Baresi: "Barça's secret, the players are happy"

Jordi Clos

Legendary Barça defender Milan, Franco Baresi, has declared himself an admirer of Barça. He feels the key to Pep Guardiola’s success is that “he encourages the players, and gets everybody participating, making them happy when they play”.

Franco Baresi is one of the living legends of world football. The master sweeper was the last line of defence for the great Milan side coached by Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello and also for Italy in the 80s and early 90s. He retired in 1997, but still collaborates with Milan on various projects, and today spoke to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat about the current-day Barça team, which he compares to Sacchi’s Milan and considers better organised than the famous Dream Team.

- Barça fans remember Franco Baresi from the days when Milan played Johan Cruyff’s Barça. What do you remember of those games? “I certainly remember that Barcelona was a great team. I didn’t play in the 94 final because I was suspended, but it was a nice game for us. Exceptional. We feared Barcelona because they were such a strong team, they had won the league and had some good players. Cruyff’s football was always spectacular, but I think Milan deserved to win that final, we played great football”.

- ¿Is the current Barça an evolution of the one managed by Cruyff? “It’s different, they’re both great teams, with great players. I think Guardiola’s team is much more organised. They play attacking football but are also well organised, very skilful, great quality, fast with the ball... I’m sure the current team is much more complete, and much harder to beat”.

- ¿How would you define Guardiola’s Barça? “It’s a nice team to watch. For football lovers, I think it’s a pleasure to watch Barça because they have some formidable midfielders and forwards. I like them a lot because it’s nice football and because of the show they offer”.

- They’re often compared to Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan. As somebody who played for one of the two which do you think will leave the biggest impact? “It is hard to make comparisons. They are different times, different moments. Sacchi’s Milan was a great team, they played a new kind of football, it meant a major evolution, the way they combined quality with organisation. I think you can compare them with Guardiola’s Barcelona in this sense. Great players and well organised. They are two great teams that are difficult to compare”.

- Which do you think has innovated football the most? “Sacchi was fundamental for Italian football at that time, because of the new ideas he brought to Italian and world football. He was very important. Now Guardiola is also giving Barcelona continuity of play and results. It is never easy to win in Spain, also in the world, when they play such nice, attacking and organised football. That’s their strength: continuity of results and putting on a show”.

- They are saying that this Barça is one of the best ever. Do you agree? “Yes, I think so, In recent years, Barça have won a lot and have played well, and kept it up. In the last five or six years, Barça have had fabulous, great players. It isn’t easy to win everything they have recently”.

- Is there any current Barça player like Franco Baresi? “I like a lot of the players. The defenders Piqué and Puyol and the midfielders Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. They’re extraordinary. It must be a pleasure to play with them. And also Messi and Villa, all of them. I should really name them all, they’re such a complete team. I was once asked if I’d like to play where Piqué does in this team. I said that Piqué has fun because he can see what the team’s doing. He’s very good, and so important in defence, and I think it would be great to play with team mates like that”.

How do you think Gerard Piqué is progressing? “He has a great future, he’s very young and he’s won everything. He’s world champion and Spanish champion with Barcelona. He has made huge progress and has a massive future ahead”.

- And Carles Puyol’s career? “Puyol is standard, a legend for Catalans, for Barcelona. He is an example of professionalism, of behaviour, of rapport. And he’s played at that level for years, I congratulate him”.

- How can you explain the way these two defenders receive more fouls than they commit? “It’s a massive skill to be able to get the ball off opponents without committing a foul, and they also help support the attack. That’s the secret to Barcelona: the players are encouraged, and everybody participates, making them happy when they play”.

- Is there any way of stopping the European champions? “Can they be beaten? You have to play well and perhaps be quicker than them, but it’s not easy. You need to catch Barça off their form and then perhaps you can beat them”.

-Would you like to have had any of these Barça players in ‘your’ Milan? “I think Milan would have made good use of Iniesta, Xavi and Messi. They’d have done us good”.  

taken from : http://www.fcbarcelona.com

Sevilla exercise option to purchase Cáceres

Sevilla CF have confirmed to FC Barcelona that they will be exercising their right to purchase included in the loan agreement for Martín Cáceres.

The Club could make as much as 4.5 million euros from the deal, made up of 3 million fixed euros and 1.5 that are variable depending on how Sevilla CF fare in the next four editions of the Champions League.

