reaction save from Aranzubia who touched the ball against the post.
In the 24th minute Tello sent Villa clean through and a goal seemed certain but Aranzubia stood his ground well and managed to stick out an arm to stop El Guaje’s shot, Adriano, following up, fired his shot straight at the Depor keeper and then Tello fired the second rebound well wide. Alexis was looking more confident than in recent games and he made a good run into the area after Song’s pass but his final cross was cut out by a defender.
Barça kept pushing with Villa firing a quick shot on the turn that Aranzubia read well, while there was practically nothing from Depor at the other end. The only concerns for Barça at the back had been self-inflicted with one early dribble round the area from Pinto and then a poor crossfield ball from Thiago inside Barça’s half that went straight to an opponent. However, Depor didn’t manage their first shot until Oliveira shot well wide from distance in the 36th minute.
Two minutes later another timid Depor attack was broken up by Mascherano. Barça moved forward with the ball coming to Fabregas who sent a long crossfield ball to Alves on the right, the Brazilian lobbed in a cross to the unmarked Alexis whose header bounced down and over the line before Arunzubia could get his hand to the ball in a desperate dive backwards. Barça might have made it two-nil soon after following a splendid build-up which included full-backs Alves and Adriano playing one-twos through the middle. The ball came to Alexis on the right and his cross found Villa who hooked his shot wide from 16 yards.
The second half was less intense as Depor showed a lack of ambition to attack and Barça looked to reserve some energy for Tuesday. The exceptions were Alves, Puyol and Alexis who continued to work very hard. The little danger that Barça were creating was mainly from Alves’s forward charges but his crossing wasn’t so precise. Messi and Iniesta were brought on to try and find a second goal, with Iniesta forcing Arunzubia’s first save of the second half in the 74th minute, Messi buried the rebound but he was correctly flagged for being offside.
Busquets was brought on for the disappointing Fabregas to strengthen the midfield as Depor started to attempt a push forward in the final minutes. However, Pinto continued without needing to make a save and Barça began to find more room going forward. In the 86th minute Messi had a good chance but completely missed his kick as he swung at Alves’s cross. It seemed that Messi would have to settle for sharing the consecutive-games-scoring record, but in the 88th minute he received the ball from Iniesta about 30 yards out in the inside left position, he spun away from Aythami before skipping past Aguilar and darting diagonally to the centre, Insua blocked his way so he sent a pass out to Alexis on the right and then darted into the box to receive the Chilean’s quick return pass with a delightful flick past Aranzubia.
Messi’s records were of course secondary today, and although he did not need to work very much, one can’t help wondering if it would have been better to keep him as fresh and hungry as possible for Milan. The Champions League game is going to be one helluva tough test. There were few clues to who will start against Milan though it would seem logical that the players who started on the bench tonight will start on the pitch on Tuesday. Of these I have to say I’m not so sure about Pedro. Alves has looked good in recent games, especially when he hasn’t had Pedro in front of him and the options of playing the Brazilian in an adaptable role, switching between a back three and back four, could be a useful option. Besides that, there are various players who are pushing for a place and of these Alexis and Tello will have done their options no harm with tonight’s performance. The defence all looked solid in helping to keep our first clean sheet since the start of January but I imagine Mascherano and Adriano on Tuesday will be benched in favour of Piqué and Jordi Alba. On a slightly negative note Fabregas continued with his recent drop in form, Thiago demonstrated that despite his class he is still a liability with too many mistakes in dangerous positions, and Villa failed to score from a couple of decent chances. Just for the record my team for the Milan game, depending on Xavi’s fitness, would be: Valdés; Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Alba; Xavi (or Fabregas), Busquets, Iniesta; Alexis, Messi, Tello/villa.

Barça: Pinto 6.5; Alves 7.5, Puyol 7.5, Mascherano 7, Adriano 6.5; Thiago 6 (Iniesta m67, 7), Song 6.5, Fabregas 5.5 (Busquets m75, 6.5); Alexis 7.5, Villa 6 (Messi m62, 7), Tello 7.
Depor: (4-2-3-1) Aranzubia; Manuel Pablo, Insua, Aythami, Sílvio; Assunção (Juan Dominguez m77), Abel Aguilar; Bruno Gama, Valerón (Camuñas m62), Pizzi; Oliveira (Salomao m70).
Goals: m38 Alexis 1-0, m88 Messi 2-0
Yellow cards: m70 Puyol, m70 Aguilar, m83 Song
Attendance: 69,748

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