Top 3 News of the Day

We bring to our readers today's version of our daily feature- Top 3 News of the Day

Everyday something new happens which cannot be ignored. Today loads of transfer speculations have been made linking various players to various clubs. Today we have he a club ready to spend cash whereas their rivals are trying to keep their team intact.

Have a look.

A shock return on the cards for the United CB

I am back!

Sir Alex Ferguson informed the media that Vidic will be fit to return in about a week's time. In what appeared to be a a long term injury, it is shocking to see such quick recovery from the United man. The fans would be happy to hear what follows:

"It would be nice for him to play on Wednesday," said Ferguson. "We are not afraid of that.He has started training, which is good news. He has not been involved in the real competitive part but he has done OK. The best way is for us to leave it to hims. He has the experience to know what is best for him and when the time is right for him to come back into the team."

"He would be short of match practice but I wouldn't be averse to playing him on Wednesday."

Having missed him for the best part of last season, Manchester United fans will surely be glad to have him back in the squad.

Mind your own business!

Watch what you are speaking lad!

Andre Villas Boas has responded rather angrily to Modric's comments about Gareth Bale's desire to join him at Madrid.

The Croatian said: "I know Gareth has a big dream of winning the Champions League and Madrid would be a great club for him to achieve it."

Bale has in the past mentioned his intentions of moving abroad to fulfil his Champions League ambitions but Villas Boas has refused to accept Modric's comments.

"I think he should focus more on his club than ours" Villas-Boas said. "His team finished second (in the group stages) and Modric now has to worry about getting into the quarter finals of the Champions League when the draw comes out. And he has to think about the game against Atletico Madrid this weekend because they are on top of Real."

Arsenal to splash the cash

Will he come to the Gunners?

Januray transfer market could be one of the busiest in recent years for Arsenal. Wenger spoke to reporters where he mentioned that the board have made funds available for signing players needed to strengthen the squad.

"This winter we will work very hard because we have some funds available,” Wenger said. “It could happen that we buy two players, but I cannot reveal the names.

“A loan [for Henry] is still a possibility, but we will still try to strengthen for the long term," he told reporters.

“Henry is the talent that you dream to have. He has fantastic physique, fantastic technique, a fantastic brain, all built together in one man. At the start he was not confident enough but he has gone on to show what a great player he is.”

18 Yard Box understand Arsenal could target Wilfred Zaha, Klaas Jan Huntelar and Adrian Lopez to strengthen their purpose for a top four finish this season.

Although Adrian's transfer fee could be on the rise if Falcao doesn actually leave Madrid for another team across Europe.

Other headlines

1. Harry Redknapp: Joe Cole is a top player

2. UEFA releases withheld prize money to 16 clubs who were punished for breaching of the FFP rules and were yet to receive their compensation for participating in continental competitions

3. Parker to return from injury for Spurs in December 

4. Sakho: PSG can win Champions League

5. FIFA Agent: Guardiola will replace Mancini and not Benitez.

By,

Aman Arora

Aman is a contributor for Sportskeeda, Goal.com India and also a Writer and Editor for 18 Yard Box. 

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Top 3 News of the Day

In this daily feature of 18 Yard Box, we bring to you the top three news of the day.

It is normally tiring to scroll down pages of sites or waiting for the next day to flip through the sections of newspapers for wanting to know about the latest happenings in the world of football. At 18 Yard Box's daily feature we will give you the top three news of the day accompanied by major headlines which will make it easier for our readers to keep up to date with the latest happenings of the beautiful game.

Today involves the short listing of the three Ballon d'or nominees, the possible return of the prodigal son and also an appointment of a long time forgotten manager. Have a read.

FIFA announces the three finalists for the Ballon d'or 2012

Who will it be?

FIFA has announced that Lionel Messi, Crisitiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta are the three candidates who will be competing for the Footballer of the Year trophy. Out of a list of 23 probables, which consisted the likes of Iker Casillas, Karim Benzema and many more, the three have been short listed based on their performances of 2011-12 season for the club and country both.

