FC Barcelona News: 8 April 2011; Barcelona Can't Afford to Lose, Wenger After Another Barcelona Youngster

Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: Shakhtar incapable of dealing with runners from deep | Zonal Marking
Despite the eventual scoreline, the away side were an attacking force in the game, especially in the first half, and looked to have all the required characteristics to expose Barcelona at the back. First and foremost, they had pace upfront. Luiz Adriano’s lightning acceleration kept causing Busquets problems, and he had a golden chance early on to give Shakhtar an away goal.

Penultimate training session before the visit of Almeria | FCBarcelona
In the preparatory training session which took place on Friday at the Joan Gamper training ground and, as usual on the day before a game, behind closed doors, a total of 19 first team players took part, as well as the goalkeepers from Luis Enrique’s B Team, Miño and Oier, who also trained with the team on Thursday.

Messi joins Facebook, nets 7m followers | ESPN
Messi, who has won the World Player of the Year award twice, joined the social networking site on Wednesday and wrote as his first post: "I am so excited! From now on we will be more closely connected through facebook."

Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola: We cannot afford to lose to Almeria or Real Madrid could catch us | Goal
"We can lose at the Bernabeu in the league, we can lose against Espanyol at home, but there is one game we cannot lose: the one against Almeria,” said the Blaugrana coach, according to fifa.com. "We have to go to the Bernabeu with an eight-point advantage, not six or five.

Maxwell: "It’s very dangerous to already be thinking about Madrid" | FCBarcelona
The 5-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk means FCB are on good course in Europe, but Maxwell feels "it should be made clear that we haven’t won the tie yet. Nothing is guaranteed, but we have taken a huge step. The result means we can afford to be calm, but there’s a very difficult battle waiting for us in the Ukraine".

Barcelona set to re-sign Sporting Gijon's Alberto Botia - report | Goal
Botia came through the ranks of the Barcelona youth academy, but never managed to secure regular first team action, and was farmed out on loan to Sporting Gijon in 2009-10, with the Rojiblancos making his stay at El Molinon permanent in the summer of 2010.

Celtic to loan Jeffren Suarez? | CelticTalk
The Spanish international is also being monitored by Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs for a possible summer transfer bid. Despite Jeffren Suarez’s impressive skill and speed he has failed to hold down a regular slot at the Nou Camp. Barca sources say they may decide to farm out Suarez next season for more experience rather than sell him and their good relationship with Celtic could help smooth a temporary move to Parkhead.

ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS: Another £50m Signing From Barcelona? | Football Talk
Well, it seems like Wenger is intent on making the Nou Camp Chiefs as annoyed as possible, as he is interested in another Barcelona academy player, Xavi Quintilla. Quintilla can play both in defence and in midfield, and scouts from the London side have watched the player in action on more than one occasion.

Mancini - Ade free to go | Sky Sports
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has given Emmanuel Adebayor his blessing to seal a permanent move to Real Madrid this summer. The Togo international is currently on loan with the Spanish giants and he has proved an astute signing for Jose Mourinho's troops.

Llorente plays down Real rumours | ESPN
Spain striker Llorente has been continually linked with a move to the Bernabeu, but the 26-year-old has said he wants to remain at San Mames for the next few years. "My future lies with this club. I've always said this is the case and nothing's changed. My current contract runs two more years and I'm feeling very relaxed," Llorente told Spanish newspaper AS.

Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores to leave at the end of the season - report | Goal
Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer, according to reports in Marca. The 46-year-old tactician joined the club in October 2009 and led the club to victory in the Europa League last season, defeating Fulham 2-1 in the final.

Season over for Sergio García | LFP
Espanyol forward Sergio García is to undergo a double operation next week to treat the hairline fracture he has in the meniscus of his left knee and the dislocation he suffered in his right shoulder during the game against Levante.

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