Spanish Football News Blog

There was no change at the top of La Liga as Barcelona and Real Madrid both won away from home on Saturday.
FOOTBALL Real Madrid's Karim Benzema after scoring against Deportivo in La Liga - 0

Leaders and champions Barca stayed five points ahead of second-placed Real after Pedro's first-half goal gave them an unconvincing 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon.

Manuel Pellegrini's side impressed without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo as a Karim Benzema brace helped them beat Deportivo la Coruna 3-1 - their first win at the Riazor in 18 years.

In the day's other Liga match, Luis Garcia struck on 58 minutes as Espanyol beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 to move three points clear of the relegation zone.

Spain U21 winger Pedro's 15th goal of the season was enough for Barcelona as they toiled to fend off their battling hosts Sporting in poor conditions.

He drilled home a low finish after a quickly-taken free-kick on the half hour as Barca, well below their high standards, even lost track of their passing game in the second half, with Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic particularly disappointing.

Sporting, however, lacked the cutting edge to truly test them and, despite a late rally, were unable to snatch an equaliser.

Initially Barcelona passed rings around Sporting, who looked for the occasional break with a degree of success, although striker Mate Bilic had left his shooting boots at home.

The Croatian scuffed one finish wide while, three minutes after Barca took the lead, he headed straight at Victor Valdes after a right-wing cross from Luis Moran.

Otherwise it was all Barcelona, with Andres Iniesta denied by two defenders sliding in, Ibrahimovic heading against the post Lionel Messi drilling just wide.

Messi's usually sublime first touch was letting him down - that low effort across goal came about after his mis-control inadvertently put him past Gregory Arnolin, while on two more occasions the ball came heavy off his foot when played in.

Fortunately for Los Cules, rising star Pedro was in typically ruthless form, drilling low into the bottom left after a quickly-taken free-kick allowed Iniesta to release him with a majestic slide-rule pass.

From that point on the metronomic Barcelona pass-and-move machine was in full flow, although - a criticism coach Pep Guardiola recently made of his charges - they failed to create any more clear-cut chances before the break.

The second half was mostly poor, not helped by the driving rain as Barca struggled to maintain the same rhythm and pressure on the ball.

Neither side created anything until the 74th minute, when Pedro missed twice in quick succession, putting one finish over an open net and seeing another blocked by Alberto Lora.

Sporting keeper Juan Pablo was in good form, snuffing out the danger on two occasions when Ibrahimovic was played in, and tipping a late drive by Pedro round the bar.

Injury time saw Barcelona holding on, giving away a succession of free-kicks and defending desperately, but Sporting failed to capitalise and the visitors took the three points.

Real Madrid were more convincing, dominating a Deportivo still reeling from a horrific broken leg suffered by left-back Filipe last week.

With Ronaldo suspended for two games following his sending off against Malaga last weekend, Raul stepped in and he worked well with Benzema, who forced a superb save from Daniel Aranzubia with one effort before Esteban Granero headed home following a mix-up in the Depor defence.

Benzema almost set up his veteran strike partner with a low ball that was somehow missed by the Madrid club captain, while Aranzubia was again at his acrobatic best to deny Raul from close range.

France striker Benzema spooned the ball over after a great low ball from Kaka as Madrid turned the screw, doubling their lead on 40 minutes after a superb break.

Deportivo had gone close after a decent spell of pressure was snuffed out by Marcelo. Iker Casillas launched Kaka down the left, who slipped the ball inside to Guti.

Confronted with the onrushing Aranzubia and two defenders, the veteran midfielder back-heeled the ball first-time to Benzema, who rifled his finish into an empty net.

Aranzubia saved from Kaka early in the second half but Real stepped off and allowed Deportivo to keep the ball.

The hosts were toiling though, until moment of madness from Marcelo allowed sub Riki to rob the Brazilian and draw a foul from Sergio Ramos just inside the penalty area.

The ex-Real reserve drilled the spot-kick past Casillas into the bottom right to set up a nervy finish.

