Javier Mascherano

Signed from Valencia in the summer, Jordi Alba has quickly established himself as one of the best left back in the world due to his attacking ability. He has also been extremely good in the defence as well. Alba has played a huge role in Barcelona establishing a 15 point lead at the top of the Spanish league.

The defender, though, will be missing a number of crucial matches for the club after suffering a hamstring injury. The club have today confirmed that the defender will not be taking part in the Spanish national team's match against France in the World Cup qualifying group.

He is also widely thought to be ruled out for the match against PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals as well. Alba suffered the injury in the recent 1-1 draw for Spain with minnows Finland in the World Cup qualifying group. As a result of this draw, Spain need to get a victory in the away match in France in order to avoid having to play a big team like England in the play-offs. After struggling to get past AC Milan in the Champions League last 16 stage, Barcelona will want to avoid the mistakes in the quarter-final against PSG.

PSG boasts the likes of former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks. "Jordi Alba will be off for between seven and 10 days. Tests conducted this morning by the medical services of Barcelona confirmed the wingback has a hamstring strain in his right leg. Thus, if deadlines are met, Alba will miss Tuesday's commitment against France, and his presence is a doubt for the games against Celta and Paris Saint-Germain," said the statement from the Spanish club. The 24-year-old, Jordi Alba, has made 23 appearances for the club this season and has scored two goals.

The Argentinean football team has defeated Sweden in a friendly match played at Friends Arena on Thursday. Argentina won the match by 3-2.

The margin of Argentina’s victory suggests that the match was a close one, but, it isn’t the truth. Argentina was dominant for most parts of the match and was ahead by 3-1 till the 90th minute. It was a stoppage time strike by Rasmus Elm which reduced Argentina’s lead to 2-3.
The Sweden team was off to a disastrous start in the match. Mikael Lustig scored an own goal in the 3rd minute of the match and gave Argentina the lead. It was a great start for the Argentinean team.

The score became 1-1 in the 18th minute of the match. It was a fine corner kick by Kim Kallstrom. The ball went towards Jonas Olsson who jumped and headed it towards the net. The Argentinean goalie, Sergio Romero, tried to stop the ball, but, the shot had so much power in it that he couldn’t do much and the ball went into the net.

But, the joy of the home supporters didn’t last long as Argentina got ahead again in the very next minute. Angel Di Maria set up the goal and Sergio Aguero finished it wonderfully.

Just a few minutes later, Argentina made its lead more profound by scoring another goal. This time it was Gonzalo Higuain who cashed on a pass from Messi and found the net with a quick finish.

The home team desperately needed a couple of goals to bounce back, but, they didn’t succeed in doing that.

Although, in the injury time, Rasmus Elm whacked a great free kick from a distance of 30 yards to score the second goal for Argentina, but, that was too late for the hosts.

Talking to the reporters after the match, Javier Mascherano said, “It was a good match for us. We didn’t make too many mistakes. It would have been better if we had not conceded that last goal. However, we ended up on the winning side and we are delighted about it.”

The former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has come out in praise of the Spanish club Barcelona by saying that it is a privilege to play for them. The Argentine midfielder sealed the £ 25 million move to the Spanish club a few seasons ago. Even though he is yet to taste major success with in the form of numerous league or European titles, but Mascherano has said that it is a great pleasure to play along with the players like Lionel Messi, Andreas Iniesta, and Xavi. This current Barcelona team has not only been thought of as the best team in the world, but also in the history of the sport as well.

They have been revolutionised by the manager Guardiola, who used to play for the club more than a decade ago. Under his regime, the manager to win six trophies in one single season, which has never been achieved by any club before. Guardiola decided to bring in the Argentine midfielder Mascherano to the club for around £ 25 million. Even though he is primarily a midfielder, Guardiola has managed to make him an agile defender as well, despite the lack of height. Mascherano has continued being one of the first-team regulars at the club even after the departure of Guardiola.

“Playing here is like winning a prize –it’s a blessing. My best moment here so far? In the two years that I have been at Barca, if I had to choose just one…the Champions League Final at Wembley. With Liverpool I got to a final, but we lost to Milan and I never thought at that moment that I would have another chance,” said Mascherano in a recent interview. Barcelona the favourites to win the league title this time around as they currently have a 13 point advantage over their main rivals Real Madrid.

The Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova has said that he remains confident about getting the results and the keeping a tight defence in the upcoming matches even without the Argentine Javier Mascherano. The former Liverpool midfielder is currently suspended and he only adds to the injury troubles for the new Barcelona manager. He already has two cope with the lack of Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique in the centre of defence.

