Barcelona coach Luis Enrique savoured a “glorious” El Clasico victory as he claimed his side’s performance in their 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu would “go down in history”.
With Lionel Messi only fit enough to start the match on the bench following an eight-week injury lay-off, Barca made light work of Rafa Benitez’s men.
“This victory tastes glorious because it is against our eternal rivals and, as well as the victory, it will be very difficult for us to better this performance,” he said.
“This game will go down in history, it will be remembered by all Barca fans. This squad won the treble last year and it is one of the best squads you could hope for.”
Teams try anything to stop us – Muller
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller says opposing teams are now “trying anything” in a bid to try and stop the runaway leaders.
Muller was speaking after Bayern ground out a 3-1 win over Schalke to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
It was hard going for the defending champions in Gelsenkirchen though as Schalke packed men behind the ball, but Muller admits that is the sort of thing his side are now having to face.
“I don’t know if it’s nice for the fans, but then again our opponents are trying anything now to stop us,” he told Sky television.
“You’ve got to work hard for every win in the Bundesliga, particularly when more and more of our opponents are playing with five men at the back.”
Hodgson sees bright future for England
Roy Hodgson has backed England’s new crop of stars to enjoy long international careers like many of the country’s golden generation.
England rounded off 2015 in the best way possible with a 2-0 victory over France at Wembley.
The average age of Hodgson’s starting XI at Wembley was 24 years and 113 days. It was the youngest team he fielded since he took charge over three years ago.
“If you look at the players we had building up to and during the World Cup and you look at the players now – there’s not many survivors,” he said.
“We are building a team a good future for English football.”
Lanzini flattered by Liverpool link
West Ham loan star Manuel Lanzini is flattered to be linked with Liverpool but is happy that the Hammers want to keep him at Upton Park.
The Argentine midfielder has impressed since joining West Ham in the summer.
“I heard the president say that the club wants me to stay. I am fine here,” Lanzini said.
“It’s an absolute honour that a team like Liverpool has put an eye on me, but at moment I am focused on West Ham.”
Van Gaal wants to bring Ronaldo back
Man. United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed he would be keen to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
Former United favourite Ronaldo left the club for Real Madrid in 2009, for a then world record fee of £80million.
He has since become the Spanish club’s all-time record goalscorer, but suggestions have persisted that he would be one day open to returning to United.
“We are looking at all players, not just Ronaldo. But these players are mostly ungettable,” Van Gaal said.
“With Ronaldo, let’s wait and hope. There is no trainer in the world that doesn’t like him.”
Cazorla not to blame for loss says Flamini
Mathieu Flamini refused to blame Santi Cazorla’s penalty slip for Arsenal’s defeat at West Brom.
The midfielder fell and skied his late spot-kick as he squandered the chance to rescue a point at The Hawthorns.
The Gunners went down 2-1 and missed the chance to go top of the Premier League while title rivals Manchester City were thumped 4-1 by Liverpool.
“The penalty, it can happen and Santi falling... there is nothing you can do,” Flamini said.
“We tried and tried and tried until the last minute but we can’t give any excuses – we lost the three points.
“It’s a shame because we started the game well but after they scored (twice) before half-time it became more difficult.”
Zenga set for Al Shaab job
Walter Zenga may have been sacked by Sampdoria a couple of weeks ago, but the former Italy goalkeeper could be back to management with Al Shaab.
Zenga was dismissed by Sampdoria earlier this month and was replaced by Vincenzo Montella. He flew straight to Dubai, where his family is based following several jobs working in the UAE.
Zenga doesn’t look as if he’ll be out of work for long, as according to Sky Sport Italia he’s already in negotiations with Al Shaab.
The 55-year-old has had an eclectic career, managing Steaua Bucharest, Red Star, Gaziantepspor, Dinamo Bucharest, Catania and Palermo among others.