But Madrid stepped it up and restored their two-goal advantage when Benzema got his second on the night and seventh in La Liga this season, drilling home from 12 yards after a good run from Alvaro Arbeloa.

Source: Yahoo/Eurosport

Victor Moses may be at the centre of a tug of war between the Championships' top three clubs, but the Crystal Palace star is said to be holding out for Real Madrid.

The 19-year-old is certain to leave Selhurst Park, where administrators have moved in to save the debt-laden club.

Moses, the club's most valuable asset, was pulled out of Monday's match at Newcastle United for fears that injury would scupper a move.

Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich have all tabled bids for a player who has sparked interest from Manchester City, Arsenal, Wigan, Liverpool and several clubs on the Continent.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are believed to have scouted him and Moses' agent  Tony Finningan is quoted in Spanish newspaper AS as saying: 'There is interest from Madrid, which we were made aware of by intermediaries a few weeks ago.

'But I have not received a call from them. Palace want to sell before the transfer window closes on Monday, so we won't have to wait much longer.

But it is clear that the player would rather go to Real Madrid. I hope they call us soon.'

However, sources in Spain say Madrid would be unwilling to bid more than £2million for Moses, which would not be acceptable to Palace.

Source: The Daily Mail

 

Raul's agent claims that Chelsea once tried to sign the Real Madrid icon for £70million.

The Premier League side would have made the offer shortly after Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, but ended up with Claude Makelele instead of the Spain forward.

Gines Carvajal admits his 32-year-old client could leave the Bernabeu at the end of his contract in 18 months, but had no such thoughts when he was in his prime.

'Many English clubs asked in the past for Raul, but the only formal proposal was the one of Chelsea,' Carvajal told ESPN Soccernet. '(Then Chelsea manager Claudio) Ranieri wanted Makelele and Raul. So the same people of Chelsea who negotiated for Makelele made contact with me and Madrid.

'They offered €100 million (then a world record £70m), but Raul didn't consider the offer because he just didn't think of leaving Madrid.

'I believe that generally clubs know that Raul is the captain of Madrid and, as it happens with players as (Manchester United winger Ryan) Giggs, they know that there are not many options for them to change clubs.'

If accepted the bid would have smashed the €78m world record fee paid by Madrid for Zinedine Zidane two years earlier.

Source: The Daily Mail

There is no chance of Wayne Rooney heading to La Liga any time soon, Graham Hunter told Sky Sports News.

England's star striker is in sensational form at the moment - smashing 19 Premier League goals already this term - and there has been speculation the Manchester United forward could join Champions League holders Barcelona or become a Real Madrid Galactico.

However, those rumours are well wide of the mark, according to Hunter - who believes the La Liga giants understand they have little chance of prising the committed Red Devil away from Old Trafford, in a similar manner to Real's purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo from United last year.

"It is a nice piece of work by those who would like to re-negotiate Wayne Rooney's contract," Hunter told Sky Sports News.

"When [Real Madrid President] Florentino Perez last joined the club he bought Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, David Beckham and Michael Owen. One of the people I could have seen being a prospect would have been Wayne Rooney.

"However, that was nearly three years ago. Since that time Rooney's name hasn't been mentioned in the media.

"Wayne Rooney's name has never been raised as somebody either club thought they were likely to get.

"They both admire and have spoken about his playing ability, but I think they are both intelligent enough to know how linked to the club and its future he is.

"I think that Real and Barca consider if he were ever to play in La Liga it would be significantly later in his development - not now," Hunter said, before adding: "And if Wayne Rooney happens to get a new contract out of the whole business then best of luck to him!"

Source: Sky Sports

South Korea and Liechtenstein agree fixtures

Spain will play three friendly matches at the end of May and beginning of June before the World Cup.

The European champions are set to face Liechtenstein on 29th May in Vaduz before playing South Korea in Innsbruck, Austria, on 3rd June.

La Roja will play another friendly on 8th June, although the opponent and venue has yet to be decided.

Spain have been draw in Group H of the World Cup in South Africa this summer, alongside Chile, Honduras and Switzerland.

They crashed out of the last tournament in Germany in the second round, after a 3-1 defeat to France.

