Romeu assures Chelsea fans: I will not do a Cesc

Oriol Romeu has assuredChelsea fans he 'won't do a Cesc' and pine for a return toBarcelona.

Romeu insisted he shouldn't be compared with Cesc Fabregas and is committed to playing for Chelsearather than returning to Barcelona one day.

Fabregas spent eight years at Arsenalbefore completing a dream move back to Barcelona this summer.

But Romeu said: "I think the case with Fabregas is different. We left under different circumstances.

"My intention is not to think about the future, I'm concentrating on this season. I'm not worried about that [the buy-back clause]. It's not my intention to move. Chelsea have given me this great opportunity and I want to play as many games as possible. I could have stayed at Barca but I want to take advantage of this chance."

Napoli skipper Cannavaro in awe of Barcelona

Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro admits they were outclassed by Barcelona on Monday night.

The Italians lost 5-0 in the Gamper Trophy clash.

“They play an incredible brand of football,” defender Cannavaro conceded following the defeat.

“We now understand how great this team is, especially in their movement without the ball in their possession.

“We played against the very best team there is. I can say that there is an abyss between them and the rest of the world.

“It was an important test for us though, especially when you consider that we will be playing in the Champions League this season.”

Real Madrid slam Barcelona and Federation over brawl investigation

Real Madrid have reacted with anger over the launching of an investigation into the all-in brawl at Barcelona last week.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation announced earlier on Tuesday that Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to be investigated after appearing to put a finger in the eye of Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova, while suspensions were also announced for Madrid's Marcelo and Mesut Ozil, and Barcelona'sDavid Villa.

Real have now issued their own reaction to the announcement of an investigation and even hit out at Barca, despite the Catalan club refusing to file an official complaint.

"Real Madrid CF has from the beginning opted to show prudence and responsibility so as not to feed the tense atmosphere created by such events," the statement said.

"Real Madrid CF wishes to express how surprised it is to see this investigation is being ordered five days after the match, curiously just a few hours after the President of FCBarcelona publicly demanded the Spanish Football Federation to take action.

"Real Madrid CF hopes said investigation absolutely clarifies what happened during and after the match. The club hopes it throws light onto the provocations, humiliations, insults and aggressions that our first team squad and coaching staff were subjected to both on the pitch and inside the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms. These things regrettably gave way to the incidents that took place.

"Real Madrid CF will continue to defend this entity's inherent values and will always strive for the greatest collaboration possible between clubs and institutions throughout the world."

Barcelona chief Zubizarreta insists Afellay not for sale

Barcelona sports chief Andoni Zubizarreta insists Ibrahim Afellay is not for sale.

Afellay has been linked withJuventus this week.

“Afellay will stay at Barcelona,” insisted Zubi.

“We are not in contact with any other clubs with regard to the player.”

Barcelona lose defender Pique for three weeks

Barcelona have lost defender Gerard Pique to injury.

Pique will miss the European Super Cup against Porto on Friday after being ruled out for three weeks with a calf problem.

The 24-year-old was injured during training on Tuesday afternoon, and his absence will likely force coach Pep Guardiola to play someone out of position on Friday night in Monaco.

Thiago brilliant dribble vs Real Madrid

Eric Abidal – King of Cool

Barcelona toying with Real Madrid

FC Barcelona Midfield Movements vs Real Madrid

Seydou Keita teamgoal vs Napoli

Doctor: Barcelona's Carles Puyol will be back in three weeks

The medic who operated on the defender has diagnosed that the player will soon be back in action after spending the past few weeks on the sidelines due to injury

Barcelona has received some positive news on the injury front as experienced defender Carles Puyol could be back in action in three weeks time.

"Puyol will be playing again within three weeks. I expect him back in action halfway through September and he'll soon be in good form again," Cugat was quoted as saying by Esports COPE.

The 33-year-old center-back underwent surgery on a recurring knee problem back in June and has since been working on his recovery.

Puyol missed both legs of the 5-4 Spanish Supercopa win over Real Madrid due to his recuperation schedule, but doctor Ramon Cugat, who performed the surgery on the Spain international, thinks he will soon return to the pitch.