Lionel Messi  had guided his team to the Copa del Rey victory last season and has been instrumental in taking Argentina to the top spot in their World Cup 2014 qualification group. To add to that Messi has been phenomenal over the past year raking in 82 goals which are just 3 short of the Gerd Muller's record of 85. His rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, led his side to win Liga BBVA (La Liga) and also guided Portugal single handedly to the semi final of the European 2012 championships. As far as Iniesta is considered, he has been the backbone of the Spanish National Team which won the Euro 2012 trophy. Not only this but, he has already received the UEFA Player of the Year trophy. The winner of the tightly fought award will be revealed by FIFA on 7th January, 2013.

 United legend prepares for his second homecoming in the Premier League

Is he saying his final goodbyes?

David Beckham has been linked with a move to the Premier League since the start of last season. However, the LA Galaxy man has now revealed that he maybe considering the offers he has at the table. He stated, "I'm lucky. At the age of 37 I've been offered some quite exciting options and there are a few options on the table". He also said, "I do think I'll be spending more time in England though and it's good for our kids to see their grandparents. Over the last six years it's been difficult not seeing them as much as we'd like and they'd like, but we definitely won't be leaving LA for good."

Both, West Ham and QPR have been linked with the former Manchester United star who claims that he wants to experience one 'last' challenge of his career.

Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed as the new Selecao coach

Can Brazil better themselves with this man at the helm?

After the sacking of Mano Menezes, the Brazil Football Federation has announced the former Chelsea coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari as his successor. 

Having immense quality, Brazil have not performed upto their level best and had been cheaply defeated in the London Olympics 2012 too. Having guided Brazil once to a World Cup victory in 2002, the former Portugal boss looks forward to winning the same. He said, "We have an obligation to win the World Cup. We are not the favourites to win it now, but we aim to become favourites as we are starting to see the results of our hard work. If a national team that have won five World Cups is organising the World Cup, you cannot think about just making it to the final or semi-finals."

Other Top Headlines

1. Lee Keun-Ho announced as the AFC player of the year while Manchester United's midifield man Shinji Kagawa bags the International Player of the Year.

2. Falcao, Neymar and Stoch fight for the FIFA Puskas Awards.

3. Brazilian centre back Lucio claims he is unhappy at Juventus.

4. Michel Platini believes Lionel Messi should bag the Ballon d'or this year.

5. David Villa proud of his 300 goal mark.

Written By,

Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box. 

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Tottenham Hotspur V/S Liverpool: Preview

18 Yard Box looks at the all important clash between the giants from White Hart Lane and Merseyside.

The clash comes with a midweek anticipation. This is that time of the season where the table starts giving indication of where the teams would lie at the end of the league. Perched much above their opponents, Spurs' 3-1 win over West Ham in the weekend should give them plenty of confidence.

On the flip side, the Reds come after a disappointing 0-0 draw at Swansea where they dominated for most of the game but were unable to break the deadlock.

18 Yard Box looks at the tie between the two teams and determines the outcome.

Tottenham Hotspur

A season which started off well has taken a little stumble for the Spurs. Winning one and losing one of the two London derbies they have faced, Villas Boas will be under pressure to perform in order to stay in the hunt for a top 4 finish. They will go into this with everything to play for as their firece rivals, Arsenal, who are locked on the same points as them, might be dropping points against Everton on  simultaneously.

Strengths

Tottenham's attacking display has been fun to watch this season. Building it from the back and using their full backs to get around the other teams' defenses has been a treat. The midfield of Huddlestone and Sandro have been impressive and they have excellent quality in their front three in thre form of Lennon, Bale and Defoe. The other strength is the addition of Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian internaitonal has been used as a utitlity player by AVB at the back. Playing him at the Left Back or at central positions (he also gives AVB an option to play him at CDM), Vertonghen has flourished under him. He would surely be the man to beat for Luiz Suarez and co.

He surely needs to put in his best yet again

Weakness

The Tottenham weaknes lies in its depth. Although Siggurdson has been bought to replace Modric, he has not been upto the mark. Neither is the American Clint Dempsey, who was supposed to play one behind the striker to aide the likes of Defoe or Adebayor. Another big downfall for them is that they have been unable to play Defoe and Adebayor in the same team. Although they did start against Arsenal but the red card to the Togo striker in the 18th minute meant that they would not be given time to gel. With Scott Parker still on the sidelines, Tottenham lack the sharpness in the midfield. They also lack that linchpin who dicatates terms from the central region.

