Schalke fail in Drogba protest

Drogba

Uefa has dismissed S04’s appeal questioning the Ivorian's eligibility to represent Galatasaray during their Champions League clash

Uefa have confirmed that they have rejected a protest from Schalke over the eligibility ofGalatasaray striker Didier Drogba.
The Bundesliga outfit lodged an appeal over the Ivorian's inclusion in the Super Lig winners' Champions League squad, with general manager Horst Heldt claiming it would be "negligent" if they did not do so.

Galatasaray themselves dismissed speculation that they fielded Drogba illegally as "nonsense", and Uefa have now backed up the Turkish side's stance.
A statement released on their website read: "Having examined all the documents of the case, the Control and Disciplinary Body decided to reject the protest lodged by Schalke."
The German side's head of finances Peter Peters insisted in a statement on the club's official website that they would respect the decision, adding that they were only seeking clarity on the issue.

"We said from the beginning this was just to make the situation clear," he said. "And to get that was only possible by protesting, since it was the only way the necessary documents would be checked. That is what happened. We will respect Uefa's verdict."

Galatasaray later realeased a statement confirming the news to their supporters, underlining that Uefa had rejected Schalke's protest "in the light of documents presented" to the governing body's committee.
Drogba joined Galatasaray in January on a free transfer which was ratified by Fifa, after terminating his contract with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua over claims of unpaid wages.
The 34-year-old will now be free to play for Fatih Terim's side in the return leg of their Champions League tie in Gelsenkirchen on March 3.

Beckham: I feel at home at Paris Saint-Germain

David Beckham

Coach Carlo Ancelotti was equally thrilled with the 37-year-old's full debut, but hinted that they may appeal Uefa's "incredible" two-game ban imposed on Zlatan Ibrahimovic

By Joe Wright

David Beckham was thrilled to have made his full debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, claiming that he feels "at home" with his new squad.

Beckham played 85 minutes of PSG's 2-0 Coupe de France win over Olympique de Marseille at Parc des Princes, and the former England captain was full of praise for the way his team-mates have helped him settle.

"It's always good to start a match," he told RMC. "It was a pleasure. I feel at home, I'm playing with super players in a super team. I felt good, but I cannot always play 85 minutes immediately."

Beckham was harshly booked shortly before being substituted after a confrontation with Jordan Ayew, but he insists such incidents are par for the course in big games.

"The coming together with Jordan Ayew? This happens in big matches like this. The tension is high. I'm not complaining," he said.

Sporting director Leonardo added that Beckham's display was evidence that the former Real Madrid star has not simply been signed for commercial reasons.

"He did not arrive just so we could take pictures, press conferences and sell jerseys. Today was the confirmation of that," he said. 

Coach Carlo Ancelotti also praised Beckham's contribution in his post-match press conference, but revealed his frustration at Uefa's decision to hit Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a two-game Champions League ban following his red card against Valencia.

"Beckham had a very good game," said Ancelotti. "As usual, he delivered good passes, and played well in the axis with [Blaise] Matuidi. He showed he could play, even though he is 37.

"It was a different game to last Sunday. Marseille used different tactics. They played deeper to prevent us from playing. In fact, it was easier for us to keep the ball.

"Ibrahimovic's Champions League suspension? I was surprised when he got the red card. To see Uefa impose a two game ban is incredible. I hope they will reconsider their decision."

Benitez blasts fans, confirms exit

Rafael Benitez

Rafael Benitez

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez's patience with the club's fans finally snapped on Wednesday as he confirmed his intention to leave the club at the end of the season.

Benitez has been targeted by sections of the club's support ever since he was appointed as the successor to Roberto Di Matteo last November.

Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals and they are also in the last 16 of the Europa League, but they have slipped to fourth place in the Premier League.

Benitez was only appointed on a temporary basis but he confirmed in an angry press conference that the abuse he has received from some of Chelsea's fans had prompted him to abandon his ambition to coach the team on a permanent basis.

"I'm disappointed with some fans. They have to support the team instead of wasting time making banners. They have to support the team," he said.

Benitez also appeared to take issue with the Chelsea management for insisting on the temporary nature of his employment.

"They (Chelsea) gave me the title of interim manager, which is a massive mistake. I am the manager and I will manage this club. The fans are not helping us," he said.

"I am a professional and I will do my job. At the end of the season I will leave."