The central defender arrived from FC Barcelona in 2008 from Recreativo Huelva, on loan at the time from Villarreal. After playing in the treble winning Barça team, the defender went on loan in 2009 to Juventus. After a year on loan he returned to Italy. In August 2010, Martín Cáceres went out on loan again, this time to Sevilla, who had the option to buy, an option that they have ultimately decided to exercise.

Taken from : www.fcbarcelona.cat

Barcelona photos :)

 

Barcelona win Champions League

It was a case of Barcelona once again proving why they are the best club side in world football when they trounced Manchester United 3-1 at a packed Wembley Stadium to claim their fourth UEFA Champions League title. 

All three of Barcelona's most forward players, Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and David Villa struck daggers into United hearts over the course of the game in a brilliant performance against a United side who simply could not match their pace and skill level.
Barca's first goal came from Rodriguez in the 27th minute of the game, but the lead was to last only seven minutes with Wayne Rooney answering in spectacular fashion for United to send the teams into halftime with the scores level at 1-1.

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The star of an electrifying team performance was Argentinian striker Messi, the 23-year-old maestro whose brilliant effort on 54 minutes saw him equal Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 12 goals in a single Champions League campaign.
It also took Messi's tally for the season to an astonishing 56 goals in 62 games for club and country, and propelled Barcelona towards their fourth victory in club football's most prestigious competition.
In a poignant finale, the honour of hoisting aloft the famous silver trophy was given to Barcelona's French defender Eric Abidal, playing just two months after undergoing surgery to remove a liver tumour.
United coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who had been determined to avoid a repeat of the 2009 final in Rome, where Pep Guardiola's men had struck early before going on to clinch a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico, conceded Barca were best on the night.
"I expected us to do better but at the end of the day we were beaten by the better team," he said.
"They are the best team we have ever played, they are at the peak in this cycle of their team.
"There was good evidence we are a consistently good European team but we were beaten by the best team in Europe and there is no shame in that."
Of his own side he added: "We expected to do better, simple as that."
Disappointed United defender Rio Ferdinand also admitted Barcelona were a cut above.
"I think they are a great side. Give credit where credit's due - they were the better team."
Despite a bright opening United were ultimately handed a defeat that was just as emphatic as their loss two years ago, with the Spanish champions revelling in the wide open spaces of Wembley.
United, lining up in an aggressive 4-4-2 formation, had harried Barcelona relentlessly in the early exchanges as they sought to prevent the Catalans from settling into their flowing passing rhythm.
But it was not long before Barcelona found their feet and United were to spend much of the opening half an hour, and the match, firmly on the back foot.
Villa shot wide after being picked out by Messi on the edge of the area and moments later Pedro went close after Xavi and Gerard Pique combined menacingly.
A jinking run by Messi set alarm bells jangling in the Manchester United defence before the striker threaded a lovely pass to Pedro only for United skipper Nemanja Vidic to slide in with an important block.
United had Vidic to thank for another superb piece of defending shortly afterwards, the Serbian judging his tackle brilliantly to deny Messi.
But on 27 minutes, Barcelona's relentless pressure finally reaped its reward. An exquisite pass from Xavi struck with the outside of the boot picked out Pedro and the winger coolly clipped his shot beyond van der Sar.
At that point Ferguson must have been fearing a repeat of Rome.
But crucially, United were able to find an equaliser within seven minutes.
Rooney combined passes with Michael Carrick out wide on the right before racing towards goal. Another one-two with Ryan Giggs, looking perilously close to off-side, and Rooney was in space.
The England international took his time and swept in a curling shot beyond Victor Valdes to round off a wonderful move.
The goal clearly rattled Barcelona, but the Catalans were soon threatening again. Messi went on a surging run and picked out Villa but then just failed to control his team-mate's return pass and United breathed again.
United started the second half positively but again Barcelona were swiftly on top as the warning lights were flashing again.
A fine save from van der Sar denied Dani Alves after the Brazilian was played in by Andres Iniesta before Vidic headed away Messi's follow up shot.
But on 54 minutes Barcelona were back in front.
Messi gathered the ball 25 yards out, and with Patrice Evra standing off fatally, the Barca talisman buried a thunderous low shot beyond van der Sar.
With Barcelona firmly on top it was left to Villa to apply the coup de grace on 69 minutes.
Messi embarrassed Nani before racing down the right flank. When Nani then failed to clear again, Messi found Sergio Busquets who passed to Villa, who curled into the top corner.
As the seconds wound down, Guardiola could even afford to give a run out to captain Carles Puyol, surprisingly left on the substitutes bench amid concerns over his fitnesss.

 taked from : http://www.foxsports.com.au