Messi19mania's Journals

Deco Not Fearing His Place

Portuguese international Deco is not worried about his place in the starting eleven, saying â�œwhenever I have played it has because I won my place by working hardâ� and claims that is what he intends to carry on doing.

The midfielder returned to training at La Masia on Monday and said â�œI have followed a training plan in Brazil and have managed to train hard to keep in shapeâ�. Deco has politely rejected criticism that he had no right to spend so much time in Brazil, where his wife was giving birth to his fourth child. â�œThere will always be criticism, and if I hadnâ�™t gone theyâ�™d have criticised me for not being a good father.â�

No fear

Deco doesnâ�™t think the fact he missed the Asian tour should affect his condition in the team. â�œIt will be more difficult but it is the boss who has to find the best team. I will play for my placeâ�, he said, and added â�œthere are a lot of people but there are also a lot of games and the most important thing is to be ready to help when neededâ�.

Motivated and keen to start

Does Deco think there is any chance of all four strikers playing together? He thinks the idea is at least feasible, because they â�œare great playersâ�, but of course, the man to decide on that is Frank Rijkaard. Asked about his hopes for the team, Deco suggested that both the players and the fans will be hoping to achieve a lot more than they managed last season.

Staying put

Deco shunned any possible suggestion that he may not be staying at the Camp Nou for much longer. â�œThe club does not want to sell me and the boss has me in his plans, so there is nothing to talk aboutâ� he said.

Mourinho, one of many good managers

Deco was asked to clarify his earlier comments about the Chelsea manager, and replied that he has always considered Mourinho to be a good coach, but â�œin much the same way as have been other managers I have played under, like Rijkaard for example.â�

Belleti Happy at BarÃ§a

Juliano Belletti has said that â�œright now, I think I am going to stay at FC Barcelonaâ�. However, he is open to other options â�œas long as they are good for me and for the club ".

Belletti was extraordinarily frank in his press conference on Tuesday, at which he discussed his future as the transfer deadline approaches. â�œI am happy at BarÃ§a and want to continue here. And the club has spoken to me to tell me that they want me to stayâ� he said. But if an offer comes his way that is of interest to both parties, he has not counted out the possibility of a move. â�œMy brother is in Barcelona at the moment for that reason. He is the one who listens to the offers and tells me if there is anything interesting I should know. Some clubs have asked about my situation, but right now I understand that the club wants me and I want to stay hereâ�.

Belletti did not enjoy much first team football last season, which has prompted other clubs to ask if he is interesting in exploring other options. â�œAll players like to play football and the more, the betterâ� he said. â�œBut I still think I can play a lot of games hereâ�.

Recovered from injury

He went on to explain that he is fully recovered from his recent injury, saying â�œyesterday I trained normally, I did some rapid movements and sensed that everything was working perfectly.â� In training in China, the Brazilian tore cruciate ligaments in his right leg, and missed the rest of the tour, but has now been given the medical all clear.

Well attended training sessions

Todayâ�™s training session saw yet another huge crowd watching the players train, this time at the Miniestadi. Juliano Belletti has noticed that more people than ever seem to be interested in watching them train this summer. â�œI have been in this kind of situation a lot with the Brazil national team, but never at a club. It motivates us and gives us the strength to fight for titlesâ�. But is it not a bit off-putting to always have people watching them when they are trying to work? â�œWhen it comes to working, I think it is better on our own behind closed doors, especially during the pre-seasonâ� said Belletti. â�œI like having crowds, but sometimes I think we are better off training alone

First Squad Of The Season

Football

14.08.2007 12:53

First squad of the season

ww.fcbarcelona.cat

Messi, Milito and MÃ¡rquez have all been picked for the game with Bayern Munich, but there are no places for Ezquerro, Motta, Maxi or the injured Sylvinho.

20 players have picked for the trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Cup at the Allianz Arena. Messi, Milito, MÃ¡rquez, Belletti and Deco, who all missed the Asian tour for different reasons, have been called up. But there are no places for Ezquerro, Motta, Maxi or the injured Sylvinho.

The players will leave the Camp Nou today at 4.45 pm and are due to take off an hour and a quarter later.

The complete squad

ValdÃ©s, Jorquera, Henry, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Zambrotta, Iniesta, Etoâ�™o, Belletti, Milito, Abidal, Oleguer, MÃ¡rquez, Deco, Messi, TourÃ© Yaya, Thuram, Marc Crosas, Giovani and Olmo.

Tributes On Casuas On The Way

Tributes to Casaus on the way

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Futbol Club Barcelona is preparing a series of acts in honour of the recently deceased former vice president Nicolau Casaus. The first will be on August 29 on occasion of the Assembly and the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The Joan Gamper this year will be marked by events to honour the loss of one of the most important people in the clubâ�™s modern history. The agenda for the club Assembly on August 29 will, as announced by Alfons Godall, vice president of Futbol Club Barcelona and president of the Social Area â�œstart with a special testimonial to Nicolau Casaus, which has yet to be decided, as part of the traditional minuteâ�™s silence in honour of members that have passed awayâ�.