"The surgery won't have any long-term consequences. Puyol is here to stay. He still has one, two and perhaps even three more seasons to go."

AC Milan's Silvio Berlusconi: 50 percent of Barcelona's success is down to luck

The Italian president has voiced his opinion that the Catalans have had their fair share of fortune and added that Antonio Cassano should be a starter for the Serie A champions

Getty Images

AC Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi has stated his belief that, although Barcelona is the best team in Europe, part of its success is down to luck.

"Barcelona? They are the best team in Europe for me. However, only 50 percent of their success is down to class, skill and tactics. The other half is a result of the luck they've had," Berlusconi said, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Catalans won La Liga and the Champions League in 2010-11 and started the new season with a 5-4 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa, and Berlusconi feels it has its fair share of luck in adding to its trophy cabinet.

Berlusconi then went on to discuss AC Milan's attacking options and voiced his opinion that Antonio Cassano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexandre Pato should form the San Siro side's front line.

"Our attack? In my opinion we should play with Ibra and Pato, with Cassano playing behind those two."

AC Milan is currently preparing for their Serie A opener away to Cagliari on Saturday, although matchday one of the Italian top flight could be postponed due to the players' threat to strike.

Barcelona's Pep Guardiola urges team to continue winning after convincing Napoli victory

The coach feels that the 5-0 triumph was a good way to prepare for the European Super Cup match against Porto on Friday.

Getty Images

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola praised his players after their ruthless 5-0 victory over Napoli to clinch a 35th Joan Gamper Trophy and stated his desire to enjoy further success this season.
Cesc Fabregas netted his first Barca goal, before Seydou Keita, Pedro, and two goals from Lionel Messi ensured an excellent night's work for the Catalan giants.“To win our second title of the season is good, but we have to win even more," Guardiola said after the victory at Camp Nou. "With the support of the fans we can do that.”
Following Barca’s victory over Real Madrid last week, the fitness of Guardiola's players was questioned as they appeared less sharp than their opposition in the Spanish Supercopa. The coach feels the team is slowly reaching the desired level.
"We’re a little better, we have passed the test of playing against an opponent as demanding Madrid," he said. "We now have three or four sessions of physical work to reach our optimum level for the Super Cup."
Barcelona will now prepare for its Super Cup tie against Europa League winners Porto on Friday

Alexis and Maxwell work with the group

Txell Parera / Roger Bogunyà

Alexis Sánchez and Maxwell joined the first team in training on Tuesday as they get ready for the European Supercup match in Friday in Monaco, There were 19 players there today.

In the first session after lifting the Joan Gamper Trophy (5-0), Josep Guardiola had two of his four missing players back in Alexis Sánchez and Maxwell, who rather than only join in some of the activities as they have done in recent days, completed the whole session today. 

Guardiola therefore has 19 players to choose from for the game against Porto on Friday. Only Puyol and Afellay, who worked in isolation today, are still unavailable. There were no Barça B players involved in Tuesday’s workout. 

FC Barcelona’s next training session is on Wednesday at 19.00 at the Camp Nou. It will be their last session in Barcelona before travelling to Monaco on Thursday.

FC Barcelona to use QR codes to promote Barça Fans

www.fcbarcelona.cat

‘Draw for a shirt signed by the first team players for all people that register as Barça Fans at the www.fcbfans.com website using this mobile technology’.

Barça Fans, the official community for fans around the world

Barça Fans, the official community for FC Barcelona fans around the world now has more than 549,234 members (August 1 data), who enjoy a whole range of terrific benefits. This figure, added to Barça’s enormous following on Facebook (almost 20 million fans) and Twitter (with more than 3 million followers of the three accounts @fcbarcelona_cat, @fcbarcelona_es i @fcbarcelona), has made the Barça sentiment a global phenomenon. In recent weeks, Barça Fans has been growing in extraordinary fashion not just in Spain but also the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, India, Poland and Morocco.

