David Villa has been ruled out of Spain’s Euro 2012 campaign, leaving Spain without their all-time record goalscorer. The onus will now fall on the likes of Llorente and of course Torres to step up to the plate and help Spain defend their European Championship crown.

The Barcelona forward has failed to prove his fitness to the head coach, Vicente del Bosque, after fracturing his tibia while in action for the Catalan side at the World Club Challenge in Japan in December.

Del Bosque had promised to give the 30-year-old until the last moment to get himself ready but, with his squad set to be named on Sunday, he has called time on Villa’s race to be fit.

A statement on the Spanish Football Federation’s official website on Tuesday night read:

“David Villa cannot definitely be on the list for Euro 2012.

“Villa spoke with the national team doctor this afternoon after the arrival of the team in the Austrian town of Schruns.

“After not getting in the final practice and development desired, David Villa spoke with Del Bosque, who relayed that although it was Villa’s wish to be with the team in Poland and Ukraine, that his physical state was ‘not as good’ as would be desirable.”

Spain will announce their Euro 2012 squad on Sunday.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Roy Keane was a team-mate and captain to Gary Neville for many years at Manchester United – at the same time that Ferguson brought Keane to Old Trafford, the young crop of players that included Gary Neville were making their mark in the youth team.

So when Keane was asked to comment on Neville’s appointment to the England backroom staff, you would expect an informed opinion. And Roy Keane, being Keane, duly delivered. In fact, he may even have paid his successor as United captain a compliment (see if you can spot it).

Roy Keane on Neville’s influence behind the scenes:

“It’s important you are yourself. Listen, Gary can talk but don’t think for one minute he was as influential in the dressing room as people might think he was. Gary would say his piece but he wasn’t running the show. Far from it.

So don’t think for one minute he will be going into England and calling the shots. He will be learning his trade and being a link between the manager and the players, and I think he will be good at that.”

On Neville continuing with his media commitments as Sky’s lead pundit for Champions League and Premier League matches, or his column in the Mail on Sunday:

“I’m surprised he has kept his role with doing TV. That can be difficult. You can get your way around criticising players by saying: ‘I’d expect the player to do better.’ He probably won’t be as critical as me and speak in the terms I do. I know Gareth [Southgate] does it, but he’s not in the dressing room, he’s not on the training pitch, he’s not working with the players.”

On Neville’s potential impact on England’s fortunes:

“There’s a lot of thumbs-up, everyone says it is a good appointment, but I’d say let’s wait and see. We’ve got to give him a chance. He’s not done any coaching before. I know he has done his coaching qualifications but sitting in a studio talking about teams is very different.

What he has got is he’ll be working under Roy Hodgson. It is not as if he will be calling the shots. He can learn his trade. I’m pretty sure if they have a decent tournament, or a decent couple of years, Roy Hodgson and his staff will get praise. If they don’t, the manager will get criticism and people will start criticising Gary. Gary’s a decent guy and he’s played at a decent level, but that doesn’t guarantee you success.”

On Neville entering management:

“You have to look at these opportunities when they come. You can’t be too clever when you are outside of football and not involved in a team, and if an opportunity comes up.

He is going to be working with top players and a top manager so there is no surprise Gary jumped straight into it. There is only one way to find out if you can do it or not – let’s get into it. It’s no good just talking about it. It’s not a week-to-week job. He will still have a bit of time off and will be learning from a top manager.”

It may not sound like it, but this is high praise from Roy Keane. I imagine his kids must be very jealous.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a powerful smartphone that doubles as a tablet – and when it comes to the London 2012 Olympics, it even has David Beckham using (and composing music with) the device.

The video, which demonstrates the unique features of the Samsung GALAXY Note, showcases Beckham’s incredible soccer skills as he reproduces the melody of Beethoven’s classic ‘Ode to Joy’ by kicking a series of soccer balls against a 15-foot wall of drums. Beckham uses the GALAXY Note’s large screen to plan his sequence of kicks against the drums. Then he uses the S Pen to annotate a photograph and post it on Facebook, capturing his experience and sharing it instantly with all his seventeen million fans.

GALAXY Note introduces a revolutionary new mobile device category. Retaining all the portability of a smartphone, its immersive large screen and advanced pen-input capabilities enable new possibilities for creating, rendering and sharing content with unique self-expression and spontaneity. GALAXY Note continues to win praise from consumers across the globe, recently surpassing 5 million sales in only 5 months since its launch.

Samsung, an Olympics sponsor since 1988, will be demonstrating the latest smartphones including GALAXY Note in the Olympic Village and throughout London for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The GALAXY Note – David Beckham full length video can be viewed on Facebook or Youtube.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Last year Castrol EDGE presented Ronaldo Tested to the Limit, an award-winning documentary that showed the Portugal and Real Madrid forward showcase his strengths in a series of captivating challenges in the most scientific examination of a player ever undertaken.

