Thursday, September 19, 2013

Barcelona approaching footballing excellence again, says Martino


The Argentine coach was pleased with the way the Catalans improved after the break

Messi becomes first player to score 4 hat tricks in the Champions League

He surpasses Mario Gómez and Filipo Inzaghi, both of whom scored three hat tricks in the competition


The Argentine has scored a total of 62 goals in the Champions

Tata Martino: “It wasn't a brilliant match but we put in a strong performance”

The manager highlights his team's reaction in the second half when his men "controlled, pressured

Valdés: “I want to win this year's Champions League”



The FC Barcelona keeper says that this Wednesday's victory is very important before noting that "I would really like to win this year's Champions League"

Training session on Thursday

The team will return to training at 11.00 on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva.
Víctor Valdés was brilliant this evening against Ajax. “We defended well. We tracked back correctly and I did my best in goal,” said the keeper in his post-match interview.

“It’s important to go home with a victory. It would really mean a lot to me to win this year’s Champions League. I know it’s my last one with Barça,” said Valdés. “I’m thankful for the support from the fans. It gives me more confidence,” he added.

Here are the statements made by some of the players after the match:

CESC

“There are nuances that we have to improve. We’re working well and the results are good. We all strive for excellence. I think it will come soon.”

“If we can counterattack it’s worth giving it a try. We’re training to improve a couple of things. We need to read the games the way the boss wants us to.”

“I’ve played in a couple of positions and the truth is that I feel comfortable. I’m feeling good physically and that’s the most important thing.”

PIQUÉ

“The season just started and we’re gaining confidence. We’re on form and we have the right attitude.”

“When we play 90 minutes on form, the fans will have complete confidence in us.”

ADRIANO

“We had more possession in the second half than we did in the first and that helped us control the game.”

“Ajax’s style makes it complicated to play against them, but everything worked out well in the end.”

“We have no doubts. We corrected a few of the errors we committed in past games.”

BARTRA

“It’s important to win the first match of the Champions League. This win will give us confidence in the competition.”

“One can always improve. The season has just started and we have a new manager. It’s always better to improve over the course of the season. The results are good.”

“I had a clear chance but I wasn’t able to score. I’ll keep on trying.”

“I’m calm. I think that I just have to keep on training hard and prove that I have the quality that the we need.”

Mourinho refuses to panic after Chelsea defeat to Basel


The Portuguese calls for calm despite being "not happy" at the Champions League loss, which came six years to

Man Smashes His £100,000 BMW M6 In Protest About Car’s Reliability



Pourmohseni Hadi said he was so fed up with his BMW M6 after more than four years of problems that he staged a bizarre rage-fuelled protest by smashing up the car outside

Jonathan Blames Ordinary Nigerians For Corruption


 
President Goodluck Jonathan has lamented that in spite of institutional reforms aimed at fighting all forms