Pep Guardiola

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Guardiola close to new Barca deal

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is close to agreeing a new contract with the club according to reports in the Spanish media.

With Guardiola's current contract due to expire at the end of the season, the latest revelations come after weeks of intense speculation surrounding the 39-year-old's future.

Despite rumours of an imminent move to England, sports daily AS has now claimed that the former Spain international will put pen to paper and sign a new deal within weeks, while Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo believes an agreement will be reached at some point during the next few days.

Sources in Spain have hinted that Barcelona president Sandro Rosell wants to hand Guardiola a five-year contract, although the Nou Camp legend who has won a plethora of domestic, European and global titles with Barca, is said to prefer a rolling year-on-year deal.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with Guardiola who is seen as an ideal replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson he eventually calls time on his Old Trafford reign.

However, Rosell has other ideas, feeling that Guardiola can go on and become Barcelona's equivalent of when the wily Scot.

"Guardiola knows that he has an offer on the table. He knows that he can renew for two years plus another three.

"I like things a lot. I do not think that there are any problems, I would like to see him become like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and Franz Beckenbauer at Bayern Munich.

I can see him being president of this club," Rosell told AS.

Already through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona currently lead the La Liga table by two points from Real Madrid and will continue their league campaign against Levante on Sunday.

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Barcelona vs Levante Preview

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta is hoping for more of the same as the Catalan giants take on a wounded Levante side.

Barca finished 2010 on an unbeaten 23-match run in all competitions, 19 of which finished in victories, and in winning their last 10 successive league games Pep Guardiola's side have scored 41 goals and conceded only four.

The reigning Spanish champions suffered a slight blip in their final game before the winter break when they were held to a goalless draw at home by Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie, but that was a rare slip for the Primera Division leaders, who last year won 44 of 58 competitive matches, losing only five.

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, Iniesta is hoping his side can keep that impressive form going and, while he preferred not to make any title promises, he insisted they would be doing everything possible to bring more silverware back to the Nou Camp.

"We are looking forward to starting the year, but there is a very hard 2011 ahead of us," he said.

"We can't guarantee titles or even that we will repeat the successes of 2010, but we can assure you that we will be doing our very best to get to the end of this season with our chances still intact to win everything. I'm certain that the team won't let anybody down."

The Spain international, who struck the winning goal in last summer's World Cup final, added: "We have to try and continue where we left off before the break. We had some great games."

Barca, who boast a two-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table, will be without their first-choice centre-back pairing of Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol due to suspension and injury, respectively.

Lionel Messi could also be absent as Guardiola gave the Argentina superstar permission not to return from his holiday until this weekend.

Xavi, meanwhile, will equal Migueli's club record of 549 official appearances if he features.

While Barca will have been disappointed with their cup result last time out, Levante will be desperate to erase the memory of their result after they were thumped 8-0 at Real Madrid.

With their cup adventure now all but over, Levante will switch their full attention to retaining their Primera Division status.

Luis Garcia's men have won just four times in 16 games since winning promotion and are currently 16th in the table, two points above the relegation zone.

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Guardiola lavishes praise on Xavi

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola lavished praise on Xavi Hernandez for making his 549th appearance for the Catalan club against Levante.

The manager was proud of Xavi, who matched Catalan legend Migueli's record.

Speaking to as.com, Guardiola said: "This game belongs to Xavi. I reached 300 matches and that seemed an outrage.

"Migueli played 549 and retired at 38. But Xavi is 30 years of age and has played 549 games...Xavi will surpass Migueli, I would not be surprised if he managed to reach 700 games."

Guardiola also gave an insight to his squad's preparations against Levante, who they defeated 2-1: "We always treat the opponent with the utmost respect.

"We knew that Levante were going to be difficult to break down, because they would want to react to their 8-0 loss at the Bernabeu. They changed to a 4-5-1 formation, and played disciplined.

"It was a difficult game to come back to after the holidays. At 2-1 they tried to turn our win into a draw. We did not play badly, but it was a warning.

The manager also gave kudos to Pedro, who scored both goals in their victory.

"Pedro is very important. He is in the form of his life and does almost everything brilliantly, he is a very fine player. When he is near the area he is like Messi, in that he only sees the goal. But he works very hard for the team as well," continued the Blaugrana boss.