Now, to celebrate the release of the documentary for free on iTunes, Castrol EDGE, Castrol’s strongest oil yet, and Ronaldo are counting down to one more epic challenge, and this time – in a ground-breaking twist – Ronaldo’s fans will get to test his skill for themselves live on Facebook.

Castrol EDGE is calling on fans everywhere to take part in the challenge – #RonaldoLIVE – by signing up on facebook.com/castrolfootball to be in with a chance of going head to head with Ronaldo on Thursday 17th May.

#RonaldoLIVE will be the world’s first interactive football challenge streamed live through Facebook from a state-of-the-art testing facility in Madrid. In the test, inspired by Ronaldo and Castrol EDGE’s Twitter followers, Ronaldo will face a barrage of footballs fired at him from chutes suspended above and he will have to receive, control and shoot each ball into one of four goals that surround him before the next ball is released.

Of the first 100,000 fans that connect to the #RonaldoLIVE Facebook app to watch live, fans will be selected at random to take part in the action, by selecting Ronaldo’s target and choosing the goals that he must shoot into.

Will Ronaldo have the lightning quick reaction speed, shooting accuracy and strength under pressure to control and successfully strike each ball? Or will his fans’ selections prove too much of a test?

All the action will be streamed live on both Castrol EDGE and Ronaldo’s Facebook pages (facebook.com/castrolfootball & facebook.com/Cristiano) on Thursday 17th May.

For fans that miss out on the live action, a mini-film will be released on Wednesday 23rd on youtube.com/castroledge and castroledge.com/ronaldo.

Castrol EDGE has been developed by experts and was tested to its limits to become Castrol’s strongest, most advanced engine oil yet. By applying the same rigorous testing to Ronaldo, #RonaldoLIVE will showcase the star player’s legendary skills, strength and agility.

Fans can download the award-winning documentary Castrol EDGE Presents Ronaldo Tested to the Limit as a free podcast on iTunes now by visiting: http://bit.ly/testronaldo.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Depending upon the outcome of Copa del Rey Final on May 25^th against Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona can finish the 2011/2012 campaign on a (relative) high.

Winning the domestic Cup competition is nothing to sniff at but it pales to the accomplishments achieved in previous seasons. FC Barcelona finished the season with 91 points; in most cases this total haul would’ve clinched the title in every other league across Europe. However, Real Madrid unseated FC Barcelona at the summit of the Spanish league with a whopping 100 points.

So is it time to panic? Abandon total football?

Not really. However, it is time to make a few adjustments and fine-tune the squad once more. The key adjective here being “fine-tune”.

Unless Sandro Rosell wants to emulate AC Milan’s “model” and hang onto to ageing Champions until they’re approaching retirement he’d be well advised to sell and buy some players.

Whereas the club’s decision to announce their transfer budget ahead of the 2011 transfer window paid rich dividends (signing Cesc Fabregas & Alexis Sanchez below their market value), this year they seem to take a different route. How much money is or isn’t available to Tito Vilanova is pretty much a mystery at this point. However, one is inclined to believe that his transfer kitty is significantly smaller than Guardiola’s in his heyday. Nevertheless, a smaller Barcelona transfer kitty probably still dwarfs that of every other major club bar a few chosen ones (Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich).

For the purpose of this article let’s assume FC Barcelona has a war chest of 50,000,000 Euro (the transfer budged for 2011). In this massively inflated market it’s probably just enough to open negotiations for Santos Neymar. Bar any significant drop in oil prices it’s not likely that the exorbitant evaluations of top talent will decline anytime soon.

Barcelona were lucky enough that both Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez have made it known that the only wanted to join the Blaugrana which gave the club some leverage for negotiations. This year it’s pretty much open season on anybody. In order to stay competitive in the transfer market FC Barcelona has to sell.

Let’s take a look at some players who are most likely sold this summer.

Likely to be sold:

Seydou Keita, 32 (8,000,000 Euro)*

Ibrahim Afellay, 26 (10,000,000 Euro)*

Isaac Cuenca, 21 (3,000,000 Euro)* or Cristian Tello, 20 (5,000,000 Euro)*

Should be sold:

David Villa, 30 (35,000,000 Euro)*

Could be sold:

Pedro, 24 (28,000,000 Euro)*

The Breakdown:

Seydou Keita should be sold. The Malian, 32, has never been a regular under Pep Guardiola and will most likely not become one for Tito Vilanova either. The 8,000,000 Euro evaluation represent the high-end of what Barcelona can expect from any sale. The benchmark is Ricardo Carvalho’s transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid for 8,000,000 Euro. However, Carvalho was a starter in the Blues set-up and one of the best defenders in the EPL. Hence the more realistic fee the Blaugrana can expect is somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000,000 Euro.

Verdict: Any proposed sale of Ibrahim Afellay would certainly take place after the 2012 European Championships. At present his market value is set at 10,000,000 Euro. A fine performance in the tournament could potentially double his value.

