What we learned from Barcelona's 3-1 win over Real Madrid -- Graham Hunter - ESPN
Up one-nil here Saturday but still slaughtered. Up one-nil in the game that ended 6-2 in Barca's favor during Guardiola's first, glorious, season in charge. A one-nil victory in the Cup final this past April but beaten 2-0 at home in the Champions League semifinal a week later. Madrid simply can't produce a knockout blow.
Barcelona arrive in Japan for Club World Cup - Yahoo! Eurosport
Barca arrived in Japan late on Sunday having jetted out of Spain immediately after their clash with Real. "We will do a little sightseeing in Tokyo, have some traditional Japanese food in the city to adjust from the tough trip and be ready to do the job," said Guardiola. Guardiola admitted he knew little of Asian champions Al Sadd, who could opt for damage limitation when they face the Spanish title holders in Thursday's semi-final in Yokohama.
Al-Sadd will be Barça's opponent in the Club World Cup semifinals in Japan | FC Barcelona
Al-Sadd was founded in 1969, it is one of Qatar’s oldest clubs. They haven’t lifted the League title in four years, but they are reigning champions of the Asian Champions League. To qualify for the Club World Cup they had to play in the pre-qualifier phase. They reached the final (with a balance of eight victories, four draws and two defeats) where they beat South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors in a penalty shoot-out.
Pep Guardiola: La Liga title is not won in December - ESPN Soccernet
Pep Guardiola does not believe Barcelona's 3-1 victory at Real Madrid is the decisive blow in the fight for the Primera Division title, insisting "there are no champions in December". For the fourth season in a row, Barca came away from the Bernabeu with all three points after goals from Alexis Sanchez, Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas saw them come from behind to leapfrog Real into top spot in La Liga.
Puyol: "the team want to keep making history" | FC Barcelona
Puyol explained: "we are coming to win. This team wish to continue to make history", whilst Alves made it clear: "we are all very focussed on this marvellous opportunity to take part in the Club World Cup. We are centred on this competition, which we have reached through hard work and doing things the right way".
Statistics from the League Clasico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona | FC Barcelona
Alves and Messi are the only 2 Barça players who have always been in the starting line-up in the Clasicos, in the Guardiola era. Of the 14 Barça players who took part in the Clasico, nine came through the youth ranks. From Madrid, only one.
José Mourinho's Real Madrid devoid of identity against Barcelona | The Guardian
When it came to offering an explanation, José Mourinho favoured fortune but he did not convince. Fifteen successive victories came to an end with Real Madrid defeated 3-1 by FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu, despite scoring the fastest goal in a Clásico. Twenty-three seconds were all it took for Karim Benzema to give them the lead; by the full‑time whistle, though, that felt like a distant memory.
Paper Round: Mourinho to move for Lampard - Yahoo! Eurosport
Jose Mourinho is lining up a January move to sign Frank Lampard from Chelsea, according to Monday's papers.Granero, valued at £6 million, is a transfer target for both Arsenal and Liverpool, but Mourinho would apparently favour a straight swap for the 33-year-old England star.
Real seek Cup solace amid Ronaldo criticism - Yahoo! Eurosport
Jose Mourinho's side squandered the lead and crashed to a 3-1 reverse to Barca at their Bernabeu stadium, a result that lifted the champions back to the top of the standings on goal difference, albeit with one more game played. Portuguese forward Ronaldo missed two excellent chances and fluffed a slew of free kicks. He suffered the indignity of being whistled by his own fans and was slammed in the normally cheer-leading Madrid-based sports media.