He has been a big miss

Liverpool

Just when the Merseysiders were looking a force to reckon with, their inconsistency have hindered their progress. Having a young and dynamic side, Brendan Rodgers needs to find a way to channelise this energy into wins on field. It thus comes as a really important fixture for them at this juncture.

Strengths

When Borini got injured the fans started wondering-what next? But the introduction of Jose Enrique on the left hand side of the Liverpool attack has done the team wonders. It gives them the extra penetrating power on both the wings with the right wing being taken care by Raheem Sterling off lately. To add to this Liverpool have welcomed back defender Glen Johnson. Touted as the best right back in the country, and rightly so, he has been sensational so far.

Alongwith this Suarez is a striker which each team has to be afraid of. Especially if you have an underperforming defense like that of Tottenham. Spurs will definitely have a tough time handling him.

He has been sensational on his return

Weakness

Inconsistent performances has been a major downfall for them. A club, as big as Liverpool, cannot afford to lie in the bottom half at this point of the season. To add to this, although Suarez has been the MVP for the Kops, his selfish play is what is making the team go behind. Being accused of wasting opportunities, he needs to let go of his selfish attitude and start getting others involved near the final third rather than going for glory himself.  But then you might argue that he can pull a rabit out of his hat on certain ocassions. But now what Liverpool need is consistency and goals being contributed from everywhere.

Although a goal machine, he needs to be less selfish

Importance of a win

Liverpool need it more than their counterparts do. With quality players in their ranks, Brendan Rodger's men need a psychological boost. Moreover going away in the previous two seasons, Liverpool have always looked a threat. Thus this could be their day. On the other hand, Tottenham have recovered well from their humiliating North London Derby loss and would want to build their season yet again. This gives them an opportunity to do this.

The Final Verdict

An open game with the home team creating better chances will be on the cards. We can expect Liverpool to score first followed by a Tottenham comeback. A draw looks a fair result but going by the home advantage Totteham can steal it by 2-1 scoreline.

Written By,
Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box. 

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Weekly Feature: 18YB's Rising Star of the Week- Isco

18 Yard Box has a look at the young prodigy who has filled in the massive shoes of Santi Cazorla at Malaga.

He is the hot new property in Spain. Dubbed as the next 'Fabregas' Isco is everyone's want. The 20 year old has taken the Champions League and La Liga by storm and has filled in the missing boots of Santi Cazorla. The Malaga FC player is being sought after by many top clubs.

Here is a look at his life and what the future holds for him.

Cesc Fabregas (II) - Isco

Valencia days

Francisco Roman Alarcon, or ‘Isco’ as he is better known, was born in a Spanish town of Malaga. Hailed as the “New Fabregas”, he opted to join the more reputable academy of Valencia CF when he was 14. After some breathtaking outings for the youth academy he was fast-tracked into the Valencia Mestalla team. He had no problem what so ever playing at such a young age as he helped the B-team return to the Third Division by netting 15 goals. He soon caught the eye of first-team coach Unai Emery with some fantastic performances for the ‘B’ team. As a result, the Spanish coach put his faith into his hidden gem, handing him his senior debut in the Copa del Rey. Debuting at such a young age Isco wasn’t satisfied with just making an appearance; he wanted to make a lasting impression. And he did just that, scoring twice on his debut in a 4-1 victory.

Soon enough, the reputation of Isco was gradually rising, and was spotted by numerous clubs. However the club which had a new ambition and the wealthy Malaga decided to snap up the exciting youngster for €6 million on a 5 year deal after meeting his release clause. Isco was being hailed as Malaga’s brightest talent.

The Valencia days

Coming out of the shadows of Santi Cazorla

Remarkably, since Santi Cazorla's move to Arsenal, Isco has stepped up a level and has been instrumental as his side has made a brilliant start to the new season in both the league and Champions League. Isco started to become Malaga’s key man. Many were impressed when the midfield maestro was instrumental in helping Malaga overcome Panathinaikos 2-0 on aggregate in the Champions League Qualifiers.

