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Barca contemplate action after Jose Mourinho outburst

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Angry Mourinho questions Barca 'power'

Barcelona will on Thursday decide whether to report Jose Mourinho after the Real Madrid coach implied they are favourably treated by referees.

Mourinho vented his fury after Barca won 2-0 at 10-man Real in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
He said: "It's clear that against Barcelona you have no chance.
"I don't know if it's the publicity of Unicef [the club's shirt sponsor], I don't know if it's because they are very nice, but they've got this power."
A statement on Barcelona's website read: "There will be an 'extraordinary' meeting of the board at 1700 [1600 BST] to discuss the action to be taken after the events of the Bernabeu.
"Later there will be a press conference at 1900 [1800 BST].
"At the press conference after the game, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho harshly criticised referee Wolfgang Stark and suggested Barcelona receive favourable treatment.
"The Legal Services of FC Barcelona are considering reporting the Real Madrid coach to the Disciplinary Commission of [European football's governing body] Uefa."
Uefa say they will not comment until they have studied the referee's match report.
Mourinho's anger stemmed from Stark's decision to send off Real defender Pepe for a foul on Dani Alves on the hour mark with the score at 0-0.
The Portuguese was also sent to the stands after protesting to the fourth official and his mood had not lightened at the post-match press conference.
Mourinho added: "I don't know if it's the friendship of [Spanish football federation president Angel Maria] Villar at Uefa, where he is vice-president.
"[Barcelona's Pep] Guardiola is a fantastic coach, but he's won one Champions League which I would be ashamed to win after the scandal at Stamford Bridge and this year, if he wins it again, it will be after the scandal at the Bernabeu.
"I hope that one day he will win a clean Champions League, with no incidents behind it."

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Sometimes I am a little bit disgusted to live in this world

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho

The first 'scandal' Mourinho was referring to was the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Chelsea in 2009, when the Catalan club reached the final on the away goals rule.
Andres Iniesta's injury-time strike secured the win, but at the final whistle Chelsea's players confronted referee Tom Ovrebo, who had waved away at least four penalty appeals during the game.
Barca went on to beat Manchester United in the final.
Mourinho, who coached Inter Milan to the 2010 Champions League title, after after beating Barcelona in the last four, continued: "Why couldn't Chelsea reach the final two years ago? It was a miracle that Inter reached the final last year.
"I am here just to ask this question and I hope to get the answer one day."
Mourinho will now be without the suspended Portuguese defender Pepe and Spanish centre-half Sergio Ramos, who was also booked, for the second leg at the Nou Camp on Tuesday 3 May.
Barring a successful appeal, Mourinho will be forced to watch the match from the stands.
"Yes, we are out. Sometimes I am a little bit disgusted to live in this world, but this is the world we live in," he said.
"We will have to go to Barcelona and look for some pride, without Pepe who didn't do anything, without Ramos who didn't do anything and without a coach to sit on the bench.
"As soon as Pepe was sent off, all of their problems were solved.

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Messi is greatest player ever - Wenger

"If, in a sporting sense, it's difficult to turn this around, I would say it's now mission impossible.
"If we go there and score a goal, they will kill us again. We have no chance.
"They have to get to the final and that's that."
Following Barca's victory, which came courtesy of two Lionel Messi goals, Guardiola chose to look ahead to the fifth and final encounter against their bitter rivals this season.
"We haven't made it to the final yet, this is the first leg match," he said.
"A team that has nine European Cups never gives up on a tie. We are two games and one draw from being European champions. We will think about the return so we can get to Wembley.
"We are a step away from the final, but we will carry on respecting Madrid, very, very much.
"If we start to believe we are already through, Madrid can punish us. We don't believe we are already there [Wembley]."
"We played a very good match and I would like to congratulate the team."

Carlo pins hopes on strike duo

Formation woes for Italian

Ancelotti: Plenty of questions to answer ahead of a cruch game on Saturday

Carlo Ancelotti remains committed to pairing Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in attack ahead of taking on Tottenham.