Verdict: Barcelona is not short on wide options (Pedro, Cuenca. Tello, Alexis) so they would probably entertain any offer of 15,000,000 Euro and more.

As mentioned earlier, Barcelona has a lot of wide options. Therefore it would only make sense to sell either Cuenca or Tello. Jeffren was sold to Sporting Lisbon in the previous season and there’s nothing to suggest that it won’t happen again.

Verdict: Liverpool are credited with an interested in Cuenca. 6 – 7,000,000 Euro (for either) seem reasonable since Barcelona sold Oriol Romeu, who had virtually no first team experience, to Chelsea for approximately 5,000,000 Euro.

As fine a player David Villa is, he is just not what Barcelona need (at least the incarnation where Lionel Messi plays centrally). If the plan is to keep him on the left-wing it would be wiser to sell him. Alexis Sanchez wasn’t acquired to warm the bench and Pedro is showing signs that he’s returning to form.

Furthermore, in Cuenca and Tello Barcelona have ready-made back-up players. At 30 years of age his transfer value will drop in subsequent seasons. Though he is rated at 35,000,000 Euro a more realistic fee would be 20 – 24,000,000 Euro.

The most expensive 30 year old was Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan to Chelsea for 46,000,000 Euro). Nevertheless he was Serie A’s best player and a Ballon d’Or winner. Both Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelrooy transferred to Barcelona and Real Madrid at the age of 30 (Henry turned 30 in the 2007 calendar year) for 24,000,000 Euro.

But that would be the high-end for David Villa. After all, El Guaje turns 31 in December. Sell him and remove his annual wages of 7,500,000 Euro would free up additional funds.

If someone would match Pedro’s evaluation of 28,000,000 Euro it’s probably for the better to sell him. Another inconsistent season and his market value could be less than half. He’s a good player but there’s nothing to suggest that Cuenca or Tello can’t match him. Any offer upwards of 20,000,000 Euro should be seriously considered.

As far acquisitions are concerned there are two positions that need to be addressed – left-back and central defense, perhaps another striker (one that actually plays as a striker).

Center-back:

According to various press reports Barcelona have made AC Milan’s Thiago Silva (rated: 32,000,000 Euro)* their primary transfer target. If these reports are to be believed Barcelona are convinced they can do a deal for about 25,000,000 Euro.

It’s not going to happen folks. Not for 25,000,000 Euro. Adriano Gallani is a lot of things, for instance he looks like Uncle Fester, but he’s arguably the best negotiator in all of football. Along with Ibrahimovic (who he shrewdly bought from Barcelona for just 24,000,000 Euro), Silva is Milan’s most valuable asset. Galliani has already been tasked with rebuilding AC Milan on a shoestring budget and it’s not likely that he’ll sell a world-class defender below market value.

Alternative: Mats Hummels, 23 (20,000,000 Euro)*

Coming off of a second successive German championship the Borussia Dortmund defender wouldn’t come cheap but propose a viable alternative to the Brazilian. A full German International, technically sound, superb sense positioning and, most importantly, he can pass a ball. Perhaps Bundesliga’s best central-defender he is already bordering on world-class, if he isn’t already. Though Dortmund have announced that they aren’t entertaining any sales, save for the inevitable departure of Shinji Kagawa, stranger things have happened.

Verdict: A bid of 25 – 30,000,000 Euro would almost certainly test their resolve. Nevertheless, Mats Hummels doesn’t seem to appear on Barcelona’s radar.

Left-back:

Jordi Alba, 23 (10,000,000 Euro)*

At this point it’s almost a forgone conclusion that Alba either extends his contract with Valancia or rejoins Barcelona. The press suggests that Barcelona is preparing an offer to the tune of 12 – 15,000,000 Euro.

Verdict: Will most likely happen. With one year left on his Valencia contract can’t expect to fetch more than 15,000,000 Euro especially once he makes his desire known to return to Barcelona. In 2010 Mesut Özil transferred under similar circumstances and fee from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid.

Fantasy Football: Gareth Bale, 23 (35,000,000 Euro)*

To make it short – he’s too expensive. EPL-based players are unreasonably more expensive than their continental counterparts. Andy Carroll, Shaun Wright-Phillps, James Milner etc.

Verdict: Not gonna happen

Striker:

Barcelona were found out – opposing teams have figured out how to stop the Blaugrana. However, only a couple of them have the necessary players to execute that particular game plan.

While Barcelona’s usual game plan will work almost against every La Liga team and most European sides, it will most likely not be effective against the likes of Chelsea or Madrid who sit deep and attack on the counter. And there’s the emerging giant Manchester City who could virtually field 10 world-class defenders. A frightening thought.