The 23-year-old has scored 20 goals in 59 appearances for Barcelona.

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Guardiola praises 'spectacular' Abidal

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola hailed Eric Abidal after the defender's heroics in their Copa del Rey success over Athletic Bilbao.

Abidal, who is normally a left-back but began last night's last-16 second leg at San Mames at centre-back, scored Barca's goal in the 1-1 draw as Guardiola's team progressed through to the quarter-finals on the away goal rule.

That was the 31-year-old Abidal's first-ever goal for Barca after 130 appearances and only the third of his professional career having netted two cup goals for previous club Lyon.

Guardiola said of the Frenchman: "He's been spectacular. As much at centre-back as full-back, he's in an impressive spell of form. Wherever we put him, he always plays well. I'm very pleased for him."

Abidal, whose side will now face either Getafe or Real Betis in the last eight of the cup, said after the game in AS: "We're going away very happy because it was a very difficult tie that we've come through.

"It's been a long time since I scored and now that it's a new year I hope things will change and I can continue scoring goals this season.

"I already know that when I have chances to shoot like this that I have to do it more often."

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Guardiola: Milito can leave

Barcelona tactician Pep Guardiola has conceded that centreback Gabriel Milito could move on in search of more playing time.

Reports have been emanating that the tough-tackling Milito wants to depart the Nou Camp with Italian outfit Genoa thought to be keen on snagging the defender on loan for the rest of the season.

Whilst Guardiola has revealed that he has not had any dialogue with the Argentine over his future, the former has hinted that the 30-year-old is free to leave Barca in January.

"He has not spoken to me about it," revealed Guardiola to the club's official website. "[sporting director Andoni] Zubizarreta told me about the situation and Milito knows how I feel, so he has to decide.

"There are decisions I make and those the club makes, but this is purely down to him. Knowing him, I understand, but I'm not hurt.

"It is impossible to feel hurt by Gaby. I understand him. Believe me, I've been a footballer, and know what it's like."

Milito has found first-team opportunities hard to come by with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique firmly established as the club's preferred centreback pairing.

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Guardiola: Huge satisfaction to win

Barcelona tactician Pep Guardiola was ecstatic at his charges’ 4-0 stroll against Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor.

Despite anticipating a tough assignment at Deportivo's intimidating home ground, the visitors cantered to a thumping victory thanks to sizzling efforts by David Villa, Lionel Messi, Pedro and Andres Iniesta.

Speaking to Marca in his post-match press conference, Guardiola admitted that he did not expect Barca to easily raid all three points.

He said: "Although we won 4-0 we didn't have that many chances. We had to overcome a resilient Deportivo side, and Lotina always prepares his team well."

He continued: "It always brings satisfaction to win at the Riazor, especially when you consider Barcelona's history at this ground."

Guardiola was perplexed as to how his side could conjure such a majestic display especially after their grueling clash against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey last Wednesday.

"It is always a mystery to see how the team respond after a game of such intensity against Athletic Bilbao with just three days of rest".

Barca have now edged five points clear of arch rivals Real Madrid after Saturday's proceedings though the latter are due to play Villarreal on Sunday.

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Deportivo 0-4 Barcelona

Barcelona made light work of another potentially difficult away fixture as they thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 4-0.

Pep Guardiola's side won their last away match in La Liga 5-1 at city rivals Espanyol before Christmas and boast a perfect record on the road in the league this term.

That record never looked in doubt on Saturday once David Villa opened the scoring after 26 minutes and Lionel Messi's brilliant free-kick at the start of the second half made it another comfortable night for the champions before late goals from Pedro and Andres Iniesta.

Guardiola left Xavi - now the club's all-time record appearance holder with 550 competitive games in Barca colours - on the bench, along with holding midfielder Sergio Busquets and right-back Dani Alves.

That meant starts for Seydou Keita, Javier Mascherano and Adriano, while Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol were reunited in defence after both missed last weekend's 2-1 win at home to Levante.

Barca took a while to find their rhythm, but the Catalans went ahead with their first real chance of the night.

That came after 26 minutes, when Messi split the Depor defence with a slide-rule pass and Villa squeezed a low shot past Daniel Aranzubia - who got a touch - from a tight angle at the near post.

