La Liga Review

Real Madrid legend tips Benzema for success

Real Madrid legend tips Benzema for success

Any player in world football would welcome a word or two of praise from former Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane. The France legend is one of the greatest players of all time, so his opinion is going to be listened to with interest.

With this in mind, current Madrid striker Karim Benzema will be delighted that Zidane believes he can become a star at the Bernabeu in the coming years. The former Lyon man has had a relatively slow start to his career at Madrid, so these positive words will be more than welcomed.

Following a big-money move to Spain in the summer, Benzema has failed to hold down a regular place in the team and thus has failed to live up to the expectations of those who spoke about the goals he was going to score for Madrid this season.

There has even been speculation that Benzema could leave Madrid, with Manchester United thought to be interested in making an offer for the Frenchman this summer.

However, Zidane doesn't think this would be beneficial for the player or his club. He believes it takes time for a young player to settle down and perform to their best in a new country.

Referring to his early days as a Real Madrid player, Zidane said the most important thing to do when joining is to "learn to speak the language". The former Juventus player admits that he benefited from the fact that his "wife is of Spanish origin", as this helped him settle in.

As for Benzema, Zidane added that he doesn't worry about him because he is clearly a player who has "the ability to succeed".  The slow start he has made to life in Spain will just be a "period of adaption" according to Zidane because "talent is not always enough".

Overall, Zidane believes that if Benzema is able to learn the Spanish language and settle into life in the country in the coming months, he could soon be back to his best.

Should this be the case Benzema will come into his own at Real Madrid next season as he looks to live up to Zidane's prediction that he can become a legend at the club.

Benzema will also be looking to make an impact in South Africa this year as he should be part of the France squad for the tournament.

However, France's World Cup betting odds suggest the team is unlikely to repeat their 2006 performance which saw them reach the final.

Meanwhile, in horse racing news, many pundits feel that Mon Mome could be a good Aintree Grand National bet after the handicapper gave him a favourable placing in the weights.

Ronaldo Unconcerned By Goal Drought

By Thomas Rooney

If there is one thing that Cristiano Ronaldo loves doing, it is scoring goals, it is something he takes a great deal of pride in. He can put one away from every angle, in any game and with a mixture of power and skill. Ronaldo knows where the back of the net is.

This hasn't been the case in the last few weeks though. In fact, he is yet to score for Real Madrid in 2010. When you consider that he found the net in each of his first four games for the club, this is something of a goal drought for the former Manchester United man.

When a man that cost £80 million goes any period of time without finding the back of the net, the media make sure it is brought up in conversation. Has he fully recovered from his injury? Is he still in winter break mode? Has his lack of goals contributed to an indifferent run of form for the team?

Whatever questions have been raised though, the player himself is remaining defiant. Speaking about not scoring for a few weeks, Ronaldo said that he is 'not worried' because his next goal will 'come naturally' in the not too distant future.

The reality is that Real Madrid need their star man firing now more than ever though. They lost their last game in the league to Athletic Bilbao and sit five points behind fierce rivals Barcelona at the top of the table.

It is a crucial stage of the season for them and in the next few games - including the return to Champions League action in February - they need their big names, like Ronaldo, to start hitting top form.

His goals will be vital in boosting Real Madrid's La Liga chances.

It has to be said that the Portugal International normally steps up his game when he needs to most. He certainly did it at crucial times for Manchester United. With this in mind, nobody will be surprised to see him hit a goal scoring purple patch in the coming weeks.

Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini will certainly be hoping so, if he does, expect Real Madrid's Champions League odds to start tumbling.

Real Madrid striker on the move?

By Thomas Rooney

Ruud van Nistelrooy seems to have become the forgotten man of Spanish football. The Real Madrid forward has only made two appearances this season and this follows the 2008/2009 campaign when he only managed 10 games. To say he has had a quiet couple of years in Spain would be an understatement and this is why he is looking for a move away from Madrid in January.

Van Nistelrooy is desperate to play regular first team football and guarantee his place in Holland's World Cup squad next summer. Where is he likely to end up though? Well, there has been plenty of interest in the Premier League where he scored so many goals for Manchester United. Liverpool are thought to be the favourites to land him, but Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers are also interested in securing his services. There is a problem with the Liverpool deal though.

The Reds only want to sign van Nistelrooy on a six-month loan deal. Real Madrid on the other hand are keen to permanently offload the Dutchman. Any deal will depend on whether the two clubs can come to some agreement. Should this happen, the striker could revive Liverpool's Premier League chances.

