Guardiola said: “It is never easy to attack when their midfielders convert into centre-backs. If they have to defend in the penalty box, they do it. Milan have a lot of merit for this result. They reached our goal two-and-a-half times and they got a point. European teams like this reinforce even more what we have done. We had a good match and if we consider the 90 minutes, we see we had a good match, we closed down Milan, though there are things we have to improve.”

And it was said that for Massimiliano Allegri, the match can be also considered good most especially for A.C. Milan. For the boss, his football club delivered. He cannot also be sad with the 2-2 game. For him, it was also a good match. His football club really tried to make it happen also for all the supporters wanting it to. And A.C. Milan was also able to. He can only be happy with the game happening. And the supporters must be as well. They must be also glad with what the football club really tried to produce just for all of them.

Allegri said: “The team did very well at the start, then we got a bit too deep, mainly because of Barcelona’s pressure. We could’ve done better with some counters and keeping possession, but it wasn’t easy. I don’t think we allowed Barca many chances and could’ve gone 2-0 up straight after the opener. I didn’t expect this, as it’s not easy to come here and score twice.”

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Romeu said: “You never know what could happen in the future, I will always support Barca and I hope someday I can return there. But right now, what I want is to succeed at Chelsea and be fine there. I always said that my first option was Barcelona, but … an opportunity like this comes, and a coach wants to bet on you, so you have to take it. I think I could not let this one go.”

Also according to the reports, Romeu signed the contract that will make him stay play for Chelsea for years but maybe was also thinking of not also going for it. It was also said that maybe, he still wanted to still be with Barcelona. But he just also found it right to also try at Stamford Bridge. He can’t also miss the opportunity to. He can just continue supporting and of course loving Barcelona. Maybe, he can also just return to the football club after some time. But it may also not happen. He may also love being at Stamford Bridge. He may also just decide to go on with the football club.

Romeu, in addition, said: “This is a great club, with players of an enormous quality and a coach of a very high level. What I want is to keep improving as a footballer there. Everything that can happen to me there will be for the best.”

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Assuming he will pass his medical exam on Monday, Alexis Sanchez will be with his new club, the European Champions.

Arsenal has stated that they are indeed looking to sign a defender despite the fact that the Gunners have yet to sign one after having been connected with a whole string of them. Arsenal’s manager Arsene     Wenger has eveyr intention on signing a defender p[rior to the start of the new season; however, he isn’t letting out any names. They have been linked with Gary Cahill from Bolton, Chris Samba from Blackburn as well as Phil Jagielka from Everton but none have prospered far.

Malaga has made a €20 million offer to Villarreal for winger Santiago Cazorla; however, that table offer has been turned down. Villarreal has reportedly said that they’ll need to make an improved offer if they want the Spain international.

Luisao, defender for Benfica, is reportedly wanting out of his current club – especially now that there is interest for him from Paris Saint-Germain. Supposedly, Antonio Carraca gave Luisao a call while he was visiting home to see if he would be available for Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier match. He was probably shocked to hear his answer – Luisao said that he wouldn’t be playing with the club again. Benfica is looking at the possibility of Eliaquim Mangala from Standard Liege and Angelo Ogbonna from Torino to take his spot in the club should he decide to leave. Luisao has been with Benfica since 2003 and Benfica reportedly wants at least €10 million for him.

Benfica seems to possibly have interest in Spaniard Jonathan Soriano of Barcelona B. He wants to achieve a permanent switch between clubs and would like to go somewhere that he can advance seeing as how he hasn’t been able to make his way up into the main squad of Barcelona. Aside from Benifca, although they are heavily favored in this deal, Red Bull Salzburg has also been included in talks of signing the 25-year-old reportedly.

Roma have officially completed the free transfer of Gabriel Heinze, who has been a former member of Real Madrid as well as Manchester United, from Marseille. The 33-year-old defender’s contract has yet to be disclosed; however, it is likely to be at least for a year.

In other news for Roma today, they have purchased striker Bojan Krkic from Barcelona. The transfer fee is at €12 million and Barcelona will have the option at the end of the 2012-2013 season to buy Krkic back for a fee of €13 million. However, if the Italian giants want to keep that move from happening, they’ll be shelling out around €40 million overall for the 20-year-old youngster.

Midfielder Arturo Vidal is officially with Juventus after a deal worth €10.5 million went through from Bayer Leverkusen. He passed his medical exam on Friday and is now with the Italian club with a five-year contract. Depending on his performance over the next five years, there may be an additional €2 million in transfer fees.