Eric Abidal - who scored his first ever Barca goal in four seasons at the club as Guardiola's side drew 1-1 at Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night - thought he had made it two 11 minutes later, but the France full-back was marginally offside before he beat Aranzubia with a neat finish.

There was nothing wrong with Messi's strike six minutes into the second period, however.

The Argentina forward bent a beautiful free-kick up and over the wall and into Aranzubia's top-right corner from 25 yards with his left foot to make it 2-0 to the visitors and net his 18th league goal of the season.

Guardiola applauded from the dugout as his players celebrated.

And they were celebrating again with 12 minutes left, when Iniesta made it 3-0.

The Spain midfielder set off towards the area on a diagonal run and beat Aranzubia - who was unsighted - with a fierce low drive from the edge of the box.

Barely two minutes later, Pedro made it four.

Messi was the creator once more, running to the edge of the box and freeing the unmarked winger, who chipped the ball over the advancing Aranzubia to round off another spectacular night for the Catalan club.

With 18 games played, Barca are provisionally five points ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid, who host third-placed Villarreal tomorrow.

And there will be more success for the Catalans on Monday, with either Xavi, Messi or Iniesta set to be named as the winner of this year's Golden Ball.

Depor, meanwhile, stay provisionally in 12th place.

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Barcelona 5-0 Real Betis

World player of the year Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as Barcelona crushed Real Betis 5-0 in the Copa del Rey.

Messi, awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or on Monday, underlined his status as the outstanding player currently in the game with his Nou Camp treble, as Barcelona seized their dominant lead.

The Argentinian forward opened the scoring after 44 minutes and added further goals in the 62nd and 73rd minutes to put Barcelona 3-0 in front.

Pedro scored the rampant home side's fourth goal after 76 minutes, and Seydou Keita added the fifth with seven minutes remaining.

Messi was substituted by Pep Guardiola with five minutes remaining, departing the pitch to a standing ovation.

The night's other quarter-final saw six goals shared between Sevilla and Villarreal, who battled out a 3-3 draw.

Hosts Villarreal went two goals up after Cani and Giuseppe Rossi scored in the 24th and 28th minutes, but Alvaro Negredo gave Sevilla hope before the break by cutting the lead.

Marco Ruben put Villarreal 3-1 ahead in the 55th minute, before Negredo scored again five minutes later to again halve the deficit.

It was left to Alexis Ruano to secure a draw for Sevilla with an 89th-minute equaliser.

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Guardiola: La Liga not won yet

Pep Guardiola was cautious of his side's title hopes despite seeing them move seven points clear at the top.

Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi - from the penalty spot - and Andres Iniesta gave Barca a 14th consecutive triumph in La Liga ahead of second-placed Madrid's 20th-round match at home to Real Mallorca on Sunday.

And Guardiola fully expects the difference at the top to be reduced to four points again following that clash.

"Madrid are a very good team and their coach (Mourinho) is the best," he said after Saturday's game.

"I imagine they will win tomorrow; I think they will be four points behind us again."

Guardiola believes Mourinho is a great competitor, but says Madrid have always been strong - regardless of personnel.

"Mourinho is a very good coach. He's a very smart guy and he's motivated," the Barca boss said.

"Madrid are a strong team this year, but they have always been a strong team.

"When I was a player and now, as coach, Madrid have always been strong, no matter who is the president and no matter who is the coach - every season they play they are competitive.

"Last season they ended up with 96 points (Barca won the league with 99) and this season will be close again - they will be up there at the end of the season."

And Guardiola reckons the title will go down to the wire once more.

"Five, six or seven points is nothing at this stage of the league," he said.

"The league will be decided in the last few rounds of the championship."

Barca took the lead after barely a minute tonight and Guardiola was full of praise for the way his side went about their task in cold conditions.

"It's cold and we found it hard to get into our rhythm, but I am very satisfied with the way the players went about the game," he said.

"It was a great performance and I congratulate the team - they created many goalscoring opportunities."

Barca lost 3-1 at Real Betis in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final on Wednesday night, but advanced to the semi-finals of that competition thanks to their 5-0 win in the first leg.

Guardiola's side will continue their pursuit of all three major trophies - which they achieved in the coach's first season in charge - with the first leg of their cup semi-final against Almeria in midweek.