Falcao proud despite 'ugly' Copa win

Radamel Falcao 

The prolific Colombian was thrilled and relieved after his goal helped Los Colchoneros edge a bad-tempered clash with Los Rojiblancos to book their place in the final

Radamel Falcao has spoken of his sense of achievement after helping Atletico Madrid reach their second Copa del Rey final in four years with a 4-3 aggregate win over Sevilla.

Falcao's 29th minute strike was crucial as it sent the away side into a 4-1 aggregate lead, which proved unassailable despite the hosts' comeback.

"Being in the final is very important for Atletico, [so] we are pleased and we are proud," Falcao told reporters after the match.

"The end of the match was ugly, but it doesn't matter," he added, referring to Gary Medel's incensed reaction to being red-carded as the match drifted away from the Andalusians.

Former Porto striker Falcao also admitted that Atletico's first-leg advantage and their opponents' increasing attempts to chase the game played into their hands.

"We had a good strategy. We knew they would try to win and that would give us chances, and we took advantage.

"I'm happy because we put in a lot of work and effort." 

Sevilla 2-2 Atletico Madrid (Agg 3-4): Visitors set up all-Madrid Copa final

The Brazilian and the Colombian stole the show in the Pizjuan, meaning that the Colchoneros will meet Real Madrid in a dream final for fans of the capital giants

The final of the 2012-13 Copa del Rey will be a capital affair in Spain, after Atletico Madrid booked their place against arch-city rivals Real with a 2-2 tie with Sevilla, securing a 4-3 triumph on aggregate. 

Diego Simeone's men again scored two in Andalucia thanks to strikes from Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao in the first half, while Jesus Navas and Ivan Rakitic's goals proved to be insufficient for the disappointed home support. 

Having witnessed the Colchoneros take a narrow lead from the opening clash of the semi-final, fans of both Sevilla and Atletico were expecting a gripping clash as their men fought for a place in the Copa del Rey showpiece. Right from the outset, it was clear that they were not to be disappointed as Atleti raced into the lead. 

Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, Diego Costa did fantastically well to simultaneously gain control while holding off the challenge of Alberto Botia. Turning the defender expertly, Costa was equally lethal in driving his shot low past the dive of Beto to open the scoring, earning the Brazilian his seventh goal of the cup campaign with just six minutes played. 

Spurred on by a capacity crowd in the Estadio Pizjuan, Sevilla were unbowed by their early setback and pushed forward throughout the first half, albeit at times lacking a clear direction as crosses rained down on the Atletico area. 

Gary Medel had one of the Rojiblanco's best early efforts; having seen Jesus Navas slalom his way down the right flank and float in the cross, the Chilean was left with an almost empty net when Thibaut Courteois misjudged the flight of the ball, but nodded wide to squander the opportunity. 

Atletico's retribution was swift. Radamel Falcao started his side on the offensive, taking the ball on the counter and opening up with a long pass to find strike partner Diego Costa. Costa flew down the left wing, and upon reaching the byline had the easy task of finding the Colombian now in the penalty area, who barely broke stride as he converted coolly to complete the move. 

Sevilla looked sunk 4-1 down on aggregate, but there was to be one beam of light in the first half; Navas turned in a delightful looping shot from the edge of the area as the match approached the midway stage, giving his side the slightest of lifelines for the remaining 45 minutes. 

And they continued playing positively after the interval, immediately forcing a save from Courteois who had to get down low to save Alvaro Negredo's low free kick. A delightful pass from the forward then teed up Manuel del Moral, who drove straight at the keeper. 

But the action was occurring at both ends; Costa had a great chance to end the game as a contest when Federico Fazio's intervention spun the ball into his path, but the Brazilian uncharacteristically hit wide to spurn his opportunity. 

The efforts continued, as Sevilla refused to give up their quest for the final and Atletico failed to close the game down. Falcao went agonisingly close with a header that should really have hit the target, while minutes later it was Negredo's turn to take his head into his hands after seeing his own chance go wide. 

But whatever opportunity Sevilla had of getting back into the game, with 15 minutes left it evaporated when Medel was expelled from the field for a second-bookable offence. The ex-Boca Juniors and Universidad Catolica star had to be dragged away from the action as he was incensed by the decision. 

