Cesc Fàbregas looking forward to '19 finals' - from Barcelona TV interview

Fabregas is 100 % certain that Barcelona can make a success of this season. ''We have to improve, but it’s all still in our hands'' he said on the ‘El Marcador’ show on Barça TV. ''We have 19 games ahead of us in the league, Champions League and cup, and if we win them all, then this will be a great season''. The midfielder believes FC Barcelona can win all their remaining matches and thus secure all three trophies.
Ritrova il desiderio perso, un fiume di virilità. Regola il tuo testosterone

Antinfiammatorio, favorisce la cessazione da fumo e alcol, rilassa da stati di forte stress 

Cesc continue the interview on Barça Tv: ''We have to pull our socks up and show that we are hungrier than anyone else to win the league title. If we win every game we have left, we’ll be champions … I like to think that we’ll be there to the end in every competition. We have to treat these games like 19 finals''. Asked to speak about Sunday’s 4-1 win against Almeria, Cesc said that “it probably wasn’t our best game...(continue)

credits to: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/cesc-fabregas-looking-forward-to-19-finals

Arsenal miss chance, Wenger frustrated and criticized Rizzoli italian referee

Schalke fought back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Tuesday and stay top of Group B in the Champions League.  Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud scored inside the first 30 minutes to put Arsenal ahead. But a goal from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in first-half injury time and another from Jefferson Farfan after the break completed the comeback by the German club. The Gunners overcame a slow start to go 2-0 up through Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud only for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to pull one back on the stroke of half-time. Jefferson Farfan fired in at the far post in the second half to level and Arsenal held on for the point.

“At 2-0 you have not won the game and with the physical quality of the German team it isn't over, they have a lot of quality and they never give up, so overall I never felt that the game was over even at 2-0,” Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger said. The draw left Schalke with eight points after four matches, one ahead of Arsenal. Olympiakos has six points after winning 3-1 against Montpellier, which has one. “To get a 2-2 after 0-2 speaks for our team,” Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby said. “We showed our morale. But we could have lost at the end.”

Arsene Wenger criticised referee Nicola Rizzoli after his side lost a two-goal lead to Schalke. The Arsenal manager felt Ibrahim Afellay had fouled Theo Walcott in the build-up to the Germans' first goal and were denied a clear chance when the Italian official blew instead of playing on, with Marco Hoger falling as Lukas Podolski was clear on goal. Walcott added: 'It was a good point in the end. It would have been a fantastic victory, but Schalke are a tough side. We are just trying to win our last couple of games and that is all you can do. I just want to play - hopefully now I can get a run in the team because I feel I fully deserve it.'

Arsenal had Mannone to thank in the 51st minute when he thwarted Huntelaar in a one-on-one after Neustadter's through-pass. Schalke were throwing everything at  Arsenal and had an appeal for a penalty turned down after Per Mertesacker looked to have handled in the box.  But the Germans deservedly dragged themselves level in the 66th minute when Farfan fired home from close range, via a Thomas Vermaelen deflection, as Arsenal failed to clear Afellay's cross.  Huntelaar, Farfan and Jermaine Jones missed decent chances to give the hosts the lead their dominance warranted. And the Germans' wastefulness in front of goal was nearly punished with the final kick of the game. But it was Walcott who fluffed his lines after capitalising on defensive uncertainty as, with only Unnerstall to beat, he shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Schalke: Unnerstall, Uchida (Hoger 25), Howedes, Matip, Fuchs, Jones, Neustadter, Farfan, Holtby (Barnetta 90), Afellay, Huntelaar, Hoger (Papadopoulos 66).
Subs Not Used: Hildebrand, Moritz, Draxler, Kolasinac.
Arsenal: Mannone, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Arteta, Wilshere, Walcott, Cazorla (Coquelin 90), Podolski (Andre Santos 90), Giroud.
Subs Not Used: Shea, Djourou, Arshavin, Jenkinson, Chamakh.
Goals: Walcott 18, Giroud 26, Huntelaar 45, Farfan 67.
Attendance: 50,000 
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).
Booked: Matip, Fuchs, Jones, Cazorla, Podolski.