Then, before the game between Futbol Club Barcelona and Inter Milan â�œthere will be a series of events in the form of an audiovisual presentation and the presence of the BarÃ§a supporters clubs that he loved so much and that loved him backâ�, said Godall. It is likely that some of the supporters clubs will parade in the stadium before the Gamper match is played.

Permanent tribute

As well as events on August 29, the club is also looking into ways of making a permanent tribute to the former vice president. Alfons Godall explained that â�œwe are speaking with representatives of the supporters clubs about the subject. Weâ�™re putting ideas together and there is nothing definite yet. We would probably like to include his name in some kind of emblematic event, which could be, for example, the Nicolau Casaus World Meeting of Supporters Clubsâ�. These and other details will be looked into over the next few weeks, always in close collaboration with the representatives of the supporters clubs.â�

U17 World Cup: All Eyes On Bojan

Bojan Krkic left for South Korea on Monday, where there are high hopes for what he can do at the Under 17 World Cup. Three other BarÃ§a players, BolaÃ±os, David GimÃ©nez and Iago, will also be involved.

The Spanish Under 17 squad will be one of the favourites at the World Cup, which starts on August 18. Bojan Krkic will be one of the star attractions after his excellent performances with the first team in Scotland. BarÃ§aâ�™s centre back Ã�lex BolaÃ±os, playmaker David GimÃ©nez and wide player Iago FalquÃ©.

A prodigy

An article on the World Cupâ�™s official website has described Bojan as the â�œlatest footballing prodigy to roll off the Spanish production line.â� In the same article, national team boss Juan Santisteban is quoted as saying â�œhe's a player with tremendous potential. There's no limit to what he can achieve.â�

Arrival on the scene

Bojan Krkic was named player of the tournament at the European Under 17 World Cup, and has already played for the BarÃ§a first team and he is an international at Under 21 level too. Bojan played a starring role in Spainâ�™s win against Colombia in a warm-up match on August 7

Other attractions

But Bojan will not be the only major potential appearing in Korea. Argentinians Alexis Machuca and Pablo Mussachio have already played first team football for Newellâ�™s Old Boys and River Plate, while much is expected of PSGâ�™s French defender Mamadou Sakho. Englandâ�™s Victor Moses has been working wonders at Crystal Palace and Brazilian Lula is a regular in the Corinthians team, and will almost certainly be on his way to Europe soon. Remember, the last tournamentâ�™s Golden Ball winner, Anderson, has since found employment at Manchester United.

The fixtures

Spain will be starting in Group C along with Holland, Syria and Honduras. The top two sides qualify automatically, while there are also second round berths for the best third placed countries. Spainâ�™s games are as follows:

Honduras-Spain. 19 August (16.00)
Syria- Spain. 22 August (17.00 h
Spain -Argentina. 25 August (16.00 h)

In Giovaniâ�™s wake

Mexico won the last Under 17 World Cup in Peru in 2005. BarÃ§aâ�™s Giovani Dos Santos, then playing for the BarÃ§a Youth B team, was the star of the Mexican side and won the Silver Ball award. And of course, he has gone from good to better since then.

Basketball: The Right Man For Navarro's Job

Now Navarro has left, BarÃ§a needed to find somebody to take his place, and the man has been found in playmaker â�˜Pepeâ�™ SÃ¡nchez, who will be linking up with Jaka Lakovic.

Juan Ignacio SÃ¡nchez, who has dual nationality, is one of the finest of the excellent crop of players coming out of Argentina, and was the first player from his country to appear in the NBA. Although he has since been outshone by the likes of Ginibili (Spurs), Scola (Rockets) and Nocioni (Bulls), he is still a class act.

Without making too much of a fuss of things, the former Unicaja point guard has won over the plaudits, and the fans of all the different clubs he has represented. His intelligent approach to the game has meant he has been the target of countless transfer enquiries.

Success at Unicaja

It was in Malaga that he most excelled, and that is despite winning the Euroleague at Panathinaikos in 2001-02, a year after winning gold for his country at the Indianapolis world championship (2002). He came to Spain via little Etosa Alicante, where his ability to read the game and supply assists upped the wow factor associated to the player.

Unicaja immediately snapped him up for the 2004-05 season, where he helped the Andalusians to two major titles and became an ever-present in coach Sergio Scariollo plans. At the MartÃn Carpena he won the Copa del Rey (2005) and the ACB League (2005-06).

