"Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is."
Johan Cruyff
Showing posts with label @arsenal @fcbarcelona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label @arsenal @fcbarcelona. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Barcelona Held to Draw at Villareal
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| Getty Images |
Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring in the 20th minute and Neymar added a penalty in the 41st, after the referee had sent off the Villarreal coach, Marcelino García, for protesting.
But fourth-placed Villarreal rallied with a goal from the forward Cédric Bakambu in the 57th before the Barcelona substitute Jérémy Mathieu knocked in an own goal in the 63rd.
Barcelona’s 12-match winning streak ended a day after second-placed Atlético Madrid stumbled in a 2-1 loss at Sporting Gijon.
Barcelona extended their Spanish record unbeaten streak to 39 consecutive games in all competitions as they begin the run-in to maintaining the domestic crown with eight games left. Next weekend Luis Enrique’s side host Real Madrid, who trail the pacesetters by 13 points, before hosting Sevilla later on Sunday.
“It was a very intense game against one of the best teams in the league which always presses even more in its stadium,” Rakitic said. “We have to be happy with the result, even if it hurts after being up two goals.”
As promised, the match between two of the most attractive attacking squads produced an entertaining contest from start to finish.
Bakambu was particularly inspired. He caused the Barcelona center-back Gerard Pique, and replacement Mathieu, problems until he was substituted due to an apparent leg problem in the second half.
Less than a minute into the match, Bakambu’s pass hit his team-mate Manuel Trigueros, deflected off Barcelona’s Arda Turan, and reached the post before the goalkeeper Claudio Bravo smothered it.
Bravo saved a shot by Bakambu as the host dictated the pace until Rakitic swayed the match in Barcelona’s favor.
The Croatia midfielder fired a ball through a packed area that had fallen to him when Villarreal defender Victor Ruiz disrupted a free kick by Lionel Messi destined for Luis Suárez.
García was ejected in the 24th and spent the rest of the match from a private box apparently for protesting a handball by Piqué that went unpunished. Piqué had already been booked for a handball to stop a Villarreal counterattack.
Bakambu came within inches of reaching a cross that ran across the goalmouth, but Barcelona struck a second time after Messi threaded a pass forward to meet Neymar’s run.
The goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo brought down the Brazil striker, colliding with his left leg just before he could paw the ball away. Neymar then waited until Asenjo leaned one way before floating his spot kick into the other side of the net for his 21st league goal and 27th in all competitions this season.
But far from fading, Villarreal recovered all of their verve from the start of the match after half-time, and Bakambu finally got his goal when he slotted in a ball that Bravo had parried from a shot by Denis Suárez.
“This team never gives up,” Asenjo said. “At half-time we said ’let’s forget what has happened and play like it was 0-0’.”
Villarreal almost scored again seconds later but Javier Mascherano intercepted Bakambu’s pass for the unmarked Roberto Soldado.
Neymar almost quashed the host’s rally when he drew an excellent save from Asenjo in the 60th, but Villarreal quickly levelled the score when a corner kick hit Mathieu and fell into the net.
Both sides had their chances to claim a winning goal. Rakitic’s header was turned away by Asenjo in the 71st, while Javier Mascherano was again critical to stopping Adrián López from streaking toward Bravo’s goal in stoppage time.
A moment of silence was held before the match at El Madrigal for the victims of a bus accident in north-east Spain that left at least 13 dead.
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Arsenal v Barcelona - Preview
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| Getty Images |
Luis Enrique will be waving his magic wand over his much-lauded attacking trio when Barcelona take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
The reigning European champions head to north London having won 16 of their last 18 games in all competitions and with their front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar already scoring 91 goals between them this season.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger labelled Barcelona as not far from perfect when addressing the media ahead of the game — calling the three-pronged attack a collection of “top, top class” players.
And Enrique, looking to mastermind a first win for the Catalan giants at the Emirates Stadium, says he only has to say the magic words to get his wish from his star names.
“I tell them ‘abracadabra’ and the magic sparks — that is all I do!” he said.
“I always work really hard and I always had the chance to have plenty of good strikers in my squad, it is quite simple, quite easy.
“In some situations you don’t even have to wish what you would like them to do, they already do it. We have to work hard so our midfielders can give them the ball.
“We all have the same targets and we know how difficult it is to achieve those targets. I’m delighted with those three and also with the squad.
“I have three great players, they are the chosen ones, they are eager to win and every two or three days they have new motivation. I see them training and I’m delighted to be their manager.”
Midfielder Ivan Rakitic is one of the players tasked with feeding the ball to Messi, Suarez and Neymar to allow them to set about bamboozling defences.
The Croatia international likened his team-mates to children playing the sport - given how much joy having a ball at their feet gives them.
“We are really happy about having those three in our squad,” he said.
“It makes you really proud and I wouldn’t say that they never rest or they never stop playing in a game, I would say that if they didn’t play they wouldn’t like it.
“They are like children playing football and it would be like taking the ball away from them (to rest them). We must try to help them be better, those three players make us a different team and hopefully they make us better.
“We have to focus on what we do and we are really delighted to play with Messi, Suarez and Neymar.”
While Wenger opted to completely rest the likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil for Arsenal’s 0-0 FA Cup fifth-round stalemate against Hull on Saturday, Enrique kept his main men in the side which beat Las Palmas in the Primera Division.
He did make changes to his side but insists he will run the risk of upsetting supporters by playing his key men if and when he desires.
“Yes and I did them, I rotate,” Enrique replied when asked about a lack of alterations on Saturday.
“I made the decisions that I thought were best for my team. I’m a decision maker and I make decisions constantly every two or three days, whether my decisions are liked or not is something I can’t control.”
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