Source: Sky Sports

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with a two-match ban after being sent off against Malaga on Saturday.

The Portuguese star scored both goals in a 2-0 win but was then shown a straight red card in the 70th minute for elbowing Malaga's Patrick Mtiliga in the face.

The Denmark defender had tugged at Ronaldo's shirt and the world's most expensive player lashed out, leaving Mtiliga with a broken nose.

The Spanish giants have decided to appeal the decision and the hearing has been set for Thursday.

"Seeing the move, he clearly did not want to hurt the opponent," Real's vice president, Emilio Butragueno, told Marca.

"I was a striker and when you are challenged you want to free yourself."

If Real are unsuccessful then Ronaldo will miss Saturday's trip to fifth-placed Deportivo La Coruna and the following week's visit of Espanyol.

The club's sporting director, Jorge Valdano, described the decision as "unfair and very hard".

"We regret very much the injury to the Malaga player and accept any decision, but we defend the conviction that we are right," he told Spanish radio COPE.

Although Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in 16 games for Real since leaving Manchester United for £80million in the summer, he has also been sent off twice.

The former Sporting Lisbon player was also given his marching orders in the 4-2 win over Almeria in early December after a second yellow card.

Source: Sky Sports

Barcelona will test Manchester United's resolve to keep Wayne Rooney with a summer bid, according to reports.

The Daily Mail alleges that the European Champions have already used former United defender Gerard Pique to sound out his old team-mate about a switch to the Nou Camp.

Real Madrid are also said to be monitoring the England striker.

The news follows recent revelations about the state of United's finances. Huge debt interest payments have raised the prospect that manager Sir Alex Ferguson could be forced to sell his best players to raise funds.

The La Liga giants are aware that United would resist a move for their star asset but are encouraged by the fact United may be forced to listen.

Source: The Independent

The Portuguese superstar scored two brilliant goals but then found himself given the marching orders.

Spanish giants Real Madrid defeated relegation candidates Malaga 2-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish Primera Division on Sunday night to trim the gap between them and leaders Barcelona to five points. Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals in the first half, but was sent off 20 minutes before time.

It was in fact the away side who came storming out of the traps at the start. Caicedo went close to putting Malaga ahead when his effort was chipped over the head of Iker Casillas, bouncing off of the cross bar before Real could get the danger away.

Karim Benzema then tried to do the same thing at the other end in the 16th minute. His effort was saved, but the Madrid attacks were forming and starting to come with worrying regularity for the away team.

Xabi Alonso looked in good touch as he pulled all the strings in the middle of the pitch. He played a lovely pass to Ronaldo on 21 minutes and the front man swung his effort towards goal, the ball curling beautfiully, though it went out.

Malaga, to their credit, were still having a go and Casillas was nearly caught out again on the half an hour mark. Lopez found space and tried a lob from range which the Spaniard got back to tip over his bar. It was a rare spell of Malaga pressure.

However, this was to no avail as Ronaldo struck quickly, scoring two goals within minutes of each other. The first came in the 35th minute when he easily passed the ball into the goal following a good cross from Kaka out on the right. Three minutes later he made it 2-0 when he smashed the ball into the top corner of the goal.

Malaga were suffering from the double blow and had no response. Real should have gone into the break 3-0 up, but Benzema wasted a good pass when he sent an effort beyond the far post just before the break.

The second half started in exactly the same way as the first. Real were under no pressure and seemed as though they could extend their lead to 3 or 4-0 when and if they choosed.

Real did have the ball in the net in the 53rd minute after Ramos ran through to finish off a good move that was started by Benzema. However, he looked up to see the flag of the linesman cancelling out any celebration routine he may have had planned in the back of his mind.

Malaga kept going and Gamez had a shot blocked by Ramos that was going straight into the corner of Casillas' goal. However, in truth, Casillas could have gone on holiday as the Madrid efforts reach doubled figures while Malage were on three.

Malaga were then given a rest from the pressure when the two-goal scorer was shown a red card in the 72nd minute. Ronaldo swung an arm while he was trying to get free of a defender and the referee must have seen some intent and made his decision.