One thing that is for sure is van Nistelrooy doesn't have a future at the Bernabeu. He is fit again after a long-term injury, but Madrid's attacking options are pretty much sorted with Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Higuain and Karim Benzema in their ranks. With this in mind, the move to Liverpool - and the chance to play alongside Fernando Torres-– must surely be an attractive prospect for the player. It just needs to nature of the deal to be sorted. It would certainly be a disappointing end for van Nistelrooy's Real Madrid career, but he has had some success with the club. He managed 51 goals for Madrid over the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons and was an instant hit with the fans. As for what he future holds, he will want to recapture this type of form as he starts the next phase of his career away from Real Madrid and Spanish football. In other sports news, the odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are starting to hot up and could be worth keeping an eye on.

Ramos believes Madrid deserved more from Clasico

By Thomas Rooney

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos believes that his side played well enough to earn at least a point against Barcelona on Sunday night at Camp Nou. Madrid went down 1-0 to their rivals, losing their place at the top of the table in the process.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to score the only goal of the game ten minutes after the interval and it was enough to hand the home side all three points. It was an even contest though, with both teams having their chances.

Ramos believes that Madrid actually had the better of the game,‘especially in the first half’. Throughout the whole game though, the defender says that he and his team put in ‘so much work and sacrifice’
that they ‘deserved more’ than to lose the game.

Continuting his assessment of the first half in particular, Ramos said that Madrid ‘found space to do damage to Barca’ and had their chances to opening the scoring. The reality is that they failed to take these chances though and this eventually cost them the game.

Regardless of the defeat, Ramos believes that the whole squad can come out of the game with their ‘heads held high’ because they ‘played well’.

It was certainly a remarkable improvement from the last time the sides met at the end of last season when Barcelona ran out 6-2 winners. The end result is still the same though – three points to Barca and none to Madrid.

In terms of the league table now, Pep Guardiola’s men have overtaken Real at the top and currently lead them by two points. Everything is still very close though and the title race is likely to be much closer
than last year.

Ramos and Madrid will just have to hope that they can record an overdue victory against their rivals when the teams meet again in April to improve Real Madrid's La Liga title odds.

In other sports news, the odds for the 2010 Gold Cup are heating up, so it could be worth your while to keep an eye on them.

by Thomas Rooney

Messi wants Arsenal star at Barcelona

By Guest Writer Thomas Rooney

It seems to be that time of year again when Cesc Fabregas is linked with a move to Barcelona.

It is an annual event now I believe. Much like the Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid speculation before he eventually moved, this is one that keeps cropping up. Fabregas has since come out and declared his love for Arsenal and revealed how much he enjoys playing there. He is bound to say this though isn’t he? It doesn’t mean he will be at the Emirates forever.

As for the noise from the Barcelona camp, it is coming from superstar Lionel Messi who has had his say on the future of the Gunners midfielder. The Argentine says he understands that Arsenal means a lot to Fabregas, but that he ‘should be winning league titles and European Cups’ at this stage of his career. Messi, quite clearly, doesn’t think that this will happen for Fabregas at Arsenal. He went on to say that there is a time in your life when you have to think about winning the biggest prizes and that it has ‘got to that point’ for the Spanish midfielder.

In terms of how Messi views Fabregas as a footballer, he says that having played with him at youth team level, he could always tell that he was a ‘special player’ who had ‘great vision and passing range’. Something that has improved, along with his football betting odds, even further over the years. By making these comments Messi has, without saying so exactly, put pressure on Fabregas to leave Arsenal and join him at Barcelona. He clearly rates the Spaniard and thinks he would add something to what they already have in terms of their sports betting odds. If we are being honest, Messi will probably get his wish eventually. Fabregas will go to Barcelona again one day. Whether it is within the next couple of years though, remains to be seen. There is a general feeling that he still has some unfinished business at Arsenal.

Be sure to check out Betfair's Front Room for plenty more football banter.

Ronaldo targets Champions League comeback

By Guest Writer Thomas Rooney

Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is targeting a return to action against AC Milan in the Champions League next week. The former Manchester United man has been sidelined recently with an ankle injury, but has set a date on his comeback.

Speaking to the Spanish press, he said that the AC Milan game is a ‘very important’ one for the team, so he'll do all he can ’to be there’. Ronaldo is clearly determined to return to the Real Madrid team and mentally, he seems ready.

