Guardiola: Messi makes us great

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has sung the praises of Lionel Messi after he led his side to a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The Argentine struck a hat-trick in the win, which was Barca’s 16th La Liga victory in succession.
The win saw Barcelona break the record of 15 league wins in a row, set by the Real Madrid side of 1960-1961.
“We wouldn’t be what we are without Messi,” Guardiola said after the match.
“Without him we would be a good team, but he makes the difference.”
“All of the great teams in history have a player who is different and Messi is one of those – he makes the difference.”
Messi was typically modest after the match, despite the fact his hat-trick saw him move ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the La Liga scoring charts, with the striker having now netted 24 goals this season.
“It’s what least concerns me,” Messi said.
“The important thing is to keep our run going and keep working hard because Madrid will always be close.”
But even if Messi was unwilling to talk himself up, Atletico Madrid boss Quique Sanchez Flores was in no doubt who the best player in Spain is.
“He is the number one,” Sanchez Flores said.
“He plays how he wants to and where he wants to – I haven’t seen anything like it.”
“Out of everything he did tonight, what most impressed me was the tackle he made in front of the benches, when he ran back (to dispossess Sergio Aguero) and won the ball.”
“He even does that; he has everything.”
Barcelona are now 10 points in front of title rivals Real Madrid, who face Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Qatar to offer Guardiola €20 million per year

Qatar Football Federation chiefs want Pep Guardiola to take over as national team boss after Bruno Metsu was sacked from the post.
Having played for Al Ahli for two years, Guardiola formed excellent relationships with numerous Qatar football officials and he even helped the Arab country win the 2022 World Cup bid.
The Qatar national team chief, Skeikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmad al-Thani now wants to return the favour and he is willing to offer the Barcelona coach €20 million per year to take over the national team post.
The sheikh is a big fan of Barcelona’s style of football and he wants Guardiola to implement the same philosophy to lead Qatar to 2022 World Cup finals.
Seeing that the talented coach has already achieved a lot at Barcelona, he could be tempted to embark on a new challenge.

Premier League predictions

Saturday 5th February

Aston Villa v Fulham

A game between two teams who looked as though they might be in trouble but now seem to have turned a corner. They are both picking up points and climbing up the table.
Although these two teams are very evenly matched and I wouldn’t be able to pick between them if Fulham were at home, it becomes easier today because Fulham are still so much better at home than they are away.
Soccernews prediction: 2-0

Everton v Blackpool

Before the season started Blackpool were odds on to get relegated and Everton were not even in the betting. After a few games, Everton looked favourites to go down and Blackpool looked to be more than safe. Then Everton picked up a little and both teams looked set for a season in mid-table.
Now, both teams are struggling and they will both be anxiously looking below them in the table. Three points for either side in this one will give them a welcome comfort zone. I think Everton will be celebrating and the pre-season betting will start to look good again.
Soccernews prediction: 2-1

Manchester City v West Brom

This is a game between two teams who flatter to deceive. West Brom are universally accepted to play some great football. We all thought they would do well after great performances in games at Manchester United and Arsenal. As it is, they are only just above the drop zone and looked pretty average in their draw against Wigan a few days ago.
Manchester City are a team on the up and a club on a mission. Unfortunately, neither of those things have been obvious when they lost at Villa and drew with Notts County and Birmingham in their last three games. They’ll get back to winning ways here.
Soccernews prediction: 3-1

Newcastle v Arsenal

It was quite sad watching Newcastle in their defeat at Fulham on Wednesday evening. They play some nice football but if they were still playing that game now, they still wouldn’t have scored!
Arsenal’s back four is not the best and when they come up against Drogba and Torres or Berbatov and Rooney, it is not clear that they will be able to cope. However, Nile Ranger and Leon Best? I think they’ll be alright.
Soccernews prediction: 0-2

Stoke v Sunderland

Stoke are up and down in form this season but will be pleased to be back at home after three away games in a row. They are much more comfortable in front of their own passionate and ferocious fans.
Sunderland are still sixth in the table and proving that Steve Bruce is a top manager and they are a good team. However, they’ll have their work cut out to get anything today.
Soccernews prediction: 1-0

Tottenham v Bolton

Tottenham ended a slightly poor run with a win at Blackburn in the week and Bolton did the same with a win over Wolves. Both teams will have been mightily relieved to pick up three points.
Today’s game will simply come down to who is the better side. However well Owen Coyle has done with Bolton, that is Tottenham.
Soccernews prediction: 2-0

Wigan v Blackburn

This game will be the one that only gets twenty seconds of highlights right at the end of ‘Match of the day’. Neither team are likely to do very much that would excite their own fans, let alone the neutrals.
I may be being a little harsh, but I think I might go to bed before this game comes on.
Soccernews prediction: 0-0

Wolves v Manchester United

Mick McCarthy’s men are rock bottom as teams around them have started to pick up points. They are desperate for a win and their opposition just happen to be the unbeaten league leaders who seem to have found some form. There can only be one result.
Soccernews prediction: 0-2
Sunday 6th February

Chelsea v Liverpool

This would be a huge game at any time, but with the Torres transfer it has become even bigger.
Put that transfer to one side and you still have a game between the two clubs who spent big in the transfer window and have some exciting new players. It should be a classic and I’m prepared to bet that it will be a better game than the one between Wigan and Blackburn!!
Soccernews prediction: 2-1

West Ham v Birmingham

These two teams are fighting it out for the third relegation spot. They are level on points but Birmingham have a better goal difference.
Potentially this is the biggest and most important game in the Premier League this weekend. A win for either side will open a gap on the other and edge them towards safety. Defeat to either side would be a savage blow.

Schmidt set to leave Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen star Dominik Schmidt has revealed that he is expected to leave the Bundesliga side in the summer.

Schmidt, who made his first team debut earlier this season, and Bremen have failed to agree on a new contract.

“Contract negotiations have been put on hold. Both parties have been in talks for a while, but we have so far failed to reach an agreement,” the 23-year-old Schmidt was quoted as saying by Kreiszeitung.

“We have exchanged thoughts about what we expect, but an agreement is very far away at the moment. Obviously, financial things are the biggest problem here,” commented Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs.

Spurs boss hints at Becks move

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has hinted he could make a new attempt at signing David Beckham.

Redknapp could make a move for the former England captain, when his contract with Los Angeles Galaxy expires in December.

Redknapp said: “I could do, yeah. I love him, I love the way he plays. That ball that Van der Vaart hit for Crouchy, David hit about seven of them the other morning in training.

“It was like he had radar and Crouchy kept heading them in the goal. I kept saying ‘That’s what I have been asking you to do lads’.

“David has been fantastic. He is a top-class bloke. He has been great around the place. You would love to have him at your club.”