Jordi Alba 'the Hero' breaks Celtic hearts: 94th, 2-1

A Jordi Alba goal in the final minute of injury time sparked off celebrations at the Camp Nou. It was just reward for Barça against a Celtic side that only wanted to defend its early lead. “We know it won’t be easy against Celtic because we have already suffered at home against Spartak when they came close to winning,” left-back Alba said. Celtic were denied a famous draw in the Nou Camp last night with the last kick of the game. For 93 minutes it looked as though their English-born goalkeeper Fraser Forster would earn them a point but when Adriano crossed with Barcelona's last attack Jordi Alba scored from a yard out.

The goal made Barça hungrier than ever, but also got the Scots concentrating even more earnestly on keeping things as tight as physically possible at the back. It wasn’t pretty football, but it was remarkably effective, with Barça in almost total control of the ball but failing to produce much in the way of real chances in the first 45 minutes. It needed a little piece of magic, and that finally came a matter of seconds before the break. When Messi, Xavi and Iniesta combine to create an attacking move, you always suspect that something special might happen. And indeed it did. A pinpoint strike from Iniesta finally had Forster beaten. All square at half time. 

A first-half own goal from Javier Mascherano rewarded Neil Lennon's team for playing with calm intelligence and although Andrés Iniesta equalised on the stroke of half-time and David Villa hit the post in second-half added time, goalkeeper Fraser Forster appeared to have earned Celtic a valuable point. That was until Adriano arced in a perfect right-wing cross and Alba applied the finish.

The Celtic coach's animation was in stark contrast to the man alongside him on the touchline. Barcelona's Tito Vilanova was as passive as his team, who at that stage were playing none of their mesmerising football. Adriano tried his luck from distance but Forster, looking assured, got down to his near post to make the comfortable save. On 34 minutes there were even Olé cries from the Celtic fans as their team briefly kept possession in midfield with audacious ease. With a quarter of an hour to go, Vilanova sent on Tello and Villa for Pedro and Alexis. The Asturian was played as an out-and-out striker in search of a second goal, while Tello and Alba slotted in on the wings. It was a risky move, even though by now Celtic were clearly quite happy to settle for a draw. But Barça wanted more, and made the green-and-whites pay for their lack of ambition.

In the final minute, it looked like Villa had finally done it, but his shot struck the post. However, the best had yet to come. With the referee just seconds away from blowing time on an intense footballing spectacle, Jordi Alba pounced on a killer pass from Adriano. Of all people, the two full backs had combined to bring Barça a goal just when it looked like they had left it too late. The Camp Nou went wild. And had every right to do so. An extraordinarily tense evening had ended in the most dramatic of fashions. And the upshot of it all is that Barcelona maintain their one hundred per cent record and a five-point lead over Celtic, who stay second. A place in the last sixteen is already well in sight.

credits to: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/match-archive/2012-2013/champions-league/round-3-g/fc-barcelona_celtic

Barcelona beats Benfica in Champions League, Puyol terrible injury

Lionel Messi set up goals for Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fábregas in Barcelona's 2-0 Champions League Group G victory over Benfica on Tuesday but their victory was overshadowed by a serious-looking arm injury sustained by their captain, Carles Puyol.

However, the Catalans' night was soured towards the end when captain Carles Puyol carried off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a broken arm after he landed awkwardly when attacking a corner, before Sergio Busquets was shown a straight red card two minutes from time.

Puyol had just returned from a hamstring injury in the only change from the side that beat Sevilla 3-2 at the weekend and in contrast to that match Barcelona got off to the perfect start in Lisbon as Messi's fantastic driven cross was just out of the reach of Artur and Sanchez slid in to notch his first goal of the season.