The master dribbler

Moment of magic

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder on Tuesday, 18th September 2012, was one of the stand-out performers on match day one, scoring two fine goals as Malaga beat Zenit St Petersburg 3-0. This way the day when Isco was finally recognized as one of the world’s most promising talents in football. Coach Pellegrini played Isco as an attacking mid fielder and it only took three minutes for the Spanish sensation to notch his first Champions League goal. Picking it up 25 yards from goal, he danced past the defenders before squeezing a curled effort from a tight angle past the keeper to send the crowd wild. His second came with first touch with his right foot and second to lay off the ball, as he unleashed an thunderous strike into the roof of the net. He celebrated his goal just by looking in heavens for he knew it was just the beginning of something quite brilliant. 

Isco against Zenit

International Podium

Isco appeared with Spain's U17 in 2009 World Cup, scoring three times in the process as Spain finished third. Isco emerged as one of the best players in Spain’s 2012 Olympic team who were eliminated in the group stages of the tournament despite having quite a number of stars. In 2011, he represented his country in the FIFA U-20 World Cup netting once in an eventual quarterfinal exit. On 28 February 2012 Isco was called to the Spanish U23s for a friendly against Egypt, but did not leave the bench. 

In the Spanish colours

What the future holds for the Spaniard?

With the Spanish transfer market falling through the floor, Isco is tipped to be the next Malaga player to make a move to the Premier League. He has a release clause with Malaga set at £17 million, which would still be a bargain for the young man who has so much potential. And after such an amazing start to the new season he is already being linked to the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool & Tottenham.

He is being tipped by some pundits as the long-awaited replacement for veteran playmaker Paul Scholes at Old Trafford. Brendan Rodgers’ new system is in desperate need of a shot of creativity, with Steven Gerrard being relied upon as the nucleus of the team, despite his advancing years. His compatriot and former Malaga teammate Santi Cazorla signed for Arsenal last summer and the Gunners are favourites to land the youngster, heralded as ‘the next Fabregas’.

London would appear a more suitable destination. The combination between Isco and Santi Cazorla was what dragged Malaga into the top-four last season and with the latter already having joined the Gunners it would make sense for Arsene Wenger to try and reunite them once more, particularly given the Frenchman’s penchant for small technical players like Isco in the past. No matter where the destination though should Isco leave Malaga for foreign shores in next year it will signal another nail in the coffin for the competitive balance in Spanish football. Whether he’ll become the new Fabregas, Scholes, or Gerrard will likely be up to the player who looks set to have some big decisions to make in January.

Style of Play

Isco is just another typical Spanish playmaker. Right footed, intelligent and always giving his full for the team. He, despite being technically sound as a playmaker, always has an eye for goal. He unlocks defenses with his well-timed precise passes, knows when to time his run, and more importantly, how to put the ball in the back of the net. He is great with his first touch and a master at playing one two’s with fellow team mates just near the edge of the box. A player who is good with both short passes and has a vision for long cross through balls to find the players in the box. Likes to show off his amazing skills and make a mockery of a defense by dribbling past them with his amazing pace like. A team player who makes the team click and makes the wingers a huge part of his off the ball generosity by making sublime passes, possibly the reason he doesn’t assists so much goals. The most amazing attribute of his game is that he doesn’t goes down easily but when he does he wins a foul. A mixture of Iniesta, Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas is more like what you’d come to expect from Isco when you ponder his specialities above.

Written By,

Syed Muneeb Iqbal

Muneeb is a Writer for 18 Yard Box

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Chelsea V/S Manchester City: Preview

18 Yard Box looks at the clash between the two wounded tigers in the week 13 of the Premier League season.

The Blues take on the The Citizens in what appears to be a much win tie for both the clubs The two clubs are following the same fate, having been knocked out of the Champions League. Although Chelsea still have a slim chance of going through to the Round of 16, their hopes on a knife edge. 

A lot have gone wrong for both teams, on and off the field, and they would be looking to put all that behind them when they take on each other on a late Sunday kickoff. 18 Yard Box analyses the two teams and determines the result.

