No love lost... Jose Mourinho would want to see PSG work through Spanish opponents Barcelona. Source: AFP Jose Mourinho would need nothing more than to see Paris Saint-Germain get past Spanish competitors Barcelona inside their Champions League tie, and a hand have been lent by the Madrid boss to the French side. German papers are reporting that Mourinho - having twice got the better of Barcelona this season - has sent tapes to PSG with detailed instructions on how to end Messi and the Catalan leaders. He had several hot run-ins with Barcelona recently and has is a close friend of PSGas specialized director Leonardo, while the blunt Mourinho hasn't confirmed the accounts. Barcelona is going to be favourites if they satisfy PSG while Real Madrid have a quarter-final tie of their own against Turkish baseball area Galatasaray, who have Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba on their books. Will Jose's tapes work for Paris Saint-Germain? Have your say.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Celta delaware Vigo 2 Hamilton Academical Barcelona 2|barAacentral
A target from Borja OubiAa 3 minutes from time robbed BarAa of victory over Celta at Balaidos today. Natxo Insa had put the hosts in-front eight minutes before the break but Cristian Tello equalized soon after to produce it 1-1 at the break. BarAa took the lead with just over fifteen minutes to play as his consecutive-league-games-scoring record was extended by Leo Messi to 19, meaning he has now won against every other group in La Liga in his amazing run. But, BarAa were denied the victory as OubiAa stole in at the far post to head home Celtaas late equalizer. While Tito Vilanova stayed in Barcelona, Jordi Roura continued responsible for leading the group from the touchline. With Tuesdayas Champions League game at Paris Saint Germain in your mind, Mascherano, Busquets, Iniesta and Villa were rested and started on the counter along with 19-year-old Gerard Deulofeu and Eric Abidal. The team lined up with Pinto, Alves, PiquA, Bartra, Montoya, Thiago, Song, Fabregas, Alexis, Messi and Tello. Celta coach Abel Resino set his team in a 4-4-1-1 formation with a top protection that BarAa could look to exploit through Telloas pace on the left. But, early on there was little from either side although the hosts won a couple of corners, and from the 2nd Augusto Fernandez had the ball in BarAaas web nevertheless the attempt was banned for a clear offside. BarAa were struggling to produce much progress with Thiago and Fabregas finding it difficult to connect with the forwards. Meanwhile, there was small from Celta at another end with just a shy scream for a penalty from Park though the Korean was guilty of pulling BartrAas shoulder before he transpired. The overall game begun to arrived at life after 25 minutes. First, Messi sent a free kick towards Alexis and the ball was only just intercepted by Demidov who put the ball out for a corner. A couple of minutes later, Fernandez submitted a cross from Celtaas right, there appeared to be no danger but PiquA sliced the ball terribly towards his own purpose and Pinto had to create a superb diving save to his left before springing to his toes to save Parkas rebound for good measure. BarAa answered with Messi getting more involved. A encounter the region ended with the four-time Ballon daOr winner taking place under Demidovas concern though the referee Mateu Lahoz considered that Messi had appeared for the contact. Then the Argentinian made an excellent turn to send Tello in to the place but the winger blazed the opportunity vast. The game was fairly equal at this time though Celta took the lead after an excellent fast exchange of moves concluded with Pranjic obtaining Orellana inside the area on the right, the Chilean forward cut inside before falling a move across to Insa who made a late come across the area to stab the ball past Pinto. A target down and BarAa still hadnat tested Celtaas owner Javi Varas. Messi offered his old opponent his first make use of a curling free end but Varas jumped to his left to save lots of. Then two minutes before half time, Messi collected the ball near the middle area and sent a damaged cross over the top of Celtaas back line which Tello controlled in his step before the typical Tello finish, curling a low opportunity in off the far post. BarAaas first half have been quite discouraging but with the equalizer there is a cure for an improved second half. Nevertheless, as in the first half there clearly was little action nearby the targets in the first couple of minutes. There wasnat a shot before 57th moment when Fernandez got from Montoya and pulled right back a cross that PiquA couldnat intercept and Park whipped his attempt vast. BarAa were not finding shooting opportunities but Celta were just starting to tire and the guests began to look more threatening. Messi chased down Jony in the region, driving the right-back to move right to Tello but he couldnat work through Cabral and had to be in for a large part. Tello then sent an excellent pass in to Alexis though a yellow card was only won by the Chilean for employing his arm as he attempted to control the ball. BarAa began to improve the speed, getting on Iniesta and Villa for Thiago and Alexis. Messi had the right foot test go over. Then, Tello nearly found Villa after an excellent run down the left but Lago got across well to intercept the dangerous low cross. BarAaas pressure finally