First Time- Messi Wins La Liga Player of The Month

The 28-year-old Argentine forward, Lionel Messi, has been named La Liga Player of the month for the first time in his Career.

Although Messi has won the world player of the year award five times and has made an endless goalscoring record, but he has never been named player of the month in Spain, until now.

Messi received an award for La Liga’s player of the month for January on Friday, the first time he has won a prize inaugurated in 2013.

His rival Cristiano Ronaldo won the award back in November 2013 and likes of Atletico Madrid pair Antoine Griezmann and Diego Godin and Nolito of Celta Vigo have also won it twice.

Meanwhile, Messi has had to wait till now despite winning the La Liga title seven times in his career.

As well as winning the Ballon d’or in January, Messi scored six goals in five games in La Liga to help Luis Enrique’s side hold a three-point lead at the top of the table over Atletico Madrid while also having a game in hand.

Messi, who became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga in 2014, has scored 298 goals in Spain’s top fight and will have a chance to reach 300 marks at home to Celta on Sunday.

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Arsenal Faces Premier League Fan Protests

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal's manager appealed has appealed to fans not to stage protest during Sunday’s top-of-the table clash against Leicester City as new supporter anger erupted.

Wenger defended clubs and their prices after West Ham United’s Slaven Bilic led calls by English Premier League managers to stop stadiums becoming the exclusive preserve of the “caviar” class.

Walkout of 10,000 Liverpool fans and subsequent turn-over by clubs on price rises, put the spotlight on the super-rich league where a single ticket at Arsenal can cost close to 100 pounds ($145).

Leicester fans now furious that Sunday’s game at Arsenal has been brought forward to suit television coverage. Some  threatened to enter the stadium five minutes after kick-off in protest at money lost on travel and accommodation.

Arsenal supporters’ group RED action back the action and have called on home fans to applaud Leicester counterparts when they enter the ground.

Wenger said everyone should be inside the stadium for kickoff. “You can protest before and after, but during the game,  everybody should be there,” he said adding that every moment should be savoured.

“Life is not fantastic every day, – sometimes it’s boring, sometimes it’s difficult for many people. Football is a moment of happiness in your life, so don’t miss it.”

Leicester are more worried about television companies changing game times. But fans are still angry about prices and Bilic, Crystal Palace’s Alan Pardew and Watford’s Quique Sanchez Flores all called for realism by owners of the clubs awash with hundreds of millions of pounds in television and sponsorship deals.

“It should be affordable. If you go to the shop and buy caviar and champagne it’s expensive, it should be, but bread and milk is cheap. It should be like that with football.

“I think a balance can be found to keep fans happy. Otherwise we will have empty stadiums. It’s not like going to London to see ‘Les Miserables’, it’s football.”

The sight of 10,000 Liverpool fans walking out of Anfield in the 77th minute of last weekend’s Sunderland game in protest at a 77-pound ticket shocked many English clubs. Liverpool’s American owners reversed the move on Wednesday and apologised for the “distress” caused to fans.

Watford’s Spanish manager Flores said: “For me, I’d let the fans in for free. If not, cheap.”

Crystal Palace’s Pardew said owners need a dose of realism.

“The owners of the football clubs — and we have a lot of foreign owners — need to really consider carefully that they don’t lose the core supporters that we have.

“Because if they think it’s just the product on the pitch that makes the Premier League what it is, it isn’t.

“It’s the atmosphere. It’s the drive from those core supporters that makes the atmosphere and the game unfold the way it does.”

Premier League clubs are due to meet next month to make major decisions for next season, including on tickets.

Last year, a majority called for a maximum price for away fans but it did not get the necessary two thirds majority to get passed. “We would hope in the light of the Liverpool situation they will deliver something meaningful,” said Football Supporters Federation chairman Malcolm Clarke.

Arsenal joined teams to oppose the move and they faced protests from Bayern Munich and Liverpool fans this year over the prices they charged travelling supporters.

Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown paid tribute to Germany’s efforts to keep ticket prices down and said he was ready to join a protest in England.

It is currently 140 euros ($160) for the cheapest adult standing season ticket at Bayern Munich.

“There are so many instances where fans are the last people to be considered,” Keown said in the Daily Mail.

“The cost of going to watch a game, the tickets, travel, overnight stays, fixtures being chopped and changed all the time, giving people ridiculous distances to travel, often at the last minute.”

Keown said that if there was a new price protest at Arsenal “I would follow suit. The clubs have to support what the majority of fans want and it’s time to stand up for them.”

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Van Gaal Uncertain About The Future

Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal has confessed he does not know if he will be retained as United manager,  If he should fail to lead his team to a top four finish in the current campaign.

The Dutchman seems to have held the ship since the turn of the year with only one defeat in eight games, with the likelihood of securing a top four finish, to be able to get an attractive place in the Champions League, which still seems distant.

With this speculation consistently surrounding his future – and the shadow of Jose Mourinho not yet far from discussions concerning the Old Trafford job – van Gaal is clearly not able to guarantee his survival should his team miss out on the lucrative Champions League places.

“It is not a question for me, I think,” said van Gaal. “It is a question of  United board, you have to put that question to them. I have a contract for three years.”

Not minding the uncertainty surrounding his position in charge of the club, van Gaal does not expect any clarification from his employers over his status.

Van Gaal has spoken of his strong relationship, not only with executive vice chairman Ed Woodward but also with American owners the Glazers, and does not feel they need to respond to speculation over whether or not he will see out the third and final year of his United contract.

United have responded to the disaster of a home defeat to Southampton last month, which resulted in outright hostility from Reds’ supporters, with two wins and a draw and still retain interest in two cup competitions and the United manager believes his players are handling the pressure well given the turmoil around the club and surrounding his own job security.

“I have to say that we are doing great in that respect,” he said. “Because we have lost four matches in a row in December but when you see us playing now you can only say that we are mentally very strong.

“We can cope with the pressure but that is not enough. We will have to improve our results and consistency and also have to win a lot of matches in a row now because we have to minimise the gap between we and our competitors.”

However,  United manager is not inclined to make a prediction about how many of their remaining matches United will have to win if they are to bridge that gap to the four leading clubs.

“It’s also dependent on your competitors,” said van Gaal.

“At the end of the competition the pressure is rising for everybody. Then you have to cope with that pressure and Manchester United is more or less used to that pressure.”

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Rooney and Martial set sights on Sunderland

United to face the worst Defence in Premier League on Saturday, which would have the strike-force of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial. 

So far this season Sunderland have conceded 49 goals  — the main reason why Sam Allardyce’s side find themselves in relegation trouble inside the bottom three.

Their record at the Stadium of Light is not as troubling, with only 13 goals conceded on home turf to date, but the Black Cats are evidently vulnerable that Rooney and Martial will be looking to add to their goal tallies as United bid to keep their prospects of Champions League qualification alive.

The-go into the weekend six points off the top four under Louis van Gaal, whose position remains under intense scrutiny following reports of an approach for Jose Mourinho to replace the Dutchman as manager at Old Trafford.

Rooney, who scored one of the goals in United’s comfortable 3-0 home win over Sunderland in September, has netted seven times in his last eight games while Martial has scored just once in seven games, the France international looks to be heading back towards top form and needs just one goal to reach double figures in his first season in England.

"20-year-old Martial has the amount of ability he’s got is huge. The potential is certainly there,” said Michael Carrick 

“It’s easy to forget the age he is and how little the football he’s actually played as well. To have such an impact at this stage, with the expectations based on him and the way he’s dealt with it, has been superb.

“His performances have been very good. I think we have to understand that sometimes he might not be that shining light and have days when it’s not quite happening for him, and that’s understandable.