Even though the Argentine is primarily a midfielder, he has become used to playing in the central defence for Barcelona in the last two seasons. Vilanova conceded that the absence of the defender will be a huge miss, but the presence of players like Sergio Busquets and Alex Song will help him tide over the crisis. Both Sergio Busquets and Alex Song are defensive midfielders, but they could carry out the task of playing in the central defence because of the Barcelona style of play.

Tito Vilanova has also said that he has faith in the youngster Marc Bartra, who could be in the starting line-up for the Copa del Rey match in the midweek. Mascherano is currently out of the match against Rayo Vallecano during the weekend as a result of the red card he got in the match against Deportivo la Coruna. The 5-4 victory was one of the most exciting matches in recent times, but Barcelona came out of the encounter with a red card for their defender.

"It is not ideal to have so many people missing in the one position, but the people who have come in have done well. Against Celtic (Bartra) played a good game and before the game I told him he would play a good game. If he is in the first team squad it is because I decided it. We need to judge Dani over the long term. He has had some physical issues and has not been able to perform at the level we know he can," said Vilanova.

Javier Mascherano has said that the Argentinean team is pretty disappointed to have played a draw against Peru. The team should have won the match, but, unfortunately, the players didn’t play up to their potential. However, the Peru team should also be given credit for showing brilliant character against Argentina.

As per Mascherano, the Peru players didn’t look under pressure at all and showed brilliant calmness and composure. Generally, when you play against a team which is relatively stronger, you tend to be defensive at times. But, the Peru team didn’t play with defensive approach. They were on the attack and made the Argentinean players work hard in the entire match. Argentina sorely missed Lionel Messi.

The Argentinean team didn’t manage to register a victory against Peru in the World Cup qualifier match played on 11th of September at Estadio Nacional, Lima. Both the teams scored one goal each and the match ended in a draw. The Peru supporters were out there in the stadium in large numbers and the Players didn’t disappoint the home fans. 1-1 against a team like Argentina is a great result for Peru.

The Peru team earned a penalty kick in the 3rd minute of the match, but, the team wasn’t able to take a lead as Claudio Pizarro’s shot was brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper of Argentina, Sergio Romero. The Peru players kept attacking and got ahead in the match in the 22nd minute when Carlos Zamorano capitalized on the cross of Luis Advincula and found the net from a distance of 8 yards.

After being down by one goal, there was a huge pressure on the Argentinean team. Gonzalo Higuain scored the leveller for Argentina in the 37th minute by latching on a brilliant pass from Ezequiel Lavezzi. There were no more goals scored in the remaining part of the match and the match got finished in the form of a draw.

There is little dispute that Jose Mourinho is one of the world’s top football managers; certainly if the level of demand that a person is in constitutes an accurate reflection of their professional worth, then Mourinho.

Mourinho’s record as a manager is a formidable one – it’s just that he is not the only manager currently operating to have a record of similar pedigree. In terms of achieving the highest possible domestic and European success, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola have both unquestionably achieved every bit as much as Mourinho has.

This would seem to suggest that the title is misplaced and that Mourinho is just one of several top quality managers. Certainly he is not the only very good manager in football right now, but arguably there are some qualities which still set Mourinho apart from others.

Mourinho seems to be a tipped for every major club that needs a manager by betting and casino sites alike, many of which offer great games such as www.jackpotcity.co.uk – is certainly worth a great deal. He clearly has a healthy ego and any consideration of whether he is worthy of the title ‘the special one’ should bear in mind that he actually gave himself this moniker – rather than it being bestowed on him by anyone else.

To start with there is the fact that he has achieved such a high level of success with a number of different clubs – including some which were never associated with that kind of success. For example, Porto – although they have been dominant in Portugal since Mourinho – never enjoyed that kind of status before then. By comparison, both Ferguson and Guardiola have achieved their success at single ‘big’ clubs, where such levels of achievement are expected.

Another point to consider is the level of tactical nous displayed by Mourinho – especially in overcoming a rampant Barcelona side on the way to winning the Champions League with Inter Milan. Factor in the astonishing degree of loyalty he inspires in his players, and it can be argued that Mourinho fully deserves the title ‘the special one’.

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has recently signed a new contract with the club after he has extended his deal by four more years. The official website of the club revealed the news by saying that Javier Mascherano is now contacted to the club until 2017.

The former Liverpool midfielder arrived at the camp Nou for around £ 25 million and has been impressive ever since. Even though he has been utilised in the defensive positions by the manager Guardiola last season, he managed to have a very good season. It is expected that the new Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova will continue playing Javier Mascherano as a defender.