David Villa is a world-class striker; at least he used to be. But he is absolutely wasted on the left-wing. The feeling, however, is that his situation will not change anytime soon. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the imposing striker physique that Pep has mistaken him for a winger. Who knows? Barcelona need an out-and-out striker. Ever seen a Barcelona corner? Nothing fruitful ever happens following a corner. Never. Hence a couple of (potential) recruits.

Fernando Llorente, 27 (25,000,000 Euro)*

He’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic minus the outstanding technique and ego. But he more than compensates that with an exceptional work-rate. At any rate, he has quite exceptional technique for a tall guy.

Verdict: 30 – 35,000,000 Euro and not a penny less. Llorente would walk into most sides. On second thought, there isn’t any side that wouldn’t make him their focal point. If Barcelona still have money in the bank after acquiring their primary targets this one is a realistic possibility.

Robin Van Persie, 28 (45,000,000 Euro)*

Europe’s most wanted. The market value credited above is NOT what Arsenal are stand to make should they cash in on their captain – it’s merely a reflection of his outstanding season. Barcelona are said to be interested in the flying Dutchman but apparently he’s asking for a wage package north of 200,000 Euro/week, which would make the highest earner alongside Lionel Messi. Arsenal are reportedly offering 120,000 GBP/week (roughly 150,000 Euro). And then there are the usual suspects of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Italian Champions Juventus Turin.

Verdict: Robin Van Persie could become the first player who commands a 30,000,000 Euro transfer fee in the last year of his contract. The previous high was Samir Nasri’s 27,500,000 Euro from Arsenal to Manchester City. 45,000,000 Euro seem out of the question but 30,000,000 Euro is a distinct possibility if City decide to blow the competition out of the water. Though FC Barcelona have been financially irresponsible in the past it’s unlikely that they will engage in bidding war for a player that only has one year left on his contract.

Overall analysis:

Assuming Barcelona have a basic transfer budget of 50,000,000 Euro and raise cash through the sales of players such as Seydou Keita, Ibrahim Afellay, Isaac Cuenca or Cristian Tello, David Villa and Pedro, they could potentially look 110,000,000 Euro to reinvest in the squad. Unless Barcelona wants to add a striker to their ranks there’s no reason to sell David Villa or Pedro. In that case 50,000,000 Euro should be sufficient enough to buy a world-class center-back and a left-back. A complete overhaul isn’t needed but addressing the left-back and center-back position is essential in mounting another title challenge.

*transfer values courtesy of www.transfermarkt.de

You can always disagree and argue with me on Twitter @JubeiKibagame.

Also See:

• More Barcelona News.
• More Transfer Rumours.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

What is there left to say, or write? Though I won’t be as harsh as Jose I will also refrain from championing Pep Guardiola the best in the business. He did exceptionally well but let me ask you a question:

How is it possible to not win a title when you can call upon the talents of say Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi?

Now let me ask you another question:

Does FC Barcelona need Pep Guardiola to be successful or does Pep Guardiola need FC Barcelona?

FC Barcelona has not ever played football that was not sexy or stylish for that matter. Frank Rijkaard’s team was definitely one of the most entertaining sides in the past decade. If anything Rikaard’s Barca was not over-reliant on one player, not even Ronaldinho. Though it would be a stretch to suggest that the Dutchman’s team was evenly balanced it was less centered around the talents of the brilliant Brazilian than it is on Lionel Messi these days.

While Pep’s team actually outscored each and every team during his reign, domestic and continental, save Real Madrid, one cannot shake off the feeling that FC Barcelona has been essentially a one-man show – The Lionel Messi Show.

Chief among his achievements, certainly the one on which the fundaments of his success are built upon is the ability to capitalize off of Lionel Messi’s talent. Ever since Pep Guardiola took charge Lionel Messi’s numbers have steadily increased over the last four seasons 2008/2009 (38); 2009/2010 (47), 2010/2011 (53), and an unworldly 72 in the ongoing 2011/2012 season but so has Messi-dependency. In the treble season of 2008/2009 the triumvirate of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi scored an astonishing 100 goals (26; 36, 38) in between them.

Just to give you an idea, an elite forward is someone who scores roughly 1 in 2, or, over the course of a season of 40 to 45 games some 20-plus goals. Most managers would kill to have one 20-plus forward – Kenny Dalghish is definitely one of them – meanwhile FC Barcelona had three.

But for whatever reason Pep Guardiola felt inclined to dissolve this spectacular trio and give in to his inner “feelings”. Those feelings led him to believe he needed to get rid of Samuel Eto’o. Of course there were only a very few that a) could afford Samuel Eto’o and b) offer a viable replacement for the indomitable lion.

Meet Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 69-Million-Euro-Man (49 Million Euro and Samuel Eto’o who was rated at 20 Million Euro).

The combination of the volatile Swede and FC Barcelona was never going to work, even though this writer once foolishly believed so. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a track record of being lazy, a diva and a certified Euro-flop. In the now infamous return leg of the 2009/2010 Champions League semi-final against his former employees, Inter Milan, Ibrahimovic managed to cover less ground than goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Who would go on and win a second successive treble that season? Samuel Eto’o, the player Pep Guardiola wanted out of Barcelona.