A league match at Hercules then follows next weekend, with a last-16 tie against Arsenal in the Champions League - to be played over two matches in late February and early March - to come as well.

The Barca coach says it is hard to maintain their high standards in three tough competitions.

"It has a lot of merit," he said.

"The games come in thick and fast and it's hard to maintain that intensity day after day after day, in league and cup, to keep winning matches. My players have been sensational."

Meanwhile, Racing coach Miguel Angel Portugal was philosophical in defeat.

"Barcelona's football is on another level," he said.

"Nobody plays football better than they do at the moment and we knew it would be very difficult to get anything from the game."

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Sporting Gijon 1-1 Barcelona

Barcelona's record 16-match winning run in La Liga came to an end as they were held to a draw by lowly Sporting Gijon.

The result also meant Barcelona failed to win away in the La Liga for the first time this season.

Relegation-threatened Sporting took the lead through a fine David Barral effort after 16 minutes, and looked as if they may hold on for a shock victory until David Villa's sublime chip against his former club rescued a point for the Catalans.

With his side's Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie at Arsenal coming up in London on Wednesday night, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola opted to rest several of his regular starters.

Pedro, Sergio Busquets and Eric Abidal were all left on the bench, with Ibrahim Affelay, Javier Mascherano and Maxwell drafted into the starting line-up.

There was also a place for Argentinian defender Gabriel Milito, in for the injured Carles Puyol.

Andres Iniesta tried his luck for Barcelona early on, but the visitors were not having things all their own way and Maxwell had to be alert to deny Nacho Novo a shooting opportunity after 12 minutes.

And four minutes later, Sporting stunned the league leaders as they took the lead through Barral.

It was a fine individual strike from the Sporting forward, who took up possession on the left flank and beat both Gerard Pique and Milito before drilling a precise, angled shot low past Victor Valdes and inside the post.

Sporting had won three of their previous four league matches to move out of the relegation zone, but the northerners had been widely expected to lose this one against a side who arrived in Gijon with an unblemished away record and a seven-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Sporting had lost 1-0 at the Nou Camp earlier this season, but were later accused by Madrid coach Jose Mourinho of facilitating a Barcelona victory by resting eight first-team players for that clash.

Sporting coach Manolo Preciado defended himself vehemently against those accusations, claiming he sent out the team he thought had the best chance of getting a result at the Nou Camp.

Just maybe, however, Preciado will have felt he had a point to prove in this match.

That was apparently transmitted on the pitch as his players continued to look relatively comfortable following Barral's strike.

Nevertheless, they needed a fine save from goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar to deny Iniesta 12 minutes before the break.

Cuellar was the hero again 13 minutes into the second period, when he got down well to deny Dani Alves after the Brazil right-back had stormed into the area unchallenged.

The Sporting goalkeeper also saved twice from Lionel Messi as Barcelona, improved since the half-time introduction of Pedro in place of Affelay, pressed for an equaliser.

It finally came 11 minutes from time when Villa, who began his career at Sporting, latched on to Messi's through-ball and chipped exquisitely over Cuellar, who had come racing off his line.

Xavi went close with a long-range effort at the death, but Barcelona were unable to secure a 17th straight La Liga win or what would have been an 11th consecutive away victory in the league.

The result means Madrid can close to within five points of the Catalans with a win at Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

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Guardiola unhappy with a point

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was not satisfied with his side's 1-1 draw against Sporting Gijon.

The draw ended Barca's record-breaking 16 match run in La Liga and gives Real Madrid to cut the gap at the top to five points when they play Espanyol on Sunday.

In fact, for a long time it looked like Gijon might pull off a shock upset - but David Villa scored with a superb chip late on to grab a point for his side.

Understandably, Guardiola was not very happy with the match outcome. In comments reported by the club's website, he said: "I am not satisfied with a point. If you don't win it's not a good result. I'd have been satisfied if things hadn't gone as they did.

The Spaniard admitted it was not always a given that his side would win.

"Just because we're Barça doesn't mean we should always win, we can lose or draw if that's how it is. Insisting, insisting and insisting," he said.

Gijon were intent on defence for most of the game and Guardiola praised them for executing the plan well.

"I think Sporting played perfect, Manolo approached the game well. We didn't win but we did all we could to do so. It is not easy to attack against ten defenders.