It did not matter, in truth, as Real were controlling the game and still getting forward. Arbeloa and Albiol were two of the more unlikely players to break into the Malaga box and both had efforts from range go just beyond the post.

Granero came off the bench as Madrid were forced into a bit of a re-shuffle but the front man should have made the match a certainty were it not for Munua tipping around the post as the game enter the later stages.

Malaga rallied towards the end of the match but Madrid flooded the midfield to make sure that their numerical disadvantage was not taken advantage of. They saw out the game easily and it will be one that Malaga want to forget.

Source: goal.com

(CNN) -- Barcelona increased their lead at the top of Spain's La Liga to eight points after they strolled to a 3-0 victory over Valladolid on Saturday.

The result ensured the Catalan giants become only the fifth team to go unbeaten for the whole of the first half of a La Liga season, joining Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol and Real Sociedad on the prestigious list.

Xavi opened the scoring for Barca in the 22nd minute when he volleyed home a Dani Alves cross from inside the penalty area.

Alves doubled the lead two minutes later when his cross-shot floated into the top corner of the net before the ever-dangerous Lionel Messi provide the Coup De Grace in the 54th minute.

The Argentina playmaker rounded off a fine team with a clinical finish after he had latched on to a clever lay-off from forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Source: CNN

Lionel Messi netted two late goals as champions Barcelona thrashed Sevilla 4-0 to stretch its advantage over second-placed Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to five points.

Real had earlier slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao, goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz pulling off a string of superb saves to deny the visitors' expensively-assembled strikeforce after Fernando Llorente's third-minute opener.

With just under half the season gone, unbeaten Barca has 46 points from 18 matches, Real is on 41, and Valencia, which hosts local rival Villarreal tonight, is third with 35.

"Athletic are a very strong side and they knew very well how to defend the lead they managed to get so early in the game," Real coach Manuel Pellegrini said.

"We had five or six clear chances but we lacked precision and were missing a bit of luck.

"There is a long way to go in the league and there are 60 points still to play for so nothing is decided."

Holders Barca were ousted from the King's Cup by Sevilla mid-week and Pep Guardiola's players looked hungry for revenge at a rainy Nou Camp.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and Messi all went close before Sevilla defender Julien Escude diverted a Rafael Marquez cross high into his own net in the 49th minute.

A perfectly weighted, defence-splitting pass from midfielder Xavi released substitute Pedro with 20 minutes left and his delicate chip beat advancing Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop.

Messi, who grabbed a hat-trick at promoted Tenerife last weekend, finished from close range in the 85th and then raced on to an Eric Abidal pass in the first minute of added time to score his 14th goal of the campaign, two more in the scoring charts than nearest rival David Villa of Valencia.

In the early kick-off, Juanfran and Walter Pandiani struck inside the first 10 minutes to give Osasuna a 2-0 home win over Espanyol that lifted the Pamplona-based club to 12th.

Frustrating night

Shell-shocked Real was behind early when Lassana Diarra could only head a Fran Yeste corner into the path of Llorente and the unmarked striker stooped to nod the ball past keeper Iker Casillas.

Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka - who together cost Real almost 200 million euros ($289 million) in the close season - had numerous chances to level.

France forward Benzema came closest when his low shot bounced back off the inside of the post in the 34th minute.

Iraizoz made his best save of the match in the first minute of added time when he flung himself acrobatically to tip away a powerful Ronaldo drive.

The Portugal forward ended a frustrating night when he sent a free kick sailing over the bar into the jubilant home crowd.

Source: ABC Sport

Liverpool's talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard is allegedly on the verge of quitting the club in search of glory elsewhere, with The Daily Mail claiming that Real Madrid are now interested in the England star.

The Reds have had a dreary season, having been flushed from the Champions League into the Europa League and eliminated from both domestic cup competitions.

To add the their woes, there is a real danger of finishing outside the top four in the Premier League and thereby missing out on brushing shoulders with Europe's elite next term.