In retrospect the idea was right, someone had to go but it wasn’t Samuel Eto’o but his colleague Thierry Henry. The Frenchman joined the Blaugrana with one objective, and one objective only – winning the UEFA Champions League.

It can be argued that after he finally achieved to win the trophy that eluded him for so many years he found it hard to motivate himself properly in the subsequent season. Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola quickly found his replacement in another La Masia graduate, Pedro. However, in 2009/2010 the newly assembled triumvirate of Pedro, Ibrahimovic and Messi “just” scored 89 (21, 21, 47) goals in between them.

Apparently 69 Million Euro weren’t enough to convince Pep Guardiola to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In 2010/2011 he yet again had another revelation and requested the services of David Villa – for 40 Million Euro no less. Wouldn’t it have been easier to buy El Guaje a year earlier and keep Samuel Eto’o, even if it meant losing him on a Bosman?

After all, the rationale of retaining value and saving money doesn’t really apply when FC Barcelona have essentially wasted 109 Million Euro (excluding the exorbitant wages of Ibrahimovic) in finding a replacement for a player that didn’t want to go in the first place. What’s even worse, Pep Guardiola was hell-bent in remodeling a central striker in his prime at the age of 29, into a left-winger.

Can somebody please explain the logic behind that?

FC Barcelona’s financial woes are well documented but with acquisitions like these one doesn’t have to wonder. David Villa is a finer player. There’s no arguing that. But for one he has no resell-value after this summer, he’ll turn 31 in December and two, he is not a left-winger. Someone is to blame and that someone is most likely Pep Guardiola. In 2010/2011 the re-reassembled triumvirate of David Villa, Lionel Messi and Pedro scored 98 (23, 53, 22) goals in all competitions. For the second time in a row Lionel Messi scored more goals than his fellow forwards combined 53 > 45.

It’s a worrying trend that started after Pep Guardiola succumbed to his feelings back in 2009. In the ongoing 2011/2012 season the disparity has only increased exponentially. Not only has Lionel Messi already scored 72 goals in all competitions, he has also scored more goals than the next 4 (!) players combined: 72 > 64 – Cesc Fabregas (15), Xavi (15), Alexis Sanchez (14), Pedro (11) and David Villa (9).

Only the most ignorant of FC Barcelona supporter will argue the legitimacy of Messi-dependency. Under Pep Guardiola FC Barcelona become one-dimensional and utterly dependent on Lionel Messi. The most recent games against Real Madrid and Chelsea FC can attest to that. Nullify the threat of La Pulga renders FC Barcelona possession play useless.

Sure, Pep Guardiola has led FC Barcelona to several honors and admiration throughout the football world and beyond but it’s largely built upon the back on one man – Lionel Messi. For better or worse that’s the legacy he leaves behind.

Written by Adi-Oula Sebastian. You can follow him (and provide feedback) on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Days have passed since FC Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League by Chelsea FC. In that time this writer has come full circle in his impression of a man whose tenure has also, come full circle at Barcelona. Pep Guardiola announced this past week that he will no longer be Barcelona’s manager in the coming season and in this writer’s opinion, Gracias Pep should not be the general feeling, instead it should be good riddance.

Although in the eyes of many Barcelona fans, Pep Guardiola has been an exceptional manager who brought unprecedented glory to the club, this writer feels that Pep Guardiola in fact has been well short of spectacular and attributes his success over four seasons more to his players that to the man’s tactical genius. No game served to expose more of Peps flaws as manger than the games against Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola has shown that he is unable to learn from past mistakes. Chelsea was not the first club to play Guardiola defensively. Inter in 2010 managed to win a Champions League semi-final in similar circumstances so the fact that Guardiola has no answer for what was the same plan proves he is not a manager that learns from mistakes. Guardiola made both errors in planning and horrendous tactical errors that cost him a tie that should have been won.

Errors in planning are basically not anticipation the game plan your opponent will utilize. All logic would dictate that if Chelsea were going to run a defensive game over two legs Pep Guardiola could not afford Barca to concede any simple goals in either. Meaning that he had to hope that his best men in attack could score, and, put in his best defense so as to ensure that he has his best chance at not conceding any goals.

Why Guardiola played a 3-4-3 instead of his usual formation is unfounded. It is also the choosing of this formation that demonstrated that Guardiola simply had no answer to the defensive game Chelsea had planned. It showed that Pep didn’t learn from the past and that in terms of trying to beat a very defensive team, he was still a novice. That he didn’t expect, meaning he hasn’t learned.

You think that a man who plays over 90% of his games in a 4-3-3 would stick to a tried and tested method in such a game, but he didn’t and it backfired. In both games he committed too many players forward and exposed his already weakened back-line (Due to injuries of Abidal and Pique) to even more danger. This was done by taking out that extra defender that would ensure greater security and allowed Chelsea easy counters through the flanks, which they used to great effect to score two of their 3 goals.