Chelsea

A season which began so well for Chelsea has taken an absolute U-turn. With the recent Champions League performances a place in the next round of the Europa League is all they can expect. Having lost his patience yet again, their owner Roman Abrahmovic has already sacked the Chelsea legend Roberto Di Matteo and hired the former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. With an excellent pool of talent at his disposal it remains to be seen as how Benitez handles his team.

Strengths:

Chelsea's strengths lies in their midfield department. The likes of Oscar, Mata and Hazard have stepped up to the plate and have been performing really well. The past few games have been an exception. Ramires and Mikel have done well with the former really playing the double pivot role well. After the appointment of Rafa Benitez it remains to be seen as to whether Torres fires. The Spanish international has been due for a good performance since he joined the Blues.

The Brazilian has taken a liking to the Premier League ever since he has arrived

Weakness:

Chelsea's weakness lies in its attack. The goals have dried up as Torres and Sturridge have both failed to deliver in front of goal. Although Vitcor Moses has looked a threat but he never gives a Drogba-like presence in the middle. Moreover his finishing abilities need to improve too. Alongwith this the mental side of this outfit will also be under test as they have lost an able manager in the form of Di Matteo after a potential Champions League exit at the hands of the Old Lady. Although Benitez will be incharge it remains to be seen whether Chelsea adjust to this change in managerial philosophy so quickly. To add to this Mikel's allegations of Mark Clattenburg racially abusing have been proved wrong. 

To add with this David Luiz has not been particularly in the best of his forms. Gets caught out very often and has had lapses of concentration in his previous games. Chelsea have surely missed their leader John Terry at the back.

How Chelsea have missed their leader!

Manchester City:

Roberto Mancini's men have come under great pressure for underperforming in the Champions' League for the second time in a row. However it has not affected their League form as they remain the only unbeaten side in the League this season. Having found their goal-scoring touch once again against Aston Villa last week, they will be raring to go at this unstable Chelsea side.

Strengths:

City's strengths are in their attack. The Argentine duo of Tevez and Aguero have looked sharp and ocassional goals are being chipped in by their 'Super-Sub' Edin Dzeko. The silky one touch football between the front two and David Silva has started once again. Yaya Toure has also been their strong point to force the opponent's defense open if the neat passes of Silva cannot.

He has been exceptional yet again this season

Weakness:

Inspite of having the midfield riches City have been dealing with too many deadwoods at the centre. It is clear that the likes of Gareth Barry, Scott Sinclair, James Milner and Jack Rodwell have no place in the City first team. Even their major signing of Javi Garcia has been a flop as he has done little to win the fans over. Another cause of concern is its defence. With their two first choice defenders out due to injury it will be interesting to see how they cope up with Nastasic being the only recongnized centre back that City have. They will have to do with a makeshift back four with the likes of Zabaleta or Korolov filling in for their captain Kompany. They will be dearly hoping that Kompany passes the late fitness test.

Javi Garcia looks lost in the Blue outfit

Importance of a Win:

Both the teams have had a week to forget. Where Chelsea are still alive all four competitions (with a probability of the Champions League qualification still looming), City have already been knocked out in the Capital One Cup and the Champions League. However alonwith the momentum and mental courage, the game will als decide whether City continue to remain on top or whether Chelsea steal their short burst of thunder. At present Chelsea need the win more than City with the problems they are facing off field.

The Final Verdict

Although both teams will start in a positive manner, the later period of the match will see the match getting tighter. The team conceding first will have their mental strength sapped off and may go on to lose the match. A match which will see both sides sharing the ball equally, may produce some dull patches of play. A City victory could be possible however a 1-1 draw seems to be the fairest results of all.

PS: Want to know how Nastasic will do against Torres? Or how Toure might keep Oscar at bay?  Read our player battles article by clicking here

Written By,
Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box. 

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The Blues v/s The Sky Blues: Player Battles

18 Yard Box analyses the players and the battles which they will face on field in the crunch tie between the Chelsea and Manchester City.