And with all this pointing toward another season of being competitors instead of winners, Anfield's biggest star is said to be entertaining the possibility of a move.

After watching the 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Gerrard - currently injured - is said to be having second thoughts about whether to stick around in the hope of winning some silverware, or whether to cash in and make a £40 million move in the summer.

It is believed that Real, Inter and Manchester City are closely monitoring the situation with a view to exercising their financial muscle and thrashing out a deal with the midfielder if he should become available.

The skipper's thoughts are alleged to be almost identical to those he entertained six years ago, when he came close to signing for Chelsea during Gerard Houllier's tenure at Anfield.

However, the Frenchman's successor, Rafael Benitez, took over the reins and justified the captain's decision to continue with the club, securing a Champions League trophy in his first season in charge.

To add to the situation, there have been reports claiming that Gerrard had an altercation with Benitez's assistant, Mauricio Pellegrino, over the hamstring injury that saw him substituted during the FA Cup loss to Reading, but those claims have been denied.

Source: goal.com

MADRID — Real Madrid's out-of-favour midfielder Guti says he wants to leave the Spanish giants and would welcome a move to Inter Milan "with open arms."

"It is true that I have experienced a very beautiful stage at Real Madrid, that Madrid is a city where I have wanted to live my entire life, but now I want to leave," he said in the interview with Canal+ television which will air on January 28.

"It is a contradiction but I want to leave Madrid, to be in another country, in another city, to enjoy other things," according to excerpts published Friday in sports daily AS.

Guti, 33, a product of Real's youth system and one of the longest-serving members of the squad, has been linked to a move to Bolton Wanderers and Inter Milan but in his interview he showed a preference for the Italian side.

"I would go to Inter with open arms. It is a great club. I have great friends there like Samuel Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder. I think it is a team which can aspire to everything. It is one of my best options, if it can become reality," he said.

Guti came on as a late substitute during Real's 2-0 win at home over Mallorca.

He had not played since the club's embarrassing 4-0 Spanish Cup defeat against third division side Alcorcon on October 27 when he reportedly insulted Real coach Manuel Pellegrini when he was substituted at half-time.

The player, whose full name Jose Maria Gutierrez, also made an obscene gesture to Alcorcon fans at the start of the second half when sitting on the Real bench after someone launched an insult directed at him.

Guti has been frequently late for morning training sessions this week and appeared annoyed on Wednesday when a journalist asked him about the length of time which it has taken for him to recover from several injuries.

Source: AFP

Barcelona nabbed the only goal of the night through Xavi just past the hour mark but Sevilla denied them a winning aggregate goal despite a ruthless onslaught from the visitors. Sevilla qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on away goals having scored twice at the Camp Nou in the first leg.

Trailing 2-1 at home, Barca coach, Pep Guardiola did not hesitate naming his strongest possible outfield team on a wet, soggy night in Seville.

But it was the hosts who almost took the lead after just two minutes. Jesus Navas' corner found Romaric, whose header was brilliantly parried away by Jose Pinto, before the rebound was blocked by Dani Alves.

The Andalucians had another chance moments later when Adriano dinked in a cross from the left which drew out Pinto, who did just enough to flail at the ball and forced Alvaro Negredo to nod his header off target.

The reigning Copa del Rey champions continued to be pinned back in their own half, and Jesus Navas' blistering 50 yard run to beat Eric Abidal and Andres Iniesta sent the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan crowd leaping to their feet, but his eventual cross was easily cleared by Gerard Pique.

Barca's first decent shot at goal came on 15 minutes when Thierry Henry cut in towards the middle from the left, but his shot was easily gathered by Andres Palop.

Sevilla had the ball in the back of the net in the 20th minute when a Pinto carelessly attempted to dribble a backpass out of his area, but he was robbed by Negredo and Jesus Navas coolly chipped the ball into the empty net, only for the referee to annul the goal after deeming that the former Real Madrid striker had illegally won possession.

Barcelona had the best chance of the game on 27 minutes when Messi's deflected cross found Ibrahimovic completely unmarked at the backpost, but the Swede's attempt to curl a right-foot lob past Palop went horribly wrong as his effort bobbled all the way to the corner flag.