Another mistake committed by Guardiola is that he did not attempt to correct the toothless attack Barcelona displayed throughout the tie. He exacerbated the problem by continuing to show confidence in players that didn’t merit it.

Every manager has players he considered battle hardened, his veteran that he trusts even when they are not playing well, to get him results. Why Pep Guardiola didn’t trust Pedro Rodriguez to form the attacking trident with Messi and Alexis, the same Pedro that scored 2 goals this weekend, was an idiotic move.

Instead, Pep chose to trust in the likes on Issac Cuenca and Cristian Tello, both of which have just 1 season at the top level. Throughout both legs both Cuenca and Tello were terrible. Bullied, hurrayed off the ball, unable to get the best of Ashley Cole, unable to put a decent shot on goal, and continually being wasteful.

How Guardiola did not see this wasn’t working is unimaginable. Why Pep would not trust Pedro over these two rookies is also a mystery. Why Pep chose to gamble in such an important game no one knows, but stupid it was, and the gamble he lost. Pedro is clearly a player that on his worst day is still dangerous, he can still score a goal, and he can still cause trouble.

Why he trusted the inexperience of Tello and Cuenca is unknown, but it played a part in costing him the qualification since Guardiola never gave his attack the weapons necessary to have a maximum opportunity to score.

In essence Guardiola’s failure is full. It starts by picking a formation that is weak defensively against a counter-attacking team. It weakened a fragile defense further. It then progresses to wasting one of his precious attacking spots on players that frankly, did nothing throughout the whole tie. He thus also severely weakened his chances of scoring against a hunkered down side and increased his chances of getting scored on. Both happened, and Barca are out of the CL and Pep is out of Barca.

Gracis Pep? Thanks for what? The legacy he leaves of Barca is not one that is spectacular when looking at other managers that have had to do with less.

Frank Rijkaard once defeated a Chelsea at the height of its power with a less impressive squad than Guardiola has ever had at his disposal. Yet Rijkaard managed what Guardiola never did, a comprehensive victory over the Blues. This is even though Guardiola’s squad is man for man, superior to the Dutchman’s. Guardiola had Messi along with what is the core of the Spanish national team against what is arguably the most weakened Chelsea side in years.

The fact that Guardiola will always be remembered as the man that lost with the best team to a team that was weaker but with a better tactical setup will forever tarnish his record. He is no genius, he was kept in the tie by his players, but as a manger he failed them with such poor tactic choices. Namely, his 3-4-3 did not utilize the best his Barca squad had to offer. He weakened his defense further, and wasted a slot in attack throughout this tie by having faith in inexperienced canteranos.

Gracias Pep, is not how Barca fans should feel. This man is paid to win and deliver trophies, Gracias Pep? For loosing with the best squad in this clubs’ history in such an uneventful way is blasphemy.

Written by Jose Avila – you can follow him (and provide feedback) on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Manchester United are on the brink of having one of their worst seasons in the last decade, and their first trophy-less season since the 2004-05 season.

United need improvements this summer to get back to their winning ways under Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson is a fantastic manager, but managerial talent can only go so far without the necessary players.

Below are the transfer targets who could revive Ferguson’s team, by bringing a creative edge to the midfield that the current side is so dearly missing.

Luka Modric

Modric would slot seamlessly into the starting eleven, occupying one of the two spots in the centre of midfield. His quality would represent a massive improvement over the current players in these positions, i.e. the likes of Giggs and Carrick.

Modric would no doubt bring a creative edge to the United squad, taking a huge burden off the likes of Wayne Rooney.

Unfortunately, it’s a transfer that is probably not viable. Due to a large transfer fee and the stubbornness of Tottenham’s owner, Daniel Levy, and manager, Harry Redknapp, Tottenham may stand in the way of a potential deal.

Eden Hazard

Ferguson and Mancini are currently locked in a battle for the signature of the young Belgian attacking-midfielder. Many United fans would love to see Hazard at Old Trafford.

If he were to make the switch to the Red Devils, he’ll likely be utilized on the wings, as a welcome alternative for Ashley Young and Nani, who have both suffered with inconsistency this season. In time, he may even prove to be a better player than them.

However, Manchester City’s wallet is undeniably much larger than United’s, a transfer fee of around £30 million is likely to put Ferguson off.

Shinji Kagawa

Kagawa would definitely be a more realistic transfer than Hazard and Modric. His contract expires in 2013 and Borussia Dortmund are willing to listen to offers for him in the summer.

The attacking midfielder would provide United with another quality player in the midfield. The only problem that could occur for Ferguson is fitting him in the current system at the Manchester club. He’s an attacking midfielder who also operates as a second striker: the same place as Rooney. He could be played in central midfield or on the wings, but these aren’t his natural positions.