FC Barcelona has placed several posters with QR codes around its grounds. The club wants to give all people that visit the Camp Nou the chance to win a shirt signed by the first team football squad. All they have to do is registers as Barça Fans (www.fcbfans.com) on their mobiles between August 9 and September 15. QR codes are the a latest generation mobile technology by which a graphic image is used to connect automatically to the Barça Fans website, the global community of FC Barcelona fans. In order to take part, entrants will need a Smartphone with a camera and QR detector. 

However, fans that do not have a Smartphone can still take part in the competition by registering directly at the following 

The black and white QR posters can be seen at the ticket offices, the Megastore checkout desks and on entry to the Museum, while the shirt the entrants are vying for is on display just outside the entrance to the Camp Nou Experience. 

In fact, fans that visit the Camp Nou Experience are already asking what they need to do to win this shirt signed by the winners of la Liga and the Champions League. 

The draw will take place on September 20 before a notary, but this is not the only thing that Barça fans from around the world can benefit from. Being a Barça Fan means enjoying a whole range of advantages: newsletters, mobile applications, interactive screensaver, etc. 

Match Report : Barcelona FC - Napoli

Match Report

   

Goals

1-0 Cesc (min 25) 
2-0 Keita (min 31) 
3-0 Pedro (min 61) 
4-0 Messi (min 65) 
5-o Messi (min 77)

Collective excellence (5-0)

Jordi Clos

Barça has won the Joan Gamper Trophy thanks to an emphatic win over Napoli. The home side performed brilliantly, and showed how extensive the squad is. Cesc, Keita, Pedro and Messi (2) scored the goals.

The players’ strike that led to the cancellation of the first day of Liga action turned the Gamper into an excellent opportunity for Barça to continue the preseason. And they seized the moment. Guardiola gave chances to almost everybody, including six from the reserves, who produced a tremendous all-round display. Napoli, third in Serie A last season, were played off the park, and only showed the occasional spark in attack but were considerably weaker in a defence that Cesc and Keita perforated in the first half, followed by Pedro and Messi (2) in an exquisite second half in which they also hit the woodwork four times. There was no doubt who deserved to win the 46th edition: Barça. 

Same personality, new faces 
The Spanish Supercup winners went out with a very different starting eleven to the one against Madrid five days ago. Piqué, Iniesta and Villa were the only ‘survivors’ . Montoya and Kiko Femenía both settled in brilliantly on the right as they started their first games for the first team, as did Cesc Fàbregas, playing just behind the strikers. Despite the new faces, Barça’s style was as apparent as ever. They dominated possession and went out to attack from the outset. All that is needed is a little time to get them back into their flowing passing game and perhaps to generate more goalscoring chances. 

Cesc makes his presence felt 
But it was Napoli who had the first chance of the game, with a spectacular overhead kick from Cavani that was disallowed for a previous offence in the 9th minute. In the 18th minute, a delightful team move, with Cesc coming through from behind, ended up with the new signing hitting the crossbar. He got another chance shortly after and this time did find the net, although much of the credit goes to Adriano for his exceptional run down the left. 

Pressure from Barça 
Napoli gave some signs of their attacking fame, with Pinto called upon to save from Lavezzi. But Barça were as effective as they have been in recent games and Keita immediately responded with the second goal, one that was strikingly similar to the goal that secured last season’s league title in Levante. The Malian would later be handed the man of the match award. 

De Sanctis produced a terrific save to deny Villa just before the break, once again following a great run by Adriano. The Asturian had another chance seconds later, but this time centre back Aronica prevented it from going to 3-0. 

Goals and posts 

There were several chances at half time (on came Dos Santos, Bartra, Sergi Roberto, Cuenca and Pedro) and Pedro twice and Cuenca once hit the post. The loudest cheer of the night was for Leo Messi, who came on in the 55th minute. The best player in the world immediately responded with a free kick that hit the crossbar, but Pedro was there to convert the rebound. That was in the 61st minute, and shortly after the Canary Islander returned the favour by providing the assist that led to the fourth. In just twenty minute of the second half, Barça had hit the woodwork four times and scored twice. The Camp Nou celebrated with a Mexican wave. This was imply outstanding football they were witnessing. 

Messi bags brace 
With the result in no doubt, Barça spent the rest of the game practicing their possession game. Napoli barely touched the ball and there was still time for Messi to make it 5-0, which is how things stayed until the end. The Barça squad had responded in incredible form ahead of Friday’s game in Monaco.

