FC Barcelona News: 30 December 2011; Team Back in Training, Barça Confident Over Isaac Cuenca

La Liga review of the year | Andy Mitten - Yahoo!
Pep Guardiola's side continued to dominate both domestic and European football. They amassed a staggering five trophies in the calendar year, beating Real Madrid to the Spanish league and Super Cup but losing out to Mourinho's side in the Copa del Rey final. That was a rare blip in a year in which they outplayed United just as they outclassed Porto in the final of the European Super Cup and Santos in the Club World Cup.

'Without him there would be no Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta or Pep Guardiola' - why Barcelona's modern success is thanks to Dutch legend Johan Cruyff - Goal.com
Without him, there would be no Pep Guardiola, no Leo Messi, no Xavi and no Andres Iniesta. They would have been judged to be too slow, too small – table footballers. The genius from Amsterdam created the conditions which allowed these incredible players to be recognised and to become central to FC Barcelona’s values. Without Cruyff, this story simply wouldn’t exist.

Josep Guardiola: Barcelona as hungry as ever for more titles - Goal.com
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has revealed that his players have an insatiable desire for silverware. The recent Club World Cup triumph in Japan means that the Catalans have now won 13 trophies since the former Barca B coach took charge of the senior side in the summer of 2008.

Alexis and Cesc impress in 2011 | FC Barcelona
They've already clinched three trophies – the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup and the World Club Cup, as well as making confident progress in the League and King's Cup. The arrival of Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas in the summer has given an already solid squad a touch more skill and class. The new boys have certainly made their presence felt in these first months of the season.

Barca confident over Cuenca | Sky Sports
The 20-year-old winger has work his way into Pep Guardiola's first-team this season and has produced a string of impressive display. However, his contract expires at the end of the season and he is yet to agree new terms. The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked but Barca remain calm over Cuenca's situation.

Barça returns to work after the Christmas holiday | FC Barcelona
After spending nearly a week on holiday with their families, the first team returned to work this Thursday afternoon. In the first training session after the Christmas break, Pep Guardiola worked with 15 first team players and four Barça B players – Cuenca, Muniesa, Sergi Roberto and Montoya.

Chelsea star Oriol Romeu could return to Barcelona in 2013 - ESPN Soccernet
Upon completion of the deal it was said that Barcelona had the right to buy Romeu back for €10 million at the end of his first season or €15 million at the end of his second season, but there has since been confusion over that clause. Andre Villas-Boas said recently that it was only active if Chelsea wished to sell, while Barca reportedly disputed that claim.

The top 10 videos of the year | FC Barcelona
Images of Justin Bieber training alongside some of FC Barcelona’s first team players piqued the interest of thousands of Barça fans around the world. The video Justin Bieber trains with Barça was the most-watched video on FC Barcelona’s official YouTube account.

Barça B is the cleanest team of Segunda División A | FC Barcelona
Barça B, a team made up of youngsters from the Masía, bases its football style in possession and treating the ball well. The proof lies in the fact that the team is the cleanest (in terms of accumulated cards) in the Segunda A division. After 18 League matches the boys led by Eusebio Sacristán have only been booked 41 times, none of them red cards.

Carvalho back in training | LFP
The great novelty in Real Madrid's return to training was the presence of Ricardo Carvalho, who is now recovered from the strained ligament he suffered in his right knee. With the eight-day Christmas break now over, José Mourinho had twenty-three players available and at his orders at the Valdebebas training ground.

Real Madrid keep tabs on Borussia Monchengladbach's Marco Reus - report - Goal.com
The Germany international, 22, has been in sensational form this season, putting himself on the agendas of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Spanish sources suggest that Madrid are scouring the market for young talents and that Reus is one of their transfer priorities for the summer of 2012, along with compatriot Mario Gotze.

Real fancy Fernandes | Sky Sports
Gremio's sporting director Paulo Pelaipe claims Real Madrid have contacted the club regarding the possible availability of Mario Fernandes. The Primera Liga giants are not the only side looking to land the 21-year-old full-back, though, with CSKA Moscow also hoping to do a deal in the January transfer window.

Racing extend coaching deals - Yahoo! Eurosport
Struggling Racing Santander have rewarded their coaching team of Juan Jose Gonzalez, Fede Castanos and Pablo Pinillos with contracts until the end of the season. The trio were appointed on a temporary basis at the end of November, after Racing parted company with Argentine Hector Cuper when the side slid to the foot of La Liga, and they have brought some hope back to the troubled club.

Zaragoza fire coach Aguirre - Yahoo! Eurosport
"Real Zaragoza have agreed with Javier Aguirre to cancel his contract as first team coach," Zaragoza said in a statement. "The situation the Aragonese team is in required an urgent change of course, which is why this agreement was reached," Real added.