FC Barcelona News: 13 February 2012; Squad for Champions League Game Set, Real Madrid Extend La Liga Lead
Spanish Football Federation to decide venue for Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao on Monday - Goal.com
However, the current La Liga leaders are believed to be reluctant to host this year's edition of the cup final, although they have not officially approached the RFEF, as they have scheduled maintenance during the week of the game. Therefore, the RFEF is considering moving the final to another venue, and both Sevilla's Estadio de la Cartuja and Valencia's Mestalla are candidates to host the fixture.
Puyol: "The League is complicated, but not lost" | FC Barcelona
"Clearly we're not happy with the match at Osasuna, but the League is not lost yet. We must be realistic and accept that it's complicated, but if this team has anything, it's that we will not give up, and we'll fight to the end". In this way Carles Puyol expressed the feelings of the squad after the defeat in Pamplona, but also said how they'll face up to the rest of the season.
The night Barcelona threw away La Liga - Osasuna setback leaves Guardiola's side needing a minor miracle to catch Mourinho's Madrid - Goal.com
Barcelona fans went back to blaming the referee on Saturday night. Some pointed to Alexis Sanchez's disallowed first-half goal which should have stood; others pointed out that Dejan Lekic was offside as he scored Osasuna's second in the Catalans' 3-2 defeat. The conspiracy theorists were out in force.
22 in the squad to travel to Germany | FC Barcelona
For this game, Pep Guardiola has called up all the available players from the first team, amongst them Sergio Busquets, who is travelling without medical clearance. The Barça midfielder has missed the last two games due to the knee injury sustained against Real Sociedad. This Sunday, though, he was able to take part in the group training session.
Motivation not a problem for Friedrich – UEFA.com
Leverkusen are competing in the round of 16 for the first time since 2004/05, and they could have hardly asked for a tougher test on their return to the knockout phase. Playing the European champions is a test that excites Friedrich, though. "There are two reactions you can have to the draw," he said. "On the one hand, 'oh no!', and on the other hand 'that's great'. In my eyes they are the best team in the world, so what better draw could you get?"
Real blast ten points clear - ESPN Soccernet
Jose Mourinho's men took full advantage of Barcelona's defeat at Osasuna last night to move into a commanding position in the title race. Gustavo Cabral headed Levante into a surprise early lead, but the 43rd-minute dismissal of Vicente Iborra, who picked up a second booking for handling in the area, swung the game in the hosts' favour.
Real Madrid's Pepe: The media has portrayed me like I'm a murderer - Goal.com
The powerful defender has received a fair share of criticism for his aggressive style of play, in particular when Los Blancos face bitter rivals Barcelona, and the 28-year-old feels that the Spain's reporters have been too harsh on him. "The press has portrayed me like I am a murderer," said Pepe in an interview with Canal+.
Roberto Carlos: Jose Mourinho told me he will stay at Real Madrid - Goal.com
Reports in Spain have suggested that Mourinho is keen to cut short his stay at Madrid after receiving whistles from the club's fans in the wake of the Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Barcelona. However, Roberto Carlos, whose club Anzhi have long been credited with an interest in Mourinho, says the Portuguese coach will not step down in the summer.
Levante sign Navarro | LFP
Levante have reached agreement with David Navarro, who has signed to add strength to the azulgrana defence. Navarro has previously played for Valencia and Mallorca, among other clubs, and arrives on a free transfer after a spell at the Swiss club Neuchâtel.
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If i were pep..
Id try get the team back to basics..put out the strongest,most attacking squad and tell the boys ’ go have fun,win,lose or draw…just enjoy the game’
they must be having a tough time..with the refs continuously making mistakes..that really will get em down…its time to get out of the rut…
This time its a new opponent…hopefully a good pitch that actually has grass on it:p even if its bloody cold and will probably be half ice..the refs are different,not Spanish and hence not under pressure from the media…and most important..champions league:D just the thought will bring happy thoughts of wembley and bernabeu:)…
Follow me on Twitter @InderMethil
league games
Rest players. Try out formations. Give more playing time to the youngsters. I want to see Montoya, Bartra, and Rafinha. Give out-of-form players a chance again. Pique, Adriano, Pedro. Let’s get the mistakes out.
Our primary objective is and always has been the CL. It’s there for the taking.
by Luis Mazariegos on Feb 13, 2012 7:00 PM CET reply actions
I only agree with parts of this
La Liga is always the main goal and has always been for Pep. Now it’s as good as gone we probably should focus on it a little less but we still need to ensure to finish as close to real as possible. If we experiment around too much and (god forbid) get overtaken by valencia it would be a disaster. Every extra point by which real wins is a torment and will be used to showcase “how real are far better than Barça”.
We saw youngsters, some more than others like Cuenca, but playing them more contradicts with getting our #1 XI together again. I’d rather see Puyol and Pique make Valdes’ 90 minutes boring as hell so they’re ready for the big CL matches than get a glimpse of Bartra every other game. With la liga almost gone, losing out on any of the 2 remaining competitions would be worse still.
by mystyfly on Feb 13, 2012 7:46 PM CET via iPhone app up reply actions
im not entirely sure ..
that we can afford to let up on the league…although ur argument makes complete sense…i think its important for the team to continue to put in all the effort like they were playing to win the league…just for the sake of continuity…that way allowing the players to be sharp for midweek CL games…
Follow me on Twitter @InderMethil
by Inder Methil on Feb 13, 2012 8:04 PM CET up reply actions
Second this
All remaining CL matches are big and we need Pique and Puyol to step up to their games. Other regulars need to play enough in the league so that we have a reasonably well-oiled machine for these matches.
That said, it’s not a bad idea to give more game time to Tello/Cuenca so that they can become a potent threat in plan B.