Wesley Sneijder

The speculation linking the Dutch midfielder and Manchester United has circulated for the past few seasons. If Sneijder was to ever leave Inter, it’s likely he would make the move to the Premier League by joining Manchester United.

Sneijder is no doubt a quality player, he has proven himself at various clubs throughout his career. He would undoubtedly bring class and creativity to the United starting eleven.

However, the attacking midfielder has a contract with Inter until 2015, as a result he would command a huge transfer fee. At the age of 27, he still has a few years left to play at the top of his game. Although, it’s questionable whether Ferguson will want to pay £30 million for a player nearing the end of his peak form.

James Rodriguez

James Rodriguez has been dubbed “the new Ronaldo” by the press, and 12 goals and eight assists at the age of only 20 suggests that he’s very much worth the hype.

The Daily Mail has his price-tag at a hefty £25 million, but it has been suggested that including Anderson in the deal could bring down Rodriguez’s price significantly.

If United are indeed still looking for Ronaldo’s replacement at Old Trafford, this would be the guy to go after.  However, he won’t  be the number one priority on United’s summer shopping list, but if all else fails, I’m sure an enquiry will be made.

Javi Martinez

Martinez is predominantly a defensive midfielder, but this season at Athletic Bilbao he has been moulded into a centre-back.

His strength and ability to make clean tackles is a characteristic the United have definitely been missing this season. Central defence and defensive midfield are positions that United have been found wanting in this season. With Vidic out injured, Ferdinand often off-colour and Phil Jones playing all over the pitch it has been left to Jonny Evans to stand out as their best central defender.

Carrick still occupies the position that is most alike to the holding role for United, but he is not renowned for his tenacity. Past him and Scholes, and the options aren’t looking great, with Anderson perennially on the treatment table there is a void to be filled.

Martinez would be a great signing for Ferguson, providing United with versatility in two positions they are currently lacking. At a cost of around £20 million he’d definitely be worth the investment.

Nicolas Gaitan

Gaitan showed that he indeed is a solid, up-and-coming player in world football with seven assists in this year’s Champions League. However, he recorded only three goals and seven assists in 25 league games for Benfica, and failed to make a difference over two legs for Benfica against Chelsea.

Gaitan is a good player, but at the age of 24, he doesn’t look like a player that’ll one day be better than Nani, Young or Valencia.

Apparently Nicholas Gaitan is a big fan of moving to Manchester United, but it is not yet known if the feeling is mutual. But for the sake of United’s progress in the next few seasons Gaitan doesn’t seem like a wise signing, especially at the cost of £20 plus million.

Yohan Cabaye

Cabaye is not a player that’s been linked to United as such. But he would certainly fit into the team very well.

Cabaye is an all-action midfielder, a “box-to-box” midfielder. He’s not just a playmaker, and he’s not just a tackler; he does it all, and when your team plays only two central midfielders like Newcastle and Manchester United do, it’s great to have a player like Cabaye.

If Newcastle United harbour any hopes of repeating this year’s success next year, they’ll hold on to Cabaye tightly this summer. However, if Mike Ashley decides to cash in on this year’s success by selling the team’s best players for profit, Cabaye could prove to be a wise investment for Manchester United down the line.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Jose Mourinho has a successful season in charge of Real Madrid. The Spanish side have become the deserved winners of the La Liga and fell just short in the Champions League.

Despite this, the Portuguese manager will look to strengthen his squad even further going into next season, as Madrid seek European glory.

Especially with the likes of Higuain and Di Maria both expected to leave the club.

Below are various players Madrid have been linked in recent weeks.

Transfer Targets

Sergio Aguero – Manchester City – Striker

Real Madrid want to fund a multi-million pound bid for Sergio Aguero. President Florentino Perez is desperate to sign the Manchester City striker and is willing to part with whatever money it takes to lure the Argentine to the Bernabeu according to the Daily Mail.

To fund the ambitious offer, which City would be very reluctant to accept, Real want Higuain to move to Stamford Bridge.

Aguero has been a sensation for Roberto Mancini’s side, scoring 22 goals in 33 Premier League games.

Edison Cavani – Napoli – Striker

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid are watching Napoli striker Edinson Cavani’s situation.

The Uruguay international has emerged as the game’s hottest young striker and his performances in the Champions League have led to him being linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks.

However, Real president Florentino Perez is also monitoring Cavani’s form and willing to put £35 million towards buying the Uruguay international at the end of the season.

Robin Van Persie – Arsenal – Striker

Real Madrid will make an offer for Robin van Persie in the summer as they join the £30million race for the Arsenal striker.

Manchester City and Barcelona are also keen on the Dutchman, 28, who has 12 months left on his Arsenal contract and is yet to commit to another deal.

Mourinho feels Van Persie would be a perfect fit into his evolving Madrid side.