Chelsea could not have chosen for a worse time to play the League Champions. Off field controversies followed by the sacking of their manager does not bring good news to their camp. However they have shown this year that when it comes to the on field activities they are still a resilient force. They play a wounded City this Sunday in a game where both teams have a point to prove. 

Some of the key battles in the game, may give an answer as to where this game looks headed for. 18 Yard Box analyses three of them

Gary Cahill V/S Sergio Aguero

Kun Aguero is so cool, composed, passionate and has an awareness about the game that makes him amongst the best forwards in the league if not in the world at the moment. The man has been in a rich vein of goal scoring form and his partnership with Silva has meant that City's dry spell in front of the net soon looks to be over. Gary Cahill has been the quintessential go to man for Chelsea. He has been their most assured defender all throughout the season. The best part about him is his positional sense (Luiz could take a leaf out of his book). Calm and composed, he continues to impress and add to the fact he can chip in with an odd goal or two, his value for the team is immense. Howver his recent performances have been a little wayward and he needs to sort out his mistakes as quickly as possible Cahill may mark Aguero all through the game Sunday but the Argentie, with his clever moment, may slip away once or twice and that is enough to for the City hitman to nestle the ball into the net. For Chelsea to keep Aguero at bay it needs two to tango and David Luiz has to step up to help Cahill with this gigantic task.

Oscar V/S Yaya Toure

The feather weight from Brazil isnt doing too bad in hid first season with the English game  When Chelsea paid tons of money for this guy, a few eyebrows were surely raised. The ones who have not still been convinced about him should see his run against Juventus on Tuesday night, when he left 3 defenders for dead and took the ball close to 60 yards before setting up Eden Hazard to finish which the Belgian could not do. His quick and clever movements in the middle of the park being a freshness to the Chelsea play which has been missing in the last few seasons. His link up play with Hazard and Juan Mata has been superb and their understanding immaculate. He surely will be a man to watch out for. Yaya Toure is simply the one of the best holding midfielders in the world. He is that power house in the midfield who absolutely controls the play like no one else does. He is what drives City forward and provides the shield for the back four too. The 29 year old will just be the man City wlll have to rely on to clog the passes exchanged between the midfield trio of Chelsea. The midfield battle may very well determine who gets the plaudits on Sunday. Toure has the upper hand as he is the experience amongst the two but we can expect some feisty duels between the two.

Fernando Torres V/S Matija Nastasic

The one thing that every headline has accompanied Rafa Benitez's appointment as Chelsea manager is that the career of Torres is about to be revitalized. Fernando Torres is the biggest enigma in world football at this juncture. Once a magnificent striker at Liverpool, incidently under Benitez, has now been reduced to pale shadow of his former self. Can Benitez wake him up from his deep slumber? Chelsea FC will be the biggest beneficiary if it happens. Quick on the ball and an excellent finisher, Torres can be regarded as one of the bests if not for his form. Ever since he joint The Blues he has not looked himself and has come under heavy criticism. This might just be the last chance for him to revive his Chelsea career. Matija Nastasic will be the man to mark the lack lusture Spaniard. Bought in to be as a replacement for Stefan Savic, the defender has done well to fill the shoes of the injured Joleon Lescott. However the availibility of his skipper Kompany is a doubt and he will have the job of leading a make shift back four against the quality of Chelsea's attacks. Should Kompany pass the fitness test he will have help. Torres needs to shape up or be ready to be shipped out. Nastasic will have to stay awake as Torres might be out to prove himself. But will he do it? It seems unlikely

Written By,

Vinay Prabhakar

Vinay is a writer for 18 Yard Box

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Why Barcelona are still the benchmark for the other teams

18 Yard Box analyses the 'Special one's' comments and determines as to why he stands corrected this time around.

The guileless and frank Jose Mourinho had come out with another installment of his mind games one and a half months ago. His rival coach Tito Vilonova has got Barcelona are off to an unbeaten start this season. However, Mourinho thinks otherwise of this 'golden generation' of the Barcelona line-up.

Mourinho claims to a France Football, "I think the time has come where people start talking less about Barcelona, and that people are no longer trying to make comparisons with them". He also went to say, "Why would people talk about Barca? Real Madrid are Spanish champions, and Chelsea are European champions. Barcelona are neither of the two at the moment." 

