MOURINHO DELIGHTED

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The Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has said that he is extremely happy that the Catalan club Barcelona’s dominance in the la Liga title has finally been broken by Real Madrid. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager José Mourinho has revealed that he was brought to the Santiago Bernebeu with the sole reason of bringing an end to the dominance of Barcelona. Prior to the arrival of José Mourinho, Barcelona had won three league titles. Even though José Mourinho was not successful in his first full season as the Real Madrid manager, he ultimately managed to bring an end to the dominance of Barcelona by winning the league title last season.

He has said that even though Real Madrid have only won one league title to show in the last four seasons, José Mourinho reckons that it is a step in the right direction and feels that Real Madrid will be able to win more titles in the future. Mourinho has said that it is certainly not enough that Real Madrid had one a league title last season. They must repeat the feat this time around as well in order to assert their dominance over Barcelona.

“What is clear is that we have broken Barcelona’s winning run, after the lifted one title after another. Now the balance has shifted and we’ll see how far we can ride the wave. In any case, you have to be honest: we are talking about Real Madrid and Barcelona, two very good teams, two great teams. If you took any other team in the world and put them in La Liga they would not finish either first or second,” said the Real Madrid manager José Mourinho in a recent interview. Mourinho has said that his target is now to win the Champions League with Real Madrid.

MORE DEPARTURES POSSIBLE

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The Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has said that there could still be departure from the camp Nou before the end of the transfer window. Barcelona have already sold a number of key players in the transfer window, while they have also lost Keita on a free transfer. Even though they have been quite active in the transfer window bringing in the likes of Jordi Alba and Alex Song, Andoni Zubizarreta has said that the club needs to balance the books by selling a few players before 31 August. Some of the players who have been linked with a move away from the camp Nou include the likes of Ibrahim Afellay, Jonathan dos Santos, and Marc Bartra.

While confirming that some of the players could leave the club, Zubizarreta also has said that he does not expect the club to sign any more players between now and the end of the transfer window. Jordi Alba was signed by the club for around £ 13 million, while Alex Song was signed for around £ 15 million from Arsenal a few days ago. Barcelona began the process of reclaiming the title from Real Madrid with a 5-1 win over Real Sociedad during the weekend. Tello was one of the outstanding players in the match.

“We like our squads to be fairly compact. Until the market closes, we have some interesting options to look into. We are working with some agents to see if we can find the best places for some of the players to develop their careers. As for further signings, we don’t have any plans. We have the squad we want. The renewal of Puyol is well-advanced. Both parties want to come to an agreement,” said the Barcelona sporting director in a recent press conference. Has also expressed his confidence about getting Tello to sign a new contract.

KEITA WANTS BARCA END

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Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has said that it would be a dream come true if he manages to finish his career with Barcelona. The Mali international is coming to an end of his career, with rumours linking him with a move from Barcelona.

However, the 31-year-old has said that he wants to stay with the Catalan giants for the rest of his career. He has also said that it would be a privilege if he manages to finish his career with the Spanish club. Keita still has two years left on his current contract, but there has been no interest from Barcelona to renew the deal – if anything he is more likely to be in a Liverpool Shirt at the start of next season.

He is also thought to have a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave one of the transfer if he decides to do so because he has made an appearance in more than 50% of the total number of Barcelona matches last season. Barcelona recently appointed Guardiola’s assistant manager Tito Villanova as a replacement for the man who has led the club to an incredible 14 trophies in just four seasons. Villanova recently expressed his desire to keep the Mali international at the club. Villanova said that it would be vital for the club to retain the services of such an experienced international.

“I am yet to speak with the club to sort out my future. But I want to continue; this is my desire. I would like to retire at Barcelona, like Lionel Messi will, so I hope that can be the case. We must talk and see what they offer and what they want. But my family is happy in Barcelona,” said Keita in a recent interview. The Mali international has been linked with a move to Italian club AC Milan, who are in the process of rebuilding their team.

Lampard Absence a Blessing in Disguise?

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If you’ve taken even a brief glimpse in the tabloids this week, you’ll have seen the slightly unpleasant sight of Chelsea’s Frank Lampard frolicking on the beach and in the swimming pool on the Italian Riviera with breakfast TV reject, and current fiancé, Christine Bleakley.

Looking at photos of the couple in the dazzling Italian sun, compared to the sort of freak weather experienced in the Euros, last Friday, where an electric storm provided more entertainment than the France v Ukraine game, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking Lampard got off lightly, this summer, when he picked up a pre-tournament injury.

Okay, so, in reality, there is little doubting the fact that Lampard would have savoured every moment of the Euros, especially since the Chelsea midfielder was reportedly keen to banish memories of his goal that wasn’t at the 2010 World Cup. However, was Lampard’s injury actually a good thing for England? Read more “Lampard Absence a Blessing in Disguise?”

MARTINEZ BACKS PLAYERS

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Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has said that he is not looking at any speculation surrounding him and his players. Wigan are currently fighting to stay in the Premier league this season. Roberto Martinez, though, he has done quite impressive job at the club considering that he has extremely limited funds at his disposal. Even though it looked like Wigan were down and out only a few months ago, they have put up a fighting comeback in the Premier league. Wins against Liverpool and Manchester United have elevated them from the bottom of the table to the 17th position in the table.

They will be facing yet another challenge in the form of Newcastle United during the weekend. Ahead of this match, Roberto Martinez has been linked with a move to Greek club Olympiacos in the summer. Further, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding players like Victor Moses, and Hugo Rodallega. Martinez, though, refuses to be carried in a with the speculation by saying that he is not interested in such stories coming out of the media, and is fully concentrating on the job of keeping Wigan Athletic in the Premier league. Following the wins against Manchester United and Liverpool, Wigan opened a five point advantage down near the bottom of the table. However, wins for Bolton and QPR have reduced the advantage to just one point.

“I have got no time to think about that. Those stories are there – so be it – but I don’t think we have to talk about them. With all these stories – as I always said with players – if you get attention from other clubs it must be because we are doing something right. We should all be pleased, but we will never lose concentration on the job in hand,” Martinez said.

AC FEAR NO-ONE

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AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said that his teammates should not be fearful of Barcelona because they have already shown earlier in the season that they are capable of achieving a result against the Spanish club. AC Milan were drawn against Barcelona in the same group. As a result, they have already played them home and away this season. It has been an up-and-down learning curve for AC Milan, as they managed a credible draw against the Catalans at the Camp Nou, while they suffered a narrow defeat at the San Siro. A home defeat would be the last thing on the minds of the AC Milan players, as it would hand Barcelona a major advantage in the tie.

Barcelona also have the advantage of having the second leg at the Camp Nou, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged the AC Milan players not to be fearful of the Catalan club. Barcelona have by far been the best club in the world over the last few years. They have already won the Champions League two times in the last three seasons, and are favourites to win this time around as well. Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently scored his 29th goal of the season and is expected to be the main threat for AC Milan.

“It’s difficult for us to play a match in the style of Mourinho’s Inter, they were a more physical side. We will face Barcelona with courage, motivation and serenity. We have to try and make as few mistakes as possible and play with an attacking mentality,” said AC Milan manager Allegri responding to queries that is AC Milan would adopt a similar strategy to that of Inter Milan a few seasons ago. Inter Milan adopted a very negative strategy and successfully went into the final beating Barcelona.