Glen Johnson – Liverpool – Defender

Real Madrid are targeting Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker to fill their problem right-back position.

Officials at the Bernabeu were trying to sign promising Brazilian Mario Fernandes but have not even come close to agreeing a fee with Gremio.

So Jose Mourinho has turned to ‘Plan B’, according to Madrid newspaper Marca, and is planning to raid the Barclays Premier League for a player to fit his system.

It is thought Johnson, 27, would not cost more than £12.5million and is ready-made to match the wing-raiding prowess of Marcelo on the opposite flank.

Kyle Walker – Tottenham – Defender

21-year-old Kyle Walker is another right back being linked with a switch to Madrid. The young Tottenham star has been highly impressive since establishing himself as a first team regular in Harry Redknapp’s side.

Real boss Jose Mourinho has been tracking the Tottenham right-back ever since he shined on England duty against Spain at this summer’s European Under-21 finals.

And the manager of La Liga’s leaders has been impressed with Walker’s superb displays for club and country this term

Mourinho wants Walker to provide competition for Real right-back Sergio Ramos.

Walker is contracted to Spurs until 2016 but boss Harry Redknapp is braced for a bid from his friend Mourinho – which would need to be at least £20million to tempt chairman Daniel Levy into selling.

Edin Dzeko – Manchester City – Striker

Manchester City have decided to offload Edin Dzeko at the end of the season in a move that had already alerted Juventus and Real Madrid.

City manager Roberto Mancini has let it be known he will listen to offers for Dzeko after noting the striker’s unrest over limited opportunities in the starting line-up and sensing they will become even scarcer. Jose Mourinho is a firm admirer of the 26-year old.

Raul Meireles – Chelsea – Midfielder

Reports have emerged that Real Madrid have joined Juventus interest in Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles.

The Daily Express says Real Madrid want to take unsettled Portuguese midfielder Meireles to Spain in a £10m move.

Gareth Bale – Tottenham – Midfielder

Bale, 22, has been linked with a switch away from White Hart Lane – and claims a big-money transfer to one of Europe’s top clubs is appealing.

“If you are talking about Barcelona or Real Madrid, two of the biggest clubs in the world, then it’s a bit like Harry and England, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” he said.

“If you said to any young player that you could play for Barcelona or Real would they turn it down? Probably not.”

This will no doubt alert Mourinho who would love to bring Bale to the Bernabeu.

Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva  – Sao Paulo – Midfielder

The La Liga winner’s scouts have been monitoring Lucas for some time and have apparently now recommended him to the directors.

Manager Jose Mourinho is also said to have given his approval to bid for a player widely regarded as one of the rising stars of South American football.

Lucas, who is also a target for Inter Milan and Chelsea, broke into the Sao Paulo team in 2010 and made his debut for Brazil last year. He was included in the squad for the 2011 Copa America and already has ten caps to his name.

Papiss Cisse – Newcastle – Striker

Recently, Cisse has been falsely linked with Madrid. The Senegal international has refuted the claims in the media that he is after a move to the Spainish giants, instead pledging his continuing commitment to the Magpies.

Also See:

• More Real Madrid News.
• More Transfer Rumours.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Eden Hazard is arguably the most sought after player in Europe at the moment. It  now looks like the Belgian dazzler has made his decision on where he’ll be playing next season – and Fergie’s not going to like it at all!

Recently the Lille midfielder has dropped his biggest hint yet that he will join Manchester City this summer after announcing he will ‘definitely’ be wearing blue next season.

The Belgian star has long been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League and both City and Manchester United were front-runners for his signature.

But Hazard is set to rub salt into Manchester United’s wounds by snubbing the chance to join the Red Devils – and opting for noisy neighbours Manchester City. Tottenham and Arsenal have also be linked to the 21-year-0ld, but these comments seem to have brought the end to any further speculation regarding the two London clubs.

Chelsea, who have signed three Belgians in the last year, have also been credited with an interest in the player.

Mancini’s side are on the verge of securing their first top flight trophy since 1968. It’s obvious to see success in the Premier League brings with it certain perks – clearly they’ll now have first choice of Europe’s best players this summer.

Regardless, Hazard is set to leave French club Lille this summer and both Ferguson and Mancini will continue fighting it out for the £25million-rated youngster.

“I have already said that my wish is to go to the Premier League,” Hazard said. “It’s the blue that I’ll be wearing next season. Definitely the blue.“

Roberto Mancini has told Lille star Eden Hazard that Manchester City would be his “perfect destination”.

 ”I like Hazard a lot,” Mancini told France Football magazine. “He’s a good player, he’s young and he would do great things in our team. Given his technical qualities City would be the perfect destination for him.

“I know him and have been following him for a long time. He’s a player a lot of teams want.”

I’m sure Hazard’s comments will come as a doubly painful blow for Ferguson and United. The Belgian could have been the perfect player to solve the Red Devils creativity problems in midfield.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News