Moments later, Messi had his first shot at goal when he tried to nestle the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards out, but Palop dived full stretch to turn it around the post. The Catalan outfit gradually took control of proceedings and the home crowd began to grow restless, and Henry gave Palop a few nervous moments with a number of dangerous low crosses from the left.

But despite the game remaining an open affair, neither side could break the deadlock on the night after 45 minutes.

Barcelona started off the second half at breakneck speed as they started to show more urgency. Just a minute in, Messi picked up a loose ball off Ibrahimovic and galloped forwards, before slipping in a through ball to Iniesta which Palop managed to claim after darting off his line.

Ibrahimovic then sent a looping back header from Messi's free kick towards the top corner but Palop made an acrobatic save to punch it out.

Straight to the other end, Navas again saw his effort roll across the line but he was ruled out for offside. The action didn't let up and Iniesta came close on 55 minutes when he dribbled past three players into the box, but he miscued his eventual shot under a challenge from Julien Escude and Abdoulay Konko was able to clear it away calmly.

Messi then forced Palop into a fine save with a shot from a tight angle and the veteran goalkeeper was called into action again with a fingertip block to deny Henry.

But on 63 minutes, Barca pulled the aggregate scores levelled when Romaric's clearance spun off Xavi, but the ball fell kindly back to the playmaker to arrow in a thunderous drive on the edge of the box into Palop's bottom left corner.

Three minutes after that, Messi almost put the visitors in front outright when he ran onto Henry's through ball but his chip over Palop bounced wide. The FIFA World Player of the Year had another glorious opportunity moments later when he shimmied his way into the box and curled in a shot, only to see it cannon back off the post before Ibrahimovic stabbed the rebound well wide.

With 15 minutes to go, Sevilla almost killed off the tie on the counter attack. Jesus Navas blitz past three players in a searing run before slipping in Diego Capel, who decided to square the ball to Negredo in the middle but Puyol made a pivotal sliding tackle to flick the ball out for a corner at the far post.

A goalmouth scramble with five minutes to go presented Messi with yet another chance, but his low shot was slapped away by Palop.

The pressure from Barcelona was unrelenting as the clock ticked down but in the end, Sevilla held on to hand Pep Guardiola a taste of his first ever elimination from a cup competition as the Andaluz side go on to meet Deportivo La Coruna in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Source: goal.com

RAFA BENITEZ insisted it will be business as usual at Anfield tonight – as Maxi Rodriguez moved a step closer to completing his move to Liverpool.

Having experienced a turbulent weekend, which culminated in Tommy Hicks Jr’s much-publicised resignation from the board, the FA Cup third round replay against Reading offers a welcome diversion from off-field matters.

Rodriguez – who was due to undergo a medical this morning – is expected at Anfield to see his new team-mates in action and will wrap up his £1.5m switch from Atletico Madrid once he has finalised his pay-off from the La Liga side.

The Argentine international will then be able to put pen-to-paper on an 18-month contract and, by the time he does that, Benitez hopes Liverpool will have set up a fourth round home clash against Burnley later this month.

For the majority of supporters, talking about this evening’s game has been low on the list of priorities since Hicks Jr became embroiled in an email storm, but that has definitely not been the case for Benitez.

He has had little trouble in keeping focus and has promised that he will field a strong side as Liverpool aim to take their first step on the road to Wembley

“For us it is always important to concentrate on football and the main thing, as usual, is that we have to be ready from the start – other things do not matter,” said Benitez.

Source: Liverpool Echo

Chelsea’s hopes of signing Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery are still alive after the France international suggested he would chose between the Premier League club and Real Madrid this summer.

And a decision may be reached before the end of this transfer window, even if the actual move will not take place until after the World Cup finals in South Africa at the end of the season.

Ribery is certain to leave Bayern. And despite interest from a host of top European clubs for the £45m-rated player he admits that it will be a straight fight for his signature between Chelsea and the Real.

“The same names crop up,” Ribery said. “People talk about Real Madrid and Chelsea and these are big clubs.