And the Chilean's exit was the final straw for the hosts as they went out of the Copa del Rey in the penultimate stage, Ivan Rakitic's late strike too little to change the course of proceedings. 

Atletico will now have the chance to win their second trophy under the direction of Diego Simeone, after lifting the Europa League title in 2012. Sevilla, meanwhile, miss out on the chance to challenge for the cup they last lifted in 2010.

Plan A could be the one for Barcelona

Champions Matchday editor Paul Simpson ponders FC Barcelona's predicament and says they can draw inspiration from Otto Rehhagel's EURO 2004-winning Greece side.

t is all too easy to blame Tito Vilanova and Jordi Roura for FC Barcelona's 2-0 defeat by AC Milan last week. Many observers have done just that, criticising Barça's coach and his assistant for not developing a Plan B. One pundit who has not joined this chorus, however, is Otto Rehhagel.

The German oversaw one of the most unexpected triumphs in international football when he steered Greece to glory at UEFA EURO 2004. He did so without a plan B. He had a plan A – a 4-5-1 formation with a sweeper that relied on man-to-man marking and dominating games by controlling space, rather than the ball – and stuck to it rigidly.

Having used this system for years, Rehhagel decided he understood its flaws, intricacies and strengths so well that he was better off staying with it rather than adopting some new-fangled innovation such as 4-4-2. There was a degree of humility in this decision – an implicit recognition that a coach could be a genius when using one system but the fall guy when deploying another – but he certainly proved his point in 2004.

The clamour for a plan B is fuelled by the idea that Barcelona routinely fail to perform when opponents 'park the bus'. Critics like to cite famous defeats by Chelsea FC and FC Internazionale Milano, conveniently forgetting that the margin between success and failure in these instances was extremely slender. This view is also harsh on the Rossoneri, who impressed immensely in the first leg.Rehhagel's feat indicates that a plan B for the second leg might not be necessary for Barcelona. It is telling that people cannot quite agree what this plan B should be. For some, it involves playing David Villa in front of Lionel Messi; for others it is replacing Cesc Fàbregas or Alexis Sánchez with Cristian Tello and for a few – who have written off the Blaugrana's chances – it involves a summer shake-up.

Arsenal FC fans also want Arsène Wenger to devise a plan B. This is where all the talk of As and Bs degenerates because the Gunners did switch to plan B in the second half against FC Bayern München – with Olivier Giroud replacing Theo Walcott as central striker – and looked significantly improved.

Theo Walcott has been plan A and plan B for Arsenal this season

Arsenal's plan B against Bayern, with the Frenchman as centre-forward, had previously been their plan A in the Premier League. Walcott at times looked devastatingly effective through the middle in domestic competition, but UEFA Champions League defences leave less space for him to exploit. It is this plan A that many Arsenal fans insist should be superseded by a new plan B (the old plan A). Confused? You will be …

The global popularity of fantasy football games has empowered millions of armchair tacticians. Yet many of this competition's greatest games – including the remarkable 2005 final between Milan and Liverpool FC – have been defined by character, passion or skill, not tactical acumen.

The stats for Milan v Barcelona show the visitors completed only 674 passes (compared to 722 per game in Group G), were slightly less accurate (only 81% of passes found their man) and had two shots on target (compared to an average of 10.1 in Group G). Messi had 80 touches (his mean was 98.8 for the five group matches in which he played the full 90 minutes), while Xavi Hernández only completed 94 passes (133 per game in Group G).

You can see these statistics as demanding a tactical rethink. Barcelona's coaches could devise a plan B that, in the high-pressure arena of a UEFA Champions League tie, could undo a team, rather than strengthen it. However, they might be better off focusing on lifting the performances of a few players who, by their own exalted standards, simply had an off night in Milan.

The opinions expressed here are the writer's own and not those of UEFA.

Mata calls for Chelsea Cup reaction

Chelsea FC

Chelsea FC

Juan Mata says Chelsea must use recent disappointments as a source of motivation as they bid to set up an FA Cup quarterfinal glamour tie with Manchester United.

The European champions visit second-tier Middlesbrough in the fifth round on Wednesday, three days after a 2-0 loss at Manchester City that left them seven points adrift of the top two in the Premier League.

It leaves Champions League qualification as Chelsea's only realistic objective in the league this season, but they remain in contention for honours in both the FA Cup and the Europa League.