Carlos Tevez still wants to leave his current club of Manchester City. He was set to go to Corinthians; however, the club pulled out of the move worth £40 million due to the fact that a deal wouldn’t be reached prior to the end of the summer transfer window. There’s no reason other clubs won’t show interest soon as he is one of the best players. The Argentina international has been linked to clubs such as Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea. However, the interest is more due to the fact that they have the funds available to pay for Tevez, who has a very high price tag.

Arsenal made a £12 million offer for centre-back Phil Jagielka from Everton but it was rejected. They have been told that it is going to take £18 million if they have any intention on signing the England international. The hefty price tag is likely due to the fact that Jagielka just signed an extension of four years earlier this year. Therefore, if the Gunners really want the 28-year-old, they’ll need to give some cash.

David Beckham has made it clear that he has no intentions on returning to the Premier League unless he can join Manchester United. Everyone thought that he would join Tottenham earlier this year in January but the transfer fell through near the conclusion of the winter transfer window. His contract is set to expire with MLS this year and can’t see himself ever playing against England’s biggest club. He thinks that everything happens for a reason – meaning that he didn’t go to Tottenham for a reason, which he believes is so that the he can always be known as a United player.

Metalist Kharkiv has shown interest in Jose Sosa, an attacker from Napoli. He came to Napoli last summer on a four-year contract from Bayern Munich and has yet to make much of an impression. At one time, he was expected to make his way to Argentina, but with the Ukranian club’s interest in the 26-year-old, he may be headed there and the Europa League thanks to the club’s third place finish in the Ukranian Premier League last season.

Jose Manuel Flores, defender for Genoa, is headed to Mallorca on a one-year loan. At any time during that one-year loan period, Mallorca will have the option to buy the 24-year-old defender. Real Betis had apparently shown interest in Flores as well but were unable to sign him due to financial constraints.

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Guardiola said: “I will say it again, I have another year on my contract and I intend to work it out. I feel privileged to have these players. Everyone has worked towards this. We are very happy. But I have to look inside of me. I am happy to be here as coach of these guys, but it is not an easy job.”

Guardiola had been actually said to be the next manager to leave and will indeed be departing from Barcelona. And of course, his supporters were believed to be all saddened with all the papers reporting about the great possibility of him leaving. They can’t be happy with him departing. But for the boss, he will not be leaving. Yes, he still has another year to be with the football club. And he must be confident that he can really stay and continue being the manager of the football club. Thus, the boss decided to not depart and just continue being there, help Barcelona.

Guardiola said: “We must congratulate Manchester United for the great match they have played. We are pleased because we know how hard it is to win the Champions League. We had some time to prepare this encounter and I thought we played excellently tonight. We went 1-0 up but we knew that with all of United’s history and stature in the game they would come back at us. In the end, though, we managed to control the match and we won very well.”

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The match was a good one at least and despite the fact that the end result of the game was a draw, Barcelona advanced ahead of Real Madrid in the last of the four games of which are called the “El Clasico” after securing a 3-1 win on aggregate.

Looking at statistics from the game, Barcelona benefited with 69% posession of the ball and 88% success with passes vs Real Madrid’s 75%. Lionel Messi, one of the best football players and the top scorer with 11 goals for Barcelona, was definitely the center of the game and the heart of the team. There were 29 fouls called on Madrid and 11 of those fouls were on Messi. There’s no doubt that Madrid did not try to stop Messi and the rest of his club but they were simply outmatched in this final game.

Despite Messi playing the field well for Barcelona, it was Real Madrid that started off with what seemed to be early dominance especially with Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it quickly turned around and Ronaldo was not better than Messi as was first thought. Barcelona continued to gain their strength and find their “kick” as the game progressed.

In the 54th minute, a pass to Pedro, who went on to make the goal, got Barcelona the lead. Real Madrid didn’t let that first goal get by for too long as Marcelo took a pass from di Maria in the 64th minute – after his shot unfortunately hit the post and came right back at him – and put it right into the net to tie the match. However, neither squad were able to achieve a second goal before the match ended.

Barcelona will now move forward with their seventh appearance in the Champions League final.

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Guardiola said: “They have a good defensive structure and because of that, we struggled a lot. In the second half, we improved, but these games are always dangerous and there were things that didn’t go well for us.”

Even Andres Iniesta has also admitted that it was indeed hard for Barcelona to win against Almeria. Also for the footballer, the other also tried to just have a good defensive structure and so the football club just really competed with difficulty. But yes, in the end, the football club enjoyed a very good result. Although the football club found it not easy to win against the other also with a good defensive structure still was able to make it. Of course, the football club’s footballers did just everything in order for their very own to win. And it just happened, Barcelona indeed won 3-1 against Almeria.