“I don’t think it’s a soap opera that will drag on for long. I think things will be decided within the next two or three months.

“I would like things sorted out before the World Cup.”

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is a great admirer of the Frenchman and would be eager to include him in his squad to add width and attacking impetus to the side.

Chelsea were handed a transfer embargo last year over their conduct in signing French teenager Gaël Kakuta from Lens.

The ban is currently suspended while Chelsea appeal against it and club officials are confident that it will be completely removed by the summer.

Source: The Telegraph

Barcelona stunned Tenerife with a triple salvo just before the interval, and two more in the second period, to scoop a comprehensive victory and thus re-take pole position in La Liga.

Real Madrid had earlier in the evening grabbed top spot with a convincing win over Mallorca, but the Blaugrana overcame a difficult start at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez to run out leaders both on the night and in the table.

Lionel Messi provided two of the three first half goals, and another late on, on what was a banner evening for the young Argentine, who held the attack line brilliantly on an evening that saw Barcelona bereft of two of their African midfield stars.

Tenerife, meanwhile, were able to field star forward Nino along with Ayoze Garcia, the latter overcoming stomach flu and the former shaking off injury.

This late boost in team news gave the hosts confidence in the early stages, and in fact any observer would have felt that the islanders were on course for a shock victory.

Just five minutes in, Nino teed up Alfaro for a long-range effort after some poor Barcelona play, but the midfielder could only watch as his effort hit the post.

Luna and Alfaro then came close, the latter testing Victor Valdes, before Barcelona could even get a look-in.

While the chances were coming in and around the box, the culprits appeared to be in Barca's midfield, where Sergi Busquets was looking particularly vulnerable in the early stages.

However, ten minutes before the break Barca had taken the lead in what was surely a lesson to Tenerife in taking chances. Young Bojan was the architect, cruising down the left before cutting it back for a simple Lionel Messi finish.

Eight minutes later Lionel Messi whipped a free kick into the box off a Daniel Kome foul, and captain Carles Puyol was able to head it home for 2-0.

Still dazed and winded, Tenerife then succumbed to the deadly third strike. It was again Messi, and again Bojan set it up, this time with another square ball after a fine counter-attack, enabled by the vision of Andres Iniesta.

Barcelona were well and truly in control heading into the second period, the midfield having regained its confidence, and the only wonder was that there was such a long wait for another goal.

Fifteen minutes from time Bojan once again showed his worth by keeping the ball alive in the box and cutting back for Lionel Messi to score the finest goal of the evening, an audacious lob that left Sergio Aragoneses stranded.

That wasn't all: the fifth came five minutes from time, Luna guiding the ball into his own net following great play from Thierry Henry and Tenerife native Pedro.

Thus after the most disappointing of starts Barca were able to assert their dominance on all areas of the pitch, and regain top spot. The message from Pep Guardiola's men to Madrid seems to be, whatever you can do, we can do better...

Source: goal.com

Real Madrid powered past Mallorca with a goal in each half to go top - at least temporarily - of La Liga.

With Barcelona facing Tenerife later in the evening, a strong Madrid lineup, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and the on-form Rafael van der Vaart, had the chance to climb to the summit of the Liga. The opposition also arrived at near-full strength and fielded a 4-2-3-1 in response to the hosts.

It was a strong start from the hosts, and one that culminated in an early goal in front of a sparse, snow-dampened crowd.

Gonzalo Higuain was the man responsible. Receiving a cross-field ball from Kaka out on the left, the Argentine jinked in towards the edge of the area before curling a fantastic effort into the far corner of the net.

Immediately afterward, though, Gonzalo Castro was set up by Aditz Aduriz for a close-range header that only narrowly missed the target - proof that the game was not over in this early stage.

Still, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka both spurning excellent chances, Madrid were clearly on top, dented as they were by the injury to van der Vaart, who was replaced by Granero 20 minuets in.

Heading towards the interval, though, that personnel change did not seem to bother the hosts overmuch as Cristiano Ronaldo continued to pull the strings.