reduced in the 73rd second. Messi obtained the ball 35 yards out and sent a lengthy ball to the left where Tello appeared to cut back a first time cross towards the penalty area which was met by Messi, capturing the ball home to carry on his goal-scoring talent together with his 43rd category target of the growing season. The overall game looked at this point and BarAa didnat appear to have a lot of problems to steadfastly keep up ownership. In the minute, Busquets came on for Fabregas as BarAaas next change, meaning both Abidal and Deulofeu must wait for a later date for an initial group playing chance. Busquets was unfortunately not his usual reliable self. Just four minutes after coming on he kept the ball in play by the corner hole only to deliver a poor ball up the point that has been intercepted, the ball coming inside to Orellana who lofted a corner to the far post where OubiAa stole in behind Alves to mind past Pinto for the equalizer. Wasting a glory similar to this is definitely frustrating though given Real Madridas draw at Zaragoza we shouldnat be too worried about it affecting our possibilities for La Liga. Todayas was a fairly sketchy effectiveness with the midfield of Song, Thiago and Fabregas failing to encourage our normal beat. Practically, all of the chance we created came through the Messi-Tello link which worked pretty well though there was another below-par effectiveness from Alexis, and there was also a lack of forward runs from our whole backs, with Montoya needlessly to say, playing a more defensive game. Meanwhile, the defensive coupling of BartrA and PiquA (with PiquA on the left side) lacked a little of understanding in the first half although they improved after the break. Now itas on to Paris on Tuesday where we have to field a much more resilient group. ValdAs, Mascherano, Busquets, Iniesta and Villa must all come back to the starting eleven while there's confidence that Jordi Alba and Xavi will even allow it to be with time. Ideally, Tito Vilanova will also be well enough to produce the trip which will be another major boost to the team. Todayas major news was that Eric Abidal made the match team for initially since his liver function. He didnat play, and we might not need gained three points tonight, but Abidalas restoration is reason for rejoicing. Just having him on the table was BarAaas victory today. Celta: (4-4-1-1 )AJavi Varas; Jony, Cabral, Demidov, Lago; Augusto Fernandez, Natxo Insa (Madinda m80), OubiAa, Pranjic (De Lucas m69 ); Orellana;APark Chu Young (Bermejo m60). BarAa: (4-3-3 )APinto 7.5; Alves 6, BartrA 6, PiquA 6, Montoya 7; Thiago 5.5 (Iniesta m65, 6), Song 6.5, Fabregas 6 (Busquets m84, 5.5 ); Alexis 5.5 (Villa m68, 6), Messi 8, Tello 7.5. Goals: m38 Insa 1-0, m43 Tello 1-1, m73 Messi 1-2, m88 OubiAa 2-2. Orange cards: m25 Fabregas, m32 Cabral, m41 OubiAa, m62 Lago, m64 Alexis, m87 Fernandez, m88 Busquets. Like Loading...
Europa League Has Cost Us Points And Bodies – Pardew
In some of the articles we've written since yesterday's defeat in Manchester, we've said that we cannot allow the Europa League to get in the way of our Premier League survival.
Alan Pardew – the Europa League has cost usAnd the Premier League must be the priority – and that it would be a tragedy if Newcastle were relegated this season – and don't tell us that cannot happen, after what happened four years ago.
Our view is based on Newcastle's precarious position, just 3 points from safety, with just seven games to play, the injuries we have.
But after Alan Pardew had said after the 4-2 win over Southampton, that we were safe in the league, and he would prioritize the Europa League – the Newcastle manager seems to have taken almost a 180 degrees about turn after yesterday's trouncing by Manchester City.
"We've lost bodies in our European campaign." "It's cost us points and without a shadow of a doubt we would not be in this position if we were not in the Europa League.
"There are too many games in that competition. I'm never going to change my opinion on that, even if we win the bloody thing." "It needs to be looked at. We've lost too many players through injury."
Yes, we have had more games to play than since back in 2007, but we now have seven of some of our top players out injured, and only last week Cheick Tiote returned from World Cup duty fit and well – but he then got crocked in training.
We've had players injured while on International duty including Fab Coloccini twice, Tim Krul and Davide Santon – and on physioroom.com we have 9 injuries and second only to Aston Villa with 10 and third are Wigan with just six.
We used to be top of the injury league when Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder were managing the club, and you could even argue they both lost their job because our better players were out injured, and of course in our relegation season, players like Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith were out injured for most of that calamitous season.
To be fair to Alan Pardew, he's always said there are just too many games in the Europa League, and we never had the squad at the beginning of the season to challenge in both leagues.
But the team yesterday should have done a lot better than they did, and that side was still a lot stronger than it was before the five Frenchmen arrived in late January.
What Newcastle need to do is to make sure we survive in the Premier League and do the best we can in the Europa League.
