Keegan Set To Make Deco Push This Week

The Portuguese playmaker was the subject of interest from the Magpies last summer, when they also made an enquiry about the injured Edmílson.

There have been reports over the last few days that the Portuguese international is once again being eyed at Tyneside, and a concrete approach will be made this week.

With his first game out of the way, Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan will start working on his transfers this week, and it is understood that he wants Deco to run the show from midfield as he tries to orchetrate free-flowing football.

Deco has a contract with Barça until 2010, but has already hinted that he may ask to leave at the end of the current season to try his luck in England.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Newcastle have drawn up a list of potential signings that could be concluded before the end of this month, and Deco is at the top of the pile.

The likes of Tottenham's Jermain Defoe, Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge, Celtic's Scott Brown, Bayern's Daniel van Buyten and Manchester United's Wes Brown are also on the wish-list.

With Newcastle owner Mike Ashley ready to splash the cash after promising Keegan money to come back as manager, but how many will arrive in January is open to debate.

Barcelona will be unlikely to even consider allowed Deco to hold talks with the Magpies mid-season as the club are still involved in three competitions, but a summer sale is very much a possibility. It is unclear, though, whether Keegan will want to wait that long.

Iniesta Happy With Win, But Not Display

In a gritty encounter in Camp Nou on Sunday, a single goal from Thierry Henry separated the two teams as the Blaugrana maintained their pursuit of Real Madrid.

Samuel Eto'o said recently that Barça must employ substance over style, but Iniesta thinks that almost went too far against Racing as the home side ground out a result.

"We cannot become used to this situation. The first thing that we want is to play well and to win," the midfielder explained.

"We worked very hard for that. We gave everything to score another goal, but it was not to be.

"It was very important that we took all three points however."

Iniesta had hoped that Madrid would slip up in the derby against Atlético on Sunday, but after Los Merengues won he reiterated that Barça must be ready.

"The gap is the same for the time being, but what is most important is that we continue to win," he said.

"We hope that they will stumble soon.

"Our obligation is to win, but not by playing badly and not by wanting to play well. The results come when you do play well.

"The fans want to see the team play well because they have done so many times.

"We have to keep winning and be ready if Madrid drop points wherever. We have to win and expect them to lose or draw at some point."

Rijkaard: Title Race Is Not Over

Barça currently lie seven points behind Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Division, but despite the current gap, Rijkaard feels that there is still a long way to go before the destination of this year's title is decided.

"The league is not determined," he told the gathered press, "there is no need for dramatics as we can still reach our goals."

Barcelona have three successive home games coming up in La Liga and the Copa del Rey and Rijkaard feels that these games are vital to turning their season around.

"With the aid of our public, in these three games it is necessary to add points and to look for results. We still have many games left to play, points to play for and competitions that we can win."

Having drawn 1-1 with Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey tie in mid-week and with the second leg scheduled for next Wednesday, it was suggested that Rijkaard may rest players such as Iniesta, Xavi and Puyol for the Murcia game, although the Dutchman seemed more concerned with the threat that Murcia may pose to his side.

"Murcia is not an easy team to play. They are well organized, have good wide players who can come in and cause problems and a good collective spirit. We must be mentally prepared to get the right result."

A number of Barcelona players - including Xavi and Puyol - have spoken out against the treatment of Deco and Ronaldinho in recent days, but Rijkaard thinks that such outbursts can only hurt the club.

"My message was that should they not speak about companions with people outside the club because that can cause damage. The press puts them in the situation, but we must demonstrate togetherness and not fall into these type of traps."

Rijkaard confirmed that both Deco and Ronaldinho are still likely to be missing for the game against Murcia and ended the press conference fending off questions about the likely replacement for substitute goalkeeper Albert Jorquera.

"The player Pinto is good [Manuel Pinto of Celta Vigo]," he concluded coyly.

Deco And Ronaldinho Confirmed Out Of Threadbare Barça Squad

Coach Frank Rijkaard's fears that Deco would be unready to join the fray for Saturday's meeting with Murcia have come to pass.

The Portuguese midfielder trained normally on Friday, but will miss the Camp Nou Liga fixture as a precautionary measure.

Oleguer, meanwhile, is returning to full training but will remain sidelined for a while longer. Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Edmilson are all out as well, as is Albert Jorquera. Yaya Toure, meanwhile, is away on African Cup of Nations duty.

As such, just 16 first team players are available; add in Oier Olazabal ,the reserve goalkeeper, and one has the Barcelona squad list for Saturday's match with Murcia.

As for the lineup, Rafael Marquez is likely to deputise in the defensive midfield in the absence of Toure, Edmilson and Deco, although Eidur Gudjohnsen could play in an attack-minded trio in the centre.

The squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Valdes, Oier.

Defenders: Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Abidal, Thuram, Sylvinho.

Midfielders: Xavi, Marquez, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen.

Attackers: Bojan, Eto'o, Henry, Giovani, Ezquerro.