Nonetheless the fans had to wait until after the break for that second goal, and it came from the hosts. This time Higuain turned provider, crossing to the far post for Esteban to volley home.

Mallorca, giant-killers at this ground before and ostensibly on-form, had little with which to respond, goalkeeper Dudu Aouate being perhaps the busiest of all their players in the closing stages.

Ten minutes from time Karim Benzema came close to adding a third, but his effort was ruled out for offside, and despite the work of Higuain and Ronaldo, 2-0 it ended.

Source: goal.com

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and director general Jorge Valdano have held talks over a £43 million bid for Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas during the summer, according to The Sun.

It is believed that Barcelona will come calling with a £40m offer at the end of the season, but Los Blancos are reportedly set to scupper any deal by throwing £25m-rated striker Gonzalo Higuain into the fray.

A Real insider allegedly said: "The price demanded is £43m and that is what we are basing our calculations on.

"This is 'Operation Cesc', which we hope will prove a blow to Barcelona."

Barca president Joan Laporta has in the past openly declared that he would like to bring the club's youth product back to Catalunya in the future.

Source: goal.com

Nemanja Vidic was never a loss to the diplomatic corps, to judge from his suggestion once that Manchester’s “main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station, where trains leave for less rainy cities”.

He tried to retract the quote, but no one bought his disclaimer then and they certainly would not buy it now, not even if he came into training with an “I heart Manchester” tattoo or one proclaiming “United for life”.

Vidic’s mysterious withdrawal from the team to face Leeds United in the FA Cup has brought bubbling to the surface what those at Old Trafford have feared for a while: that, despite denials from his agent, the defender wants his own train ride to sunnier climes. A place like Real Madrid, for example.

His head has been turned and repeated demands for a new contract, even though he was given a big pay rise in November 2007, have begun to sound less like negotiating positions and more like ultimatums.

Now, not even Sir Alex Ferguson is attempting to hide the growing rift, declining to give an explanation for Vidic’s absence on Sunday. It is rare that the United manager chooses to expose an internal dispute to further probing from fascinated media and disgruntled supporters. We can deduce that his patience has run out.

As Vidic is likely to discover, the way of fans is to turn quickly on those players who show even the slightest hint of hankering for a move. But, in this case, terrace disgruntlement may not end there.

To lose one player to Real might be regarded as unfortunate; to lose a second so soon after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure would be interpreted as carelessness, even if United showered both players with medals and good salaries — everything, in fact, apart from Madrid’s glamour and sunshine.

It may not be of United’s making if Vidic’s wife, Ana, is unhappy with the weather and lifestyle, as was reported at the start of the season. And there is not much Ferguson can do about the work-life balance of the average Mancunian that caused Vidic to become so troubled in that disputed interview with a Russian football magazine.

“Here they just don’t have time to feel the joy of life,” he was quoted as saying. “They only talk to people at lunch break. Then in the evening they come home and watch the telly, so they can get up early for work the next day.”

It is not United’s fault but it is their problem given the justified, and mounting, concerns that theirs is a squad that is in need of a few high-class reinforcements and can ill afford to lose another senior player; a squad that is overly reliant on Wayne Rooney and that misses Darren Fletcher to an inordinate degree considering that, while he is a fine player, he is certainly no Roy Keane or Bryan Robson.

So although it is understandable to want shot of a defender who is distracted and whose absences had caused consternation at Old Trafford even before Sunday, who to replace Vidic, particularly given that Rio Ferdinand’s fitness can no longer be relied upon?

And how much money will be available for a new signing given the Glazers’ preoccupation with refinancing their vast debt in order to reduce annual interest payments that will rise above £80 million this year — money that could buy you a lot of good centre halves?

These are the worries that Vidic looks certain to leave behind, even though he was voted United’s player of the season in only the previous campaign, when fans and team-mates happily overlooked his occasional aberration, including his destruction by Fernando Torres in Liverpool’s 4-1 triumph.

They willingly tolerated an off-day because they trusted that Vidic was suffering as much as them — but now that trust may be shattered.

Source: The Times