The draw for the last eight in the FA Cup dealt Rafael Benitez's side a possible trip to Old Trafford in the next round and Mata believes that should provide enough motivation to cast recent setbacks into the shade.

Writing on his official blog, blogs.grada360.com/juanmata, the Spain midfielder said: "We're sorry for our fans.

"The way to overcome the disappointment is winning again, and this coming Wednesday we have an opportunity to move one step forward in the FA Cup.

"We can still win two titles. That, plus getting a ticket to play the next Champions League, is our motivation with a view to the rest of the season and we will fight for those goals until the end, like this club has always done."

Interim Chelsea coach Benitez has complained that his club are "playing too many games" at the moment and he seems likely to shuffle his pack for the trip to the Riverside Stadium.

Striker Fernando Torres and club captain John Terry will both hope to start, having been named on the substitutes' bench for the defeat at City.

Middlesbrough, FA Cup quarterfinalists five times since the turn of the century, are also seeking distraction from poor league form.

The north-east club have lost seven of their nine Championship games to date this year and slipped out of the play-off places after losing 2-1 at home to Millwall on Saturday.

"I'm looking forward to it. It is a one-off that will lift the tensions of the Championship season," said manager Tony Mowbray.

"I hope the supporters turn up, but it's their hard-earned money and you can't tell them that they have to come.

"However, we will need a great atmosphere and hope the players find a performance to make the fans proud."

Big Players must be committed-Keshi

Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi, has explained why he opted to exclude some of the nation's established stars from the 2013 Afcon squad.

Keshi, 51, was on the football magazine show, Monday Night Football on SuperSport and gave detailed explanation on his decision to leave out the like of Peter Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, Kalu Uche, Taye Taiwo and Yakubu Aiyegbeni among others.

He hinged his stance on attitudinal problems with the superstars.

Keshi was also specific in explaining the Africa Cup of Nations blackout for Obafemi and Odemwingie.

“If you have one or two who do not get along, whether they are superstars or not, the team will fall apart. We can manage some of these players with a little bit of character problems, but when it comes to a long period of time, that’s difficult.

“Odemwingie is a very good player, a player I will love to have in the team, but he wants to do what he wants to do.

“We talked on the phone, and I told him what I wanted from him, but he had his own notion and I said 'for now I will skip you.'

“We decided not to take some of these superstars to the Nations Cup because it is (a competition with) a long period of time and for the long period of time, you need characters who go together.

“Martins was not ready for the Cup of Nations. But he is still part of the group. If his name is in the next call-up, if he wants to come, we will see how it goes,” Keshi said.

However, Keshi was full of praises for Newcastle United striker, Shola Ameobi, who did not turn up for the Afcon despite being named in the pre-tournament provisional squad.

Keshi also held up his hand in defence of Ameobi missing the Afcon due to a clause in his contract.

“Honestly, I missed Shola Ameobi. In our game against Venezuela, he showed a lot of presence in the locker room, and he came in with this coaching ability and togetherness. Whenever he talked to the boys they always listened. And you could imagine that this was the first time he was coming.

“That was what I was looking for on the pitch. A leader in somebody who could talk for me on the pitch, because I know what I did as a captain on the pitch. He was really ready to come, but what was on his contract denied him from coming,” said the former Mali and Togo coach.

The Nigerian manager then broke off to talk on his 14 years as captain of the men's national team, adding that he was "not bigger than Nigeria" in spite of being the skipper.

“In the national team, where I was captain for 14 years, you are nothing but a figure in the team, you are not bigger than Nigeria. If you are not ready to give the green and white shirt the due respect, you are walking out of my team," warned Keshi.

by George Akpayen

Ronaldo: Madrid players perfect against Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese attacker netted a double in the Clasico as Los Blancos knocked out their arch rivals to progress to the final of the Copa del Rey

By Martin Macdonald

Cristiano Ronaldo has branded Real Madrid's performance in the 3-1 Copa del Rey victory overBarcelona on Tuesday evening as "perfect".

Jose Mourinho's men entered the match at Camp Nou having earned a 1-1 draw in the previous leg at Santiago Bernabeu, and a double from the former Manchester United man, followed by a header from Raphael Varane helped los Blancos on their way to a memorable win against their Clasico rivals.

And the Portuguese striker was delighted, praising the attitude of the side as a whole.

He told reporters: “It was a very good game from the first minute to last.