Barca were the better side in the first half, dominating play as they usually do, but also looking vulnerable at moments. Benfica had a couple great chances, forcing two good saves from Victor Valdés, but it was the usual suspects who put Barcelona ahead at halftime.

"There is only one ball and when they have the ball for three quarters of the match it is very hard," said Benfica playmaker Pablo Aimar, who Messi has said was his childhood idol.

Barca doubled their lead after the break when Messi cut in from the right and with a trademark dash left several defenders trailing. He then slid a perfect ball through to Fabregas who coolly slotted in.

"They are, in my opinion, the best in the world, always get more than 70 percent of possession and boss around every opponent," said Benfica coach Jorge Jesus.

Things got ugly and physical late and nearly boiled over when Sergio Busquets was shown a straight red card in the final minutes. It was a terrible call by the referee who claimed he'd gone in with his elbow, but replays showed there was virtually no contact.

The match was fairly uneventful for the next 50 minutes or so. Barcelona dominated possession, but Benfica did muster a few good looks. In fact, they were getting off more shots on goal than Barcelona. 

But Barca kept plugging away, and when Cesc Fábregas broke away to take a Messi pass and netted a goal in the 55th minute, this match was all but over. 

Messi was up to his usual brilliant tricks. While he didn't add a goal in this one, he played a nearly flawless match, and his assist on the first goal set the tone for this match in the very early going.


BENFICA (4-4-2): Artur, Pereira, Jardel, Garay, Melgarejo; Matic, Salvio, Perez (dal 60′ Aimar), Cesar (dal 46′ Martins); Lima, Gaitàn (dal 75′ Nolito). All.: Jesus

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Valdes, Alves, Puyol (dal 77′ Song), Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas (dal 72′ Iniesta); Pedro (dall’81′ Villa), Messi, Sanchez. All.: Vilanova

Preview Benfica-Barcelona, Champions League group G

Tuesday's match away from home will be more difficult because Benfica is a much better defensive team than Spartak, and if Barcelona's back four continues to play poorly, they could be in for a tough night against the Portuguese club.

Any coach who says his team can share possession equally in a match against Barcelona is a "liar", Benfica coach Jorge Jesus said on Monday ahead of the teams’ Champions League Group G match. "If a coach says they will divide the match with Barcelona they lie. I could say so myself today but then we would get there tomorrow and it would be a lie," the coach told a news conference at the Luz stadium in Lisbon.

"Barcelona always get between 60 and 70 percent of possession and we are going to have to run a lot," Jesus said.

''Barcelona are not just [Lionel] Messi. Xavi [Hernández] and [Andrés] Iniesta are the ones who give quality to their attacking game in the key areas where Messi appears to score. We have to defend properly, but with their individual skills they can make the difference. A point against the favourites would be good. Not losing in matches like this one is a good result''.

It will be a big European night, like we have had in recent seasons, so the big difference is that the opponent is Barcelona. The atmosphere will be great and we want to perform well against them, and if possible get a point.

Benfica will be a great test for the Barcelona back four because the Portuguese club is a well-rounded squad with quality players at several positions. Chelsea had some trouble with Benfica in the quarterfinals of last year's competition, and Barcelona will not have an easy time against them this season.

With star centre-backs Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol battling injuries, there are real problems on defense for Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova. He should have bought another defender in the summer transfer window, but chose not to.

Coach Tito Vilanova said: ''I don't think that Benfica will sit back in midfield and wait for us. It's their first home game and I don't believe that Benfica will be happy with just one point. Benfica's attack worries me, but we play our way. Sevilla also had good wingers and created danger on the counter, but the important thing here is not to lose our identity and to keep our style of game. We'll see who can play for us and then we will analyse the opposition's strengths.

