Pro Eleven Headline News
Guardiola Wary Of 'Dangerous' Getafe
Barcelona might be the in-form team in La Primera at the moment, but coach Pep Guardiola is ensuring that he doesn't get swept up in all the hype.
The former midfielder has master-minded a change in fortunes at Barça, but speaking to Marca today he made it clear he is not about to let his guard down when Getafe visit this weekend.
"Getafe are a team that have done well for many years and they will be dangerous. The last two games they have lost are deceptive. Besides, historically Victor Muñoz has always created problems for Barça," he declared.
The coach didn't want to give too much away about his game plan, but he did admit that if he were to play Lionel Messi it would be with a niggle. He told the press that he doesn't view the Argentine as the fundamental player in the team though.
"Important players exist that make us stronger," he began.
"When we have Andrés Iniesta and Gabriel Milito we will be better but everyone should understand that they are equally important."
Guardiola also spoke a little bit about the tactics he thinks Getafe might employ, and the coach doesn't see them coming to defend.
"Getafe will want to attack," he said, "In their last two games the results have been deceptive."
Muntari helps Inter topple Juve
Sulley Muntari's goal in the 73rd minute was enough to lift Inter Milan to a 1-0 win over Juventus at the San Siro on Saturday.
The result moves Inter four points clear of AC Milan at the top of the table with the Rossoneri visiting Torino on Sunday, while Juve falls six points back of Inter.
The best chance in a scoreless first half fell to Inter in the 33rd minute when Juve defender Nicola Legrottaglie turned the ball over in midfield, allowing Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic to carry the ball into the box on the left. However, the Swedish striker rolled his shot wide of the far post.
Ibrahimovic then set up Muntari inside the box for a shot from 12 yards but Juve goalkeeper Alex Manninger reacted well and tipped the ball around the post.
That duo did finally connect successfully in the 73rd minute with Ibrahimovic driving the ball towards the far post from the right and Muntari finishing the play into the empty net.
The visitors had a chance to equalize in the final 10 minutes from a corner kick when Alessandro Del Piero turned a header on goal from close range but Julio Cesar made a good reaction stop in the Inter net to snuff out the chance.
Fiorentina took over fourth place with a 4-2 win over Udinese as Riccardo Montolivo scored his first two goals of the season while Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino also found the net for the Viola. Sports Network
Manchester City Beats Arsenal; Chelsea, Liverpool Tie
Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-0, handing the Gunners their second straight loss and dropping them to fifth place in English soccer’s Premier League.
Stephen Ireland, Robinho and Daniel Sturridge scored at the City of Manchester Stadium as Arsenal played without captain William Gallas, who was left out by manager Arsene Wenger after criticizing his teammates earlier this week.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United -- the top three teams in the standings -- all played 0-0 ties.
Chelsea drew with Newcastle and Liverpool tied Fulham, both at home, while United drew at Aston Villa. Bolton defeated Middlesbrough 3-1, Stoke defeated West Brom 1-0 and Hull rallied for a 2-2 tie at Portsmouth.
Manchester City’s convincing victory concluded a woeful week for Wenger and Arsenal. The Gunners lost at home to Aston Villa seven days ago, saw winger Theo Walcott undergo surgery after dislocating his shoulder on international duty, then had the controversy with Gallas.
The Arsenal captain said his teammates weren’t tough enough and that an unidentified player was a disruption on and off the field. Wenger responded by not including him in today’s squad.
Ireland opened the scoring in the final minute of the first half, while Robinho made it 2-0 11 minutes after the break. Sturridge then closed the scoring with a penalty kick in the final minute.
First Place
Chelsea and Liverpool both have 33 points, with the Blues holding first place on a superior goal difference. Manchester United has 25 points, while Aston Villa moves one point ahead of Arsenal into fourth with 24.
United’s Wayne Rooney had the best scoring chance for the visitor at Aston Villa, but shot over the goal from close range. Villa’s claim for a second-half penalty after Gabriel Agbonlahor appeared to be taken down by Nemanja Vidic was ignored by referee Chris Foy.
Gretar Rafn Steinsson, Matthew Taylor and Johan Elmander scored in Bolton’s win at Middlesbrough, while Mamady Sidibe’s goal with six minutes remaining gave Stoke the win over West Brom.
An own-goal from Noe Pamarot in the final minute earned Hull its draw at Portsmouth. Hull is in sixth place, one point behind Arsenal. Bloomberg
Real Madrid beats Recreativo 1-0 in Spanish soccer league
A first-half goal by Wesley Sneijder led Real Madrid to a 1-0 victory over Recreativo Huelva on Saturday, but failed to relieve pressure on under-fire coach Bernd Schuster despite the Spanish champions halting a poor run of results.
Sneijder was Madrid's most dangerous player, and the Netherlands midfielder scored in the 39th minute with a long-range deflected shot that dipped over goalkeeper Asier Riesgo after missing a number of prior chances.
Madrid snapped a three-game league winless run to move within two points of leader Barcelona, which plays Getafe on Sunday.
Barcelona has 28 points to be three ahead of Villarreal, which lost 3-0 to Valladolid for its first home defeat in nearly a year.
Sevilla and Valencia, which both have 23 points, play in Saturday's late match.
An unimpressive victory against a team that is next to last is unlikely to relieve all of the pressure on Schuster, who picked up his 35th victory in 50 league games with Madrid. Plus, his injury woes continue to grow.
Gonzalo Higuain pulled up clutching his left ankle after chasing a ball in the 76th. The Argentina striker, who was carried off on a stretcher, joins a handful of Madrid's international players missing to injury.
Sneijder's goal at least saw Madrid's squad take a first step toward a hefty pay bonus.
President Ramon Calderon has promised each player 120,000 euros (C$150,175) - for a grand total of about 2.5 million euros (C$3.1 million) - if the two-time defending Spanish champion could string together five wins, starting with Recreativo.
Recreativo took advantage of the inexperienced central defensive partnership of Sergio Ramos and Pepe with Fabio Cannavaro out injured.
Recreativo striker Javier Camunas forced Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas to make a save in the eighth minute. He then hit Javi Guerrero's centering pass over the crossbar from in front with Casillas beaten.
Sneijder headed Royston Drenthe's cross over from close range in the 11th. A minute later, Higuain went clear through to round goalkeeper Asier Riesgo, but his angled shot was cleared by Nasief Morris.
Raul Gonzalez was clear on goal in the 37th but couldn't turn Sneijder's perfect cross home. At the other end, Madrid's backline had problems containing Recreativo midfielder Kanga Akala, whoe forced Casillas into a diving save in the 44th.
Riesgo saved from Sneijder again early in the second half before Higuain chipped wide in the 53rd. Recreativo had a chance four minutes later, but failed to capitalize with Casillas caught out.
Rafael van der Vaart replaced Sneijder in the 67th, and Riesgo kept out the Dutchman's header before also saving in the ensuing scramble. It was as close as Madrid came to scoring a second goal.
Recreativo has now gone 11 games without a win, its worst run in team history.
At El Madrigal, Villarreal's unbeaten league record was undone by a late first-half collapse led by Jonathan Sesma.
Sesma scored inside the area in the 24th and took advantage of a 44th-minute blunder by goalkeeper Diego Lopez for a second.
Pedro Leon shot under Lopez moments later as Valladolid followed up last week's 1-0 win over Madrid with another three points against a league contender.
Villarreal last lost at home against Real Betis last December.