However, whether his injury will hold up is another matter. He says that it is clear that he ‘cannot risk’ coming back into the fold too early. The last thing Real Madrid want is for Ronaldo to worsen the problem by playing before he is ready.

Reports suggest that he has returned to training and played a full part in the sessions he has been a part of. The decision about whether he is ready for AC Milan though may well be made at the last minute. Considering the way he has played so far this season though, they will give him as much time as he needs to prove his fitness.

There is no doubt that Madrid have missed Ronaldo since he has been out after the midfielder made a huge impact on proceedings in the first few La Liga games of the season. The player himself mentions that he wants to return to ‘help my teammates’.

This doesn’t mean that Real Madrid are a one man team, but does emphasise how important he is to them already. They have lost to AC Milan, drawn with Sporting Gijon and have been humiliated by minnows Alcorcon during Ronaldo’s spell on the sidelines and this tells its own story.

Hopefully for Madrid though, their star man will be back next week as they look to start picking up a few more positive results in the lead up to the Christmas break.

Don't forget to explore Betfairs new Front Room for more football gossip.

Guti would welcome back Real Madrid legend

By Thomas Rooney

There is always a story that pops out at you when you check the latest football news. On this occasion, it was the speculation and discussion that Roberto Carlos could return to play for Real Madrid.

Speaking about his future earlier this week, the Brazilian said that he would play for the Spanish club for free if he got the chance when his contract with Fenerbahce ends in December. One man other than
Carlos in favour of this idea is current Real Madrid star Guti.

As a former team-mate of the defender, Guti knows Carlos well and described him as a ‘great left sided player’ who could add a lot to the current Real Madrid squad . He also said that he would welcome him back ‘with open arms’ and be ‘delighted’ to play alongside him once again.

Much as Guti says though, it is ‘up to the club’ in terms of whether they give Carlos another go. Do they want to give a former player the chance to finish his career at the club? Are they prepared to go back
to someone who left the club only two years ago?

Personally, I think it is unlikely. With the team having such a fantastic start to their La Liga season and moving forward with a new group of players, I can’t imagine them wanting to go back to a 36-year-old Carlos. It would be nice initially, but it would be a real shame if he wasn’t able to be the player he was before.

This doesn’t mean that the Brazilian can’t return to the club at some stage though. He clearly loves Real Madrid and enjoys living in Spain, so there might be a coaching or scouting role for him somewhere down the line. Who knows.

For now though, Carlos should concentrate on finding a club to play for when he leaves Turkey. Perhaps a return to Brazil is a possibility? He has had a fantastic career and it might be suitable if he finishes it in his own country.

Then, a few years down the line, he can look at returning to Real Madrid in some capacity.

Ronaldo aims for record after flying start at Real Madrid

By Thomas Rooney

When making the move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in the summer, Cristiano Ronaldo would have had ambitions to break scoring records for the Spanish club. However, even he wouldn’t have envisaged doing it during September of his first season.

Having scored in his first three league games for the club though, Ronaldo is aiming to become the first player in Madrid’s history to score in his first four Primera Division games.He will achieve the feat if he manages to find the back of the net against Villarreal tonight.

This follows a cracking start for the Portugal international in Real Madrid colours. He scored twice in Sunday’s win over Xerez and he also grabbed a goal in the victories against Deportivo La Coruna and
Espanyol.

There is certainly no issues over needing time to settle in since his big money move and it seems as though he has been playing in Spain all of his life. It is clear to see that he is enjoying his football at the moment as well and so he should be.

He is scoring regularly already and his team have recorded a 100% start to the season so far with three wins from three games.

Ronaldo isn’t the only major new signing to be making an impression on the Primera Division though. Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already achieved the feat of scoring in his first four league games for the club to help Pep Guardiola’s men to four victories so far this season.

This means that not only is Real Madrid v Barcelona for the title likely to be extremely competitive this season, but the Ibarhimovic v Ronaldo odds for the leading goal scorer in the Primera Division is also hotting up after both players made an excellent start to life in Spain.

By Guest writer Thomas Rooney

Transfer deadline day may have come and gone, but Barcelona are confident of making one more signing in the not too distant future. This is because Carlos Puyol is set to extend his stay at the club by signing a new contract.Joan Laporta is convinced that the club captain will tie up an extension to his deal soon, a move that would see Puyol spend the rest of his football career at Barcelona.