Beating BarÃ§a

Curiously, it was â�˜Pepeâ�™ SÃ¡nchez who ended BarÃ§aâ�™s Euroleague adventure last season. His three-pointer on the buzzer left Dusko Ivanovicâ�™s side out of the Final Four in Athens. It was the first time Malaga had made it to the final stage of Europeâ�™s premier basketball tournament.

Basketball: SÃ¡nchez, signed

Juan Ignacio â�˜Pepe' SÃ¡nchez is the latest addition to AXA FC Barcelona for the 2007-08 season. The 20 year old point guard has signed for one season with the option to one more.

â�˜Pepe' SÃ¡nchez, signed from Unicaja MÃ¡laga, is a 1.93 m point guard with ample ACB experience, where he has been one of Malagaâ�™s key players in recent years. Born on May 8, 1977 in BahÃa Blanca (Argentina), he started out for Deportivo Roca in Argentina and then Estudiantes BahÃa Blanca, the same clubs that have produced the likes of Emmanuel GinÃ³bili. Aged 19, he moved up to the USA and the University of Temple, where he played for four seasons.

Into the NBA

In 2000 he was a third round 26th pick for Connecticut in the CBA draft. The same year, he signed for the Philadelphia 76ers and was the first Argentinian ever to play in the most important league in the world. In 29 games he averaged 7 points and 1.4 assists. But midway through the season he was transferred to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a deal involving Dikembe Mutombo. In Georgia he only played five games before returning to the Sixers, who went to the NBA finals, although Sanchez was to play no part.

European champion

In 2001-02 he signed for Panathinaikos in Greece, playing alongside other players with a BarÃ§a connection in Middleton and Bodiroga. He won the Euroleague with an average of 4 points and 4 assists in his 20 games. The season after he returned to the NBA, this time with the Detroit Pistons, but only made nine appearances.

On to the ACB

In 2003-04, he came to the ACB to play for Etosa Alicante, after a brief period at Golden State Warriors. In Alicante he averaged 7.4 points and 6.3 assists, enough to catch the eye of Unicaja MÃ¡laga who secured his services the following year. He would stay there for three seasons, winning the Copa del Rey in 2005 and ACB League in 2005-06.

Olympic champion

â�˜Pepe' SÃ¡nchez is an important member of Argentinaâ�™s national team. At the Indianapolis world championship in 2002 he lost the final to Bodiroga and Pesicâ�™s Serbia, but two years later was able to celebrate Olympic gold in Athens after beating Italy in the final. In the last world championship, where Argentina finished fourth, he registered 5.7 assists a game.

Best passer in the league

â�˜Pepe' is especially famed for his passing skills. In the regular season gone by he made 4.5 assists a game to lead the category in the NBA. In the ACB play offs he made 14 assists in three games. He also led assists for his team in Europe. His 2.9 assists and 5.8 points helped his side into the final four as they beat Winterthur FC Barcelona in the quarter finals.

Marquez: I want To Preform My Best

The Mexican centre back has said he wants the team to the same or better than it did two years ago, although he is aware that it is not going to be easy.

After the first training session with practically the full squad, Rafa MÃ¡rquez told the media that he does not fear for his place because â�œthere will always be competition at a club like thisâ� and that it is all about supporting each other. He added that he knows it â�œwill be more difficult and I will have to do my very best to get a place in the starting line upâ�.

25 men together

Rafa MÃ¡rquez was â�œhappy to see so many players togetherâ� after the bulk of the squad returned to training after the Asian tour and â�œit is a good squad and I hope we can achieve many thingsâ�. If this yearâ�™s squad is compared to last seasonâ�™s Rafa admits that he senses â�œthe obligation to winâ� but that right now they just need to â�œlook forward to the new seasonâ�.

Form shaping up

MÃ¡rquez didnâ�™t go to Asia, but believes â�œit was positive because they won every game, got in form and learnt to play togetherâ�. He doesnâ�™t think there is any lack of balance, in that â�œwe could field two different teams and they would be well balancedâ� and that â�œit will be the boss who decides how we playâ�.

Between Mexicans

MÃ¡rquez has been highly impressed with Giovani Dos Santosâ�™ contribution, saying â�œhe is a quality player and has a great future ahead of him.â� Asked about his compatriotâ�™s future, MÃ¡rquez said â�œhe is so good you donâ�™t want him to leave

Van Bommel: â�œIt will be strange to play BarÃ§aâ�

The Dutch midfielder is about to face his former club for the first time since leaving the Camp Nou to join Bayern Munich at the start of the 2006/07 season.

One of the main attractions of the Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona game on Wednesday will be Mark Van Bommel. Speaking to www. fcbarcelona. cat, he told us what he feels about taking on his former colleagues. Van Bommel was part of the Champions League and Liga winning side a couple of seasons ago, and has fond memories of the Camp Nou.

Wednesday will be the first time you have played your former club. How do you think you will feel on the pitch?