"We were very serious, and showed a great attitude. We played better and scored three goals away from home.

"We are very happy that we've played terrifically. We've played better here than we did at home, that's true.

"We are confident and we are still here. We all like to play here.”

Barcelona hold a 16-point lead over Madrid at the top of the table, but Ronaldo has downplayed any suggestions that Madrid are now solely focused on cup football, insisting any good performance will boost confidence.

He added: “Playing against Barca is always a great motivation. La Liga is still important, but less because of the big gap.

"We have to focus in the league and the Champions [League], we'll try to win everything as usual.

“All players have been perfect, this gives us confidence for the Champions [League].”

The 28-year-old's compatriot, Pepe, was also full of superlatives for the manner of the victory, but assured fans they would look to use this result as a starting block to improve their league form.

He said: “We were brilliant all through the team, we started well, but we have to keep playing well.

"Today we have to enjoy the victory, it's important for our fans and us, but I think that after tomorrow we must focus on Saturday's game.“

Real rout Barca to reach Copa final

Cristiano Ronaldo crushed Barcelona's treble hopes with two goals in a 3-1 away win for Real Madrid in their King's Cup last four, second leg on Tuesday to set up a showdown against Atletico Madrid or Sevilla in May's final.

The Portuguese forward became the first player to score in six straight 'Clasicos' away from home when he picked himself up after being felled by Gerard Pique in the 13th minute and struck a powerful low penalty into the corner past Jose Manuel Pinto.

Barca dominated possession but rarely threatened and Ronaldo doubled the lead when he collected a rebound from a 57th-minute Angel Di Maria effort and stroked the ball calmly into the net with Pinto stranded.

The Portuguese has been criticised in the past for failing to perform in important games but it was his 12th goal in 18 appearances against Barca since joining Real in 2009 and his second double in as many games at a stunned Nou Camp.

Real rubbed salt in the wounds of their arch-rivals when Raphael Varane, who scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw in last month's first leg at the Bernabeu, rose above the defence at a 68th-minute corner and sent a header arrowing into the net off the crossbar.

Jordi Alba pulled one back in the 89th minute but it was far too late for Barca who conceded three goals to Real at home for the first time since a 3-3 draw in March 2007.

They had not lost to the Madrid club by two goals at their giant arena in more than a decade.

"We are coming away with the feeling that we have done a very good job," Real captain Sergio Ramos said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus after his side went through 4-2 on aggregate.

"You always suffer against Barcelona because they look for the spaces and they make things hard for you but we fought very well," the Spain international added.

"I have always said that he (Ronaldo) is the best in the world and he always does the business in these games."

FORLORN FIGURE

Real's thumping victory will give them a huge boost ahead of Saturday's La Liga clash at home to Barca and Tuesday's Champions League last 16 second leg at Manchester United.

Barca, 12 points clear of Atletico at the top of La Liga but facing Champions League elimination after losing 2-0 at AC Milan last week, need to pick themselves up for Saturday's trip to the Bernabeu and the return leg at home to Milan on March 12.

With Real four points behind Atletico in third in La Liga, Ronaldo acknowledged their hopes of a second successive title were slim and said they would be concentrating on the Cup and the Champions League.

"It was a very good match for us and we played very well from the first minute to the 90th minute, very serious and with a great attitude," he told Canal Plus.

"We were the better team and scoring three goals at the Nou Camp is extremely difficult," he added.

"We have played very well recently in the games here and we are playing better here than at home.

"The league is difficult as Barca have a big lead and we have to focus on the Cup and the Champions League now."

Barca's World Player of the Year Lionel Messi went close early in the first half with a snap shot and sent a low free kick whistling just past the post but otherwise cut a forlorn figure and barely mustered a shot on goal.

It was another lacklustre Barca performance in both defence and attack and it was the 12th game in a row in all competitions they have failed to keep a clean sheet.

Assistant coach Jordi Roura, standing in for Tito Vilanova while he recovers from throat surgery, acknowledged Real had been highly effective in attack and Barca had made mistakes in defence.

However, he complained that his side should have had two penalties for what he said were clear fouls on Pedro.

"When you lose it's clear that you think about changing things so we are planning to play in a different way against Milan," he told at a news conference.

"We have to forget this defeat as quickly as possible," he added.

"The league is key and we must be focused on that while preparing a decisive game against Milan.