Iniesta said: “We had to react very quickly as it started to become very difficult, and we kept pushing until we got the reward. We kept on trying all the way to the end and we finally obtained the three points. It became very difficult after Corona scored but we eventually got the job done.”

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Guardiola said: “The week has been very long, a lot has happened and you never know how you are going to play. But I think we have done well. The reaction has been good, we created many chances, but that has not been reflected at the end of the game. You never know how the players react, but they were fantastic and I’m really happy with the performance.”

Yes, the victory came after the few difficult days for Guardiola and everyone else from Barcelona. They all had been tested with some problems including tumor on the liver of Eric Abidal. But at least, the trial still ended with a great success. And the boss also confirmed that the defender had a surgery to get rid of the tumor and then given programs to recover soon. After some time, he might be already perfect to visit and join everyone. After all the problems, still the boss can be just thankful. Despite everything, things were still simply right for him and his very own football club.

Guardiola said: “He is recovering well. He’s in a good mood and his family are too. Hopefully in the next fortnight he’ll be ready to visit and join us at the Ciudad Deportivo (Sports City).”

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UD Almeria v Atletico Madrid 2-2

These two teams took turns scoring goals and ended the game with a draw. Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero made the first goal at close range at 38 minutes with the assist of Cardoso Tiago. The next goal came from the opposite side at 48 minutes, UD Almeria. Albert Crusat surged a kick that resulted in the ball hitting the back net at the top right corner of the goal from the very edge of the penalty area bringing the match to a 1-1 tie. The third goal of the match came again from Aguero and the assist again from Tiago in the 60^th minute with the fourth goal coming from Almeria in the 76^th minute from close range by Henok Goitom with assistance from Jose Ortiz Bernal.

Real Madrid v Hercules 2-0

Real Madrid secured the victory in this match by scoring the only two goals of the match. From inside the box, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema kicks the ball to secure a goal in the middle of the goal. Assist from Alvaro Arbeloa. The second goal again came from Real Madrid’s Benzena from the inside of the penalty box with the assist coming from Angel Di Maria.

Real Zaragoza v Valencia 4-0

Real Zaragoza really dominated this match against Valencia. The first goal comes from a free kick – Jiri Jarosik secures the ball inside the goal from within the six-yard box with assistance from Javier Paredes. Three minutes into the match and Real Zaragoza lead 1-0. The next ball finds the middle of the net in the 39^th minute from Herrera Ander with assist from Ikechuckwu Uche. A placed penalty is scored in the 64^th minute by Fernandez Gabi giving Zasragoza a lead of 3-0 and no hopes of Valencia being able to catch up.  The fourth and final goal of the match came in the 73^rd minute due to another penalty. Fernandez Gabi takes form and scores.

Real Sociedad v Malaga 0-2

Gutierrez Diego Rivas receives a yellow card in the 1^st minute of the match. In the 24^th minute, a foul results in a free kick for Sergio Duda, which he scores directly from outside the box. The next goal comes from Malaga as well in the 57^th minute by Jose Salomon Rondon who secures a close-range headed goal with assistance from Pereira Eliseu. Another yellow card is awarded in the 63^rd minute to Oliveira Weligton and another for Caballero Willy in the 73^rd minute due to time wasting.

Osasuna v Racing Santander 3-1

The first two goals come just a few minutes apart for Osasuna. Clemente Kike Sola surging kick finds the back fo the next with ease with assistance from Alvaro Cejudo. The second goal comes in the 24^th minute by Javad Nekounam as a placed penalty from an unfair challenge by Fernandez Christian on Clemente Kike Sola. A yellow card is given at the 45^th minute to Buss Henrique. The final two goals came from both sides and just a few minutes apart – just like the first two. In the 48^th minute, Fernando Soriano secures a goal with assist from Javier Camunas to give Osasuna a 3-0 lead over Racing Santander. In hopes of having a strong comeback, Racing Santander’s Markus Rosenberg gets the goal from just outside the penalty box with the assist from Mehdi Lacen. In the 74^th minute, Fernando Soriano is given a red card and directed off the field. In the last few minutes of the game, a yellow card is shown to Javad Nekounam.

Levante v Mallorca 1-1

Akihiro Lenaga is shown a yellow card by the ref for unsporting behavior. The first goal of the game is secured in the 36^th minute by Levante’s Gomez Juanlu. Valmiro Valdo is booked for unsporting behavior as well. In the 57^th minute a free kick is awarded, which Ivan Ramis takes and scores directly from just outside the penalty box bringing the game to a tie. Another yellow card is shown to Sergio Ballesteros for calling an unfair challenge on Sergio Tejera.