The coach refused to give the midweek internationals as an excuse for his side's below par display.

"At Barça you have to go out and compete every three days and these players have shown they can do that millions of times.

"I know why this game was much harder for us, it's a question of movements and we were lacking depth, we're not unbeatable.

"I have no complaints. We go all around Spain showing people who we are and that is already enough."

Finally, Guardiola gave his comments about Barcelona's winning run finally coming to an end.

"When a run like that comes to an end you value it even more, because we have won at grounds like this.

"We should have to play in more places like this where the team plays for their lives. It's terribly tough to have to compete with them."

Barcelona next assignment is a tough Champions League encounter with English side Arsenal on Wednesday, February 16.

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Keeping The Faith

Barcelona are a side used to winning with extreme regularity, so it has come of something of a shock that they’ve failed to win their last two encounters. Against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening, Pep Guardiola will want his side to re-establish themselves on the winning track, but their Basque opponents will not be willing lambs to the slaughter.

Last weekend’s fixture against Sporting de Gijon was expected to give Barca a relatively straightforward match to extend their record-breaking streak in Ligue 1, but instead they found themselves held to a 1-1 draw. David Villa was required to strike late on to save the Catalans.

Worse was to follow in midweek against Arsenal. When Villa struck in the first half, it seemed a case of business as usual for the Camp Nou outfit, but they were rocked by the Gunners’ second half revival, which leaves Barca staring at a 2-1 deficit going into the second leg in around 10 days.

“They have given me plenty of reasons to feel optimistic,” the coach argued to the club’s official website after the somewhat surprising midweek loss. “[The players] have achieved too much in a short space of time for me not to have faith in them.”

With their lead over Real Madrid in the Primera Division now cut to five points – and probably two come kick-off – Sunday night’s encounter is vital for la Blaugrana to regain their sense of greatness as the business end of the campaign looms.

Champions League Chasing

Having been on the fringes of the European race all season, Athletic Bilbao have thrust themselves into Champions League contention over the course of the last month with a series of impressive results.

Los Leones almost got themselves within touching distance of Villarreal and Valencia thanks to four successive victories, but a defeat against Mallorca away from home last weekend stalled them rather. They now lie seven points off the pace and can only hope not to lose too much ground over the course of the weekend.

“We did not play this match with the same intensity we had in our previous encounters. It was only in the second-half that we tried to win,” coach Joaquin Caparros lamented to Marca after the game. “We are in a position to sprint for a spot in the Champions League. It is within our reach.”

Recent displays have certainly made European football next season look likely for the San Mames outfit, though Caparros’ success has simply lead him to be courted by bigger clubs, with Sevilla rumoured to be keeping an eye on the Basque coach.

Athletic have made it clear they want to keep their general, and the lure of Champions League football with los Leones would certainly make their task in retaining the coach’s services an altogether easier one.

Caparros has already seen his side compete strongly against Barca this season, edged out of the Copa del Rey, and a repeat performance of those two encounters would be pleasing for the boss.

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Jeffren continues to miss out, while there are still doubts over the fitness of Carles Puyol, who has been suffering from tendonitis.

Athletic

Mikel San Jose and Igor Gabilondo have been training apart from the squad and both are doubtful for Sunday’s fixture. Ibai Gomez and Jon Aurtenetxe remain long-term injury concerns.

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Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

Lionel Messi was the hero for Barcelona on his 250th competitive game for the club as he scored the winner to beat Athletic Bilbao.

Barca went ahead within three minutes through David Villa, but the Catalans flattered to deceive for much of the rest of the game and Athletic levelled shortly after the break, when Andoni Iraola scored from the spot.

And just when it looked as if Pep Guardiola's side would have to settle for a disappointing draw, Messi - who had two very good penalty shouts turned down - popped up with a priceless winner to keep Barca five points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid after 24 rounds of the Primera Division.

Barcelona had failed to win their previous two matches, having been held at lowly Sporting Gijon in the league last weekend and losing 2-1 to Arsenal in the first leg of the teams' Champions League last-16 tie.

But any talk of a crisis at the Catalan club appeared to have been put to rest after just three minutes, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Xavi's clever long pass found Dani Alves and the Brazil full-back, who looked to be marginally offside, squared for Villa to slot home.