Clemente: Barça Must be More Consistent

The former Spain coach thinks that although the Blaugrana may have a stronger squad than their arch rivals, they are not performing as well every week.

As last weekend's victory Real Zaragoza proved, Bernd Schuster's side can still find a way to victory even if they are not on top of their game, according to Clemente.

"I like Barcelona. They have the strongest squad in Spain, but the difference is that Madrid are now working better and are playing at a higher level," he said.

"Barça have a good team, but Madrid pulls out the performances and that is why they are seven points ahead.

"Madrid are very stable. It is difficult to see them dropping many points. When Barça play badly they lose, but Madrid do not."

Despite the gap at the top, Clemente can still see Barcelona making a challenge and does not believe that any other side will have a say.

"Barça are still serious contenders and have the chance to win the league. As I have said before, the race will be between Barça and Madrid," he continued.

"The only other team that could have competed economically is Valencia and they have fallen away.

"Atlético de Madrid are a great side but lack consistency. Espanyol are the big surprise and they are good up front, but they may not have the money required to bring in new players to add that extra something now."

El clásico

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid is known as El Clásico. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain, Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians.



Logo Real Madrid

During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco, all regional identities were openly suppressed (e.g. the peripheral languages were officially banned). So FC Barcelona became more than a club (més que un club) for Catalonia as a defender of freedom and one of its greatest ambassadors. On the contrary, for most of the Catalans and many other Spaniards, Real Madrid was representing the sovereign oppressive centralism.

However, during the Spanish Civil War itself, members of both clubs, like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra, suffered at the hands of Franco supporters.

During the 1950s the rivalry was exacerbated significantly when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stefano, who finally played for Real Madrid, thanks to the help of Franco, who transfered him to Real Madrid by "royal decree" after playing three games with Barcelona's shirt, who was the key in the subsequent success achieved by the club. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the semi-final stage of the European Cup.

As nowadays FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two biggest and most successful clubs in Spain, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The latest Clasico was played in the Camp Nou and ended with a 3-3 draw, with Lionel Messi scoring his first hat-trick in his Clasico debut at the Camp Nou.

May, 7, 2008 Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona

Gabriel Milito

Full name Gabriel Alejandro Milito
Nationality Argentinian
Date of birth September 7, 1980 (1980-09-07)
Place of birth Bernal, Argentina
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Nickname Gabi
Position Defender
Number 3

Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980, Bernal, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine professional football defender, currently playing for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona.

Previously, Milito played for Argentine first division Independiente from 1997 to 2003. During that time, he had to face his older brother Diego Milito, who played for Independiente's arch-rivals Racing Club, and who as of the end of the 2006-07 season was his teammate at Real Zaragoza.

In 2003, he was due to be transferred to Real Madrid, but the Spanish team rejected the player after some medical results that, so the club said, showed a not-fully-recovered knee injury. To many, it was a political move against Madrid's football director Jorge Valdano, who wanted the player in the team. It was also suggested that he was rejected because he was not a very famous player internationally, and therefore would not fit the galactico team which Real Madrid presented at the time.[citation needed] Milito decided to stay in Spain, and signed for Real Zaragoza.

With the Argentine national football team he participated in the Confederations Cup 2005 and was part of the squad which qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, performing well in the first-round match of Argentina against Netherlands national football team.

On July 10 Real Zaragoza reached an agreement with FC Barcelona for 20.5 million euros(£13.9m), with this agreement Milito has become a new player of FC Barcelona. Milito has signed a contract with FC Barcelona for the next four seasons earning approximately 4 millions euros (£2.7m) for each season.

On July 19 Milito passed his medical at FC Barcelona and signed a four-year deal with the club. He has been given the number '3' shirt to wear at present after the number was free due to Thiago Motta's transfer to Atlético Madri

Mourinho Set For Milan Despite Barça Enquiry

The Portuguese coach has stated his intention to take over at one of Europe's top clubs and Italy has looked set to be his preferred destination until now.

AS believe that Barça president Joan Laporta has enquired about his future during a meeting with the former Chelsea boss' agent, Jorge Mendes.

While Laporta met Mendes to discuss Deco, Mourinho's name was said to have cropped up and the pair talked about what his plans were and his availability.

Rijkaard is under pressure to restore Barcelona's fortunes and while the gap between them and Real Madrid remains seven points, speculation over his position will continue.

Even AS do concede that Mourinho could well replace Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan and suggest that the trainer has even signed a pre-contract with the Rossoneri.

With the thought of Mourinho taking over at Barça causing angst among the Blaugrana dailies, Sport are keen to state that he is definitely heading for the San Siro.

Despite Bayern Munich's supposed interest, Milan are working hard behind-the-scenes to secure the services of the coach that they believe will revitalise the club.

Silbio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani are concerned by Inter's dominance of the league and believe that Mourinho, along with a host of new players, will be able to deliver them the title.