"We have to be optimistic and there is no reason to criticise the team, we will pick ourselves up."

Real are through to the final for a record 38th time. They have won the Cup 18 times.

Atletico Madrid will seek to protect a 2-1 advantage from last month's first leg when they play at Sevilla on Wednesday.

Madrid wire Barca

Real Madrid

No b small tin wey hapin for Camp Nou for the secon leg of Kings Cup wey Barcelona play wit Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scatta Barca defence come score two gols for the 3-1 wey dem waya Barca, come cari Madrid enta final wey dem go play Atletico Madrid abi Sevilla.

The tin b like magic no b small, The Portugal strika become the fes playa to score for six strait 'Clasico' away from in house. Gerard Pique bin foul the guyman inside eitin, and in sef gada bodi, stand up, hama korrect penarity pass Jose Manuel Pinto wey dey Barca post for the 13 minut.

As per normal normal, na Barca dominate ball, but dem no too wori Madrid defence sef, and Ronaldo sef come show insef, as in run hama Di Maria rebounce wey fall for in road, pass Pinto for the 57 minut.

Na the numba 12 gol wey in don score for the 18 times wey in don play Barca since in enta Madrid for 2009, and also, na the secon time in dey score two gol for the lass teo match wey in don play for Nou Camp b dis.

Real come do Barca strong tin, add salt on top injuri as dia defenda Raphael Varane, wey bin equalise for the fes leg wey dem play for Bernabeau, nod beta nodding for the 68 minut enta Barca net from kona kik wey Madrid take.

Barcelona kontinu to dey press, but dem bin no fit Madrid defense as Jose Mourinho, siddon for bench dey jolly as in boys dey cari Barca do oyoyo for am.

Barca manaj comot small shame for face as Jordi Alba score for dem for the 89 minut, but upon all the gre gra time bin don pass and notin wey Barca fit do, and na the fes time Barca chop gols for house agains Real since the 3-3 draw wey dem play for March 2007

Stuttering Barca missing Tito

Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi 

Barcelona's humiliating King's Cup elimination at the hands of Real Madrid on Tuesday raised the question of just how much they are missing coach Tito Vilanova while he continues his recovery from throat surgery in New York.

Although they exercised their customary domination of possession, Barca again looked short on ideas in the final third of the pitch and Real strolled to a 3-1 victory at the Nou Camp that put them through to May's final 4-2 on aggregate.

Jose Mourinho's side, organised in defence and clinical in attack, appeared to find it just as easy to keep Barca at bay as AC Milan did when they beat the Catalan club 2-0 in last week's Champions League last 16, first leg.

However many passes Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and their teammates strung together they were too predictable and were unable to provide Lionel Messi with the service that has made the World Player of the Year such a lethal goal scorer.

Vilanova, who stepped up from assistant coach to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, needed a second round of surgery in December following an operation to remove a tumour from his saliva glands in November 2011.

His assistant Jordi Roura has temporarily taken over and although the pair are in constant contact there is little doubt that Vilanova's absence is far from the ideal situation at a crucial period of the season.

The contrast with Real is significant.

Mourinho brings the authority of a two-times Champions League winner who has experience across Europe to their bench while Roura, a former Barca player, has never had a top coaching job at the highest level.

"Without taking anything away from the work of the rest of the coaching staff there is no doubt that we miss Tito Vilanova," Barca president Sandro Rosell told Spanish broadcaster Canal Plus after the Real defeat.

"He is our coach, our leader," he said, confirming that he would be travelling to New York to visit Vilanova this week.

"Imagine any institution, any company, any factory without their chief of production.

"That's why it's important that we visit him and check how he is getting on.

"The priority is his health ahead of any match, any victory and any trophy that we might want to have in our cabinet."

TOUGH TASK

Barca's bid to repeat their 2009 treble of titles in the Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup is now over and they face a tough task in overturning the two-goal deficit at home to Milan on March 12.

However, they appear to have a fourth La Liga title in five years within their grasp.

They are 12 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid ahead of Saturday's trip to play champions Real at the Bernabeu with Mourinho's side a further four points back in third.

"If we only won the league it would still be a very good season," Rosell said.

"It's the competition that rewards consistency and it's the trophy that everyone wants before the season starts.

"The others are knockout competitions and are more difficult because if you play one poor match you are out.

"Winning the league proves you are the best team."