Andres Iniesta almost set up Messi in a very dangerous position moments later and the Argentina forward could have had a penalty not long after that, when he was clearly shoved by Athletic midfielder Carlos Gurpegi.

Markel Susaeta headed into the side-netting at the other end as Athletic sought a quick reply.

But Villa, having scored in three successive matches for the first time as a Barcelona player, almost added another after 25 minutes, when he sent a delightful chip onto the crossbar.

Nevertheless, with half-time approaching, the Catalans needed an impressive intervention from goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto - in for the injured Victor Valdes - to stay in front.

Pinto produced a fine reaction save, diving low to his right to keep out a powerful header from Athletic striker Fernando Llorente.

Alves then blasted wide from distance and Villa curled over the bar from outside the area, but Barca seemed to be playing well within themselves.

And Athletic were able to take advantage five minutes into the second half as Sergio Busquets brought down Llorente in the area and Iraola slotted home the spot-kick to level the scores.

Busquets looked to touch the ball as he dived in to clear Eric Abidal's misplaced pass, but the midfielder - playing in defence in the absence of captain Carles Puyol - took his Spain team-mate Llorente down too and Barca could have no arguments with the decision.

Now back to square one, Barca looked to Messi.

And the Argentina forward thought he had won a penalty just short of the hour after he ran through a crowd of Athletic defenders and advanced into the area, only to go down under a challenge from Javi Martinez.

It looked a clear penalty but the referee waved play on, provoking fury among the 83,000 Barca fans.

Guardiola made a tactical switch five minutes later, with Maxwell coming on for the ineffective Javier Mascherano.

That change saw Maxwell installed at left-back, with Abidal moving to central defence and Busquets reverting to his usual defensive midfield slot.

And unsurprisingly, Barca improved immediately.

Villa saw a low angled drive saved by Gorka Iraizoz and slipped over at a key moment shortly afterwards, but Guardiola's side kept on pouring forward and as usual, their hero was Messi.

The Argentinian popped up on the edge of the six-yard box to beat Iraizoz with a first-time shot from Alves' low cross after the Brazilian had been set up superbly by Xavi.

The relief was tangible around the ground and also apparent on the Barca bench.

Guardiola's side stay five points clear of Madrid, while Athletic remain in fifth place with 14 games remaining.

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Barcelona want Fabregas for £38m

Barcelona just won't give up on Cesc Fabregas as they are preparing a £38million bid for the Arsenal captain in the summer.

The Catalan giants failed to land their former youth player with a £30million bid last summer as the Gunners were resolute in keeping their prized asset at the Emirtates Stadium, insisting only a world record-breaking fee could take the Spaniard away from them.

That is despite the Spaniard declaring his desire to return to the Nou Camp, where he first developed as a player before being snapped up by Arsenal at the age of 16.

But according to the Daily Mirror, a Barcelona insider has revealed the club have not given up on their 'lost child' and plan to launch a stunning bid which they believe will be too good for the North London club to reject.

The insider was quoted as saying: "We still want him and we think he still wants to come back to us.

"If we bid €45 million (£38million) then we will be able to sign him.

"Arsenal say they want to keep him but if we offer the right amount of money then things will change. I believe it will take €45 million."

"He is the best player we let leave the club and he would complete the Barcelona team if he came back. He is a phenomenal player."

It remains to be seen on how long the Gunners are able to hold on to their beloved captain, who made no secret of his desire to help end the club's trophy drought before finally making the exit from the Emirates Stadium.

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Valencia lost to"best team in the world"

Valencia coach Unai Emery conceded his team had been defeated by a team which are currently the best in the world.

Speaking after his side went down 1-0 to Barcelona in Wednesday's La Liga encounter, Emery felt his team came close to causing an upset, but admitted his opponents had too much quality.

Valencia matched their opponents for much of the game, and even had a first-half goal by Jordi Alba chalked off for offside, although replays have since proved inconclusive.

According to Elmundo.es, Emery said: "When you lose you are not happy, but we competed against the best team in the world."

"In the second half the team improved, had two or three chances to score but then Messi appeared and scored the goal."

While Emery was pleased that his side was always in the game and were not completely outplayed, he conceded that the result was the only thing that mattered at the end of the match.