The 28-year-old as one of the experienced members of the squad after having played numerous games for both club and country. It has been two seasons since the arrival of the Argentine and he has helped Barcelona lift numerous trophies during this period. He has been able to lift the Champions League, la Liga title and numerous other trophies during his two seasons at the club. In contrast, he spent the same amount of time at Anfield without any success. Javier Mascherano has said that he is extremely overjoyed to commit to a new contract with one of the best clubs in the world.

"Mascherano has become a key player for us. Since Guardiola played him in central defence I don't think he has had a bad game," said the Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi after the news came through that the defender had agreed a new deal with the club. His initial contract with the club had a release clause of € 90 million, but following the new deal, it has been increased to € 100 million. Hence, it is almost impossible for any club to even think about buying the midfielder from the Catalan club.

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has said that he expects new manager Tito Villanova to continue the good work done by Guardiola in the last four years at the club. The former Barcelona captain changed the way Barcelona play and has been regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the world football.

He recently announced his decision to leave Barcelona after four years in charge due to the extraordinary pressure that he has been subjected to in this time. Barcelona immediately announced that his assistant manager Tito Villanova will be taking over from Guardiola. The assistant manager recently signed a two-year deal with the club.

There have been a lot of question marks regarding the style of play that will be used by Tito Villanova. However, midfielder Javier Mascherano, who has risen to prominence in the Barcelona team after arriving at the club for £ 24 million from Liverpool, has said that he expects Villanova to continue the same legacy that has been started by Guardiola. Villanova himself has admitted that he does not want to make too many changes to the way Barcelona play due to the fact that it is already the best system in the world.

"I think that obviously the person who's responsible for this is Guardiola. But, behind Guardiola you have people doing a great job like Tito. Now he gets to take over the team and what they've done over the past four years keeps going for a longer time,” said Javier Mascherano at a recent press conference. Villanova has admitted that it is great pressure to him in order to follow a manager like Guardiola, who has managed to lift 16 trophies with the club in the last four years. Even though it would be difficult to achieve the feat again, Villanova would like to do it.

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has said that striker Lionel Messi is one of the modest players in the Barcelona dressing room, despite being the most important player at the club.

Lionel Messi has broken all records in European and world football this season after scoring 72 goals for Barcelona in all competitions. This is currently record and the Argentine has the opportunity to go even better by scoring more in the final of the Copa Del Ray on the last day of the season. Barcelona will be facing Athletic Bilbao in the final, which will be the last match for Barcelona manager Guardiola.

Despite leading Barcelona numerous titles in the last few seasons, Guardiola will be going out not having won the la Liga title and the Champions League title. However, Javier Mascherano believes that it will not be the trophies won in the final season that will count for Guardiola because the Barcelona manager has achieved a lot with the club in these four years. Javier Mascherano believes that Guardiola has created a dynasty and philosophy at the club, which will be spoken about after three or four decades. He also believes that Argentine Lionel Messi is currently the best player in the world and will continue to be so for the next 10 years.

“I even asked if he knew he had scored 72 goals in a season. Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is. Messi plays another sport. Pep is a man of this house and feel the club’s colors more than anyone. So, the farewell was well deserved. There is a before and an after Guardiola in terms of my career. He has converted me into the kind of player that I could never have imagined becoming. In 20 or 30 years, they will talk of the Barca of Messi or Pep, and that’s the nicest thing, more so than any the title”, said Mascherano.

AC Milan are not only looking to sign Carlos Tevez, what they are also looking at Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano.

The former Liverpool midfielder is currently plying his trade at the Camp Nou, but is finding it extremely hard to dislodge the favourite pairing of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. There has been rumours that he is looking for a move away from Barcelona, and the latest interest from AC Milan has added fuel to the fire. AC Milan have been showing a lot of interest in trying to sign fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez, and the arrival of Javier Mascherano to the San Siro would surely roll back the times.

Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were part of the transfer dealing for which West Ham United got punished a few seasons ago. Both players arrived in a common deal, but they both separated from West Ham. While Carlos Tevez went to Manchester United, Javier Mascherano went to archrivals Liverpool. He was one of the main architects of the Liverpool side under Rafa Benitez, although the team failed to win any major honours. He joined Barcelona in a £ 25 million move only a few seasons ago, but has found Sergio Busquets in spectacular form since then.

His arrival coincided with the emergence of Sergio Busquets as a major player in the Barcelona team. As a result, Guardiola has resorted to using Javier Mascherano as a defender or as a fullback at times. It is something that Mascherano does not clearly like it seems, as his agent has been making noises about a transfer this summer. Javier Mascherano has a contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2014, but it is highly unlikely that he'll stay at the Camp Nou given his present displeasure with Barcelona coach Guardiola.