When this does materialise, it will end the uncertainty about Puyol’s future. Some reports have suggested that he could be on the verge of leaving the club. However, speaking about the situation, Laporta said there have been several ‘meetings with the representatives of Puyol’ that should end
in an ‘agreement’ between all relevant parties.

There have certainly been some complications in these negotiations for whatever reason, but it seems as though everyone is happy for the player to stay where he is. Laporta confirmed that ‘the manager and the club want him here’.

So, all being well, this will be sorted in the next week or so. In the end, it could come down to what Puyol himself wants. He obviously cares a great deal for Barcelona – he made his first team debut in
1999 – but he understandably wants to deal to be perfect for him at this stage of his career.

Hopefully, the 31-year-old will agree to everything so he can concentrate on leading another successful La Liga campaign for Barcelona. Puyol is a legend to the club and nobody wants to see him leave.

In fact, it just wouldn’t seem quite right to see him in the shirt of another team. Puyol is meant to see out his career with Barcelona and this would be the case when / if he decides to commit his future by
signing on the dotted line.

Alonso Delighted With Real Madrid Challenge

By guest writer Thomas Rooney

Upon completing his transfer to Real Madrid from Liverpool, Xabi Alonso has revealed that he had been ‘determined’ to leave the Premier League club for some time.

The Spanish midfielder swapped Anfield for the Bernabeu in a deal reportedly worth £30m and was unveiled as a Real Madrid player last night. He has signed a five-year contract to join fellow summer signings Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka at the club.

Speaking about the move, Alonso admitted that it was a ‘very happy day’ for him because he has made an ‘important step’ in his professional football career. He also revealed how he had been ‘very excited’ for this day to arrive, implying that he had been eyeing a move to Madrid for a while now.

As for his time at Liverpool, Alonso said that although he ‘really enjoyed’ his five years at Anfield and will always be ‘grateful to the fans’ who always supported him, he knew before the end of last season that it was time to move on.

The 27-year-old decided a few months ago that he needed a ‘fresh and personal challenge’, then Real Madrid came along with their offer and Alonso’s mind was made up. There is no way that he was going to start the season in anything other than the famous white shirt.

What sort of player are Real Madrid getting with Alonso though? Well, he is a very gifted midfielder, of that there is no doubt. He can win the ball well, spread the play well and chip in with the odd spectacular goal. Complete midfielders are hard to come by, but Alonso comes close.

In terms of the role he will play in this Real Madrid team, it has to be considered that there are much more threatening attacking options than Alonso. Therefore, it is likely that he will perform the ‘Makelele role’ by sitting in midfield, winning possession and setting the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo, Robbin and Raul on their way.

Should he manage to succeed in this role, he will know that he made the right choice to joinReal Madrid. Simply because, with him pulling the strings, his new team are going to take some stopping this season. In all competitions. The Spanish football odds certainly look interesting now that he's arrived, that's for sure!

Barcelona Striker Set For Exit

By Guest Writer Thomas Rooney

With the antics of Real Madrid’s spending still fresh in the memory, you would have been forgiven for thinking that it is impossible for Spanish clubs to sell their best players as well as buy them from other teams.

Well, this has now happened and surprisingly enough, it doesn’t involve Real Madrid. They are the big spenders of this summer, not the big sellers. Instead, it is Barcelona that are letting one of their biggest players move on.

Samuel Eto’o has reportedly agreed personal terms with Inter Milan after a swap deal involving striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved closer. This means that the man who has scored over 100 goals for Barcelona is set to leave the club after five years.

The only complication in the transfer going through appears to be a loyalty bonus with Barcelona, but Eto’o has been quoted as saying that this should be ‘settled in a week or so’.

This would certainly be an interesting move for everyone involved. Eto’o has been a huge success at the Nou Camp and it will be very intriguing to see if he can handle a new challenge, in a new league. He has the talent to do so, it’s just a case of how quickly he will settle into his new squad.

Then, there is the argument that Barcelona are taking a risk by letting Eto’o go. He is a very popular figure at Barcelona and has scored many goals for them. He often steps his game up for the big occasion as well, much like he did in last season’s Champions League final. So, he could very well be missed.

In Zlatan Ibrahimovic though, Pep Guardiola is getting another world-class player. He is a different player entirely from Eto’o, but he can be equally as successful. No doubt about that. You don’t score the goals he does without having something special about you.