"We were always close to a goal but in the end they won."

"The final assessment remains the result and we are hurting."

Valencia, who started the night comfortably ahead of Villarreal in third place, now only have a one-point buffer over their rivals, who closed the gap with a 1-0 win over Hercules.

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Valencia 0-1 Barcelona

Lionel Messi's 28th Primera Division goal of the season gave Barcelona a valuable victory over third-placed Valencia at Mestalla.

The win now sees the Catalans stretch their lead at the top to 10 points.

Messi had seen three shots kept out in one incredible move early on and missed two other good opportunities after that, but the Argentina forward was not to be denied and popped up to settle matters with 14 minutes remaining.

Barca had arguably the better chances but Valencia matched the leaders for long periods and could perhaps feel aggrieved that Jordi Alba's first-half effort was ruled out for offside.

Barca forward David Villa was returning to Mestalla for the first time since his big-money summer move from Valencia, although the Spain striker arrived later than his team-mates after giving evidence in a trial against his former agent in Asturias earlier in the day.

Guardiola's presence in Valencia had also been in doubt, but the Barca coach was given the all-clear to travel by club doctors, despite a lower-back problem.

Guardiola, in his third year in charge at Barca, had won at all of the other current Primera Division grounds - but never at Mestalla.

Xavi returned from injury for the match, but with Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes sidelined, the coach was forced to field an unusual line-up.

Sergio Busquets was moved into central defence to replace Puyol, while Jose Manuel Pinto took over in goal and there were also starts for Javier Mascherano and Adriano.

Messi was, as expected, heavily involved early on and missed a triple opportunity to give Barca the lead after nine minutes.

Valencia keeper Vicente Guaita somehow repelled his first two efforts with fine reaction saves, while a third was hacked clear by a team-mate.

Messi also clipped a lob onto the roof of the net when he had looked certain to score after half an hour, but Barca could have been behind by then following a controversial call from the officials.

That saw Valencia's Alba ruled offside as he went clean through, took the ball past Pinto and slid into the empty net from an angle.

Replays proved inconclusive, but Valencia felt hard done by.

The home side, who had won eight of their last 10 Primera Division games, were matching Barca and substitute Roberto Soldado missed a good chance to give them the lead early in the second half, when he dragged an angled shot wide of the target.

Pablo Hernandez then fired just past the post following a quick Valencia counter-attack. The midfielder opted to shoot, but appeared to be caught in two minds and perhaps would have been better off squaring for the unmarked Soldado at the far post.

Messi then missed another great chance for Barca as he slid just wide, but the forward netted what proved to be the winner with 14 minutes remaining.

Iniesta fed Adriano on the left flank and the Brazilian sidestepped his marker before sending in an inviting low cross for Messi, who beat Guaita - who got a touch - with a low finish just inside the keeper's right-hand post.

Barca stay top and are now 10 points ahead of Real Madrid, who host Malaga on Thursday.

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"Barca were uneasy against Zaragoza"

Barcelona assistant coach Francesc Vilanova admitted his side never looked comfortable in their 1-0 win over Real Zaragoza.

A Seydou Keita goal just before the interval was enough to give the Spanish champions yet another win - but the match was never really settled until the final whistle.

Zaragoza sat back to absorb the pressure and then hit their opponents on the counter, forcing Victor Valdes into some good saves. In the end, they clung on to their lead and opened up a 10 point gap with Real Madrid - who face Racing Santander later on Sunday.

With coach Pep Guardiola recuperating from back problem, assistant coach Vilanova gave the post-match interview and in comments reported by AS, said: "All we wanted tonight [saturday] was the second goal. We were not relaxed. We can look back on the game and see set-pieces and rebounds that just wouldn't go in.

''Doblas [the Zaragoza goalkeeper] was excellent tonight and it's not easy to play against team who always have eight men in the area. We played so long at 1-0 and the risk of conceding in the next play is so dangerous.''

Giving his thoughts on Tuesday's Champions League clash with Arsenal, Vilanova said:"We know how to play Arsenal and we know it will be very difficult. We've rested some players tonight (Abidal, Iniesta and Villa) and on Tuesday, our players should have no problems.

"They (Arsenal) are not going to close down as much and we will both attack and that type of game suits us better."