Sport add that is an open secret that a deal is set to be done to ward off interest from any other suitors and ensure that Mourinho becomes the new Milan coach.

Henry To Take Centre Stage?

The Frenchman is still suffering from the back injury that saw him ruled out for the last six weeks and he played through the pain against Mallorca, Marca claim.

It is a story which is at odds with the two main reports in the Catalan dailies that believe that Henry is back to his best after overcoming his physical problems.

According to Marca, Henry will be unable to play two games a week as he will continue to need medical treatment to help ease the pain in his lower back.

Despite that, Barcelona will ask him to appear in league matches while Eto'o is away as they could be left short of attacking options with Leo Messi also out and Ronaldinho yet to return to his best.

In Catalunya, both Sport and El Mundo Deportivo believe that Henry is fit and have claimed that the former Arsenal star's moment to shine has arrived.

After being signed last summer for €24m, Henry has yet to reproduce the incredible form that made him one of the world's best players, but now the stage is his.

Rijkaard will play him in the central role, from where he will be able to switch to the flanks, and will be expected to lead the front line in the league, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Márquez: Sevilla Are Back To Their Best

The Mexican defender was looking ahead to Barcelona's Copa del Rey visit to the Sánchez Pizjuán on Wednesday and recognised that it will be a very tough game.

After an inconsistent start to the season, Sevilla appear to have found their feet again and showed how good they can be as they swept to victory in the local derby against Real Betis on Sunday.

“Sevilla are a very strong team and recently they have been playing great," he explained.

"We would have preferred another opponent at this stage of the competition but we have to go all out to win and qualify."

The debate about whether Barça should abandon their passing principles in order to win points this season and Márquez knows what he prefers.

"You play one way or another depending on different factors. Perhaps we didn’t dominate in Mallorca but that was due to the state of the pitch," he continued.

"We have a style of play and we want to maintain it. We have to play and the objective is to win and win.

“The team should be concerned about winning, about the way it plays, and not think so much about who’s playing and who’s not."

Deco Future Remains In Doubt

The Portuguese players recent performances have not impressed Frank Rijkaard and the player's announcement that he will leave unless he plays regularly has not endeared him to the board.

After returning from injury before Christmas, Deco was given the benefit of the doubt as he was still finding his rhythm only for his tepid display against Real Madrid to cause frustration.

Catalan daily Sport believe that the midfielder may be used less and less in the title run-in with the coaching staff preferring other options in the centre.

Deco was allegedly told to raise his game last season by the club, but little changed and his public outbursts and displays this year have not improved matters.

After claiming that he could leave, the 30-year-old stated that he would like to se José Mourinho at Barça and then say that he would not mind joining Manchester United.

Normally, reports such as this could be seen as rumourmongering, but given the links that Sport have with the Blaugrana it appears an unusual story to run without any basis.

When Barcelona were heading towards the leageu title and the Champions League in 2006, Deco was an instrumental part of the side and the club considered him to be untransferible.

Deco Accepts Substitute Role

The Portuguese international has completed only seven games for Barcelona this season and was an unused sub in the victory against Mallorca at the weekend.

Despite having said that he could leave if he does not play regularly, Deco has not moved to calm the waters but did say that he thought he would play on Saturday.

"I am a natural born winner, but I am staying calm," he explained.

"If I can play then I am ready, but if I am used as a substitute I accept that although I did not expect to be on the bench against Mallorca.

Deco is alleged to have been talked to by the club last season about his performances and has done little to improve things this term with severla public outbursts.

While coach Frank Rijkaard still sees him as a valuable player in the middle, the board could be ready to accept a suitable offer for his services.

Barça were not impressed by Deco's recent declaration that he would like to work under José Mourinho at the club or his statements about leaving unless he played regularly.

Ronaldinho Out Of Sevilla Tie

The Brazilian still finds himself on the sidelines due to the tendinitis in his left knee that has kept him out of Barcelona's two games so far this year.

He did not train with the rest of his teammates and was limited to doing stretches and some muscle work in the club's weights room for today's session.

The injury will certainly rule him out of Wednesday's away tie with Sevilla in the Copa del Rey and is likely to leave him doubtful for Barça's next La Liga game, at home to Real Murcia on Sunday.

Ronaldinho is said to be chomping at the bit to prove to the Barcelona supporters that he can still be an excellent player for the club and has been working extra hard to return from injury as soon as possible.

Elsewhere in the squad, Oleguer returned to training after a spell out with a right leg injury, but has not received the go-ahead from Barcelona's doctors to take part in the Sevilla game.

Yaya Toure has left to join the Ivory Coast's preparations for the African Cup of Nations, but Samuel Eto'o remains for both of this week's games before joining up with his Cameroon team-mates for the tournament.

Frank Rijkaard will name his squad for the first leg of the Sevilla tie in a press conference tomorrow, as Barcelona look to reach the quarter final of the Copa del Rey, where they will face the winners of the Recreativo Huelva versus Villarreal round of 16 match-up.