"It will be weird to play BarÃ§a because it is just a year since I left. I have been following the team since then, I have watched all the games I can and am still in contact with some of the players and coaching staff".

Is the game a test for both sides?

"Yes. It will be hard for us because we started the league on Saturday and we have another game next week. It will be a good test to keep us in shape. But I doubt we will stick to the same eleven for the whole ninety minutes".

Is it odd to play a friendly when the league has already started?

"Yes, but itâ�™s normal enough because lots of leagues havenâ�™t started yet and are still getting ready. Anyway, it will be an important game because it is Mehmet Schollâ�™s last one".

How will the friendly be approached in Germany?

"BarÃ§a are famous, everybody knows theyâ�™re one of the biggest teams in the world and that they signed some good players this summer. Theyâ�™re talking a lot about the game, people want to see Bayern, who have also bought lots of new players, in action against a big club".

What do you think of the new players in both teams?

"We have sighed eight players. All of them are top quality and fit into the team well, thatâ�™s important. BarÃ§a have signed Henry, TourÃ©, Abidal and Milito, all very good players that will help the side to win titles".

Are Bayern looking to win the lot?

"We are in the League, Cup and the UEFA Cup. Weâ�™ve got a good squad and if the team develops well, we have a chance of winning two or three titles".

Do you think BarÃ§a can win the Champions League and Spanish League again?

"They are capable of it, but last season they were after seven titles and ended up with just two. I think they were unlucky. Against Liverpool, for example. We were lucky ourselves the year before with the disallowed Shevchenko goal in the semi finals. But everybody knows BarÃ§a can win everything, but even a great team needs its luck".

Where do you think it went wrong for BarÃ§a and Bayern last season?

"Itâ�™s hard for me to say what went wrong with BarÃ§a. Bayern dropped a lot of points against sides that were low down in the table. Towards the end of the season, we dropped twenty points, and thatâ�™s far too many".

What differences have you noted between the two clubs?

"BarÃ§a is more cultural because of what it represents to Catalonia. Bayern are a club people hate in Germany because they have won so many things and teams want to beat us. In the Spanish League itâ�™s more evenly divided because there are FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Bayern and BarÃ§a fans are very similar, but BarÃ§a has more members. They are two very big clubs that have a lot in common".

Are the styles the same in both leagues?

"Any team in Spain plays good football, we learnt that the other day in a friendly with Mallorca. German clubs are less skilful but work hard and are very tough to break down".

What memories do you have of Barcelona?

"It was all wonderful. The stadium, the grandeur of the club, my family loved the city. I have very fond memories of the year I spent there, especially the titles I won".

Great start in the Bundesliga

Is there a lot of excitement in Munich after the first league win?

"There are high expectations because we have spent a lot of money on several players. We played very well against Hansa Rostock, we won 3-0 and are top of the table. Everybody is wondering who will be able to beat this â�˜Super Bayernâ�™. Thereâ�™s a lot of pressure".

They're Here!

Monday saw the first BarÃ§a training session of the season to feature the full squad, apart from the injured EdmÃlson and Puyol, and Bojan who is at the Under 17 World Championship.

Training at La Masia commenced at 7.00 pm, and was the first since the players returned from their trip to Asia in the early hours of Sunday morning. Messi, MÃ¡rquez and Milito, the three players that had a longer holiday to compensate for their participation in the Copa America, Deco (who was excused from the tour as his wife was having a baby) and Gudjohnsen, back from injury, all trained with the rest of the squad for the first time.

That made twenty five players, for Frank Rijkaard is also using central midfielder Marc Crosas and defender JesÃºs Olmo in his pre-season plans.

Eidur Gudjohnsen and Sylvinho trained as a slower rate than the others as they are both still recovering from their respective injuries.

Warm up drills

The session began with the usual warm-up drills. Forming circles for the piggy-in-the-middle exercise that forms part of every session, the cameras were clicking as Leo Messi, Henry, Ronaldinho and Etoâ�™o were all together for the first time.

The players then tackled an obstacle course which involved no use of the ball, and then formed groups of three to combine fitness work with shots on goals defended by keepers VÃctor ValdÃ©s and Albert Jorquera.

Curiously, Samuel Etoâ�™o also went in goal at one point, and didnâ�™t do a bad job at all of keeping out efforts from Henry, ValdÃ©s and Xavi.

Eleven-a-side

The session was then able to end with a full eleven-a-side match. A blue team made up of ValdÃ©s, Zambrotta, Oleguer, Thuram, Abidal, Iniesta, Xavi, TourÃ©, Ronaldinho, Etoâ�™o and Henry played a yellow team including Jorquera, Milito, Motta, Deco, Belletti, MÃ¡rquez, Ezquerro, Messi, Giovanni, Maxi and Crosas.