Espanyol v Deportivo 2-0

Great match between the two teams despite only one team securing goals. Lots of yellow cards in this match starting in the 20^th minute for Jose Maria Callejon then five minutes later to Herrero Michel for persistent infringement. The next two yellow cards came in the 33^rd minute to Nunez Pablo Alvarez for a foul and in the 35^th minute to Joan Verdu. The ref gives Nunez Pablo Alvarez gives a red card and sends him off the field in the 41^st minute. The first goal of the match comes in the 61^st minute by Daniel Ivan Alonso via a headed goal with assist by De la Cruz David Garcia. Another yellow card is awarded Alberto Lopo in the 79^th minute. The second and final goal of the match was in the 81^st minute by Joan Verdu with assist from Jose Maria Callejon.

Villarreal v Sporting Gijon 1-1

The first goal is picked up by Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi from just inside the six-yard box. Valdes Jose Angel gets booked with a yellow card for a handball. Yellow card issued to Soto Ivan Hernandez for a foul on Honorato da Silva Nilmar in the 60^th minute of the match. Valdes Jose Angel is shown a red card in the 64^th minute then in the 67^th minute Ivan Cuellar gets a yellow card and booked for time wasting. Another yellow card goes out in the 77^th minute to Joan Capdevila with a red card being shown to Rafael Sastre in the 89^th minute. In the final minutes of the match, a yellow card is shown to Gonzalo Rodriguez for unsporting behavior and Gonzalo Rodriguez takes the penalty kick and scores to bring the match to a 1-1 draw.

Seville v Barcelona 1-1

Didier Zokora gets a yellow card for unsporting behavior due to an unfair challenge on Sergio Busquets. Krkic Bojan scores the first goal of the game and the only goal for Barcelona in the 29^th minute with assist from da Silva Dani Alves. In the 39^th minute, a free kick is awarded by the referee  for Claro Adriano Correia fouling Trinidad Diego Capel and Claro Adriano Correia receives a yellow card. In the 48^th minute, Seville’s Gonzalez Jesus Navas secures a headed goal into the net with assistance and setup from Alvaro Negredo bringing the game to a 1-1 tie. No other goals were made with the match resulting in a 1-1 draw.

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Of course the young footballer seemed so happy to confirm that he actually did sign the new deal that will make him continue being part of the games of the football club for several years. And his fans must be also so glad with his confirmation.

Busquets said: “It is a dream to continue my career here. It is very difficult to stay here for a long time, but this is another step. I am very happy. I am very young, so there is still a lot of time. I hope that Xavi and Puyol can continue as well. I am still young and there is a lot to achieve still. I hope that the remaining years on my contract are as good as those that have gone before, full of good news and happiness.”

Well, to date, 22-year-old Busquets has total of 73 La Liga appearances since becoming a part of Pep Guardiola’s team. But he admitted that he never thought things will be so good for him.

Busquets said: “I never thought that I would have such a successful time here. All the individual success and titles, which are important. I think I have made the most of things, and I hope that things continue the same or even better.”

Just like Busquets, his very own fans must be also so hopeful that things will just continue to be so good for him after deciding to stay with Barcelona. They must be just wishing for the best for their favorite footballer with him opting to be into a new deal with the famous football club.

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Xavi withdrew from Spain’s team because of pain in his ankle area. But after having the injury checked by specialists he came back for Barca’s Primera Division game against Valencia. And he did great considering the goals which he helped to make possible. Barca won due to the two goals made.

However, Xavi revealed that he is still struggling despite playing in the game against Valencia, which his club actually won.

Xavi said: “I’m well but they still bother me. I hope I get over it soon. I started well (against Valencia) but as the minutes passed I could feel the strain on my tendons. It’s a battle I have but thanks to the doctors and physios who look after me I’m sure I’ll get over it soon.”

Many fans of Barcelona star were happy when he made it to the game against Valencia after obtaining the ankle injury and having it checked by specialists. And they became happier when they saw their favorite player setting up goals for his club. What they didn’t know was that the player was still experiencing strain on his tendons. He was just very eager to play in the game and help his club to end up the winning club after the game. And yes, they were then surprised with the revelation of the player that he is still struggling with the ankle injury despite playing in the game against Valencia. Eventually, they were also worried.

Well, we just hope for the best for Xavi. May he get over it soon just as he wished.

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