Barca will be without Gerard Pique and maybe Carles Puyol, but have no other injury worries. The Catalans will also be happy to have heard that Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott will be missing for the Gunners.

Captain Cesc Fabregas remains a doubt as well.

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"Barcelona are just relentless"

Real Zaragoza coach Javier Aguirre has paid tribute to Barcelona, saying that it is impossible to stop them on current form.

Aguirre's side gave a good account of themselves at the Nou Camp on Saturday - conceding only one goal which was scored to Seydou Keita.

The visitors might have been helped by the absence of some key Barca players who were rested ahead of the Catalans' Champions League clash on Tuesday. Nonetheless, keeper Victor Valdes had to be alert on numerous occasions to repels Zaragoza attacks - and the underdogs did not let the champions breathe easy right until the very end.

Although disappointed by the loss, Aguirre was gracious enough to praise Barca. Speaking to La Vanguardia he said: "Barcelona are currently unstoppable. They are just relentless.

''We were almost flawless. We will go home pissed, there's no doubt about that."

He then went on to bemoan the fact that both Barca and Real Madrid are miles ahead of the rest of the teams in La Liga.

"The distance between the top two and the other eighteen is massive. The league has become very polarized."

The gulf in La Liga can be seen in the standing where Barca stand 10 points clear of Real Madrid, who are another 10 clear of third-placed Valencia. Real play Racing Santander on Sunday.

[madristar]

Barcelona 1-0 Real Zaragoza

Barcelona warmed up for Tuesday night's Champions League tie against Arsenal with an unconvincing win over Real Zaragoza.

Seydou Keita, who had earlier seen an effort controversially ruled out for offside, scored the only goal of the game when he slid home Lionel Messi's low cross just before the break.

But Barca, despite their superior possession, quality and number of chances, were unable to make the game safe and will have been happy to hear the final whistle in the end.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola took his place on the bench despite having been released for hospital only hours before the game.

Guardiola, who was admitted with a lower back problem on Thursday, was visibly struggling as he took his seat and was a less animated figure than usual.

The Barca coach had probably hoped for an easy ride against relegation-threatened Zaragoza, but his side struggled early on.

Guardiola was still missing captain Carles Puyol, but welcomed back goalkeeper Victor Valdes from injury, while Javier Mascherano began in midfield ahead of Sergio Busquets, who was rested along with David Villa and Andres Iniesta.

That meant rare starts for Bojan Krkic, Gabi Milito and Keita.

And it was the Mali midfielder who got the vital breakthrough two minutes before the interval.

Keita, who had earlier seen a header controversially disallowed for offside, slid home from eight yards after Messi had got to the by-line and pulled the ball back for his unmarked team-mate.

Barca had been knocking on the door before that and Keita had been unlucky to see his header ruled out after 29 minutes, when he rose to meet Dani Alves' cross, directing the ball into the ground and over a despairing Toni Doblas.

The decision was marginal and Barca felt hard done by.

The Catalans had previously gone close through Xavi, Pedro and Mascherano, but Doblas saved each time to frustrate the locals.

Zaragoza, playing on the break, had also looked dangerous at times, but the visitors were restricted almost entirely to defending in the opening 45 minutes.

However, Nicolas Bertolo almost equalised five minutes after the break, when he went past Gerard Pique and fired a shot across goal, just wide of Valdes' far post.

Xavi then hit a free-kick into the wall at the other end and Alves saw a long-range effort deflected wide moments later.

Doblas also parried a goalbound header from Pique as Barca remained in control.

But the Catalans still had just a one-goal lead and they had Valdes to thank for a vital save on the hour, when the keeper came quickly off his line to save with his feet from Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who had run on to a long pass and left Pique in his wake.

Substitute Villa twice came close to adding to the locals' lead, but the striker was denied against his former club on both occasions by the excellent Doblas.

Villa also blasted over the bar after Maxwell had seen his long-range shot parried by the Zaragoza keeper and Messi was just inches away from a set piece with the last kick of the game.

Barca deserved their win in the end and the Catalans once again move provisionally clear of fierce rivals Real Madrid, who travel to Racing Santander on Sunday, by 10 points.

Zaragoza, meanwhile, remain two points above the drop zone with 11 games remaining, but that could change following Sunday's matches.