Rosell: “Now is the time to congratulate our players and enjoy the titles”

Roger Bogunyà

The FC Barcelona president looked back on the 2010/11 season at the 32nd Supporters Clubs Congress and spoke positively about all of the sporting activities at the club.

         

Sandro Rosell started his speech by saying that “The Board qualifies the work as excellent”. He spent several minutes heaping praise on both the football team and the other four professional sections, and also the amateur and youth squads, who have been reinforced by the presence of the new Masia, which is to be called the Oriol Tort Training Centre. 

Improvements in economic and patrimonial areas 
There was also good new in a financial sense. “Despite the investments in the Masia, we have made improvements and recovered assets. We have provisionally put a stop to the requalification of the Miniestadi. We don’t want to sell it and do want it to remain part of our fixed assets.” Rosell admitted that some “extreme austerity measures” have been implemented because of the need to “look after our money, just like our parents and grandparents taught us, especially when it’s not your own money”. 

Recovered institutional relations 
Rosell was also pleased to say that “we have recovered good relations with all institutions. It wasn’t easy, but we think we have managed to put an end to the excessive amount of politics associated to the club.” The president thinks it is important to maintain such good relations in order to deal with the forthcoming changes, which include a new Palau Blaugrana, an improved Camp Nou and new machines in the Ice Rink. 

Spanish Supercup aftermath

Rosell wants to put the controversy of the Supercup behind him. On the lodging of a formal complaint against José Mourinho, he said “we decided not to make one after speaking to the Sports Director for Professional Football, Andoni Zubizarreta, the coach Josep Guardiola and his assistant, Tito Vilanova. We agreed that was the best thing to do. This week we have an important European Supercup match and we don’t want people talking about anything else”. 

The president spoke shortly before the appearance of Cesc and Alexis in the Palau de Congressos, and mentioned Vilanova, the main victim of Wednesday’s ugly scenes. “He asked us not to take the matter any further”, he said. “Public opinion has already made itself clear. It is clear that what this man did was wrong and that has been said. Not only that, but the authorities are on holiday right now and complaints are made about actions that might have happened or not. In this case, it is clear what happened, and the Federation will take action if it wants to”. 

Need for calm 
The president ended by speaking about an incident in Madrid, when stones were thrown at the Barça bus on arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu. “That shows that the situation is not good. It is not good in terms of society, or of relations in the sports world. We have to stay sober, reduce the animosity, and make things calmer, or otherwise we’ll end up killing each other in the street. It is not us that has the problem, it’s them”, he said. “Our hearts want one thing, but our sobriety has demanded something else. Now is the time to congratulate our players, enjoy the titles and forget this matter”. 

Napoli star Lavezzi eager to test himself against Barcelona

Napoli star Ezequiel Lavezzi is excited to test himself against European championsBarcelona in tonight's Gamper Trophy clash.

The Partenopei will take part in the Gamper Trophy at the Nou Camp on Monday evening and it acts as a precursor to the Champions League.

“This game will help us understand how we are doing in the lead-up to the season. It’s an important match and nobody wants to make a bad impression at the Nou Camp,” Lavezzi told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Do we fear a thrashing? No, I have confidence. Hopefully I can get a goal too.

“The Champions League will be an exciting competition. So many teams have reinforced this summer and that includes us.

“As for the Scudetto, there will be four or five teams battling for the title. The two Milan clubs, Lazio can be a surprise, Roma will fight to the end, Juventus have strengthened a great deal and of course there’s Napoli

Napoli star Lavezzi ready to face Barcelona ace Messi

Napoli star Ezequiel Lavezzi is looking forward to facingBarcelona superstarLionel Messi in the Gamper Trophy tonight.

El Pocho admits he's known Messi since they were young growing up in Argentina.

He said: “I’ve known Messi since we were young kids and we have a great rapport. Leo will spend his entire career at Barcelona and I just can’t see him in any other club.

“He has been compared to Diego Armando Maradona, but they have different personalities. Diego did unique things with a team far below the current Barcelonastandard.”