“But over time he’ll improve and I’ve seen a big improvement already in this short time. Hopefully that trend will continue and he’ll get better and better.”

United have lost just one of their last nine games, but conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea last Sunday that saw them slip six points behind Manchester City, who are currently fourth.

Van Gaal’s side therefore have little margin for error if they are to close the gap and with the top four sides all playing each other this weekend, they must take advantage of dropped points elsewhere.

Fit-again defender Phil Jones could return after playing for United’s under-21s against Norwich City on Monday, when striker Will Keane, 23, scored five times to stake his claim for a place in the senior squad.

Sunderland go into the game having sacked England international Adam Johnson on Thursday after the winger pleaded guilty to child sex charges.

Sunderland have not beaten United at home in the league for almost 19 years and Allardyce says they will have to win more games in their final 13 matches than they have in their previous 25 to have any hope of staying up.

Second-bottom Sunderland have five league victories so far, but Allardyce believes it will take six more to bridge the four-point gap to safety as they bid to extend their nine-season stay in the top flight.

“We’re not quite into the territory of having to win back-to-back matches at this stage,” said Allardyce, whose side fought back to draw 2-2 at Liverpool last weekend.

“But looking at it, They will need six wins from their last 13 matches to get us to 38 points.”

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Dybala and Verratti posses Barcelona DNA - Xavi

Barcelona legendary midfielder, Xavi has picked out two figures who could fit in easily at Camp Nou, he does not think Paul Pogba has the right style for the Catalans

Xavi believes Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, Marco Verratti and Juventus forward Paulo Dybala have " Barcelona DNA" and are destined to end up at Camp Nou at some stage in the future.

Verratti is seen as Andrea Pirlo's heir with the Italian national team and has been PSG's premier playmaker since joining from Pescara in 2012.

Dybala, meanwhile, has been one of Juventus' undisputed star men this term, scoring 13 Serie A goals and assisting eight more as Massimilano Allegri's side have put together a club-record 14-game winning run to launch themselves into contention for a fifth-straight Scudetto.

From the look of things, Xavi is thoroughly impressed by the duo and feels they would both be a great fit for Barca.

"There are two players out there who I really like and who I think have Barcelona DNA," Xavi told El Mundo Deportivo .

"I am talking about Verratti and Dybala. They are incredible.

"They would fit in easily at Barcelona because of their quality and style of play. I see future Barcelona players in them."

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Chicharito to miss Darmstadt match Due to Muscle Injury

Former Manchester United striker won't be adding to his 22-goal haul for the season in Bayer Leverkusen's match on Saturday

Javier Hernandez(Chicharito) will miss Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga match at Darmstadt on Saturday, have been confirmed by the club.

Hernandez hit his 22nd goal of the season, from the penalty spot, to put Leverkusen ahead in their DFB-Pokal quarter-final with Werder Bremen on Tuesday, but was later substituted.

Bremen came back to win 3-1 at the BayArena thanks to goals from Santiago Garcia, Claudio Pizzaro and Florian Grillitsch, while Bayer had Wendell sent off.

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Messi Returns after Kidney Treatment

The Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi has returned to training with Barcelona on Thursday after receiving treatment for kidney stones which affected his performance in December’s Club World Cup.

Barca reported "that Lionel Messi had tests “to assess the development of kidney stones,”

On Wednesday, Messi missed 1-1 Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg draw with Valencia, with the Catalan side winning with an aggregate of 8-1.

Five-time World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi is due to start Sunday’s Liga clash with Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou where he needs only two goals to become the first player in the Spanish league to score 300 goals.

“With the presence of Leo Messi in training, Barca is already focussing on the next Liga outing,” the club said.

Messi suffered renal colic, a problem commonly caused by kidney stones, in Japan in December forcing him to miss eventual winners Barcelona’s semi-final against China’s Guangzhou Evergrande.

He recovered in time to line up in the final where Barca beat Argentina’s River Plate 3-0 as he scored the opening goal.

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