It must be interesting to see what influence this comment bears on the on-field performance of Barcelona. Less than convincing this season, they have done a more than a decent job by going on an unbeaten streak since the League campaign began. 

18 Yard Box anaylses as to why Mourinho might just be wrong in saying what he has.

Loss of Pep- Not a problem

Although Messi and Co. have stated publicly that they miss Pep Guardiola, their on-field performance tells a different tale altogether. Unbeaten all their matches barring the Spanish Supercopa second leg loss to Madrid and their shock defeat to at the hands of Celtic this term, Tito Vilonova's men are well on their way to become champions this season. Perched eight points above Real Madrid, Barcelona could well repeat their 2010-11 season heroics this season. Tito Vilonova has done well to justify his selection on the hot seat so far and has been tactically sound in playing a similar formation to what Guardiola had been doing for so many years. Inspite of having a major defensive crisis, Barcelona still have conceded only 15 goals in as 12 matches. Moreover, the most important thing is that Vilonova has not caused major upheavals in the team during the transfer market and has gone in with almost the same players barring the addition of Alex Song and Jordi Alba. On pitch Barcelona dont look to be missing Pep at the moment.

Do they miss me? On field certianly not!

Goal-scoring department- Still the best

Messi and Co. have been right on the money this season as Barcelona have scored a plethora of goals (39 so far) with a goal ratio of 3.25 per game compared to last season's 2.39 .With David Villa fit and raring to go, the team looks stronger than ever. The 40 million signing has been out because of an injury but has come back at the right time to strengthen his place in the starting eleven alongside Messi. Its almost like a new signing for Barcelona as he will add a whole new dimension to Barca's attack. Moreover, Alexis Sanchez will also be expecting to get his chance to prove his worth and with the holy trinity of him, Villa and Messi, Barcelona can wreck havoc in the other teams' territories.

Messi and Villa have gone about their business this year too

Midfield- Still the strong point

Having the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquests, Song, Adriano, Cuenca, Thiago Alcantra to name a few, Barcelona possess a midfield like no other. The other teams will surely be envious of such a pool of talent filled inside one vessel. The midfield still have looked to gel well and has already combined to provide 24 assists in all competitions. No other team passes the ball with such authority as they do. So certainly Barcelona still have set the benchmark for other teams as far as midfield is concerned.

Barca midfield is in safe hands

La Masia- The secret ingredient of their teamwork

Barcelona's tiki taka football comes from the team knowing each other so well. This is because Barcelona grooms their player in this kind of a way right from his admission in their famous La Masia academy. Although many other teams have tried to copy this idea, Barcelona’s academy remains the best till date in producing players who not only know how to pass but have such an understanding that right from defenders to strikers, the players know where they would find which player in what area of the field. There is a saying that 'even if you shut the lights of the stadium the Barca players will still find each other'. Breath-taking passing alongwith clincal finishing surely shows that why they still are a 'team' filled with superstars.

The La Masia academy

Barca are Barca because of their style of play

It has to be understood that saying ‘to be Barca’ and to actually emulate them is quite different. Although many teams have tried to replicate Barca’s style of play (Arsenal, Dortmund and Swansea to name a few), it has been almost impossible for the players to treat the ball with so much care and love as the Barca players do. Moreover, their style of play, of dictating terms right from the back and passing the ball into the net, has helped them better even the toughest of defenses. Even Mourinho once claimed that he did not know how to defeat Barca. It takes years of perseverance and loads of hardwork to get their style perfect. Not only this but playing with the same players makes the understanding so perfect that if for instance Xavi plays a surgeon-like incisive pass to Iniesta, for him its normal but for the world its magic.

Comment: Barcelona create what one can say ‘art’ on the football field which no other team in the world has been close enough to do so. Having won the League thrice and Champions League twice under the Guardiola reign, they always turn up with high expectations on them and rarely do they fail to disappoint. 

For Pep’s words, before his team went on to complete the sextuple in December 2009, really paints the picture, when he said, 

“If we lose, we continue to be the best team in the world. If we win, we will be eternal.”

Written By,
Rishabh Ghai 

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box. 

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