All in all, this swap deal just adds to the excitement surrounding the new season. Kaka, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic are all new to the Spanish League and it is going to be fascinating to see how they get on.

Real Madrid v Barcelona could be better than ever – that seems a safe Spanish football bet to make!

Real Signing Chose Madrid Over United

By Guest Writer Thomas Rooney

Spanish football giants Real Madrid are winning the bragging rights over Manchester United right now. First of all, they secured the signature of United’s best player Cristiano Ronaldo and now it's emerged they pipped them to the signing of Karim Benzema by the Spanish club.

In fact, it appears that Benzema rejected advanced talks with United, Inter Milan AND Barcelona in order to join Real Madrid. Benzema – who could see his fee rise to around £35m – was paraded in front of the Madrid fans after his move from Lyon and he has since revealed the clubs that he turned down.

The 21-year-old said that ‘quite a few clubs’ contacted him over his availability and that this included ‘Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona’. However, he admitted that he has ‘dreamed of playing for Real Madrid’ since he was a young boy.

These thoughts echo those of Ronaldo who also stated that he had always wanted to play for Real Madrid. The Bernabeu certainly seems to be the place to be at the moment and they are making player presentations a regular occurrence this summer.

Brazilian international Kaka was first unveiled in front of 55,000 fans before Ronaldo was shown off in front of a massive 90,000 Madrid supporters. As for Benzema, he was greeted by 20,000 fans as he was introduced in a Real Madrid shirt for the first time.

This was inevitably a smaller amount than Ronaldo or Kaka, but the Frenchman was still very pleased with his reception. He said that the whole experience was ‘very exciting’ and that he felt ‘strong emotions’ during the process – hence the kiss of the badge during his presentation.

Players and fans really do seem to have a special relationship at Real Madrid and the club will be hoping this continues throughout the season.

If the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema remain extremely popular throughout the campaign, it probably means that Real Madrid will be winning trophies come the end of it.

This is the main aim, after all.

The question is though – is Benzema the last of the arrivals? He admits that there is ‘great competition’ for places already, so will any more superstars be added between now and the start of the season?

I wouldn’t want to place a football bet either way on that one!

Real Madrid legend tips Ronaldo for success

By guest writer Thomas Rooney

There isn’t really anything else people associated with Spanish football can talk about right now other than Kaka’s move to Real Madrid. The £59million move has got the whole football world talking and everyone is excited about what the Brazilian can achieve in Spain.

One man who believes he will be a great success is former Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos. He says that Kaka will ‘get used to Madrid easily’ because he was ‘already an idol in Europe’. The move represents a new challenge for the former AC Milan man, but Carlos obviously believes he can handle it.

The 36-year-old did reveal that he called Kaka and ‘calmed him down’ though as there has been a huge amount of hype and excitement surrounding the move. Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in the world and no matter how much talent you have as a player, it can be overwhelming joining them.

Everyone at Real Madrid will be expecting Kaka to be an instant success and help the club win trophies once again. They missed out to Barcelona in terms of the league title this year, but the fans will be thinking that the Brazilian will bridge the gap.

Carlos seems to believe that this will be the case as well. He says that Kaka can be a ‘big name in the history of the club’ and join the likes of ‘Zidane, Raul and Ronaldo’ in the group of truly world-class players that have played at the Bernabeu.

These three players obviously made a huge impact at Real Madrid and even though this will be hard to live up to, Kaka definitely has the ability. More importantly though, he seems to have the right temperament. He is a model professional who does all he can to excel at the game.

As Roberto Carlos hints, Real Madrid will be reaping the benefits of this over the next few years as Kaka looks to adhere himself to Spanish football.

Guardiola praises Barcelona bravery

By guest writer Thomas Rooney

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has praised his team’s bravery and hard work after they secured a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final. Guardiola – who also won the trophy as a player in 1992 – said that his team have worked ‘many, many hours’ this season and to become European Champions is their ‘payment’.

The Barcelona boss went on to say that they were ‘never cowards’ during the match, meaning that they took risks going forward on several occasions. Guardiola says that when you are ‘attacking and daring’, you automatically increase your chances of coming out on top.

This is exactly what happened last night as Barcelona ran out deserved winners. Other than the opening ten minutes, the Spanish club dominated proceedings and Alex Ferguson’s men had no answer to it.

