November 2008 - Posts

• Pique says Manchester isn't a patch on Barca

  Former-Manchester United defender Gerard Pique is clearly not missing his time in England as he explains how he stuggled with the way of life and was especially surprised at how poorly the Old Trafford players ate compared with those at his new club Barcelona. Catalan born Pique was brought up through the youth system at Barcelona before he was enticed to the Premiership by United with the promise of a better contract and more playing time in 2004. Unlike his close friend Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal, who made a similar move from the Nou Camp to the Premiership, Pique failed to break into the first team but in a good piece of business for United they sold the centre-half back to Barca last summer. "There are no comparisions with where I live now, but I have no regrets about what I did, in Manchester I learnt to play football because there is nothing else to do, you can only play football," says Pique. "I had always lived with my parents in Barcelona, I had my friends from school and from Barca and I was from a generation who had won everything in the youth team. The change was very hard and I arrived without having a good level of English, so I was a little lost in conversations but in Manchester I became a footballer. "The 'gaffer' spoke English that sounded to me like Chinese but I wasn't the worse and there are players in the team now who do not understand him." Pique has been incorporated into a Barcelona team under new coach Pep Guardiola which is now taking the Spanish league by storm after a steady start and the 21-year-old is playing his part with injuries allowing him plenty of minutes. "He is the most modern trainer that I have had, the most interested in the minute details and he is football sick, it is great to work with him," says Pique, who feels the difference in the dietary attitudes has been considerable. "At United they committed outrages, everyone ate what they wanted and taking into account English food you can only imagine what it was. Every 15 days we had to be measured by a machine for fat content in our body. It was incredible to see the stars of the team practically breaking the machine because their diet was hamburgers and beer." Posted Nov 18 2008, 12:02 PM by Tim with 1 comment(s)

• Messi shows maturity as he shines against Recreativo

  Celebrating his fifth year in the Barcelona first team, Messi put in a match winning performance as Barcelona put themselves clear at the top of the Primera Division as those around them faltered. On the 16th November 2003, Messi made his debut for Barca coming on for just 15 minutes against Porto and although publicly he has become a household name, in private the trappings of success have done little to alter his down to earth approach to life. "When I look back the best moments were the Champions League win and the two league wins but I also look back on the people like Ronnie, Deco and Motta, with them I have a special relationship and we are still regularly in contact, it is good to do that after so much that we have lived together. I still owe a large debt to Ronnie for how he helped me when I came into the team and I value his friendship above all," says Messi. "Ronnie often said to me that when I am in the area or close to it to dribble and when away from it to pass the ball, but this is difficult for me because I like to play with the ball at my feet, they are part of me since when I was young and it is difficult to change. I still have to improve especially in the air although with my height this is not easy. "I do not know whether now I have more responsibility in the team, what is for certain is that I feel the same as before and I have the same drive. I do not consider myself to be a star, I am just another player in the team and I have a lot to learn." Posted Nov 17 2008, 02:57 AM by Tim with 3 comment(s)

• Benzema sets sights on a move to Spain

  Lyon striker Karim Benzema has decided it is time to move and claims that this time next year he will be playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid. The Frenchman was close to a move to the Camp Nou last summer as speculation was rife over the future of Samuel Eto'o, but in the end the Cameroon stayed as did Benzema with Lyon. He is sure now though that there will be no hiccups this time round and he will be playing for one of the giants in Spain in a years time. "I like Spain and next year I will play for Barcelona or Real Madrid," says Benzema. However, Benzema is no longer the star of French football with the mantle having been taken over by Yohan Gourcuff and there is now plenty of debate about whether he would be able to make the step-up to a higher level especially after such a poor European Championships. The player himself though has no doubts. "Anyone who says that I would not be able to play for a better team are speaking rubbish, I have a lot to learn and I am only 20 but I work hard to improve," he said. Posted Nov 04 2008, 08:14 AM by Tim with 3 comment(s)