It won't be easy, as we know from our two last matches here where we didn't score [Barcelona's only two previous visits produced goalless draws]. They are strong in attack and dangerous on the wings. Benfica are a big club, and because of what they have done in the past, they have earned our respect''.

credits to:http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2013/matches/round=2000347/match=2009516/prematch/preview/index.html

Champions League debut: Blaugrana win 3-2 over Spartak

Barcelona won the first match of the Champions League group but has difficulty to defeat Spartak. After 12 minutes Piqué is injured (out two-three weeks); Song (ex Arsenal) replaces Piquè. Spartak scored an own goal by Dani Alves and then goes ahead with Romulo (59').

Injured Puyol, mister Vilanova put Mascherano as central defender with Pique, on the outside there are Dani Alves and Adriano. In midfield there are Fabregas, Busquets and Xavi. Messi in attack returns from the first minute, Vilanova launches into the fray, the young Tello and to support Messi.

Spartak Moscow trying now to press the hosts in the first minutes of the game. Barcelona then immediately take the ball in the game and start the usual interminable typical possession. It is played nearly always in the half Russian, to the advantage of the hosts with an inspired Tello, who scores Dykan with a nice shot in turn.

It looks like the prelude to a goleada of Messi and company, but in the only offensive sortie, guests find a lucky par, with Dani Alves who scores own goal and returns the match in balance. Then the men of Vilanova react and pour in a determined way towards goal, finding in front of a well-organized defense. With every passing minute the occasions come, especially with the placement of midfielders, but the aim is not the best.

The second half began with the usual pattern: great possession of the hosts and control of the game. But to go ahead dramatically are the Russians, who make a perfect counterattack and pierce the Spanish defense with a nice phrasing. The men of Vilanova is thrown forward with his head down and began to grind the game.

To open the defense of Spartak thinks once again the young Tello that packs a perfect assist for Messi's equalizer. The same eight minutes after Messi disguises himself as a pure striker and finalize an excellent cross to head the newly entered Sanchez. From now until the end of the match FC Barcelona holds the ball and control a match that had started too uphill.

When things go wrong, we always think of the usual Messi to solve the problems of Barcelona. The 'Pulce' is well assisted by Tello and Sanchez and scores two goals in eight minutes, showing a sense of impressive goals. With a player like everything becomes easier.

Champions League 2012-2013 - First Round for Gunners and Blaugrana

Arsenal.

Gervinho and Podolski scored as Arsenal came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Montpellier in their Champions League opener on Tuesday, 18th September 2012. Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda won and converted a penalty in the ninth minute, Podolski equalized in the 16th and Gervinho put the Gunners ahead two minutes later.

“Podolski has made a real impact. I have to say I’ve not seen many finishers as good as him – ever, right foot, left foot,” said Arsenal’ s assistant coach Steve Bould, who led the team as Arsene Wenger served the first game of a touchline ban. “We have had a decent start to the season and we have kept the run going so it’s important all round,” Bould continued. “We have got great team spirit and I think that was evident tonight. Everybody is digging in and things are looking okay.”

Barcelona.

FC Barcelona play host to Spartak Moscow this evening as they look to get their 2012-13 UEFA Champions League campaign underway with a win. The Russians were drawn into Group G from the Third Pot, so in theory they are the third best team in the group, but given that Benfica have sold a number of key players, The Blaugrana, with four wins from four, they are in fine domestic form, and aside from a blip against Real Madrid, they are 100% under Tito Vilanova. 

Barça have never lost their first game in the Champions League when it’s been played at the Camp Nou. Over the last eight games when they have opened their campaign at home, Barça have won seven – with last year’s 2-2 draw against AC Milan the only time they’ve failed to claim an opening home victory.

Other News:

PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the first player to score for six different clubs in the competition as the French team attacked with gusto from the outset, eight years after its last appearance in the competition. The convincing win confirmed PSG's status as Group A favourite ahead of Porto.

"It's always important to win your first game in the Champions League," PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "To play the way we did tonight can only be good for our confidence."