Samuel Eto’o got the ball rolling in the tenth minute when he capitalised on some sloppy Manchester United defending before poking the ball past Edwin van der Sar. Lionel Messi then sealed the win with
twenty minutes remaining by guiding a superb header into the net.

The victory completed a remarkable season for Barcelona as they have become the first Spanish club to win three titles in one season after the domestic league and cup as well as the Champions League.

Considering this was Guardiola’s first full season in charge, it has to go down as a remarkable achievement. He admits that his team have had the ‘best season in history’ and one that he can now celebrate with his players.

As for his opposite number, Alex Ferguson made no complaints about the final result. The Manchester United boss admitted that his side ‘did not play well’, but also said that you have to ‘give Barcelona credit’ for the way they performed.

Ferguson then stated that Xavi and Andres Iniesta were the main reason Barcelona dominated as the midfield duo ‘kept the ball all night’ and comfortably won the battle with Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs.

The evening belonged to the whole of Barcelona though and not just two players. They have had an incredible season and played some very attractive football on the way. Congratulations to them, their success is fully deserved.

Barcelona thrash Athletic Bilbao to win Copa del Rey

By guest writer Thomas Rooney

Barcelona seem to be hitting form at just the right time. In just under two weeks time they will take on Manchester United in the Champions League final and they look set to go into this game extremely high on confidence.

This is because they already have one trophy in the bag after hammering Athletic Bilbao to win the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona ran out 4-1 winners as they completed the first of a possible three major
honours for the season.

Gaizka Toquero managed to upset theSpanish football odds and give Bilbao the lead in this game as he headed home at the back post from Fran Yeste’s corner. At this point the Barcelona defence was looking fragile to say the least and there was no hint of what was to come.

However, as they so often do, Barcelona turned it on when they needed it most. With Pep Guardiola’s men looking up against it, Yaya Toure produced a moment of magic to level the game. The Ivory Coast midfielder went past three players before drilling the ball into the net from 25 yards.

Barcelona had their tails up now and it was only a matter of time before they took the lead. Then, just after half-time, they did just that as Lionel Messi struck the ball through a crowded penalty area into the bottom corner.

There was then only a three minute wait for Barcelona to extend their lead. Bojan Krkic raced through on goal before slotting the ball past the keeper to make it 3-1. Then, as if things could get any worse for Bilbao, Xavi’s superb free-kick curled in off the post to complete the scoring.

Three goals in a devastating nine minutes had completely turned the game around and soon after Barcelona were celebrating their 25th King’s Cup.

As much as the players enjoyed the celebrations though, they know that a lot of work is still to be done this season. There is a league title to be won and the small matter of a Champions League final against Manchester United.

Should Barcelona continue to show the form they did at the beginning of the second half though, there might not be any teams that can stand in their way of achieving the treble this season. This may be something to bear in mind when you place your all-important Champions League final bet.

By Thomas Rooney

Barcelona boss unhappy with Chelsea draw

After watching his side being held to a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Pep Guardiola has revealed that he was far from happy with the defensive minded display from the Blues.

Guardiola was clearly frustrated that his team were unable to break down the Chelsea defence despite putting pressure on them for the majority of the game. He then accused Guus Hiddink’s men of ‘constantly interrupting the game with fouls’.

The Barca boss then said that it was ‘ridiculous’ that both teams picked up the same amount of cards because all his side did was ‘attack and foul as little as possible’.

Overall, Guardiola admits that things didn’t go the way of his team tonight, in more ways than the performance of the referee. The former midfielder said that the ‘result is what it is’ though.

He seems to have accepted the fact that Chelsea played ‘very defensively’ with ‘six players defending’ to accommodate their disciplined approach to the game. As much as this frustrated Guardiola, it was the way Chelsea chose to perform.

Besides, it doesn’t leave Barcelona in the worst position. Yes, they would have liked to win the game, but they didn’t concede an away goal and this could end up being crucial.

If Guardiola was annoyed with the way Chelsea played in Spain, he should instruct his team to show them how it is done at Stamford Bridge next week. Barcelona can be positive, take the game to Chelsea and grab a goal. Then, Chelsea would need to score twice to go through.

Their cause will not be helped by the fact that centre-half Rafael Marquez will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury though. Barcelona also have a big game this weekend against Real Madrid, so they certainly have a few things to worry about before the game next Wednesday.

Nevertheless, Guardiola and his men will be quietly confident of doing all they can to obey the current football odds by progressing to the Champions League final.

By Guest writer Thomas Rooney