More Info: [Soccer Live] Hajer - Al - Nasr
Southampton - Chelsea Preview: Blues face Saints as accessories accumulate - Goal.com
SOUTHAMPTONBorucClyne, Yoshida, Fonte, ShawSchneiderlin, CorkRodriguez, Ramirez, LallanaLambert CHELSEACechAzpilicueta, Luiz, Terry, BertrandRamires, LampardOscar, Mata, MosesTorres The only change for the Saints probably will be in key support, with Jose Fonte prepared to replace Jos Hooiveld at the back after the latter found a hit in the 3-1 conquer the Reds. Other than that sole change, Southampton can remain with the line-up that highlighted last time out, with Jason Puncheon probably be overlooked once again as Jay Rodriguez looks set to keep his starting cabin. With Chelsea being forced to perform four times in the area of weekly, Rafael Benitez may want to identify a turned part as he looks ahead to the FA Cup replay against Manchester United on Monday. That could mean a rare start for John Terry at the back, particularly with Gary Cahill battling for exercise after being ruled out of international duty with a leg injury in midweek. Eden Hazard, Ashley Cole and Demba Ba are also apt to be spun from West Ham that is beaten by the side 2-0 two weeks ago as Oscar, Ryan Bertrand and Fernando Torres could be given starts. Demba Ba, though perhaps on the seat here, has been around great type for Chelsea against Southampton in every games, having netted three objectives from four shots on target this season.
Real Madrid C.F. - Official Web Site - Castilla travels to Gijon ...
Castilla visits El Molinon for the La Liga Adelante's 32nd matchday. The Whites, coming off a 4-0 win in Cordoba, could use this boost of morale to switch up their momentum away from home. To pick up the three points Castilla will have to win another match away from the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium after stumbling in their last three away games. The biggest threat posed by their rivals is their at-home winning streak; the Asturian side has scored nine goals in their last two home matches.
Juanfran knows the squad has a tough match ahead and talked about the keys to the win in a pre-match interview: "We have to take advantage of the counterattack, which is our most important offensive strength. If we can do that in El Molinon, a great pitch, then we can pick up the three points". Jese and Morata, who each scored a brace in Castilla's last match, will be crucial in helping the Whites secure the win. Cheryshev will also be available for the match against his former youth club.
Eighteen players have been called up for the clash against Gijon, including Morata and first-team defender Nacho. Llorente, from Real Madrid C, will also travel to El Molinon. Toril will be missing Mosquera, a key piece in the midfield, who will miss the match for sanctions.
Sporting holds the tenth spot in the classification and needs the win to keep their chances for the playoff alive. The Asturian team is in top form after winning four of the last five matches. Coach Sandoval won't be able play starting forward Bilic, out with an injury.
Victor Butler Will Finally Sign With Saints
After visiting with the Browns, Saints, Steelers, and Eagles, former Cowboys outside linebacker, Victor Butler has finally picked a team to sign with. Butler will be back with his defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan, while they both are new assets to the New Orleans Saints. Earlier this week, I reported that Butler will visit the Browns. Although the Browns run a 3-4 scheme like the Saints just transitioned to, Butler decided to go New Orleans for more playing time.
In his time at Dallas, Butler spent four years backing up DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer and never had the chance to shine as a starter. The 25 year old Butler started two games last season and recorded three total sacks with two forced fumbles.
The Saints finished dead last in total defense last year. A big reason why the team finished 7-9 in the regular season and did not clinch a playoff birth. Within the past week, the team has signed two other linebackers in free agency in Ramon Humber and Will Herring. So adding Butler will be a step in the right direction for a team that is stil;l rebuilding from the Bounty gate problem in 2011. Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan's job will to turn this defense around into running a successful 3-4 defense.
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Mark Teixeira Is Moonlighting As A Broadway Actor
Most athletes spend their offseasons doing cliched things like golfing, fishing, hunting and mostly every other gerund you can think of. Thanks to Mark Teixiera's recent turn in "Rock of Ages", you can now add acting [in a Broadway musical] to the list.
Just weeks before Teixeira joins Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, he somehow made a cameo in "Rock of Ages", a musical heavy in 80s hair metal both in music and style. As you can see by the photo above, while Teixeira didn't exactly go all-out with his costume like the show's cast does, he didn't exactly shy away either, which is more than you can say for one of his teammates, who has been doing a lot of shying away these days.
The fact that Teixeira got up there at all took some real balls. He apparently didn't do any solo singing, as to not risk the reputation of the show (we can't all be as great a musician as Bernie Williams), but he did chime in for the group numbers. You'll find more photos over at Cut 4, but for now, please just enjoy this gem:
Link: [Live Football] Colón de Santa Fe - CA Tigre - Argentine football