The Chelsea boss faces a tough decision ahead of the crunch encounter at Stamford Bridge on Saturday over whether to persevere with the stuttering partnership.
In a game that could decide the destination of the Premier League title and possibly even his job, Ancelotti insists he is prepared to allow Drogba and Torres to play despite the pair failing to gel since January.
Ancelotti is under pressure to return to a 4-4-3 formation that many, including a number of Chelsea players, believe is the key to unlocking the best form from the champions.
Yet the Italian looks to ignore the doubters and utilise both his star strikers after Torres broke his duck on Saturday in the 3-0 win over West Ham.

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"When you have very good players, you've have to try to put them together," said Ancelotti.
"Maybe they can sacrifice something of their ability, of their skills, but they can play together. If you are able to do this, I think it is good for the team, to get good results.
"Obviously, it's too early to take a decision about this because we have another training session on Friday.
"But I think it will not be a surprise if they can start on Saturday together. They trained well. They tried to have a good combination together."

Formation

Despite a number of players wishing to make their feelings known on the formation the team will utilise, Ancelotti remained adamant that he is the man who ultimately makes the decisions.
The manager was quick to point out that his side's teamwork had improved and he would have no problems changing formation to accommodate his strikers if needed.
"The best solution would be to play 4-4-2 if they play together," he added.
"I think that we don't have a problem to play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. The result doesn't depend on the shape that you use.
"The result depends on the motivation that the players have, on the spirit that the players use on the pitch during the game."

Barcelona's Lionel Messi joins the greats

By Pat Nevin
  Lionel Messi took his season's goal tally to 52

Barcelona's Lionel Messi was just like Diego Maradona at his very best in the 2-0 win at the Bernabeu.

There just isn't any argument anymore. I think Pele, Maradona and Messi are the three best footballers the world has seen. Even considering the talents of players like Zidane, those three are a little bit above the rest.
Messi has cut through the entire Real Madrid defence in the Champions League semi-final first leg - one of the most important games of the season - for his second goal.
The Argentine sees things other players just don't, even the likes of team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Messi was kept quiet in the first half but was absolutely sensational as soon as the space opened up.
That space developed for two reasons.
Firstly, because of Pepe's sending-off, which I thought was harsh as he got a little bit of the ball in his challenge with Dani Alves.
Secondly, it may be Real Madrid against Barcelona but these guys are only human. When time goes on and players get tired, space appears. Fantastic players, like those in the Barcelona attack, can be devastating when that happens.
Once the first goal went in on 76 minutes and with Madrid a man down, I think Barcelona smelt blood. They sensed they could all but finish the tie after one match.
It was a dangerous game for Mourinho. I think he chose to play for a 0-0 draw because he knew that if Barcelona scored an away goal his side would struggle to get through.
Mourinho's tactics are not always the most sophisticated - and I am not sure his teams know how to go and attack teams, especially Barcelona.
If we look back to his most effective days when in charge at Chelsea, he played a battering ram up front in Didier Drogba and two quick men down the sides in Arjen Robben and Damien Duff.
Right now, I cannot see any way back for Real. But if there is one manager who can get it back, it is Mourinho.
However, I am sure some of those Real fans who left early will be discussing his future and it will be interesting to see who will be managing at the Bernabeu next season.
Real will put up with negative tactics if they deliver success but they won't if they don't.

Wenger won't sell star names

Gunners boss tired of discussing transfer speculation

Fab not for sale

Arsene Wenger is adamant Arsenal want to hang on to their best players following renewed speculation concerning the future of captain Cesc Fabregas.

Influential midfielder Fabregas was chased by former club Barcelona for much of last summer, but ultimately stayed at Emirates Stadium.
However, the Gunners' likely failure to win any silverware again this season has prompted fresh doubts about Fabregas' future in North London.
Speculation recently claimed that Italian giants Inter Milan are lining up a £35million bid to prise the Spain World Cup winner away from Arsenal.

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However, ahead of Sunday's showdown with Premier League leaders Manchester United, Wenger dismissed the latest stories concerning his players.
Wenger feels he has addressed the issue on numerous occasions in the past and reaffirmed his position that he does not want to offload his key men.
"We do not want to sell our players," said Wenger. "Our players have contracts and they will stay here unless we decide otherwise.
"This is a subject that is not creative, we have answered it in 80% of press conferences. This is a subject that has to stop because the past has shown the question is useless.
"I do not want to go on about the transfer market now, and whether we will buy or not buy."